Underground tunnel from Eastern Freeway to Marine Drive planned in Metro 11

Mumbai: After the fully underground Metro 3, Mumbai is set to get yet another underground line—albeit partially so—in the form of Metro 11. The Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA) and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for this line connecting Wadala and the General Post Office opposite Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The 12.77-km line was earlier to be fully elevated, but now nearly eight km on the southern side, from CST to Sewri metro station, will be underground. The reason for the change in decision, according to sources, is that MMRDA has plans to build an underground tunnel from the southern end of the eastern freeway to Marine Drive. The land on which this will be built belongs to MbPA, for which the two government authorities are in talks. The metro line will also support the new township that MbPA plans to build in the years to come.

MbPA chairperson Rajiv Jalota said he was in an “advanced stage of discussion” with MMRDA on the MoU. “We will give MMRDA the FSI rights of the eight underground stations and some land for the project,” he told HT. “The FSI rights will cover some of the cost of the underground construction.” As per estimates in 2018, the project was to cost ₹7,035 crore.

Metro 11 will have stations like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (proposed to be underground), Carnac Bunder, Clock Tower, Wadi Bandar, Darukhana, Coal Bunder, Hay Bunder, Sewri Metro, BPT Hospital and Ganesh Nagar. According to the project report, scissors crossovers are proposed at the rear end of the station.

The attempt initially was to locate stations about a kilometer apart. However, due to various considerations such as ridership, accessibility, availability of land and design considerations, a few stations could not be located at a one-km distance from each other, says the project report.

The metro line is an extension of the Metro 4 corridor (Gaimukh to Wadala, Bhakti Park) in the south-west direction. No additional depot has been proposed for the extension, and the line will use the Gaimukh to Wadala (Bhakti Park) metro corridor, which is to be located in Thane. Metro 11 will provide an alternative route for suburban residents coming to the island city and will also connect the areas along the harbour.