Rs 15,000 crore Thane-Kalyan & Lokhandwala-Kanjurmarg metro projects announced by CM
CM unveiling the new Mumbai Metro logo
With an eye on the upcoming civic polls, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a host of new projects on Wednesday, including two new metro lines.
The metro lines alone would cost the state-run Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) an estimated Rs 15,000 crore.
The proposed projects are a part of MMRDA’s plan of developing a Metro Rail network of 172 kilometers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The lines are the 24-km long Metro 5 corridor linking Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan in adjoining Thane district and the 14.5-km long Metro 6 corridor connecting Lokhandwala-Jogeshwari-Vikhroli-Kanjurmarg in the Mumbai suburbs.
Metro 5 with 17 stations will be built at a cost of Rs 8,416 crore and Metro 6 with 13 stations will cost Rs 6,672 crore. Both are expected to be completed within the next four years, Fadnavis said.
The decision was taken at a meeting of MMRDA, presided over by the Chief Minister. Besides the two new metro corridors, the MMRDA also approved a Rs 194 crore project to set up 500 WiFi hotspots in Mumbai.
The Maharashtra Information & Technology Corporation will carry out the on-ground work to identify the 500 hotspots in the first phase under the aegis of Directorate of Information and Technology.
In addition, Fadnavis approved the widening of a crucial rail over bridge at Kopri in Thane East, which is expected to cost Rs 259 crores.
Fadnavis also unveiled the new, two-colour MMRDA logo for Mumbai Metro corridors, specially designed by students of Sir JJ College of Arts.
This is the second major metro lines project announced by the state government in a span of just three weeks.
On September 27, the government approved two new metro corridors – Metro 2B and Metro 4 – with an investment of Rs 25,525 crore.
Metro 2B will be 23.5 kms long linking DN Nagar-Bandra-Mankhurd and Metro 4 will connect Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavali, both likely to be operational by 2021-2022.
At present, Mumbai is served by the 11.4-km long Metro linking Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar since June 2014.
The new metro projects will soon be placed before the State Cabinet for government approval.
