Thane's Gaimukh-Kapurbawdi metro stretch targeted for December launch

People struggling with daily traffic jams in Thane city may soon get relief. The first phase of the metro line being built between Gaimukh and Kapurbawdi is planned to open to passengers by the end of this year, in December. The information was given by state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik. This is the first phase of Metro Route 4A and Route 4, and its opening is expected to bring some relief to Thane residents from the jams on Ghodbunder Road.

Metro Route 4 is being built between Wadala and Kasarvadavali and has a total length of 32.32 kilometres. The connected Metro Route 4A extends further from Kasarvadavali to Gaimukh, a stretch of 2.88 kilometres. This route, connecting Mumbai and Thane, is being developed as an important east-west connectivity project. The 10.5 kilometre stretch from Gaimukh to Kapurbawdi Junction will be the first to be opened to passengers. According to Minister Sarnaik, this Gaimukh-Kapurbawdi stretch will start running by the end of the year. Both Metro Route 4A and Route 4's first phase have a target of opening by December 2026.

The project is being run by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, or MMRDA, and construction work has now reached its final stage. Testing and inspection work is currently underway on the Gaimukh-Kapurbawdi stretch so that passenger service can start as soon as possible. On June 2 this year, the Research Designs and Standards Organisation, or RDSO, issued the necessary certificate for this route, granted after a testing and coordination process of about 209 days. Videos of metro trains being tested on the elevated track recently went viral on social media, which intensified talk of an early start to service. However, passenger service has not yet started and a firm inauguration date is yet to be announced.

Work on this metro line has faced delays before as well. A few months ago, it emerged that despite around 90 percent of construction being complete on the Gaimukh-Cadbury Junction section, operations would be pushed to November 2026. Stalled car shed work, incomplete station construction, and unfinished signal and electrical systems were cited as reasons for the earlier delays in the project.

Lakhs of commuters who face jams on Ghodbunder Road every day are hoping for major relief from this metro line. But given the delays this project has already seen, Thane residents are watching closely to see when service will actually begin.