The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday, August 19, approved a 16-kilometre underground metro link between Wadala and the Gateway of India. The project will cost more than INR 24,000 crore and will be built with assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The Wadala–Gateway metro corridor, also called Metro 11, will be the second fully underground metro in Mumbai after the Colaba–Seepz route. As per sources, a metro depot will be developed at the BEST bus depot in Anik-Pratiksha Nagar. A commercial complex will also be built there, providing extra income for BEST.
The execution of line 11 has been moved from MMRDA to MMRCL. Construction will begin in 2027 and will be finished in 2030. According to a draft Environmental Impact Assessment, 2,208 trees will be impacted by the project, which is 17.5 km underground (excluding for the depot).
The line will connect at Bhakti Park (Wadala) with Line 4 (Wadala-Kasarvadavli) and at CSMT with Line 3 (Aqua Line).
The cabinet also cleared several large transport projects aimed at improving travel in the state. The approvals include a 25-kilometre elevated road from Thane to the Navi Mumbai International Airport.
The cabinet subcommittee on infrastructure also approved a ring road and a new township in Nagpur, two additional railway lines between Lonavala and Pune, and the purchase of 268 air-conditioned rakes for Mumbai’s suburban rail system.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis presided over the meeting. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, and chief secretary Rajesh Kumar were also present. Fadnavis said the decisions will create a modern transport system and give a fresh push to the growth of Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Nagpur.
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