Mumbai Trans Harbour Link: State Cabinet Fixes Toll At Rs 250 For Single Trip, Review Scheduled After One Year

Motorists using the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), the longest sea bridge in India, will be required to pay a toll of Rs 250 for a single trip.

The toll rate was fixed by the Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday, replacing the initially proposed Rs 350 by the state's Urban Development Department (UDD).

It may be recalled that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is overseeing the project, had originally set the toll at Rs 500 for a single trip.

The rates proposed by the MMRDA was based on the estimates provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA, which is offering development loan assistance for the project. However, the public works department and the urban development department had proposed a toll of Rs 350.

According to reports, the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reduced the toll to 250 per car per trip with a condition to review it after a year. 

The state government has also decided to provide discounts for frequent travellers on the sea-link. According to a government press release, return passes will be priced at half the one-way fare, daily passes at 2.5 times the one-way fare, and monthly passes at 50 times the one-way fare.

The 21.8-km-long sea link will connect Sewri in Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai, reducing the travel time between South Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to just 20 minutes from the present two hours.

The bridge, of which 16.11 km has been built on water, and about 5.5 km viaduct is on land on either side, will have six lanes, each 3.5 metres wide.

This sea link project commences from Messant Road at Sewri, where it connects with the Eastern Freeway and ends on the mainland at Shivaji Nagar in Navi Mumbai, providing commuters with a seamless and swift 20-minute journey between these two key locations, free from traffic signals.

A total of Rs 21,200 crore has been spent on the construction of MTHL, with Rs 15,100 crore financed through loans.

Named 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri — Nhava Sheva Atal Setu' in honour of the late prime minister of India, the fully access-controlled sea link is scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 January.