Urban News

Hindustan Times  14.09.2010

If you live in Thane and work in south Mumbai, your daily commute is set to get easier. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is planning to alter the route of the Hutatma Chowk-Mulund Metro line to extend it to the busy Teen Haath Naka junction in Thane. This will provide residents of Thane, who have been dependent on the railways to reach the city, a modern mode of transport.

“We are working on changing the alignment because we feel that will help garner more travellers and make the route economically beneficial,” Metropolitan Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad said.

The MMRDA, which is planning to build nine Metro corridors in Mumbai, was going to build a 12.4-km Mulund-Ghatkopar line for Rs 2,790 crore. This was to be extended by another 21.8-km to Hutatma Chowk at a cost of Rs 8,305 crore.

The MMRDA’s new plan involves extending the Metro line by 2km from Mulund to Teen Haath Naka in Thane.

The MMRDA is also contemplating taking the Metro only to Carnac Bunder on P D’Mello Road, instead of Hutatma Chowk, and connecting it to Wadala. “Our Colaba-Bandra line is already serving Hutatma Chowk so it makes sense to limit the earlier Hutatma Chowk-Ghatkopar line to Carnac Bunder,” Gaikwad added.

The MMRDA is carrying out a study on the Carnac Bunder-Wadala-Ghatkopar-Mulund-Teen Haath Naka alignment. The length of the proposed route will be approximately 40km.

Meanwhile MMRDA’s plan of extending the Metro till Thane will be greatly benefit the suburbs residence.

The MMRDA has already proposed hybrid transportation model including a Monorail and Metro line network for Thane.

The 40-km line will include a 30-km Monorail line from Kalyan to Bhiwandi and then to Kapurbawdi in Thane. Beyond this, the line will be converted into a 10-km Metro track, which will run to Thane station and then to Kasarwadavli on Ghodbunder Road.

The project will cost the MMRDA Rs 4,800 crore. The development body has further plans of extending this line to Mira-Bhayander.