The long-delayed metro connectivity to Bhiwandi, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar in Maharashtra’s Thane district has moved a step closer to reality on Saturday, August 29, with the Centre approving the realigned Mumbai Metro Line 5 and its Line 5A extension.

The approval to extend metro connectivity to Bhiwandi, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar clears the way for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to begin the tendering process for the remaining stretches of the corridor.

The extended metro network will eventually connect Thane with Bhiwandi, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar through a revised alignment designed to overcome land acquisition, rehabilitation and road-infrastructure hurdles that had stalled the original plan.

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Work on the first stretch, phase 1 between Thane and Bhiwandi, is nearing completion.

Metro Line 5 first phase features

Work on the first stretch, phase 1 between Thane and Bhiwandi, is nearing completion and scheduled to open this December, officials said.

The 11.9-km first phase, built for Rs 6,741.34 crore, runs from Balkum in Thane to Dhamankar Nagar in Bhiwandi and has six elevated stations. The corridor will also provide an interchange with Metro Line 4, which is expected to open part of its Thane stretch in the current financial year.

The original Line 5 was planned as a 24.9-km Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan corridor. However, extensive resettlement and rehabilitation requirements held up the second phase amid a conflict with the Bhiwandi Bypass Flyover, prompting the MMRDA to revise the alignment.

Under the new plan, a short section around Bhiwandi will be underground, while the corridor has been extended through Line 5A towards Kalyan and Ulhasnagar.

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Metro Line 5 second phase features

The second phase of Line 5 will run 10.48 km from Bhiwandi to Durgadi in Kalyan and is estimated to cost Rs 7,326 crore.

Line 5A will then extend the network by another 11.83 km, at an estimated cost of Rs 4,063 crore, with the spur toward Kalyan. There, it will provide an interchange with Metro Line 12 towards Navi Mumbai, and a main route towards Ulhasnagar. 

The extended network, however, is still several years from completion, with construction targeted for 2030-31.

For Bhiwandi, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar, the significance is less about another metro line and more about an alternative to an already strained transport network.

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Metro Line 5 stations: Kapurbawdi, Balkum, Kasheli, Kalher, Purna, Anjur Phata, Dhamankar Naka, Bhiwandi, Temghar, Rajnouli, Govegaon, Kongaon West and Kongaon East.

Metro Line 5A and spur stations: Durgadi, Khadakpada, Bhoirwadi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Path, Kalyan, Shanti Nagar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Chowk and Ulhasnagar.