27 February,2026 03:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
MMRDA held discussions with officials from Japan on Friday. PIC/MMRDA
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Friday hosted a high-level workshop at its Bandra-Kurla Complex headquarters to fast-track station area development under Project-SMART, along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor.
The workshop hosted by MMRDA was organised in coordination with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the ongoing technical cooperation framework.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor comprises 12 stations, four of which - BKC, Thane, Virar, and Boisar - are in Maharashtra.
As per an official statement from MMRDA, Thane and Virar have been identified for the focused station area development planning to ensure that high-speed rail infrastructure catalyses structured and sustainable urban growth under Project-SMART.
During the workshop, JICA experts presented international best practices from Japan on transit-oriented development (TOD), land value capture, integrated mobility planning, environmental sustainability, stakeholder engagement and private sector participation in station-led regeneration.
MMRDA's Town Planning team and JICA officials deliberated on draft station area development plans for Thane and Virar, outlining planning frameworks, implementation roadmaps, and inter-agency coordination mechanisms for the next phase.
Following the discussions, MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee conducted a comprehensive review meeting with officials from MMRDA, Thane, Virar, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), and JICA.
He directed a time-bound preparation of integrated station area development plans aligned with high-speed rail growth principles, stressing the adoption of TOD norms, land value capture strategies and seamless multimodal integration.
Mukherjee further instructed that the learnings from Thane and Virar be extended to BKC and Boisar HSR stations to ensure that these hubs evolve into major growth centres within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project achieved its second tunnel breakthrough in a month in Maharashtra's Palghar district on February 3, officials said.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw witnessed the breakthrough virtually from New Delhi via a video link. The breakthrough took place near Saphale village.
The tunnel, known as MT-6, is 454 metres long and 14.4 metres wide, and is designed to accommodate both up and down tracks of the bullet train corridor.
The development marks the second tunnel breakthrough in Palghar within a month, following the completion of the MT-5 tunnel near Saphale on 2 January.
Officials said the MT-6 tunnel was excavated from both ends using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), which involves drilling and controlled blasting and is suitable for complex geological conditions.
The excavation work was completed within 12 months.
