Mumbai’s long-anticipated Metro Line 5A, between Bhiwandi and Kalyan, awaits approval from the state government to go underground, according to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is the project implementing authority for all metro lines except the underground Metro 3.

An MMRDA official said, “The reason to take the line underground is to prevent demolition of existing structures, which would draw huge compensation. Hundreds of structures would need to be razed for an elevated line.”

On the other hand, the underground line will increase the project cost by Rs 6-7 billion.

Bhiwandi over the years has developed as a logistics and warehousing hub, with a number of well-known companies having their warehouses here. Therefore, if the MMRDA takes Line 5A overground, these affected structures will have to be compensated as per commercial market price.

Meanwhile, the construction of the elevated Metro line 5 between Thane to Bhiwandi is in full swing. The line 5A is an extension of this corridor. Together, 5 and 5A will have 15 stations. As per the MMRDA, by 2031 the per day ridership will be more than 300,000 a day.

The route will provide interconnectivity with the ongoing Metro Line 4 (Wadala to Kasarvadavali) and the proposed Metro Line 12 (Kalyan to Taloja), and with the existing Central Railway.

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