Metro Line 2A to use Charkop depot till work on Line 2B & Mandale depot is completed

The Charkop depot will be used for the trains playing on Mumbai Metro Line 2A (Dahisar to DN Nagar) till Metro Line 2B (DN Nagar to Mandale) is commissioned, said an official from Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is the project implementing authority. The official explained that until Metro Line 2B is ready, its depot at Mandale cannot be used for Metro Line 2A. These two lines are extensions and have a common station at DN Nagar.

Mandale depot is right now under construction and once developed, it will be the largest Metro depot in Mumbai, with a double-decker structure. It is being developed on around 28 hectares of land, which will have 76 stabling lines facility. The MMRDA Official further said that operations of Metro 2A will not be hampered as the existing Charkop depot meant for Line 7 (Dahisar E to Andheri E) will cater to both Metro Lines — 2A and 7. The Charkop depot has a facility of 20 stabling lines.

“The entire operation on Metro Line 2A and 7 (Dahisar East to Andheri East) will be commissioned in January 2023 with 18 rakes. Therefore, the Charkop depot will be sufficient to handle these many rakes, ensuring smooth operation on both these metro lines,” said the official.

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Explaining the rationale behind shifting Metro 2A depot to Mandale, the official said that Line 7A (Andheri E to CSMIA) is under construction and when operations on this line begin, the Charkop depot will handle rakes for these two lines – 7&7A.

In fact, work on Metro Line 7A is progressing in full speed and recently, MMRDA diverted a 358-metre long and 1.8-metre diameter sewer line which was obstructing Metro construction work. The MMRDA carried out micro-tunneling at an underground depth of 8 metre in a part of Bamanwada -Vile Parle East, which is densely populated.