First train reaches Metro 5 tracks, Thane-Bhiwandi commuters hope for service early next year

There is good news for people who travel between Thane and Bhiwandi. The first metro train has finally reached the tracks of Metro 5, which has been awaited for a long time. The train was brought onto the metro line on the auspicious occasion of Navratri.

The actual trials of the train will begin at the end of this month. If they are completed successfully, the way will open for the metro to run for passengers on this route early next year.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is carrying out the project at speed. The first phase of Metro 5 will run from Thane to Dhamankar Naka. It is 11.9 km long and the estimated cost is Rs 6,741 crore. The stations on this stretch will be Balkum, Kasheli, Kalher, Purna, Anjurphata and Dhamankar Naka.

Work on installing various systems and the final finishing is currently under way on the line at speed.

Officials said it may take some time for coaches of new trains for this line to be built and to arrive. To spare passengers inconvenience, trains brought for the Gundavali to Dahisar (Metro 7) line will be used in the initial period. One of those trains has now been brought onto the Metro 5 tracks.

According to officials, all technical tests related to the safety of the train will be carried out in the first phase. After these tests and every kind of safety check are completed, the team of the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) will be called for final approval.

Work has begun on a large car shed on about 27 hectares near the Kasheli toll naka for the roughly 32 km route covering all three phases of Metro 5. The car shed may take a few more years to complete.

Until then, so that the first-phase metro service can start on time, the authority has built a temporary pit line. The metro service will begin from this pit line, and the testing, technical checks and maintenance of trains will also be done here. This will make travel for people in Thane and Bhiwandi much faster and easier in the coming days.