Metro lines ready, but car shed delays stall full use

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA is building nine corridors as part of its ambitious Mumbai Metro rail network However most of these lines will remain underutilised until their respective car sheds are ready for everyday operations These depots are crucial as they are the facilities where Metro trains are stabled maintained overhauled and readied for their next runCorridors incompleteThese include the 236km Yellow Line 2B between DN Nagar and Mandale with 22 stations work on which is about 83 per cent complete while ten trial runs involving the commissioner of Metro railway safety between Mandale and Diamond Garden stations were completed by July 4 This is the stretch that will open first along with the Mandale depot at MankhurdThe other corridors in the works are the 3232km Mumbai Metro Green Line 4 between Wadala and Kasarvadavli with 30 stations work on which is about 79 per cent complete with the first segment Kasarvadavli to Cadbury Junction and the entire line expected to be ready by December 2025 and 2027 respectivelyAn extended part of this line is the 288 km Green Line 4A between Kasarvadavli and Gaimukh comprising two stations which is 89 per cent complete and expected to open by December 2025 For both these corridors of the Green Line work on the Mogharpada depot has just begun and the lines will open with temporary elevated pit lines for train maintenanceThe 249km Orange Line is being built in two phases with the 1281km phase one between Thane to Bhiwandi to Kalyan with 17 stations work on which is 95 per cent complete with a deadline of December 2025 and phase two between Kalyan and Taloja is in its early stages Work on the 1531km Pink Line between Swami Samarth Nagar and Vikhroli with 13 stations is 78 per cent complete with a targeted completion date of December 2026 but awaits work on the Kanjurmarg car shedThe 317km Line 7A between Andheri East and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport CSMIA which comprises two stations will share the same car shed at Charkop as that of Lines 7 and 2ASimilarly work on the 118km Red Line 9 between Dahisar East and Mira Bhayander with eight stations is currently on with its 47km first phase between Dahisar and Kashigaon scheduled to be completed by December 2025 and the full line by June 2026 but it will also share the car shed with existing Line 7 and 2A at CharkopCompletion works on Aqua Line 3 are also in progress but it already has its own independent depotWhither car shedsAt present four car sheds are under construction A look at whatrsquos happening on the ground with the status of depot works at Kanjurmarg for Pink Line 6 Mogharpada for Green Line 4 4A 10 and 11 Uttan for Metro Line 9 and Mankhurd for Yellow Line 2BUttan depotStatus Proposed with earlystage planningFeatures The depot will serve as a maintenance and stabling facility for the Metro Line 9 trains It is located on a 5965hectare plot of land in Uttan near Bhayandar The project includes building a depot with multiple stabling lines a train operation control centre a maintenance yard and administrative buildingsTrain capacity Plans include 40 stabling lines capable of handling eightcoach trains with a length of 210 metres eachKanjurmarg depotThe site of the underconstruction Kanjurmarg depot which will prove indispensable for the Pink Line 6Status Plot is being barricaded but no updates beyond thatFeatures Proposed as a depot site for Pink Line 6 Swami Samarth NagarVikhroli and potentially the future Magenta Line 14 KanjurmargBadlapur Besides stabling lines the Kanjurmarg car depot has a workshop an automatic train washing facility an operations control centre OCC and staff quartersTrain capacity Plans include 18 stabling lines and heavy maintenance linesMandale Mankhurd depotStatus Work is 98 per cent completeFeatures At present this shed which has a ground and elevated level is one of the largest Metro car depots in India and will be used for maintaining and servicing Yellow Line 2 trains Besides a stabling yard the depot has a coach unloading platform and a simulator buildingTrain capacity The depot can handle 72 Metro trains at a timeMogharpada depotStatus Land acquisition completed by MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee Work has started nowFeatures This will be the Mumbai Metro networkrsquos largest integrated car shed covering 174 hectares of land in Thane The depot will serve as the main operations and maintenance hub for Metro Lines 4 WadalaKasarvadavli 4A KasarvadavliGaimukh 10 GaimukhndashShivaji Chowk and 11 WadalaCSMT covering a 5599 km network from CSMT to Mira RoadTrain capacity Plans include 64 stabling lines including 10 workshop lines for maintenance and 10 pit lines for daily inspection ldquoThe depot stands as a cornerstone in Mumbairsquos journey toward a more connected and commutercentric future As the central hub for Metro Lines this facility will ensure seamless reliable service across some of the cityrsquos most rapidly growing corridorsrdquo Mukherjee saidExisting car shedsCharkop depotThe Charkop depot which serves Yellow Line 2A and Red Line 7Serves Yellow Lines 2A and Red Line 7 And 9 and 7A in the futureFeatures Charkop depot is one of the longest depots in the country situated on a 1959hectare 48acre site The depot stables and maintains trains of the Yellow Line 2A Dahisar East to DN Nagar and Red Line 7 Dahisar East to Andheri East with 20 stabling lines The site is located about 900 metres from the main line separated by the Poisar river and a local drain The depot may temporarily support Metro Line 9 rakes until a dedicated depot at Uttan is constructed The commissioning of the Mandale depot at Mankhurd will allow Charkop to focus on Lines 7 and 7A Andheri East to CSMIA ensuring efficient rake managementDN Nagar depotThe DN Nagar depot which serves the Blue Line 1Serves Blue Line 1 VersovaAndheriGhatkoparFeatures Cshaped depot due to land constraints land size was reduced from 13 hectares to 98 hectares The depot has 15 stabling lines and three inspection lines used for parking and maintaining trains when they are not in service supporting the operational needs of the 114 km corridor with 12 stations It meets the operational needs of more than 450 daily services with a peakhour headway time between services of three minutes and 20 secondsAarey depotThe Aarey depot which can accommodate 31 trainsets of eight coaches each PicsBy Special ArrangementServes Aqua Line 3Features Built on a 55acre land approximately 2226 hectares it comprises housing facilities for stabling inspection and repair of Metro trains It can accommodate 31 trainsets of eight coaches each supporting the linersquos operational needs for up to 260 daily services