Taking a step ahead, the laying down of tracks for two Metro corridors in the western suburbs — Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro-2A and Dahisar East-Andheri (E) Metro-7 — will start from January 2018.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), executing the two Metro projects, has said that wherever the civil structure is ready tracks will be laid.
The MMRDA has also started procuring tracks for the two corridors, and the civil works for both will be completed by December 2018 with the aim to make both the corridors operational by 2019.
Pravin Darade, Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA, said, "We have the necessary civil structure at several sections ready for laying tracks. The procurement process has also been initiated and we will start laying of tracks from January 2018," adding that by this time next year they will have almost completed the track laying process. "The only issue is procuring coaches which is handled at the Central government level due to certain issues," he said.
DNA had reported on November 7, 2017, that MMRDA had claimed that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) funding Metro projects had reservations regarding the procurement policy of Metro coaches wherein 75 per cent of the coaches would have to be manufactured in India. MMRDA has written to the Centre seeking assistance on the same.
SMART TRAINS
- MMRDA has plans to procure 63 driverless trains of six coaches each for the Metro corridors. Of these, 15 will be manufactured outside India.
- Around 35 to 40 per cent of the civil works for Metro-2A and Metro-7 have been completed and the major of the civil works will be completed by May 2018, keeping in mind rainfall from June.
