Metro Line 9 in Thane will begin its trial run this week, marking the city’s first metro test. The announcement comes after overhead wires were successfully powered on Saturday, April 10. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will officially launch the trial run.
Metro 9 is part of the Red Line. It continues from Line 7, which runs from Dahisar East to Andheri East. In Phase 1, the Metro will connect Andheri (Western Express Highway) to Kashimira. In Phase 2, the line will extend to Subhash Chandra Bose Stadium in Bhayandar (West). The route also goes from Dahisar to Mira-Bhayandar.
Metro Line 9 covers a total length of 13.581 km. It includes both elevated (11.386 km) and underground (2.195 km) tracks. It will have 10 stations when fully complete.
Four stations will open in the first phase. These are Dahisar, Pandurang Wadi, Miragaon, and Kashigaon. The remaining stations will come later. These include Subhash Chandra Bose Stadium, Shahid Bhagat Singh Garden, Meditiya Nagar, and Sai Baba Nagar.
Last week, the MMRDA warned the public to stay away from the corridor between Dahisar and Kashigaon. This was due to live 25,000-volt overhead wires. The warning was issued ahead of the trial run. Now that wires are live, full dynamic testing will begin. The tests will check train movement, signalling, communication, and safety.
Kashimira station will be an important link. It is located about 1.4 kilometres from the Mira Road Western Railway station. It will help people switch between different transport options.
Once operational, the line is expected to cut travel time in the western suburbs by 50 to 75 per cent. The new line will connect with other major routes. These include the Western Express Highway, Western Railway, Metro Line 2A, and Metro Line 7. By 2031, Metro Line 9 is expected to carry 11.12 lakh passengers every day.