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Maharashtra to Finalise Executing Agency for Rs 150 Bn Corridor

2024-12-16

The Gold Line, or Metro 8, connecting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport, has once again come into focus. The new government is expected to soon make a decision on the agency that will execute this critical infrastructure project.

Currently, there is no mass rapid transport system (MRTS) linking the two airports, and the Metro 8 corridor, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) Metro Master Plan, is designed to address this gap.

Ahead of the assembly elections, discussions were held to finalize which agency would take charge of the project, as the route spans both Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. While the MMRDA and the state government supported the idea of the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) executing the project through Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha Metro), the then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde preferred that the MMRDA oversee the 35-km corridor.

A state government official mentioned, "The then chief secretary and MMRDA were inclined towards Cidco executing the project through Maha Metro, as the majority of the route falls within Navi Mumbai." However, Shinde could not reach a final decision. Now, with the Navi Mumbai airport set to open next year, the new government under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to expedite the Metro 8 project.