The iconic Rs 3,600 crore Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial isn’t the main reason for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city today. It’s being said that he’s primarily coming to approve and allot Rs 95,000 crore worth of projects for Mumbai
The iconic Rs 3,600 crore Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial isn’t the main reason for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city today. It’s being said that he’s primarily coming to approve and allot Rs 95,000 crore worth of projects for Mumbai, right from new suburban rail corridors for extending the network to more Metro lines as well as roads.
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mid-day looks at the vitals of these projects that will shape the future of the city and the surrounding metropolitan region.
To decongest Kalanagar Junction, the Kalanagar-Bandra flyover has been planned
On the road
Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL): This Rs 17,900 crore sea bridge has been at the planned stage for nearly a decade now. It will connect the ports of MbPT and JNPT, and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, apart from its proximity to the new airport. The 22-km-long bridge is expected to be ready within five years once the work begins.
Kalanagar Junction-Bandra flyover: It will be 1.9 km-long and start from Bandra-Worli Sea Link end (BWSL) and go on to BKC and Kalanagar with two lanes each. The R163 crore flyover will decongest Kalanagar Junction by 67 per cent, besides connecting Sion and Dharavi with BWSL.
Elevated road from LBS Marg flyover in Kurla to Vakola: This would be 6 km-long and built at a cost of R480 crore. It will provide signal-free connectivity to WEH and Bandra-Kurla Complex from EEH, as well as decongest Santacruz-Chembur Link Road, thus reducing travel time by 30 minutes.
On Western Railway, the Bandra-Virar line has undergone several changes
What’s on track for railways?
The government and Indian Railways will sign a Memorandum of Understanding for three major rail projects. Out of these, two have been in trouble for nearly five years now — the CST-Panvel and the Bandra-Virar elevated rail lines. The third one is new in the list, the Virar-Vasai-Diva-Panvel rail corridor.
CST-Panvel line: This is important for connectivity between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, a fast line for the 10 lakh-odd commuters travelling to the satellite city. The R14,600 crore corridor is also likely to connect to the proposed Navi Mumbai airport.
Bandra-Virar line: This one has been courting controversy and undergone changes. It was to first start from Oval Maidan, which then became from Andheri till Virar. Finally, the railways has agreed to start this R20,000 crore corridor from Bandra.
Virar-Vasai-Diva-Panvel corridor: This is a vital rail network pegged at R9,000 crore that would connect all the three lines — Western, Central and Harbour. It will also give scope to the government to increase commercial spaces in this belt in a bid to reduce congestion in Mumbai.
MUTP-III
A continuation of MUTP-1 and II, it is being handled by the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation, which is a joint venture between the state government and Indian Railways. The World Bank is funding it partly.
Airoli-Kalwa elevated corridor: This Rs 428 crore line will connect Thane with its suburbs as well as help in connecting people to the existing trans-harbour rail line.
Panvel-Karjat corridor: This Rs 2,618 crore suburban rail network is again important for the growth of Mumbai’s metropolitan region. It will connect Panvel and Karjat, the two ends of Main and Harbour lines of Central Railway. More important are the jobs generated in these extended suburbs, especially with the new airport coming up.
Quadrupling Virar-Dahanu line: At present there are two rail lines between Virar and Dahanu, used by both suburban and long-distance trains. At present, nearly 80,000 people use the local trains, while scores travel daily towards Surat and beyond. The two additional lines will allow the railways to separate the suburban and long-distance networks.
AC local project: The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) plans to procure 47 air-conditioned rakes for the city. The 12-coach trains will be divided into two vestibules of six coaches each. The cost of each AC coach is expected to range from Rs 6.5 crore to Rs 10 crore.
“If the coaches are like Metro rail, the cost will be Rs 10 crore for each, but if they are like the ones being tested currently, they will cost Rs 6.5 crore,” said an MRVC official
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