Mumbai Metro Line 4 construction has entered a faster operational phase in Thane, with preparations under way to place metro coaches on the tracks between Modella Check Naka and Teen Haath Naka. The work will lead to night-time traffic diversions on the stretch after the Thane traffic police approved the movement plan sought by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
The coach-placement preparations are expected to be completed within two days, according to the report. Coaches will be brought to the tracks near the Bharat Petroleum pump in the Modella Check Naka area. To keep traffic moving during the operation, vehicles travelling from Mumbai and Wagle Estate towards the Teen Haath Naka junction through Modella Check Naka will not be allowed to enter the usual point from Wednesday night.
Instead, traffic will be moved through an additional lane created on the opposite side of the road. The arrangement is being described as a counter-flow lane and is intended to prevent a complete interruption of vehicle movement while the metro-related work takes place. The report does not specify how long the night-time diversion will remain in force.
The corridor covered in the report runs from Modella Check Naka in Thane towards Gaimukh on Ghodbunder Road. MMRDA is conducting trial runs for the Wadala-Ghatkopar-Kasarvadavali Metro Line 4 project, while the report also refers to the Metro 4A alignment connecting Thane with Mumbai. Preparations have been reported around the Modella Check Naka–Teen Haath Naka section, where coaches are now being readied for placement on the elevated tracks.
The latest activity follows earlier testing at Gaimukh Junction, Gaimukh village, Ghodbunder Road, Kasarvadavali and Vijay Garden stations. The report says Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde inspected trial-run activity at Gaimukh station in September last year. The inspection covered Metro 4 and Metro 4A, which are intended to improve the connection between Thane and Mumbai.
The project has also faced criticism over the pace of construction. The report says that metro services had not started even after a year of trial-run-related activity, leading to concerns about delays. Nationalist Congress Party functionaries from the Sharad Pawar faction held a protest last month over the issue. These concerns have placed greater attention on the administrative effort to complete the remaining works and move from testing towards passenger operations.
Senior officials cited in the report said the administration is working towards starting metro services at selected stations in Thane in December this year. No detailed station-wise opening schedule, passenger service timetable or final commissioning date has been announced in the supplied report.
The corridor is expected to provide an alternative for passengers who currently depend on Central Railway local trains or roads for daily journeys between Thane and Mumbai. The report says the metro could reduce pressure on suburban rail services and offer another option for commuters facing congestion on roads. The immediate operational effect, however, will be felt by motorists using the Modella Check Naka and Teen Haath Naka route during the night-time coach-placement work.
