Metro 3 and Metro 6 to Be Integrated Near Saki Vihar Station

This Sunday, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray announced the shifting of the Metro 3 car shed from Aarey Colony to Kanjurmarg. It is now said that Metro Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz) and Metro 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar-Vikhroli) will be integrated at the elevated Saki Vihar Station (Line 6). This will make it a common elevated line with a total of six stations. 

This comes after the government had to scrap the car shed at Aarey. Current estimates suggest that the proposed changes may cost an additional Rs 500 crores. What’s crucial here, however, is the fact that the funding partner for Metro 6 depot, Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has reportedly received no notification on these changes from either the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) or the State Government. 

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The state has reportedly set aside 45-hectares of land to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). It has been specified that 25 hectares of land from this portion will be used for Metro 3.

Officials also said that a portion of Line 3 is expected to be at-grade after Seepz and before joining Metro 6. This is also expected to take the project cost to around ₹525 crores with ₹400 crores going towards Metro 3 and ₹125 crores for Metro 6.

Metropolitan Commissioner of the MMRDA, RA Rajeev elaborated on the plan for Metro 6. “There will be no changes in the Metro-6 alignment apart from the platform size to accommodate the line 3’s eight-coach trains as the platforms for Metro-6 are designed for six coaches,” he said.

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He clarified that the depots at Kanjumarg will be separate for both lines. “While some amenities will be common, the depots will be different,” Rajeev said.

Metro 3 (Colaba-Seepz) underground line spans 33.5 kilometres and was expected to be completed by 2021. However, the new changes have meant that it will only be ready by 2023-24.

The 14 km Metro 6 corridor is an elevated corridor from Lokhandwala to Vikhroli situated near the Eastern Express Highway. 

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