News Brief
DPR For Metro Line 8 Linking Mumbai's Two Airports Almost Complete, CIDCO To Float Tenders Soon For Rs 20,000 Crore Project
Mumbai Metro Rail Lines. (via Twitter).
The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) is in the final stages of preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the ambitious Metro Line 8 popularly known as the Gold Line, a vital 34.9 km corridor set to connect Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) with the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), TOI reported.
Estimated at Rs 20,000 crore and to be executed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, Metro Line 8 will become the second such corridor in Mumbai after Metro Line 1.
Once the DPR is submitted, CIDCO aims to float tenders, with the bidding process likely to wrap up within the year. The project is slated for commissioning by 2029.
Beginning underground at CSMIA Terminal 2, the route continues subterranean up to Chheda Nagar, before becoming elevated along the Sion-Panvel Highway, a shift from the earlier plan to utilise Palm Beach Road.
CIDCO Vice Chairman and Managing Director Vijay Singhal emphasised the project’s significance, “The alignment passes through Kurla and LTT, enhancing multimodal connectivity between metro services and both suburban and long-distance trains. It continues onward through Mankhurd, Vashi, Nerul, and Belapur, serving as a crucial east-west transit link that connects two international airports while also integrating key residential and commercial zones.”
“These interchanges will offer seamless travel across the city and beyond, making Metro 8 a vital component of the region's integrated transport network,” Singhal noted.
With a projected daily ridership of 9 lakh, Metro Line 8 promises to ease congestion on arterial roads such as the Eastern Express and Sion-Panvel Highways, offering air passengers a faster, more reliable transfer between airports.
Having two airports in Mumbai and direct connectivity will boost the development in MMR region and fulfill the goal of $5 trillion economy, added Singhal.
