MTHL won’t be able to bear load of Metro: Report

A draft report prepared by the consultant of MMRDA said that the 22 km bridge will not be able to bear the load of the Metro

Mumbai The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (MMRDA) plan to revive the Metro corridor between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai on the under-construction Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) between Sewri and Navi Mumbai has hit a hurdle.

MTHL will connect Sewri with Nhava Sheva and is expected to be ready by 2023, for which around 65 per cent of work is complete (HT Photo)

A draft report prepared by the consultant of MMRDA said that the 22 km bridge will not be able to bear the load of the Metro. However, the MMRDA said it is not ruling out the bridge and will study if they can make it work by increasing the load capacity.

MTHL will connect Sewri with Nhava Sheva and is expected to be ready by 2023, for which around 65 per cent of work is complete. However, in January 2022, MMRDA announced plans to appoint a consultant to study whether the sea bridge can take the load of a Metro corridor. Following this, a draft report was submitted last month.

SVR Srinivas, metropolitan commissioner of MMRDA, said, “The draft report pointed out that the bridge might not be capable of tackling the load of the Metro. However, we are exploring solutions like increasing the load capacity. We have not ruled out the project yet.”

In 2010, the MMRDA prepared a detailed project report (DPR) for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Metro Rail Link, a 49 km corridor between Prabhadevi and Dushmi. The aim behind the project was to encourage mass transport and cater to the future travel demands, while facilitating decongestion of traffic.

However, as MTHL was to be constructed under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, the firms who were interested, were not keen on the Metro corridor, as they thought citizens would prefer the Metro over availing the MTHL and paying a toll. Later, the MMRDA decided to construct MTHL by taking loan, but the Metro plan remained off the radar till last year.

The MTHL will be the second-longest sea link in the world after the 42 km link between Qingdao and Huandao in China. The six-lane project will provide direct access to Navi Mumbai, Navi Mumbai International Airport and will also serve as a gateway to Mumbai-Pune Expressway and further towards Southern India.

According to MMRDA estimates in February 2018, around 70,000 vehicles are expected to use the overpass every day and motorists might have to pay between ₹175 and ₹790 for toll. The toll collection may have to continue for around 23 years.