Mumbai to get 2 more Metro lines, will it make your commute smoother?

The city will get two new Metro rail corridors. The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) gave its approval to the Lokhandwala-Jogeshwari-Kanjurmarg (Metro 6) and Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan (Metro 5) line. An MCZMA approval is important as the alignment for the two lines partially falls in the ecologically sensitive Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).

The MMRDA has identified an 18-hectare plot in Kanjurmarg for the Metro-6 car depot that falls in the CRZ area. Similarly, the Metro 5 alignment crosses the Ulhas River near Kalyan. The MCZMA gave clearance to the two Metro lines in its meeting held at the end of June. Satish Gavai, principal secretary, state environment department, said, “The MCZMA decided to give its approval to the projects with a standard set of conditions. These include installation of noise barriers, the mandatory plantation of mangroves, construction on stilts at a few places and so on.” A major portion of the alignment is not in CRZ, and it is mostly the car depot of Metro 6 that falls in the eco-sensitive area,” Gavai said.

Senior MMRDA officials said they are trying to resolve the litigation on the plot that is earmarked for a Metro 6 car depot. “The plot is in legal dispute, but we are approaching the high court through the collector to resolve the issue,” said UPS Madan, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA. In a bid to fast track the construction of the two Metro lines, the MMRDA is planning to place the project proposals before the state cabinet for its nod within the month. “The next step for us is to seek cabinet approval; we hope to get the nod by this month-end or before Independence Day,” said Pravin Darade, additional metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA.

The 14.47-km Metro-6 corridor would be the second Metro line in the city to provide the crucial east-west rail connectivity. According to the MMRDA’s plan, the Metro 6 corridor, which will go via the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), will have 13 stations along the route. The 24-km Metro-5 corridor will connect Thane and Kalyan via the power loom town of Bhiwandi and will have 17 stations. The estimated cost of Metro 6 is Rs6,672 crore, while Metro 5 is estimated to cost around Rs8,416 crore. The two elevated corridors will have interchanges with existing, under-construction Metro corridors and also with the suburban railway network in the city.

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