Mumbai gears up for transformative Metro Line 10 linking suburbs
Mumbai’s long-awaited Metro Line 10 is poised to reshape suburban mobility, promising faster, greener, and more reliable travel between Thane, Borivli, and Mira Road. The 9.2 km extension of the city’s Green Line, once operational, is expected to halve commute times and significantly cut reliance on overcrowded suburban trains. However, delays in environmental clearances have kept construction from starting, despite approvals being granted in 2019.
The elevated double-decker corridor will connect Gaimukh in Thane to Shivaji Chowk in Mira Road, integrating seamlessly with Metro Lines 4 and 4A. The ₹4,476 crore project will feature a unique 4 km stretch above a major arterial road, reaching 20 metres in height to overcome width constraints, a design hailed by transport experts as both innovative and space-efficient. Officials have underlined the importance of this line in creating a more sustainable transport ecosystem for Mumbai. By easing the dependence on personal vehicles and reducing congestion, Metro Line 10 is projected to slash carbon emissions along its route. Planners believe it will also encourage transit-oriented development, enabling communities to flourish around eco-friendly, high-capacity transport hubs.
While the technical blueprint and alignment are complete, the absence of environmental clearance has hindered the ground-breaking process. A specialist consultancy has now been engaged to expedite approvals, with the construction timeline estimated at 36 months. If the schedule holds, commuters could see operations begin by 2027. Urban mobility analysts note that this expansion is part of a broader vision to extend Mumbai’s metro network to over 523 km and 350 stations by the end of the decade. Currently, metro services cater to only 10 per cent of daily commuters compared to local trains, despite running close to a thousand trips daily.
Once operational, Metro Line 10 will offer not only speed but comfort, potentially reducing travel times along the corridor by up to 75 per cent. For residents of Mira Road, Thane, and Borivli, it is expected to provide a dependable alternative to road travel, easing peak-hour congestion and fostering a more balanced distribution of passenger loads across the city’s transport network. Transport planners and civic experts argue that the success of this project could set a precedent for future urban rail developments, particularly in high-density corridors. For a city battling pollution, traffic chaos, and rapid urbanisation, the arrival of Metro Line 10 is more than just an infrastructure upgrade — it represents a decisive step toward a cleaner, more equitable, and future-ready Mumbai.
