CIDCO all set to open entire 11-km Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1

Navi Mumbai, India (Metro Rail Today): The Navi Mumbai Metro Line No 1 connecting Belapur to Pendhar is all set to become operational this month as works on the remaining stations are in the final stage, said City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd (CIDCO).

CIDCO has planned four elevated routes to strengthen the public transport system in Navi Mumbai.

The first phase of Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1 will cover a 11.1-km-long stretch between Belapur and Pendhar. It will have 11 railway stations: Belapur, Sector-7 Belapur, Science Park, Utsav Chowk, Sector 11 Kharghar, Sector 14 Kharghar, Central Park, Pethapada, Sector 34 Kharghar, Panchnand and Pendhar Terminal. The Line 1 will have a car depot for train maintenance at Taloja and two traction sub-stations at Panchanand and Kharghar.

According to CIDCO oficials, the funding for the project costing Rs 3,063.63 crore is being carried out through surplus internal accruals and sans any financial assistance.

Sanjay Mukherjee, vice-chairman and managing director, CIDCO, speaking on the project completion said, “The section between station 7 (Central Park) to station 11 (Pendhar), spanning 5.14 km, has reached the commissioning stage. Works on stations 1 to 6 are progressing at full pace and we are expecting them to be completed soon.”

“Oscillation trials for the section between stations 1 to 7, with a length of 5.96 km, were successfully conducted by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in January this year. Other safety tests by railway authorities on NMM Line 1 are being carried out from February. From April, the complete Navi Mumbai Metro Line-1 is scheduled to become operational,” Mukherjee stated.

“NMM is very significant for internal connectivity in Navi Mumbai. While it will provide quality travel options to the residents, the real estate sector too will receive a boost,” he added.

To expedite the project, CIDCO in February 2021 appointed Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) to complete the balance work of Line 1 at a cost of Rs 850 crore. In July 2021, it appointed Maha Metro for operation and maintenance of service on Line 1 for a period of 10 years for a payment of Rs 885 crore plus taxes.