The Cabinet on Friday approved the development of 29-km Thane Integral Ring Metro Rail Project corridor in Maharashtra, which will run along the periphery of the west side of Thane city comprising 22 stations, at a cost of Rs. 12,200 crore.
The development cost of the project will involve equal equity from the Government of India and Government of Maharashtra, as well as part-funding from bilateral agencies. The project is expected to be operational by 2029.
Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd will execute the project and has already started the pre-bid activities and preparation of tender documents, with the contracts slated to be floated immediately for bidding, the government said in a statement.“The Metro line would benefit thousands of daily commuters, especially students and those commuting every day to office and work areas by providing faster and economical transport options. The project would result in total daily ridership on the metro corridors for the years 2029, 2035 and 2045 by 6.47 lakh, 7.61 lakh and 8.72 lakh passengers respectively,” the government said.
Out of the 29 km route, 26 km will be elevated and 3 km will be underground and is expected to have a ridership of 7.61 lakh by 2035.
“Thane is one of the fastest growing cities of Maharashtra and the areas around Thane are emerging as big industrial and commercial hubs,” said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, lnformation and Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology, at a press briefing post the Cabinet decision.
Vaishnaw outlined that there is a need for the metro rail project as the city is currently densely populated with over 30 lakh residents commuting via narrow roads.
“Today in the country in 21 cities, the metro is operational. 10 years ago it was operational only in five cities. If we compare internationally, today globally India has reached the third position in terms of metro length,” said Vaishnaw.
