Metro 9 may partly open on Republic Day

In addition, the Metro 2B may take at least another month to be ready for public use, said MMRDA officials

Mumbai: Instead of the three Mumbai Metro lines that were to be partially inaugurated around Christmas last year, only a section of the Line 9 (Dahisar to the Subhash Chandra Bose Stadium) is likely to be opened on the Republic Day by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

Mumbai, India - January 17, 2023: Preparations is in progress inside the Gundavali Metro Station before the inauguration on Thursday by PM Narendra Modi, at Andheri (East), in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

For the last three months, MMRDA officials as well as the local MLAs had assured people that two new lines would be operational well ahead of the civic polls. Officials had said that the Metro 2B (Mandale to Diamond Garden) and Metro 9 (Dahisar East to Kashigaon) were to be inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi by December 25, but the deadline was pushed back. In addition, the Metro 2B may take at least another month to be ready for public use, said MMRDA officials.

In December, the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) visited these metro lines for inspection, and earlier this month, gave a list of final compliances to be met by MMRDA by the CMRS. “These have been addressed and an update has been shared with the CMRS,” said an official.

An MMRDA official told HT that the authority was expecting the safety certificate for Metro 9 to be approved in the coming week. Once the clearance has been received, the state is likely to inaugurate the 4.4 km route on January 26. On the same day, the state authorities along with the Central Railway plan to re-introduce air-conditioned local services on the harbour line’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Panvel route.

The Metro 9 stretches 13.5km further north from Dahisar East, but for now only a fraction of it is ready for passenger services. The section which may be inaugurated soon has four stations–Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. Once Metro 9 and Metro 7A are both operational, passengers will be able to reach the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) Terminal 2 directly from Mira-Bhayander.