Fadnavis Inaugurates Key Infra Projects In Mumbai To Improve 'Mobility, Connectivity'

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday inaugurated key infrastructure projects in Mumbai and the surrounding metropolitan region, saying they would provide a "booster of speed" to connectivity and improve mobility.

He inaugurated the projects via video link from the Sahyadri Guest House in south Mumbai in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and others.

The projects included the final BKC-Vakola arm of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) Phase-2, Chembur Metro station on Metro Line 2B, and the launch of 'Arjuna', the second tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the Thane-Borivali twin-tunnel road project.

Fadnavis said six connectivity links had been planned in 2017-18 to decongest the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), but the number subsequently increased to eight, with Thursday's inauguration completing the last link.

The 1.4-km elevated corridor between Bharat Nagar Road and Vakola Junction will provide direct connectivity between BKC and the Western Express Highway, ease congestion in Kalina, Vakola and Kalanagar and reduce travel time by around 35 minutes.

Fadnavis, however, said further measures would be needed to ensure smooth traffic flow and prevent congestion on the Western Express Highway.

Welcoming the Union government's decision to procure 238 new air-conditioned suburban trains from three railway production units under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), he said the first batch would be introduced in 2027 and the entire suburban fleet would be transformed into Metro-like trains by March 2030.

The new trains will have automatic doors, air-conditioning and improved cleanliness, he said.

"The objective is to provide Mumbai commuters with a modern, metro-like suburban rail system," Fadnavis said.

Chembur Metro station on Metro Line 2B (DN Nagar-Mandale) will provide connectivity with the Chembur suburban railway and Monorail stations, strengthening multimodal transport links in the eastern suburbs.

Fadnavis said 60-70 km of Metro routes were expected to become operational this year. While around nine million passengers use Mumbai's suburban railway network, Metro infrastructure was being developed to cater to nearly seven million passengers, he said.

He also launched 'Arjuna', the second TBM for the Thane-Borivali twin-tunnel project. The first TBM, 'Nayak', was launched in April.

The twin tunnels, being constructed beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, will provide a direct road connection between Thane and Borivali. The 23-km road route will effectively be reduced to around 11 km, cutting travel time from about 60-90 minutes to around 12-15 minutes.

With both TBMs now being deployed simultaneously from their respective sides, tunnelling work will be accelerated, Fadnavis said.

The flyover connecting G Block of BKC with the Eastern Express Highway was named after former Maharashtra chief minister Barrister Babasaheb Anantrao Bhosale.

Fadnavis said those who had contributed to Maharashtra's development should always be remembered.