Despite hurdles, work on Mumbai’s Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro corridor gains momentum

Mumbai city news: The Metro line will connect south Mumbai, business hubs of Nariman Point, central Mumbai, Bandra Kurla Complex and Andheri as well as the Mumbai airport.

Despite the project having faced numerous hurdles, the construction work on the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ metro corridor in Munbai has picked up pace. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which is building the metro line, announced that the civil construction of the 33.5km line is 10% complete.

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Titled Metro 3, this line will connect south Mumbai, business hubs of Nariman Point, central Mumbai, Bandra Kurla Complex and Andheri as well as the Mumbai airport. State officials said this Metro will probably be the most useful metro line, and will also take some burden off Mumbai’s suburban network and arterial roads. It will be a completely underground Metro.

MMRC officials said that they are in the advanced stages of secant piling work at various locations along the alignment. Secant-pile is a temporary support made before the excavation begins and the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are lowered. Officials added that the tunnelling work will start by October.

“Between October and December, we will start tunnelling work at at least six locations. Based on the current process, we can say that 10% of civil work had been completed,” said SK Gupta, director (projects), MMRC. The MMRC has already placed an order for 17 TBMs, which will arrive in the city by July end.

Currently, secant-piling and work on creating a launching shaft has started at Azad Maidan, Cuffe Parade, Science Center at Worli, Siddhivinayak Temple, Naya Nagar in Mahim, Sahar Road and Sariput Nagar in Andheri East.

The civil construction of the country’s longest underground metro project started in October 2016. As per it’s original schedule, the MMRC aimed to complete at least 20% work by December this year, which got delayed due to litigation.

The project has been mired in controversy, chiefly because the agency planned to house it’s car depot in Aarey Milk Colony and for the number of trees that had to be axed to commence the civil work. Environmentalists opposed the moved and moved Courts against the plan.