Double-decker Metro 9 to come up by 2022

It will be a multi-layered transport facility with the Metro line on the upper deck and a flyover on the lower deck above the existing road

If everything goes as planned, the twin-city will get a double-decker road-cum-metro rail flyover on the stretch of Kashimira road by 2022. Replicating the Nagpur model, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will pump an additional 217 crore to provide a double-decker viaduct, where flyovers for automobiles will be built on the first level and the metro line will run on the second level of the much awaited Metro-9 (Dahisar to Bhayandar) route. Nine months after the digital foundation stone laying ceremony, soil testing and actual construction work for Metro9 began on the eve of the assembly elections last year. However, commuters have been bearing the brunt as work on this line has been moving at a snail's pace. A delegation of civic and MMRDA officials along with Sena legislator Pratap Sarnaik conducted a site inspection on Monday to chalk out an elaborate roadmap of the upgraded project and to speed up the ongoing work. With a collective price tag of around Rs 5,524 crore, decks had been cleared for two new metro rail lines in Mumbai, including Metro-9, which aims at offering connectivity between Dahisar-Mira Road Bhayandar on a 10.41 km long elevated corridor having nine stations. “Traffic density is increasing every passing day. The multi-level metro model with elevated roads will help easing congestion for the next 50 years,” said Sarnaik. Presently, people largely rely on heavily crowded local trains, as the region still lacks an efficient public transport service, forcing people to depend on non-metered auto-rickshaws and cabs for their commute.