MMRDA finds Colaba-airport metro expensive, may stall project……..Alka Shukla
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has realised that a metro line connecting Colaba to the domestic airport is too expensive a proposition, at least for the time being.
In the proposal the MMRDA submitted to the Centre, there is no mention of the plan to create a third metro line, between Colaba and Bandra on to the domestic airport via Bandra Kurla Complex.
A senior MMRDA official said, “The cost of the Colaba to Bandra line itself is around Rs 10,000 crore. We have requested the Centre to make an exception for the project and allow us a viability gap funding (VGF) of more than 40 per cent.”
For the 19.75-km Colaba-Bandra line, a 10-km stretch from Colaba to Mahalaxmi is proposed to be underground, while the rest will be elevated.
But an extension from Bandra to airport through Bandra Kurla Complex would mean another around eight-km of underground line, increasing the total cost by around Rs 5,000 crore – double the cost of the first metro line.
An official said, “The amount of Rs 15,000 crore would totally throw the project out of gear. Instead, it makes sense for us to take one step at a time.”
Dilip Kawatkar, joint project director, MMRDA, said, “The stretch from Colaba to the airport would become unmanageable. But we do intend to take up the airport extension as a separate stretch.
That will possibly help us get a separate viability gap funding for both stretches.” The Colaba-Bandra metro line itself will take around five years.
The proposed project will need a viability gap funding of around 60 per cent to make it lucrative for a private player. The airport connect will be a long wait indeed.