Navi Mumbai Metro To Begin Operations In April: CIDCO Announces Plans For The Long-Awaited Metro Corridor

The Navi Mumbai Metro (NMM) Line-1 will soon become operational and will be available to serve the city's residents, after a prolonged wait.

The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) confirmed its intention to make the Navi Mumbai metro project operational in April this year, during the 2023-24 budget announcements for Navi Mumbai.

CIDCO vice chairman, Sanjay Mukherjee said, “From April 2023, the complete Navi Mumbai Metro (NMM) Line-1 is scheduled to become operational. Our plans also entail designing and planning for the metro rail, with lines-2, 3, and 4, connecting Belapur to NMIA and Mankhurd, and of course, NAINA.”

It will have 11 stations — Belapur, Sector-7 Belapur, Science Park, Utsav Chowk, Sector 11 Kharghar, Sector 14 Kharghar, Central Park, Pethapada, Sector 34 Kharghar, Panchnand and Pendhar Terminal.

The Line-1 will have a car depot for maintenance at Taloja and two traction sub-stations at Panchanand and Kharghar.

Speaking on the project completion, Mukherjee said, “The section between station 7 (Central Park) to station 11 (Pendhar) spanning 5.14 km, has reached the commissioning stage. Works on stations 1 to 6 are progressing at full pace and we are expecting them to be completed soon.”, as per Hindustan Times report.

Delays In The Navi Mumbai Metro

Under the Navi Mumbai Metro Project, CIDCO had finalised four new metro lines. The project's foundation stone was laid by the ex-chief minister of Mumbai, Prithviraj Chavan, in 2011, and work began soon thereafter.

However, the project encountered continuous delays due to several factors, including changes in plans, issues with contractors, protests, and difficulties with land acquisition by CIDCO.

These delays resulted in increased costs for the project execution. The Metro Line-1 project's estimated cost is Rs 3,400 crore, out of which CIDCO has already infused Rs 2,600 crore.

To expedite the project, CIDCO received a supporting line of credit of Rs 500 crore from ICICI Bank.

Following a 12 year long delay, last year on 30 December 2022, the trial run of the metro line was successfully conducted for the corridor spanning 5 km and running across has five stations — connecting Pendhar and Central Park, as per earlier reports.

The line is further proposed to link Belapur to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMAI).

Benefits Of This Network

However, once operational, the transit network will be a great relief to the residents of the connecting areas and is expected to alleviate traffic congestion in busy areas of the city.

For residents of Taloja, Ghot, Koyanaville villages, and other surrounding areas, the metro network will provide a rail connection that was earlier lacking and will enable faster commute compared to road transport.

The lack of connectivity options other than buses in these regions had forced many people to rely on private vehicles.

Additionally, the major housing projects in Kharghar are expected to benefit from the Navi Mumbai Metro project — as the upcoming routes will increase housing demand in the locality and elevate the real estate market in the area.

Over the years, many people had purchased flats in Navi Mumbai relying on the proposed metro connectivity, however, they were unable to move due to the project’s inactivity.

The starting of operations will not only cater to the current residents but also provide opportunities for new residents who have been waiting for this improved connectivity, to move into the area.

Furthermore, the project will bring benefits to Belapur, which is home to many important commercial establishments and serves as the business district of Navi Mumbai.