8.3.19

Cabinet sets MUTP-3A rolling at Rs.33,690 cr

The Cabinet had good and bad news for Mumbai’s commuters. It approved Mumbai Urban Transport Project 3A at a revised cost of Rs.33,690 crore that will be completed in 5 years. However, it has also shot down two projects that would bring relief to the overburdened Harbour line — the proposed fast line on the CST-Panvel route and the new suburban rail corridor between Panvel and Virar.

The original cost of the project was estimated to be Rs.54,777 crore.

The approval also means Railways can procure more AC rakes, albeit a smaller number than the one proposed. Instead of 210 at the cost of Rs.15,802 crore, the city will now get 191 AC rakes. The average cost of each rake is pegged at Rs.82 crore. A new, more efficient signalling system called CBTC, which costs Rs.5,928 crore, has also got the green light.

The new Rs.12,331 crore CSMT-Panvel line was supposed to service about 12 lakh daily commuters. Similarly, the 70-km-long Virar-Panvel corridor would have connected the Mumbai Metropolitan region sideways. Both projects had the state’s go-ahead and were only awaiting cabinet approval.

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