September 30, 2025: Construction work on Mumbai’s Metro Line 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar–Vikhroli) has come to a halt on the eastern stretch as several pillars on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) are being demolished. The move follows a redesign of the alignment after the car depot originally planned at Kanjurmarg was shifted to a new site on the northern side of the plot.
The 15.31-km Pink Line, estimated to cost Rs 6,700 crore, is being developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). “Earlier, the Metro 6 car depot was planned at Kanjurmarg, adjoining the Eastern Express Highway,” said sources within MMRDA. “For connecting the metro viaduct to the depot, the cantilever and portal piers were designed as per the alignment to accommodate track entry to the depot.”
With the car depot relocated to a 15-hectare plot transferred to MMRDA in 2023, officials explained that the viaduct design had to be modified. “Due to the change in alignment, a few piers have been redesigned while utilising already constructed foundations within the required design parameters and complying with structural design requirements,” an official confirmed. While demolition of some pillars began last week, officials did not specify how many would need to be rebuilt.
Metro 6, which began construction in 2017 with an initial 2021 deadline, has faced repeated delays. The Covid-19 pandemic, ongoing litigation over the earlier Kanjurmarg depot site, and contractual issues have all contributed to the setbacks. In October 2023, MMRDA cancelled certain tenders after they failed to meet Central Vigilance Commission norms, and later reissued them. In July 2024, NCC Ltd was awarded a Rs 2,269-crore contract for rolling stock and allied systems, with Titagarh Rail Systems Limited securing the Rs 1,598.55-crore rolling stock supply order.
Source: Hindustan Times
