2023–the end to a long, long wait

If officialdom sticks to deadlines, this year promises to see things race to the finish line. Mumbaikars may get a few Metro lines, some bridges, new stations, new railway lines and much, much more in 2023

Delisle Road bridge will rise from ashes

The crucial south Mumbai road traffic link Delisle Road bridge, also known as the Lower Parel bridge, is likely to be opened before the next monsoon by April 2023.
The bridge work was divided into two parts. 

The section on the railway line was the responsibility of Western Railway (WR) whereas the BMC is constructing three approaches—north and south parts of N M Joshi Marg and one arm of Ganpatrao Kadam Road. After placing girders over all rail lines in September 2022, WR handed over the bridge to the BMC on October 4 after which civic teams started working on the approaches. The dismantling work of the spans over railway tracks was completed in February 2019 in a record five months. This was followed by the dismantling of abutments in June that year, after the removal of encroachments by the BMC. 

WR then awarded the contract for rebuilding the railway portion at a cost of R87 crore and the physical task of laying foundations was taken up after the monsoon, in November. The foundation work on the east side was completed in May 2020 while the raft foundation on the west and east side was laid in June 2020 and January 2021, respectively. Once the foundations were ready, the girders were placed above rail tracks in September 2022. The bridge timelines were hampered by the pandemic and design changes. The two key reasons for the delay are the unavailability of industrial oxygen, which was diverted for medical use amid the pandemic and the absence of skilled labour after April 2021 due to the unprecedented nationwide lockdown.

19-year wait for Uran line to end

One of Maharashtra’s most delayed projects, the 19-year-old 27-km stretch of the Seawoods-Belapur-Uran rail line may finally see the light of day in 2023. The line offers suburban rail connectivity to the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport.

Work is carried out on the Kharkopar-Uran stretch of the much delayed Seawoods-Belapur-Uran rail line in October 2022

The railway project is being done on a 67:33 cost-sharing basis between the Central Railway and the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO). The new line will connect to the existing harbour line at two points. One arm will go to Nerul and the other to Belapur. Currently, suburban trains operate on about 12 km of the 27-km line up to Kharkopar. Phase two of the project, from Kharkopar to Uran, had seen several challenges including land acquisition and forest clearances, which are now being dealt with jointly by Central Railway and CIDCO. Work had again stopped in June 2022 due to local opposition from villagers following a dispute with CIDCO over land compensation. Work finally resumed in October 2022 under police protection.

The Kharkopar-Uran stretch will have five stations, two major bridges, 41 minor bridges, two road underbridges and four road overbridges. Major ongoing construction activities include work on a cover over platform at Rajanpada station, foundation and sub-structure work at Nhava Sheva, Dronagiri and Uran stations, sub-way work at Uran, bridge foundation work, and stressing and lowering of girders at bridge 7982. Both arms will converge at a junction point called Kile about 3 km from Nerul and Belapur and the straight double line will continue till Uran. 

Once the line is ready, passengers should be able to reach Uran from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in about one hour and 45 minutes. The existing freight line to Uran is about 95.10 km from CSMT and the new line will pass through a shorter route, nearly halving the original distance.

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Double-deckers to help city keep its cool

India’s first electric double-decker bus, which was formally launched in Mumbai in August 2022 by Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, may finally be in service by 2023. The bus, manufactured by Switch Mobility, has been delayed due to permission issues at the transport offices.

India’s first double-decker e-bus, manufactured by Switch Mobility. Pic/Ashish Raje

The bus is the world’s first standard-floor, air-conditioned, electric double-decker with a wide door on the rear overhang and a rear staircase. The double-decker has a lightweight aluminium body, which offers a high passenger-to-weight ratio and a competitive cost per km, per passenger. The new buses also have automatic doors, CCTV cameras and belong to the Bharat-VI category with an automatic transmission. In the wake of an article by mid-day in 2020 on the BEST lining up 900 of its iconic buses for scrapping, followed by an article that double-decker buses had started arriving for crushing at Anik depot, there was an emotional outburst from citizens, with the issue trending on social media. 

The BEST undertaking had called for tenders of 100 automatic transmission AC double-deckers. Introduced in Bombay in 1937 to cope with the growing number of passengers on the lines of the red double-decker buses in London, the sheer size and look of double-decker buses made them very popular from Day One. The old popular Routemaster design developed in England between 1947 and 1956 has been synonymous with an independent driver’s cabin, integral body design and rear entry platform.

Hello Metro, goodbye traffic jams

Three crucial Mumbai Metro lines will open in 2023. While phase one of the city’s first underground Mumbai Metro Aqua Line 3 between the Aarey car shed and Bandra Kurla Complex will be operational in December 2023, the Yellow Line 2A (Dahisar to D N Nagar) and Red Line 7 (Dahisar East to Andheri East) may open earlier as testing and trials are in the final stages.

The final breakthrough of the Metro-3 corridor at Mumbai Central station

The Aqua, Yellow and Red lines, which have 40 stations passing through the busy Link Road, Western Express Highway and south Mumbai—offering direct connectivity—are expected to reduce traffic on roads and decongest the overcrowded local trains on suburban sections once fully operational. Earlier, on Gudi Padwa in April 2022, a 20-km stretch of Metro Line 7 and 2A was opened to public use between Aarey and Dhanukarwadi and is currently drawing a daily ridership of over 25,000 on an average, as per the MMRDA statistics.

East-west link to ease life in Vikhroli

The pillars for the Vikhroli east-west bridge have been constructed

The Vikhroli east-west connector is expected to be ready by May 2023. The work on this overpass began in 2018 and was expected to be completed by 2020. However, challenges in land acquisition and other technical reasons pushed the deadline by over two years and doubled the cost to R88 crore. Once ready, this bridge will not only be beneficial for commuters but also for emergency services like fire brigade and ambulances. There is no fire brigade station in Vikhroli East and no public hospital on the west side.

Gear up for coastal delight

Work on the Coastal Road underway on July 19, 2022. Pic/Ashish Raje

The first phase of the Coastal Road, between Princess Street flyover and the southern end of Bandra-Worli Sea Link, is on course to be completed by November 2023. So far, 65 per cent of the 10.58-km project is over and two of its key tunnels are almost ready. With the Supreme Court clearing hurdles, the BMC is gearing up to build three parking lots that can accommodate 1,856 cars, a seaside promenade, parks, and cycle and jogging tracks on the nearly three-fourths of the 111 hectares it has reclaimed for the Rs 14,000-crore project. Apart from offering a breathtaking view, the road will cut travel time from 40 minutes to 10 minutes.

A new station between Airoli and Thane

The total cost of constructing Dighe Railway station is about Rs 110 crore

The Dighe suburban local train railway station will be opened on the Thane-Vashi line in 2023. The station is a part of the elevated corridor that has been planned between Airoli and Kalwa to facilitate a link between the Navi Mumbai Trans-harbour Line and the main line. Dighe station, along the trans-harbour line just adjacent to the point where the Thane Belapur Road crosses over the Thane-Vashi line, has been planned between Thane and Airoli stations and is the point from where the new elevated line will start. MRVC officials said the total cost of the project—including a ground-plus-two-storey structure on both sides of the station for booking offices with four ticket windows on either side—is about Rs 110 crore. The detailed plan includes two platforms that are 270 metres long and 12 metres wide for 12-car local trains along with a number of passenger amenities, including two lifts and four escalators along with four underpasses.

Zoo’s next show: Lion King

Children watch a tiger at Byculla zoo. Pic/Atul Kamble

The Byculla zoo will expand its list of attractions with two pairs of Asiatic lions that will come from Sakkarbaug Zoological Park in Junagadh, Gujarat, and Kamla Nehru Zoo in Indore. The zoo, officially known as Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, will soon have a new enclosure for crocodiles and gharials, and will host an underwater viewing gallery. Zoo authorities are also planning to get wolves and otters in exchange for other animals. Penguins at the zoo have so far been the biggest draw.

Glide onto Himalaya FOB

The new FOB will have an escalator

The Himalaya foot overbridge at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus was built in the 1990s. It collapsed on March 14, 2019, killing seven. In June 2021, the BMC floated a tender for the work that will cost about Rs 5.75 crore. The new FOB is expected to be opened in the first quarter of 2023. Unlike its previous avatar, the new FOB will have an escalator. Managing underground utilities was a challenge, said civic officials.

Tech boost for public schools

Children in a public school at Dharavi. File pic

In 2023, the education department will establish a real-time dashboard to track teaching and learning in public schools as part of its Samagra Shiksha programme. “The idea is to start digital monitoring of schools to enable them to ensure quality education for each child in government schools,” said project director Kailash Pagare. The project’s main centre will be in Pune and it will have experts and educationists on board to regularly suggest what kind of help is to be provided to schools, teachers and students.

Gokhale Bridge: Some respite

The Gokhale bridge in Andheri is now out of bounds for motorists. Pic/Nimesh Dave

The BMC closed Andheri’s Gokhale bridge, a crucial east-west link for vehicular traffic in the western suburbs, on November 7 after an audit report suggested that parts of the overpass had become dilapidated. Citizens were enraged at the lack of planning as two approaches to the bridges are already constructed. Users were even more upset when the railway said the portion of the bridge above the tracks was strong and well-maintained. As per the new plan, two of the existing four lanes of the bridge will be razed by March 2023 and reconstructed by June, giving some respite to motorists.

By Rajendra B Aklekar, Ranjeet Jadhav, Prajakta Kasale, Dipti Singh, Sameer Surve, Suraj Pandey

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