Elphinstone Bridge Demolition: MSRTC Reroutes Buses From Parel Depot, Slight Fare Hike Likely

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has announced temporary changes to several bus routes operated from its Parel Depot, following the planned demolition of the Elphinstone Bridge in central Mumbai. The bridge, which connects the eastern and western parts of Parel and Prabhadevi, is being dismantled by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to make way for a new double-decker bridge.

Diversion for Ordinary and Semi-Luxury Services

According to a directive issued on September 11, all ordinary and semi-luxury buses operating between Parel Depot and Dadar will now take a longer diversion via Madke Buwa Chowk, Parel T.T. Junction, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Road, Krishna Nagar Junction, Parel Workshop, Supari Baug Junction, Bharat Mata Junction, Sant Jagannath Chowk, Sane Guruji Marg, Chinchpokli Bridge, Gulabrao Ganacharya Chowk, Chinchpokli Junction, N.M. Joshi Marg, before finally reaching Parel Depot.
This realignment increases the one-way distance from 6.0 km to 6.2 km—enough to trigger a fare stage jump under MSRTC’s slab system, resulting in a minor fare hike.

Premium Shivneri and e-Shivneri Services Affected

The Shivneri and e-Shivneri premium buses between Dadar and Parel have also been rerouted. In the Dadar-to-Parel direction, buses will now pass through Dadar T.T. Circle, Tilak Bridge, Kabutarkhana, Bhavani Shankar Road, Sharadashram, and Gopinath Chavan Chowk before entering Parel Bus Station—adding 0.4 km to the journey.

Elphinstone Bridge Closure: A Timeline Of Repeated Delays Before Final Shutdown Of Mumbai's 125-Year-Old Iconic Bridge Scheduled On Sept 13

For the return leg from Parel to Dadar, buses will take Baburao Parulekar Marg, Bhavani Shankar Road, Kabutarkhana, and Dadar T.T. Circle to reach Dadar Shivneri Terminal, with the distance increasing by 0.9 km.

Impact on Commuters

While the distance increase may appear marginal, MSRTC officials said the changes will affect travel time, fuel consumption, and fares. The revised routes will come into effect immediately once the Elphinstone Bridge is officially closed to traffic, impacting thousands of daily commuters.