More than five years since the groundbreaking ceremony of Mumbai Metro Line 5 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the work on the project is still lagging. As per a recent RTI response, the project's deadline has been extended from March 1, 2022, to March 31, 2025.
The Metro Project Implementation Branch revealed this information in response to an RTI filed by activist Anil Galgali. Initially, the project was divided into two phases. Phase 1 includes the Thane-Bhiwandi stretch, while Phase 2 consists of the Bhiwandi-Kalyan segment.
Phase 1 was awarded to Afcons Infrastructure on September 1, 2019. Construction for this phase began in February 2020, and over 80% of the work is complete. This phase covers an 11.68 km stretch from Kapurbawadi in Thane to Dhamankar Naka in Bhiwandi.
However, Phase 2, which extends from Bhiwandi to Kalyan, has not started as no tender has been issued. Furthermore, on June 6, 2023, the state urban development department approved a 3 km underground stretch between Dhamankar Naka and Temghar. This increased the project cost by INR 1,727 crore.
The metro corridor will be 24.90 km long with 15 stations. It is designed as an elevated route connecting Kapurbawadi Junction in Thane to APMC Market in Kalyan. The expected cost is INR 898.19 crore despite the delay. However, the only penalty imposed is INR 20.88 lakh.
Metro Line 5 will connect with Metro Line-4 (Wadala-Kasarvadavali) and Metro Line 12 (Kalyan-Taloja). Once operational, it will improve travel for residents and workers in the region. According to MMRDA, the metro is expected to reduce travel time by 50% to 75%.
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