Mumbai Metro Line 6 Tests Temporary Maintenance Plan
Mumbai Metro Line 6 is moving towards commissioning even as its planned Kanjurmarg depot remains unresolved, prompting a temporary maintenance arrangement at the Vikhroli end of the corridor. The 15.31-kilometre east-west line from Swami Samarth Nagar to Vikhroli could use a pit-line facility for routine rake inspections while the permanent depot is completed, highlighting the logistical challenges of opening a major transit corridor before all supporting infrastructure is ready. The corridor is designed with 13 elevated stations and runs through Jogeshwari, Powai, Kanjurmarg and Vikhroli. Much of its alignment follows the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, creating a direct public transport connection between the Western and Eastern Express Highway systems. MMRDA estimates the project cost at ₹6,716 crore and projects daily ridership of about 7.69 lakh by 2031.
The depot issue matters because a metro system needs more than tracks and stations to operate safely. A car shed provides space for detailed inspections, heavier maintenance, cleaning and overnight stabling. A pit line, by contrast, is primarily suited to routine checks and underbody inspection. Using such a facility could support an earlier start, but it cannot remove the long-term requirement for a properly equipped depot. Kanjurmarg has been a particularly complicated piece of the project. The planned depot occupies about 15.02 hectares, and its land history is linked to the wider dispute over salt-pan parcels in the area. The Bombay High Court’s rejection of a private developer’s challenge earlier this year removed a major legal obstacle to transferring the land for the Metro 6 depot.
The line itself has made substantial construction progress. MMRDA’s latest published project status records pile-cap work at 97%, pier work at more than 95% and station construction at nearly 80% as of December 2025. More recent reporting put overall physical progress at about 88% in June, although unresolved work at Shyam Nagar, the Kanjurmarg junction and the depot continued to affect the planned 2027 opening. Metro Line 6 could significantly change east-west travel across Mumbai. Its planned interchanges with Lines 2A, 7, 3 and 4 can allow passengers to transfer between corridors instead of making long road journeys. The authority also expects travel between Andheri and the Eastern Express Highway to become 30–45 minutes faster. The project includes a 2.58-kilometre combined road flyover and metro structure between Swami Samarth Nagar and Mahakali, using shared piers along the road median. Such integration can reduce the need for separate structures, but its wider value will depend on pedestrian access and safe interchange design around stations.
For commuters, the temporary maintenance strategy may help bring benefits sooner, but operational reliability must remain the priority. The next critical steps are completing the remaining civil works, resolving depot arrangements and ensuring safe links to buses, suburban rail and surrounding neighbourhoods.
