Trial runs on 5.3km stretch of Metro Line 2B to start from tomorrow

With this, Mumbai’s eastern suburbs is set to see a boost in public transport as the city’s recent newer Metro corridors serve only the western suburbs. Through Metro 2B, Mankhurd and Chembur residents will soon have faster and more hassle-free connectivity to the broader Metro network. The line will also connect with the monorail at Chembur, providing another multi-modal link for passengers.

The new trains on the route are indigenously built by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), consisting six-coach rakes with energy-efficient regenerative braking, mobile charging points, IP-based audio announcements, surveillance systems, and even bicycle space. Mandale depot, the operational hub for the line, is also under construction.

Metro Line 2B was originally set to be completed in 2019, but delays with the re-tendering of the systems contract extended the timeline. Now post-safety inspections and approval from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety, the route will become operational. The completion cost of the entire line is Rs 10,986 crore.

Though only the Mandale-Diamond Garden section is ready for testing, the entire 23.6km corridor from Mandale to DN Nagar in Andheri with 20 stations is likely to be operational by December next year. Once ready, it will help better the east-west connectivity in Mumbai.