The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation on Thursday awarded a Delhi-based construction company the ₹328-crore contract to build a car depot at Aarey Colony.
S.K. Gupta, functional director, MMRC, said the depot would act as the nerve centre of the Metro 3 project. Sam (India) Builtwell Pvt Ltd, which has constructed depots for Delhi and Lucknow Metros, has been given a deadline of 30 months to build the depot. Work at the depot site will include earthwork, construction of 2.5-km long storm water drainage network, 2-km-long boundary walls, and diversion of 1.1-km-long water lines.
Mr. Gupta said, “Work will begin after two months when the monsoon season ends. Till then construction material will be shifted to the site. The depot will be built on 25-hectare area to accommodate 35 eight-car trains.” Other facilities the car depot will be include 30 stabling lines, workshops, underfloor wheel lathe, maintenance facilities for overhead lines and rail tracks, heavy washers, traction switching stations, receiving substation, auto train wash plant, operations control centre, training centre, and sewage and effluent treatment plants.
The depot would take up 0.25% of the total green area (11,687 hectares) and 2.33% of the Aarey forest cover (1,287 hectares). A total of 3,130 trees will be cut to make way for the car depot. Mr. Gupta, said, “The Metro will save precious time and reduce the load on the local railway lines, leading to less congestion in trains. Fatal accidents caused due to congestion shall be avoided, saving thousands of lives.”
The depot will utilise recycled waste water and LED lighting in buildings. A rainwater harvesting system will be set up and solar panels will be installed on the rooftop of the depot. Tenders for building the depot, metro station, workshops and underpass along the Marol-Maroshi Road were invited in January.
