Navi Mumbai Metro begins official trial run on Belapur-Pendhar corridor

Navi Mumbai (Urban Transport News): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday - on 10th day of Ganesh Utsav - has officially flagged off the trial test run of Navi Mumbai Metro from Taloja Depot. The 3-coach trains run on 2-km long distance from Pendhar Metro terminal yard at Taloja to Pendhar station. The section is part of 11.1 km long Belapur-Pendhar corridor (Line 1).

Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1 (Belapur-Pendhar corridor) is consists of a total of 11 stations and is expected to be operational by mid-2020. A total of three-coach 8 trains will be run between Belapur and Pendhar stretch. On August 29, an internal trial test run of 3-coach metro train was conducted inside the metro yard at Taloja. In March 2019, CIDCO had received 2 three-coach metro trainsets for Navi Mumbai Metro from Chinese rolling stock manufacturer China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC).

Line 1, which is built at an estimated cost of Rs 3,063 crore, is part of the phase I network of future lines of Navi Mumbai Metro rail project which will connect the upcoming international airport. In June 2019, Board of Directors of City & Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO) had accorded principle approval to appoint Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) to undertake the work of Line 2 & 3 of Navi Mumbai Metro rail project. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Line 2 & 3 of Navi Mumbai Metro rail project had been submitted by RITES Limited.

The CIDCO Board had accorded approval to implement Line 3 (Pendhar to MIDC) for Rs 1750.14 crore and Line 2 (MIDC to Khandeshwar) for Rs 2820.20 crore. A total of 26.26 km metro rail network consists of four lines will be built under the Navi Mumbai Metro project with an estimated cost of Rs.8,904 crore.