Metro Line 4 Trials In September; Launch Targeted This Year

18 Aug 2025 CW Team

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday announced that trial runs for Mumbai Metro Line 4 will begin in September, with commercial operations targeted by the end of the year.

Speaking at the 31st Varsha Marathon in Thane, Shinde said work on Thane’s internal metro—providing interchanges with Line 4—is also progressing to strengthen last-mile connectivity for commuters in Thane and neighbouring areas.

The Wadala–Kapurbawdi corridor, extended to Gaimukh as Metro 4A and linked to Mira–Bhayander (Metro 10), will form a seamless loop with other lines across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Progress and challenges:

Officials at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) report that 85 per cent of Line 4’s works are complete, including the recent installation of a 58-metre steel span at Pantnagar–Ghatkopar bus station. Activists and opposition leaders remain sceptical about the timeline, citing delays along the Ghodbunder stretch and the incomplete Mogharpada car shed. To mitigate the depot constraint, authorities plan to move 48 metro coaches from the Mandale depot (Line 2B) to the elevated section between Gaimukh and Cadbury on Line 4, enabling trial runs and pre-commissioning without waiting for the new depot.

Thane roads and infrastructure:

Beyond the metro, Shinde outlined steps to decongest Thane’s roads by rerouting freight and outbound traffic from Gujarat, Nashik and JNPT via the Mumbai Freeway extension and Coastal Road, diverting vehicles towards the Saket and Fountain Hotel junctions. He also urged Thane municipal commissioner Saurabh Rao to deploy the Rs 30 billion budget—sanctioned during Shinde’s tenure as Chief Minister—to preserve green spaces, uphold the city’s “City of Lakes” identity, and ensure pothole-free roads.

Real Estate

02 Apr 2026

Indian real estate attracts USD 1.4 bn institutional investments in Q1 2026: Vestian

Institutional investments in India’s real estate sector touched USD 1.4 billion in Q1 2026, marking the highest first-quarter inflow since 2022, according to Vestian. While investments fell 62 per cent quarter-on-quarter due to an exceptionally high base in the previous quarter, they rose 74 per cent compared to the same period last year, reflecting sustained investor confidence despite rising geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges.Commercial real estate remained the key driver of investment activity during the quarter, accounting for 80 per cent of total inflows, sharply higher than 38 p..

VECV crosses 1 lakh annual vehicle sales milestone in FY26

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), a joint venture between Volvo Group and Eicher Motors, has surpassed the 1 lakh annual sales mark in FY 2025–26, recording its highest-ever commercial vehicle sales performance. The company said it sold more than 100,000 vehicles during the year, marking a major milestone aligned with the original vision of the Volvo–Eicher joint venture.The strong performance was supported by demand across categories. Light and Medium Duty (LMD) trucks contributed 47,789 units, accounting for 46.1 per cent of total sales. Heavy Duty (HD) trucks recorded 26,867 units (25.9 pe..

Rodic Digital & Advisory partners SatSure to deploy EO intelligence in public sector

Rodic Digital & Advisory (RDA), the strategic advisory and digital transformation arm of Rodic Consultants, has signed a strategic cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SatSure to jointly pursue opportunities in India’s public sector. The collaboration aims to integrate high-resolution Earth Observation (EO) data and geospatial AI into government workflows to strengthen monitoring, compliance, and operational decision-making across key sectors.The partnership combines SatSure’s Earth intelligence capabilities with RDA’s expertise in government digital transformation and ..