Mumbai's Metro Lines 4 and 6 remain unfinished nearly eight years after construction began

Who will win the title of Mumbairsquos most delayed Metro project Green Line 4 WadalaThane and Pink Line 6 Swami Samarth NagarVikhroli appear to be neck and neck in the race with neither showing signs of opening soon Orange Line 5 ThaneBhiwandiKalyan meanwhile is emerging as the dark horse with its first phase making faster progressNearly eight years after construction began Lines 4 and 6 remain unfinished with no passenger services on either corridor Land acquisition hurdles incomplete stations depotrelated complications and repeated deadline extensions have kept commuters waiting for the promised relief from traffic congestionPicSatej ShindeThe delay derbyThe two elevated corridors were conceived to improve eastwest and northsouth connectivity across Mumbairsquos suburbs Together they span 4763 km have 43 stations and carry a combined published project cost of R21265 crore Construction began around 2018 but progress on critical components has repeatedly pushed back their completionAccording to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authorityrsquos MMRDA progress reports dated August 31 2026 Green Line 4 had completed 95 per cent of pier construction 94 per cent of Ugirder erection and 92 per cent of deckslab work These figures reflect progress on individual construction components not overall operational readinessLand disputes derail progressFor Green Line 4 the acquisition of a 16762squaremetre plot at Laxmi Nagar in Vikhroli East remained unresolved for years MMRDA finally secured possession in March 2026 after prolonged negotiations and legal proceedings The acquisition involved approximately R16431 crore Pink Line 6 meanwhile faced hurdles at Shyam Nagar station the JVLREastern Express Highway junction and its proposed Kanjurmarg depot The Supreme Court removed a major legal hurdle on September 29 2026 when it dismissed a developerrsquos appeal against the Bombay High Courtrsquos February 13 ruling on the 15hectare Kanjurmarg depot land The ruling cleared the way for the longdelayed depot project Court proceedings also revealed that MMRDA had spent R229312 crore on Line 6 by the period covered in its affidavitTrial runs but no passenger servicesTrial runs on the northern Green Line 44A stretch were flagged off in September 2025 However incomplete station infrastructure and pending safety requirements prevented commercial operations from beginningThe proposed partial opening initially expected in early 2026 was subsequently reported to have been pushed to November 2026The faster contender Orange Line 5While Lines 4 and 6 remain unfinished Orange Line 5 ThaneBhiwandiKalyan appears to be moving ahead faster The corridor has seen 200 Ugirder spans launched within 18 months of construction which began in 2020Civil work on its first phase between Thane and Dhamankar Naka in Bhiwandi is complete An initial train rake borrowed from Metro Lines 2A and 7 via the Kasarvadavali interchange has arrived on site and trial runs are underway to test the 25 kV overhead electrification and signalling systemsOnce operational Line 5 will connect with Green Line 4 WadalaThane the extended Orange Line 12 KalyanTaloja and the Central Railway networkCommuters continue to waitMMRDA has projected daily ridership of 1213 lakh on Green Line 4 and 769 lakh on Pink Line 6 by 2031 Both corridors are expected to improve suburban connectivity and reduce travel timesHowever repeated deadline revisions have raised questions about project planning coordination and accountability While elevated tracks and stations increasingly dominate Mumbairsquos skyline commuters are still waiting for the services they were promisedExpertspeakArindam Mahapatra transport enthusiastlsquoOn average constructing a Metro corridor from scratch in Mumbai takes eight to ten years While Lines 4 and 6 are among the slowest I would pick Line 6 as the more delayed project Titagarh has yet to deliver its trains and several viaduct gaps remain to be bridged with girders Line 4 is better placed with train deliveries expected by yearend allowing rakes to be ready for revenue operations Though Line 4 also lacks a dedicated carshed it has Line 5rsquos Kasheli depot as a backup if Mogharpada is delayed an option Line 6 currently lacks Moreover a continuous viaduct from Gaimukh to ShangriLa in Bhandup the next reversal point after Cadbury Junction gives MMRDA the flexibility to extend services beyond Cadbury once civil works are completed In comparison Metro Line 12 has progressed at a pace similar to Line 5 with 200 Ugirder spans launched within just 18 months of constructionrsquoShubham Padave Metro enthusiastlsquoI think Metro Line 6 could eventually win the race for Mumbairsquos most delayed Metro project as several parallel infrastructure works linked to the corridor are still incomplete The unresolved carshed issue and the parallel Jogeshwari flyover project remain major concerns But the bigger question is whether Line 6 will surpass the record of the Navi Mumbai Metro which took over 12 years to complete just 111 km with 11 stationsrsquo12 yrsTime Navi Mumbai Metro took to complete just 111 km with 11 stations