Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan laid the foundation stone for the 32.5-km Colaba-Bandra-Seepz underground metro corridor, paving the way for start of work on the Rs 23,136 crore project in a record time of 14 months since it was approved by the Centre.
Last month, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which is developing the project on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model, had invited tenders worth Rs 129.32 crore for the civil work at the metro car depot at Aarey Colony in Goregaon.
“We have already invited bids for the depot work and it is in the final stages. Later, in December, we will invite tenders for tunneling,” MMRDA additional metropolitan commissioner Sanjay Sethi told on the sidelines of the ground-breaking ceremony.
The government has signed a loan agreement with Japanese funding agency JICA which will provide nearly 57 per cent of the total cost of the project or Rs. 13,235 crore.
The Centre and the state will equally contribute for the remaining cost of the project, out of which Rs. 777 crore will be borne by the Mumbai International Airport, since the metro will pass through the airport areas.
All barring one of the 27 stations of the metro will be underground. The one at the Aarey Colony, Goregaon on the northern fringe of the city will be at the ground level.
The corridor is expected to be completed by FY20 and is estimated to carry 13.9 lakh commuters daily by 2021 and 17 lakh by 2031.
The 27 stations on the corridor are Cuffe Parade, Vidhan Bhavan, Churchgate, Hutatma Chowk (Fountain), CST, Kalbadevi, Girgaon, Grant Road, Mumbai Central, Mahalaxmi, Science Museum, Acharya Atre Chowk, Worli, Siddhi Vinayak, Dadar, Shitaladevi Temple, Dharavi, BKC, Vidya Nagari, Santa Cruz, Domestic Airport, Sahar Road, International Airport, Marol Naka, MIDC, Seepz and Goregaon.
The MMRDA is also planning a 40-km metro line on the Dahisar-Bandra-Mankhurd sector with an estimated cost of Rs. 30,000 crore.
