Polls all set to power infra projects in Mumbai next year

Trial runs for 2 Metro lines in 2019, other infra projects to see major progress

While 2018 saw many infrastructure projects that were stuck for a long time taking shape, the election year of 2019 will see significant progress for infrastructure projects in the city.

The MMRDA is hoping to start trial runs for two Metro lines — Metro 2A (Dahisar to DN Nagar) and Metro 7 (Dahisar East to Andheri East) — by December 2019. (HT PHOTO)

Trial runs will be initiated for two metro lines, while other lines are likely to make substantial headway on the ground with the state’s BJP-led government gearing up for Lok Sabha elections in April-May and Assembly election later in the year.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is hoping to start trial runs for two Metro lines — Metro 2A (Dahisar to DN Nagar) and Metro 7 (Dahisar East to Andheri East) — by December 2019.

It has also started preliminary works for Metro 4 (Wadala to Kasarvadavali) and Metro 2B (DN Nagar to Mandala).

In a boost to connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also laid the foundation stone for Metro 5 (Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan) and Metro 9 (Dahisar-Mira Bhayander) on December 18.

The Metro Bhavan will be an operation and control centre for the Mumbai Metro.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which is executing the 33.5km fully-underground Metro route between Colaba and Seepz, is planning to complete 80% of the tunnelling work by December 2019 and commission it by 2021.

AV Shenoy, a transport expert said, “While the government has given approval to a lot of projects, its major problem is that it does not have anything concrete to show. Metro 2A and 7 will get completed only by 2020 as there is a lot of work in terms or procurement of rolling stock, trial runs and signalling system which has to be completed.”

In other infrastructure projects, a major project pending for two decades, work on the Mumbai trans-harbour link (MTHL) started this year and a visible alignment is expected by May 2019. The 22-km sea link will bridge the distance between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

A project pending since eight years, the second phase of the Mumbai monorail is expected to be commissioned in the first half of 2019.

In a major boost to road connectivity, the Versova-Bandra sea link will also take shape the coming year. While geo-technical surveys are underway for the sea link, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is also studying the possibility of extending the corridor till Virar.

Radheshyam Mopalwar, vice-chairman and managing director, MSRDC said, “Mumbaiites will witness substantial progress with the Versova -Bandra sea link and the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway in 2019.”