Urgent measures are being taken to reduce crowding on Mumbai's local trains in the wake of a devastating train accident in Mumbra that killed four passengers. In response, Dr. Shrikant Shinde, the MP for Kalyan, declared that Metro Line 5, which was initially intended to run from Thane to Kalyan via Bhiwandi, would be extended all the way up to Chikhloli Railway Station in Ambernath, via Ulhasnagar. The metro will now operate between Ulhasnagar and Ambernath, along the Kalyan–Badlapur Road, from Durgadi Naka in Kalyan to Chikhloli Railway Station, said Dr. Shinde said The Times of India.
Main benefits of the extension:
- Less strain on congested suburban railroads
- Quicker and safer transportation between Mumbai-Thane and Ambernath-Badlapur
- Benefits to the environment and fuel economy
- More efficient traffic flow.
At Chikhloli, an integrated transport hub that combines railway and metro services will be built. Passengers throughout the region will experience more efficient and seamless travel as a result. When finished, Ambernath, Ulhasnagar, and Shahad will all have direct metro connection.
During a high-level meeting chaired by MMRDA Commissioner Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, key infrastructure projects were reviewed in the presence of local MLAs Balaji Kinikar and Rajesh More, with a focus on expediting their completion. Discussions covered the fast-tracking of the remaining phases of the Kalyan Ring Road project, construction of a unique two-tier Nevali Corridor featuring a flyover and metro viaduct stacked vertically, and the initiation of the tender process for the U-shaped road in East Kalyan. The meeting also addressed the upcoming elevated flyover from Palm Resort to Vithalwadi, which will span the Waldhuni River, and emphasized speeding up work on the access-controlled Navi Mumbai–Badlapur corridor.