East-west connectivity set for a boost with launch of 3 infra projects on Thursday

Sources in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said the three projects will improve connectivity between the eastern and western suburbs and reduce travel time on some of the city’s most congested corridors

Mumbai: Connectivity between the eastern and western suburbs in Mumbai is set to receive a boost this Thursday, with the operationalisation of two key infrastructure projects – the Metro Line 2B extension from Diamond Garden till Chembur Naka and the Santacruz Chembur Link Road (SCLR) extension till the Western Express Highway (WEH). Work on the second of the twin tunnels between Borivali and Thane will also commence on Thursday with the launch of the Arjun tunnel boring machine (TBM), officials familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times.

The first phase of Metro Line 2B, from Mandale till Diamond Garden, was operationalised on April 8 (Hindustan Times)

Sources in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said the three projects will improve connectivity between the eastern and western suburbs and reduce travel time on some of the city’s most congested corridors.

The first phase of Metro Line 2B, from Mandale till Diamond Garden, was operationalised on April 8. Extension of the line till the Chembur metro station will bring it closer to the suburban rail and monorail networks, as the metro station is located around 100 metres away from the VN Purav Marg monorail station and around 200 metres away from the Chembur railway station.

“Proximity of the three systems is expected to create a more seamless interchange between metro, mono and suburban railways. The extension is also expected to improve access to Chembur, the Harbour line and south Mumbai,” an MMRDA official said.

While the Arjun TBM will start excavating the second tunnel through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the twin tunnels are expected to cut the journey time between Borivali and Ghodbunder Road in Thane from 60-90 minutes to around 15 minutes. The project comprises two 10.25-km-long tunnels, split into a 5.75-km excavation from the Borivali side and a 6.09-km excavation from the Thane side.