Safety inspection of Metro 5 Phase 1 soon, it may open by year-end

Kalyan: Phase 1 of the Metro Line 5 corridor is progressing steadily towards the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) inspection stage, a key milestone before commissioning, even as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has expanded the project into one of the region’s largest metro corridors spanning 34.2 km across Thane, Bhiwandi, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar.

The metro corridor, earlier planned as a 22.38-km route, has now been extended through Metro Line 5A, adding 11.8 km and taking the total project cost to Rs 18,130 crore. Authorities said the first phase between Thane to Dhamankar Naka in Bhiwandi is expected to open for public operations by the end of the year.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said Metro Line 5 would significantly improve mobility for residents of Bhiwandi and the Kalyan-Dombivli belt, which together form one of the region’s major industrial and residential clusters.

“Bhiwandi, one of Asia’s largest textile and warehousing hubs, and the Kalyan-Dombivli region with a population of over 35 lakh require high-capacity transport connectivity. The corridor will seamlessly integrate with suburban rail and highways, ensuring faster and safer travel for lakhs of citizens,” Fadnavis said.

Deputy chief minister and MMRDA chairman Eknath Shinde said the corridor would become a major mobility backbone for the eastern MMR region by connecting key commercial, industrial and residential centres.

MMRDA metropolitan commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee said infrastructure work on Phase 1 has reached an advanced stage and preparations for CMRS inspection are underway.

“Station infrastructure is steadily taking shape and once operational, the corridor will substantially reduce travel time and strengthen the ‘Mumbai in Minutes’ vision,” Mukherjee said.

Phase 1 of Metro Line 5 will run from Thane to Dhamankar Naka over 11.9 km with six stations — Balkhum, Kasheli, Kalher, Purna, Anjurphata and Dhamankar Naka. Work on the Kasheli Metro car depot, including inspection pit facilities and depot control infrastructure, is progressing rapidly.

Phase 2 will extend the corridor from Dhamankar Naka to Durgadi over 10.48 km with six stations, including an underground station at Bhiwandi. The newly approved Metro Line 5A will further extend connectivity from Durgadi to Kalyan with a spur towards Ulhasnagar through seven elevated stations.

The corridor will integrate with Metro Line 4 at Balkhum and Metro Line 12 at Kalyan Junction, while also improving access to suburban railway stations at Thane, Kalyan, Vitthalwadi and Ulhasnagar. Authorities said feeder bus services and connectivity to major highways including NH-160, NH-61 and NH-848 will improve last-mile access.

According to MMRDA, the corridor is expected to reduce travel time by 40-50%, ease congestion on arterial roads and support economic activity across the region’s industrial and logistics hubs while reducing carbon emissions through lower dependence on private vehicles.