Cabinet sub-committee approves Wadala to Gateway metro, Thane to NMIA elevated road

This 16-km, fully underground metro corridor, called Metro 11, will be constructed at a cost of approximately ₹24,000 crore

Mumbai: In a big boost for transport infrastructure in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the state government on Tuesday approved a 16-km underground metro rail connection between Wadala and the Gateway of India and a 25-km elevated road from Thane to the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). The cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure also approved the procurement of 268 airconditioned rakes for the Mumbai suburban section, the laying of two additional railway lines between Lonavala and Pune and the construction of a ring road and a new township in Nagpur.

Cabinet sub-committee approves Wadala to Gateway metro, Thane to NMIA elevated road

“These decisions will provide a modern transportation system and a new direction and momentum for development of cities like Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Nagpur,” said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who chaired the cabinet sub-committee meeting, with deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and chief secretary Rajesh Kumar in attendance.

This 16-km, fully underground metro corridor, called Metro 11, will be constructed at a cost of approximately ₹24,000 crore, with funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It would be the second fully underground metro corridor in Mumbai after the Colaba-Seepz corridor.

“The new metro line will connect south Mumbai with the eastern suburbs. It will include a metro car depot at the Anik-Pratiksha Nagar BEST bus depot and BEST will earn some additional revenue as a commercial complex will also be built at the site under a joint agreement,” said an official aware of the matter, requesting anonymity..

“The six-lane elevated toll road will have six interchanges and a speed limit of 100 km/hr. We will need six months to secure necessary permissions and three years thereafter to complete the project. We will try to complete it before time,” Vijay Singhal, managing director, CIDCO told Hindustan Times.

The procurement of 268 airconditioned rakes for the Mumbai suburban section will be done under phases 3 and 3A of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP). Old rakes with open doors will be phased out gradually and replaced by the new rakes.

“Though these trains are more comfortable, there will be no change in ticket prices. Purchase of new trains will start after approval from the central government.” Fadnavis was quoted saying during the meeting.

The third and fourth railway lines on the Pune-Lonavala suburban route are expected to boost industrial, residential and commercial development in the area. Two new stations under phase one of the Pune metro, Balajinagar-Bibwewadi and Swargate-Katraj, were also approved by the sub-committee on Tuesday.