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Metro plans gather steam

Among the projects announced, work has already started on the Metro 2A and Metro 7 corridors

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The year 2016 saw a spate of announcements regarding infrastructure projects for the city. The state government announced a whopping Rs 76,377 crore worth of metro projects, totalling 162.5 kilometres.

Among the seven metro projects announced, work on the ground has already started for the 18.5-kilometre Dahisar to DN Nagar Metro 2A and the 16.5 km Dahisar East to DN Nagar East Metro 7 corridors. The barricading, soil testing and piling work has now begun on Link Road for the former, and the Western Express highway for the latter. The two lines will cumulatively cost Rs 12,618 crore.

Work on the biggest of these metro lines—the 33.5-kilometre Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro 3 corridor at Rs 23,136 crore, is expected to begin soon as well because on September 3, the state government handed over three hectares in Aarey Colony near Goregaon for carrying out temporary activities, including the construction and casting yard required for civil works related to the corridor. In the first week of December, the state allotted another 75 acres in Aarey's forested area for the corridor's all-important car-shed and operational centre.

On October 19, the state approved the 24-kilometre Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metro-5 at a cost of Rs 8,416 crore and 14.5km Lokhandwala-Jogeshwari-Vikhroli-Kanjurmarg Metro-6 corridor for Rs 6,672 crore. It also approved the Rs 14, 549 crore, 32 kilometre Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavli Metro-4 corridor as well.

In November, it was the turn of the creaking suburban railway system to have some cheer come its way. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Mumbai Urban Transport Project Phase III, estimated to cost Rs 10,947 crore on completion. The MUTP III includes projects like the Rs 2,618-crore Panvel-Karjat new suburban line, Rs 3,555-crore Virar-Dahanu quadrupling (addition of two lines), the procurement of trains for Rs 2,899 crore and Rs 428 crore for the elevated connector between Airoli and Kalwa.

The year also saw the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) tie-up the final stages of the monorail. On September 10, it completed a test-run of the line from Wadala to Lower Parel and then on October 2 it charged the three traction sub-stations on the route. This has now paved the way for the entire route to be commissioned anytime now.

The end of the year saw Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation completing work on the Oshiwara station between Jogeshwari and Goregaon stations on the Western Railway route. The long-delayed station, however, had another twist in the tale as the state government in late November passed a resolution to rename the station Ram Mandir.

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