Mumbai: MMRC likely to construct proposed Metro Line 11

Previously, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) was supposed to carry out the Metro Line 11 work. However, as per officials, the state government has decided to transfer the project to the MMRC from the MMRDA since the corporation is already constructing the underground Mumbai Metro Line 3, passing from Colaba to SEEPZ via Andheri.

Metro Line 11 will pass through Mumbai Port Trust Land. Considering the importance of land value, the proposed line was decided to be taken underground. As per the MMRDA’s plan, Line 11 would have been part-underground and part-elevated.

“The Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) had not given them any final clearance of handing over their land for the said Metro Line 11 and, therefore, only the detailed project report was prepared (DPR) and this line is only on paper. No work on the ground has started yet,” said an official.

According to sources, the MMRDA was in talks with the Mumbai Port Trust for the handover of the land through which the underground line will be passing. The MMRDA would have constructed the underground metro and the land above would have been monetised and money generated through it would have been utilised for other development works.

The MMRDA was in the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the MBPT.

But now, since the MMRC may carry out Metro Line 11, it will be responsible to carry out further developments related to this project, said the official, underlining that the MMRDA may soon hand over the project to the MMRC.

Notably, the MMRC constructed Metro Line 3 – the city’s first underground line. The tunnelling work of Metro Line 3 was started in September 2017 and it took the MMRC five years to complete the work. At present, station construction work, system installation, and other miscellaneous works such as track laying, etc are in progress. The MMRC aims to begin Phase 1 (BKC to SEEPZ) of the metro line in December this year.

The MMRDA proposed to construct the 12.70 km-long Metro Line 11 (Wadala to CSMT) at a cost of Rs 8,739 crore in the DPR. The JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) was to fund Rs 2,022 crore of the project cost. The Maharashtra government approved Line 11 in 2019 and the completion deadline for this line is October 2026, as per the MMRDA.

Metro Line 11 is an extension of Metro Line 4 (Wadala-Ghatkopar-Kasarvadavali). The work on Metro Line 4 began in October 2018. The 32.32 km-long fully elevated Metro Line 4 corridor with 32 stations is behind the completion schedule.