These include the 23.6-km Yellow Line 2B between DN Nagar and Mandale with 22 stations, work on which is about 83 per cent complete, while ten trial runs involving the commissioner of Metro railway safety between Mandale and Diamond Garden stations were completed by July 4
The Mandale car shed at Mankhurd, which serves the Metro 2B Line
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is building nine corridors as part of its ambitious Mumbai Metro rail network. However, most of these lines will remain underutilised until their respective car sheds are ready for everyday operations. These depots are crucial as they are the facilities where Metro trains are stabled, maintained, overhauled and readied for their next run.
Corridors incomplete
These include the 23.6-km Yellow Line 2B between DN Nagar and Mandale with 22 stations, work on which is about 83 per cent complete, while ten trial runs involving the commissioner of Metro railway safety between Mandale and Diamond Garden stations were completed by July 4. This is the stretch that will open first, along with the Mandale depot at Mankhurd.
The other corridors in the works are the 32.32-km Mumbai Metro Green Line 4 between Wadala and Kasarvadavli with 30 stations, work on which is about 79 per cent complete, with the first segment (Kasarvadavli to Cadbury Junction) and the entire line expected to be ready by December 2025 and 2027, respectively.
An extended part of this line is the 2.88 km Green Line 4A between Kasarvadavli and Gaimukh, comprising two stations, which is 89 per cent complete and expected to open by December 2025. For both these corridors of the Green Line, work on the Mogharpada depot has just begun, and the lines will open with temporary elevated pit lines for train maintenance.
The 24.9-km Orange Line is being built in two phases, with the 12.81-km phase one between Thane to Bhiwandi to Kalyan with 17 stations, work on which is 95 per cent complete, with a deadline of December 2025, and phase two between Kalyan and Taloja is in its early stages. Work on the 15.31-km Pink Line between Swami Samarth Nagar and Vikhroli with 13 stations is 78 per cent complete with a targeted completion date of December 2026, but awaits work on the Kanjurmarg car shed.
The 3.17-km Line 7A between Andheri East and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), which comprises two stations, will share the same car shed at Charkop as that of Lines 7 and 2A.
Similarly, work on the 11.8-km Red Line 9 between Dahisar East and Mira Bhayander with eight stations is currently on with its 4.7-km first phase between Dahisar and Kashigaon scheduled to be completed by December 2025 and the full line by June 2026, but it will also share the car shed with existing Line 7 and 2A at Charkop.
Completion works on Aqua Line 3 are also in progress, but it already has its own independent depot.
Whither car sheds?
At present, four car sheds are under construction. A look at what’s happening on the ground with the status of depot works at Kanjurmarg for Pink Line 6, Mogharpada for Green Line 4, 4A, 10 and 11, Uttan for Metro Line 9 and Mankhurd for Yellow Line 2B.
Uttan depot
Status: Proposed, with early-stage planning.
Features: The depot will serve as a maintenance and stabling facility for the Metro Line 9 trains. It is located on a 59.65-hectare plot of land in Uttan, near Bhayandar. The project includes building a depot with multiple stabling lines, a train operation control centre, a maintenance yard, and administrative buildings.
Train capacity: Plans include 40 stabling lines capable of handling eight-coach trains with a length of 210 metres each.
Kanjurmarg depot
The site of the under-construction Kanjurmarg depot, which will prove indispensable for the Pink Line 6
Status: Plot is being barricaded, but no updates beyond that.
Features: Proposed as a depot site for Pink Line 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar-Vikhroli) and potentially the future Magenta Line 14 (Kanjurmarg-Badlapur). Besides stabling lines, the Kanjurmarg car depot has a workshop, an automatic train washing facility, an operations control centre (OCC), and staff quarters.
Train capacity: Plans include 18 stabling lines and heavy maintenance lines.
Mandale (Mankhurd) depot
Status: Work is 98 per cent complete.
Features: At present, this shed, which has a ground and elevated level, is one of the largest Metro car depots in India and will be used for maintaining and servicing Yellow Line 2 trains. Besides a stabling yard, the depot has a coach unloading platform and a simulator building.
Train capacity: The depot can handle 72 Metro trains at a time.
Mogharpada depot
Status: Land acquisition completed by MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee. Work has started now.
Features: This will be the Mumbai Metro network’s largest integrated car shed, covering 174 hectares of land in Thane. The depot will serve as the main operations and maintenance hub for Metro Lines 4 (Wadala-Kasarvadavli), 4A (Kasarvadavli-Gaimukh), 10 (Gaimukh–Shivaji Chowk), and 11 (Wadala-CSMT), covering a 55.99 km network from CSMT to Mira Road.
Train capacity: Plans include 64 stabling lines, including 10 workshop lines for maintenance and 10 pit lines for daily inspection. “The depot stands as a cornerstone in Mumbai’s journey toward a more connected and commuter-centric future. As the central hub for Metro Lines, this facility will ensure seamless, reliable service across some of the city’s most rapidly growing corridors,” Mukherjee said.
Existing car sheds
Charkop depot
The Charkop depot, which serves Yellow Line 2A and Red Line 7
Serves: Yellow Lines 2A and Red Line 7: (And 9 and 7A in the future)
Features: Charkop depot is one of the longest depots in the country, situated on a 19.59-hectare (48-acre) site. The depot stables and maintains trains of the Yellow Line 2A (Dahisar East to DN Nagar) and Red Line 7 (Dahisar East to Andheri East) with 20 stabling lines. The site is located about 900 metres from the main line, separated by the Poisar river and a local drain. The depot may temporarily support Metro Line 9 rakes until a dedicated depot at Uttan is constructed. The commissioning of the Mandale depot at Mankhurd will allow Charkop to focus on Lines 7 and 7A (Andheri East to CSMIA), ensuring efficient rake management.
DN Nagar depot
The DN Nagar depot, which serves the Blue Line 1
Serves: Blue Line 1 (Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar)
Features: C-shaped depot due to land constraints (land size was reduced from 13 hectares to 9.8 hectares). The depot has 15 stabling lines and three inspection lines used for parking and maintaining trains when they are not in service, supporting the operational needs of the 11.4 km corridor with 12 stations. It meets the operational needs of more than 450 daily services with a peak-hour headway (time between services) of three minutes and 20 seconds.
Aarey depot
The Aarey depot, which can accommodate 31 trainsets of eight coaches each. Pics/By Special Arrangement
Serves: Aqua Line 3
Features: Built on a 55-acre land (approximately 22.26 hectares), it comprises housing facilities for stabling, inspection, and repair of Metro trains. It can accommodate 31 trainsets of eight coaches each, supporting the line’s operational needs for up to 260 daily services.
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