Two Metro lines on track to begin operations in 2020

MMRCL officials hope to complete tunnelling of Metro 3 project by September

Mumbaikars will bear witness to two Metro lines taking shape in 2020.

Officials of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) are racing against time to ensure that the two lines, Metro 2A and 7, begin operations by the end of 2020. September will mark the completion of the tunnelling of Metro 3, the city’s only underground Metro.

At present, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) has completed tunnelling 40 km of a total of 55 km with 24 breakthroughs on Metro 3.

According to MMRDA officials, the trials for Metro 2A and Metro 7 are likely to be conducted in September 2020. A senior MMRDA official said, “Now, nearly 80% of the civil work has been completed and we have started work on the systems and station development. We are aiming to open both lines by the end of 2020.”

The 18.6-km-long Metro 2A will connect Dahisar (West) to DN Nagar and is being built on the Link Road, while the 16.5-km-long Metro 7 is being built on Western Express Highway between Dahisar (East) and Andheri (East).

Significant year

The new year will have other significant developments with the MMRCL planning to award tenders of the rehabilitation buildings at Kalbadevi and Girgaum in January and May respectively. The third tranche of the loan from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency will be received in March.

While the work on all three Metro corridors has been progressing well, uncertainty prevails over the fate of Metro 3 car shed. The committee set up in December has sought an extension and will be exploring options for an alternative site.

A member of the committee, on condition of anonymity, said they had visited five sites, including the present site at Aarey Milk Colony. The site for the car shed has to be identified soon as the MMRCL is expecting the first batch of rolling stock for Metro 3 to arrive by December 2020.

MMRDA too has its own share of woes as it has not yet secured the plot in Dahisar to build a car shed for Metro 7. It plans to use the car shed being developed for Metro 2A at Malvani for both corridors initially. This will mean that both lines will be opened at the same time.