Travelling in Mumbai will never be the same again with key projects like monorail, metro, eastern freeway and Milan rail over-bridge becoming operational in 2013; MiD DAY brings you a blueprint of what's in store for Maximum City
Mumbai hasn’t witnessed completion of any major infrastructure projects in the last two-three years. So, don’t expect the city to shape-shift into Shanghai in 2013. But, in the coming months Mumbaikars can look forward to travelling in the country’s first monorail, using the city’s first metro train, and motorists will be able to burn rubber on the eastern freeway and fly over the Milan subway using the rail over-bridge (ROB) that’s likely to be ready by September. Here’s the blueprint:
Monorail
According to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) Joint Project Director Dilip Kawathkar, “The civil work on the Wadala-Chembur phase II of monorail is nearing completion and work on four of the seven stations on the corridor is more than 90 per cent done.” It should be noted that the project has already missed its deadline, but MMRDA is confident that by August 2013 phase I will be operational.
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Almost there: Civil work on phase I of the Wadala-Chembur monorail is nearing completion and work on four of the seven stations on the corridor is more than 90 per cent done. File pic
“Phase II between Jacob Circle and Wadala will be working by end of 2014,” Kawathkar said. MMRDA claims that issues related to environmental clearances and Right Of Way have delayed the venture.
Getting there: Phase II of the monorail between Jacob Circle and Wadala will be working by end of 2014
The authority also claims that Jacob Circle-Wadala-Chembur monorail route will help reduce nearly 28,000 taxi and auto rickshaw trips and take 25,000 private cars off the roads on this stretch as people will prefer to travel in the air-conditioned coaches. The first monorail line is expected to cater to four lakh commuters a day.
Project:
Jacob Circle-Wadala-Chembur monorail
Cost:
Approximately Rs 2,700 crore (including Phase-I and Phase-II)
Metro
The 11.07-km-long Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) metro that will connect the east-west through a rail corridor will be operational by the end of 2013. Over the last four years, residents and motorists along the VAG network have been facing inconveniences because of the construction activity. Once the metro becomes operational, things are likely to improve significantly.
Happy ending? The VAG metro corridor will be opened to the public by the end of 2013; civil work on the entire stretch is nearing completion
“The VAG metro corridor will be opened to public by end of 2013 and the civil work on the entire stretch is nearing completion. Work towards laying of tracks and electrification has also started,” an MMRDA officer said.
At present only five rakes have arrived, the remaining 11 are expected to reach Mumbai in a few days. All the rakes are coming from CSR Nanjing, China.
Project:
Versova-Andheri-Ghatkoparmetro corridor
Cost:
Rs 2,400 crore (escalating from Rs 2,356 crore assessed earlier due to delays)
Deadlines missed
Initially the target was for December 2010, which was extended to June 2011 and then March 2012. It was again deferred to November 2012. Now MMRDA is saying that the metro will be operational by March 2013. In phase I, the line from Versova to Airport Road station will begin rolling.
Milan ROB
Getting stuck in heavy traffic and wading through water during monsoon while using Milan subway is likely to become a thing of the past, as the ROB will be thrown open to traffic in March 2013. This is one of the most vital projects, especially for residents and motorists in the area, who have been dealing with the nuisances for many years.
Fingers crossed: The Milan ROB will be thrown open to traffic in March 2013
MMRDA began constructing the 700-m bridge at an estimated cost of Rs 41.5 crore in 2008.
The original cut-off date of the project was June 2010. Since then, there have been several impediments such as rehabilitation and resettlement of project-affected persons, permission from railways, political pressure, the absence of labourers after Raj Thackeray’s campaign against north Indians and so on.
Long time coming
Work on the over-bridge started in January 2008
1st deadline: June 2010
2nd deadline: March 2011
3rd deadline: October 2011
4th deadline: May 2012
5th deadline: October 2012
6th and latest deadline: Feb-March 2013
Eastern Freeway
MMRDA is confident that motorists will be able to use the freeway, work on which began in 2008, by mid-2013. A part of the 17-km-long turnpike will be thrown open to public in March. The project will help create better connectivity between eastern suburbs and South Mumbai. The principal attraction of this freeway is that Mumbaikars will be able to travel via a tunnel, which has been constructed under the BARC hill.
East meets South: A part of the 17-km-long turnpike will be thrown open to the public in March. The project will help create better connectivity between eastern suburbs and South Mumbai.u00a0
More than 90 per cent of work on the four-lane road of Anik-Panjrapole Link Road, which is a part of this project, will also be completed soon.
MMRDA will commission four lanes of the eight-lane APLR project by January 2013. The remaining portion of the Panjrapole-Ghatkopar Link Road will be available for public use around May-June 2013.
Project:
Eastern Freeway
Cost:
Rs 1,135 croreu00a0
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