Mumbai Metro infra gets major boost, PM launches three Metro projects
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various Mumbai Metro projects, in line with the vision of ‘Mumbai in Minute’ on 7 September 2019. These three new lines will take the total number of Metro lines to 14 across the Mumbai metropolitan region
The three new Mumbai Metro lines will be built at an investment of over Rs 19,000 crore. The three Metro lines together will add more than 42 km to the Metro network of the city. The three corridors are -- 9.2 km long Gaimukh to Shivaji Chowk (Mira Road) Metro-10 corridor, 12.7 km long Wadala to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Metro-11 corridor and 20.7 km long Kalyan to Taloja Metro-12 corridor. The projects which will together add more than 42 km to the Metro network of the city will be implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
Metro-10 corridor will be built at an expense of Rs 4,476 crore. It will connect the CSMT-Wadala-Thane-Kasarvadvali route. The project is expected to be ready by 2022.
Metro-11 corridor will cost around Rs 8,739 crore. It will have a four km elevated corridor between Wadala and Sewri, while the 8.7 km Sewri-CSMT patch will be underground. The project is likely to be completed by March 2026.
Metro-12 corridor will cost Rs 5,865 crore. The government of Maharashtra has slated to complete the project by March 2024 which will ease the commute for passengers from Kalyan, Navi Mumbai, Taloja, and the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport area.
All three Metro projects were granted the Maharashtra Cabinet nod on 24 July 2019. So far in Mumbai the government of Maharashtra has invested Rs 1.5 lakh crore rupees in Mumbai Metro. Also, the government intends to take the Metro network from 11 km to 325 km by 2023-24. Also, the coaches which run on the Metro lines will also be manufactured in India.
The government has touted that job opportunities will be created for 10,000 engineers and 40,000 skilled and unskilled workers due to Metro projects. The Central government has made operational 675 km of Metro lines, out of which around 400 km became functional in the last five years and work is in progress on 850 km, while approval has been given for work on 600 km of Metro lines.
The PM also laid the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art Metro Bhavan; the 32-storey centre will operate and control 14 Metro lines measuring around 340 km. He also inaugurated Bandongri Metro Station, Kandivali East. Along side, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art Metro coach, the first under Make in India.