The Maharashtra government has appointed Maha Metro to carry out a feasibility study and prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed metro corridor connecting Thane, Kalwa, Mumbra and Diva. The agency has been given six months to complete the exercise after the state approved the proposal in principle.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai on Monday, August 3. According to Maha Metro, the proposed corridor will improve connectivity across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The line is planned to connect with the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor near Mhatardi in Diva. This will provide connection for passengers travelling to and from Gujarat. The corridor will also connect to Metro 12, the Kalyan-Taloja Metro line, at Manpada. Together, these links will create an integrated network connecting Thane, Mumbra, Diva, Dombivli, Taloja, Kalyan and Bhiwandi.
During the meeting, Shinde directed Maha Metro to submit the DPR within six months. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, MP Naresh Mhaske, MLAs Ravindra Phatak, Madhavi Naik and Niranjan Davkhare, Thane Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao, Maha Metro Managing Director Shravan Hardikar and other officials attended the meeting.
As per a report by HT, Davkhare said residents currently depend heavily on overcrowded suburban trains. Many commuters travel in unsafe conditions every day. The proposed alignment has been planned through Kolbad and old Thane to improve connectivity while causing minimum inconvenience to local residents. The project will help reduce the load on both the suburban railway network and roads.
Reports suggest that land acquisition and related procedures are likely to be easier for this project because large stretches of open land are available along the proposed route. An agency is reportedly preparing the DPR. The project's final cost, construction schedule and alignment will be decided after the DPR is completed.
The new metro corridor will offer another travel option to commuters from Dombivli, Diva, Mumbra and Kalwa, who currently rely mainly on the suburban railway network. The corridor's link with Metro 12 at Manpada will create a continuous metro network connecting Thane, Diva, Dombivli, Taloja, Kalyan and Bhiwandi.