Mumbai: A dumping ground, a parking lot for old train coaches and a cement godown spread across 5-6 acres near the Ram Mandir station will be transformed into Maharashtra’s first full-fledged depot for Vande Bharat trains, according to railway officials aware of the developments.
On August 4, Railway Board chairman and CEO Satish Kumar visited the site in Jogeshwari and finalised it, after which a letter of confirmation was sent to Western Railway (WR). The site was picked over other options such as Wadi Bunder, Curry Road and Virar, officials said.
The new depot at Jogeshwari, to be built at an approximate cost of ₹150-200 crore, will include two to three 600-metre maintenance pit lines to accommodate 20-car Vande Bharat trains. It is likely to be maintained by a third-party contractor, officials added.
“This will be the first depot for Vande Bharat seater and sleeper trains in Mumbai for both Western and Central Railways. The existing cement godowns will be moved, while the yard could be adjusted depending on the availability of space,” said a senior WR official, requesting anonymity as they aren’t authorised to speak to the media.
The site currently has a dumping ground for muck, abandoned coaches, and other railway materials. It also has an island platform with a cement godown and sheds, and rail tracks leading to the main line towards Ram Mandir station.
Another rail official said the depot will have a unique “pit mover” for replacing the bogies of Vande Bharat trains, which are unlike any other long-distance trains with separate coaches. “This contraption will allow dislodging the wheelset from the coach standing above, lowering the wheels down into this pit. It will then be shifted on tracks perpendicular to these pit lines. From the other side, a new set of wheels will be launched upwards and fitted onto the coach,” said the official.
Once operational, the depot will initially cater to 5–10 trains and eventually expand to service and house up to 50 high-speed trains. The Vande series trains, designed to run at up to 160 kmph, are part of Indian Railways’ push to modernise and reduce travel times on key intercity routes. WR has already earmarked land at Sabarmati, Gujarat, and Indore, Madhya Pradesh, for similar depots.
The depot’s proximity to the upcoming Jogeshwari Terminus, to its east, is strategic. Scheduled to open by December 2026, this will be Mumbai’s first greenfield rail terminus in over three decades, after the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT). At least 24 long-distance trains to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi are expected to be operated from the new terminus daily.
Officials said the new depot’s development will increase the likelihood of Vande Bharat trains originating from Jogeshwari, especially as the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor prepares for 160 kmph operations by August.