For the Swami Samarth Nagar-Vikhroli (Eastern Express Highway) Metro Line 6, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has requested an extra 5-7 hectares of land near the Kanjurmarg depot site.
This proposal is in addition to the state government’s allocation of 15 hectares of land for the depot’s development. The MMRDA has also issued a request for proposals to purchase 108 coaches for future use on this route.
Senior MMRDA officials revealed that they have requested additional land within the Kanjurmarg depot location.
This land is owned by the government area where the proposed Kanjurmarg depot is located. For this land, officials are awaiting approval from the state government. “We are also waiting for the government’s go-ahead for building car depots associated with other metro lines,” said a senior official of the MMRDA.
Aside from the Kanjurmarg depot, the construction of automobile depots in Mogharpada (Metro 4), Kasheli (Metro 5), and Uttan (Metro 9) is also pending clearance. This additional acreage is intended to contribute to overall smoother operations.
The state government asked Mumbai’s suburban collector to hand up the Kanjurmarg land for the depot’s construction in April.
This depot is now awaiting a government resolution that will allow for the building of a workshop for both minor and major maintenance, automatic cleaning, and an operations and control centre (OCC) for all trains on the grounds.
In addition, the MMRDA authorities have floated a tender to purchase 108 metro train coaches for the line at a cost of 989 crores, excluding taxes.
The appropriate contracting business will be responsible for the design, manufacturing, supply, testing, and commissioning of the coaches, as well as employee training. It will take at least two years for metro rakes to arrive.
The MMRDA is building a 6,672 crore metro line that would connect the western and eastern suburbs and will feature 13 metro stations. The planned completion date for this metro line is 2025.