Thane’s Metro 4 trials begin, only four stns to open by Dec | Mumbai News

Thane: Trial runs on the 10.5-km stretch of Metro Line 4 and 4A, connecting Kasarvadavli-Gaimukh with Wadala, were flagged off on Monday. However, commuters will have to wait longer for full operations as only four stations are likely to open to the public by Dec, with the remaining stations up to Cadbury Junction expected to be commissioned by April.CM Devendra Fadnavis, who flagged off the trial run, said, “The trial run was conducted for four stations between Gaimukh and Vijay Garden that will be operational by the year-end after all tests and safety clearances. The route beyond Cadbury Junction station will be connected by April 2026. Subsequently, the route will be made operational till Gandhi Nagar and finally till Wadala by Oct 2027. A further extension till CSMT will make it the longest elevated Metro route in the country at 58km.“Thane Metro will initially run with six coaches, but the platforms have been designed to accommodate eight-coach trains.The nearly Rs 16,000 crore project will initially serve around 13 lakh commuters daily, potentially increasing to 21 lakh once fully operational. This expansion promises to ease congestion and significantly improve travel time by 75% for Thane and Mumbai residents, Fadnavis said.Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, who is also MMRDA chairman, called the day ‘historic’ for Thane. Recalling the decade-long struggle to get this Metro approved, he said: “While other Metro projects were sanctioned, Thane’s plans were repeatedly ignored by the then Prithviraj Chavan govt. We had to stage protests and face suspensions to push the project forward.” Shinde highlighted the route’s significance, stating it will connect CSMT on one side and Mira-Bhayander on the other, forming a loop. It will also link Thane suburbs like Kalyan, Dombivli, and Bhiwandi with Mumbai through other lines and monorail at six interchange points, greatly reducing surface vehicular congestion.While Fadnavis congratulated Shinde and transport minister Pratap Sarnaik for their efforts, he blamed the MVA regime for stalling the project, causing costly delays. “We secured maximum progress until 2019, but the subsequent govt stalled work, pushing us back by 2.5 years. Without that delay, the entire 58km corridor could be ready by now,” Shinde and Fadnavis said, crediting PM Narendra Modi’s leadership for reviving Mumbai’s Metro expansion.