Mumbai Metro contractors speed up work to meet new deadline; operations to begin before Lok Sabha polls

When work finally begin on Mumbai Metro Line 3, also known as the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ metro project, it was expected to be up and running by 2021. The deadline was later stretched to June 2024, citing delays caused by the dispute over the construction of the Aarey depot due to environmental concerns, and labour shortage during the pandemic.

But recently Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde asked contractors to complete the project by March, ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Shifting gears to meet new deadlines

• Five consortiums including those led by L&T and Tata, working on different sections of Metro Line 3, are now accelerating their pace of work to meet the new deadline.

• Officials are now saying that service trials will start from October this year, as they aim to make phase 1 between Aarey Colony and Bandra Kurla Complex operational by December 2023.

• L&T has been tasked with building two of the seven sections, is already wrapping up work at four stations in South Mumbai and two between Marol and Aarey.

More hurdles ahead?

• But the firm also had to deal with complications caused by marshy land closer to the sea, and used a first-of-its-kind tunneling technique to preserve heritage structures near Fort and Colaba.

• With this progress, the launch of phase 1 is on track, as 87 per cent of the construction on it has been completed according to MMRC MD Ashwini Bhide.

• The only possible impediment in meeting the March deadline for phase 2, is the pace of work between BKC and CST, which has been slow.