Mumbai's new lifeline! How massive Metro rail project is coming up in the 'maximum city'

Mumbai Metro is set to change the way people travel in the megacity in the next few years. The Metro rail has already started taking the spotlight away from the Mumbai local that ferries around 78 lakh commuters daily. The future of local trains in the city is being replaced by the Metro rail being developed on a very big scale. So to say, Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP)-3A could be the last big project for the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) when executing railway projects in Mumbai and its metropolitan region. The Rs 55,000 crore MUTP-3A project is being considered a monetary drain, while the suburban local trains are also being seen as a burden by both the Indian Railways and the Maharashtra government. 

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is developing 13 separate metro rail corridors worth over Rs 1.25 lakh crore. These metro rail networks would extend in far suburbs as well. The is already building metro rail network of over 100-120 kilometres long. After completion, all corridors will traverse through 300 kms, according to DNA. 

Recently, the first breakthrough was made in the construction of Mumbai's first 33.5-km-long fully underground Metro corridor connecting Colaba-Bandra-Seepz. This was seen as an important and significant achievment towards the completion of the Metro-3 project. “It is a result of blood and sweat expended by a team of 250 engineers, technical and mechanical workers together,” said a Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) statement. 

MMRC is executing the Metro rail project. 

Metro-3 is divided into seven civil construction packages. The tunnel breakthrough witnessed last month was part of package 7, which is spread between T-2 till Aarey Colony. It will provide access to Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro-1 at Marol Naka and several other business hubs in Andheri. The MMRC has also completed a 9-kilometer-long tunnel. 

Recently, French multinational Alstom outbid the Chinese publicly traded rolling stock (metro coaches) manufacturer CRRC Corporation to bag a contract worth 315 million euros from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) for the 33.5-km Metro 3 between Cuffe Parade & SEEPZ, a DNA exclusive report said.  Alstom will supply 248 Metro cars. 

The MMRC is also planning to construct a  29-km-long ring Metro corridor in Thane. Running underground partially, the metro will connect interiors of Thane city. The DPR is in the final stage and the project may cost Rs 10000-Rs 12000 crore.  The Thane ring Metro may have a daily ridership of around 5.76 lakh in 2025, which might go up to around 8.72 lakh.