PTI
Mumbai
The inauguration of the opening phase of Metro Line 9 linking Dahisar East to Kashigaon on Tuesday marked the first direct connectivity between a suburb in Mumbai and a part of Thane city in the metropolitan region.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also inaugurated the first phase of Metro Line 2B from Mandale to Chembur, which provides first metro connectivity on the Harbour Line in Mumbai.
With regular services on both lines set to start from Wednesday, the financial capital of the country will have six operational Metro lines. Fadnavis first inaugurated the first phase of Metro Line 9, flagging off a train from Dahisar East, and travelled to Kashigaon along with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, and Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde. The line connects the northern suburb of Dahisar with neighbouring Mira Bhayandar in Thane district. Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said that an easy and accessible transportation system is being developed in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), integrating metro, e-buses and water transport to make the city the most accessible in the country.
Mumbai now ranks second in the country after Delhi in terms of metro network with more than 100 km of operational metro lines, he said, adding that most of the remaining projects will be completed in the next two years.
Mumbai now has six operational metro corridors, including Metro Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Line 2A (Andheri West-Dahisar East), Line 7 (Dahisar East and Andheri East) and Line 3, known as Aqua Line (Colaba-Bandra Kurla Complex-SEEPZ).
The first phase of Metro Line 9 comprises a 5.6-km elevated stretch with four stations – Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon.
