Mumbai Chief Minister Opens Final SCLR Link, 238 Trains to Be Delivered by 2027

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Mumbai Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated two infrastructure projects in Mumbai via video conference from Sahyadri Guest House, with Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar in attendance. He opened the final stretch of Phase 2 of the Santacruz–Chembur Link Road (SCLR)—the Bandra–Kurla Complex (BKC) to Vakola section—commissioned the Chembur station on Metro Line 2B, and launched the Arjuna tunnel boring machine. Arjuna is the second tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the Thane–Borivali twin-tunnel road project.

This link road on Bharat Nagar Road will improve connectivity to the Bandra–Kurla Complex and help regulate traffic. In 2017-18, six link roads were planned to ease congestion in the Bandra–Kurla Complex; ultimately eight were built, and the one inaugurated today is the last of them. Fadnavis stated that further measures are needed to ensure smooth traffic flow on the Western Express Highway.

The twin tunnels between Thane and Borivali are under construction and will provide a direct east-west road connection between the two locations, expected to reduce travel time from approximately 60 to 90 minutes to about 12 to 15 minutes. The first TBM, Nayak, was launched in April, and Arjuna will work in tandem from its respective end to accelerate the boring progress. After overcoming several obstacles, both TBMs have been scheduled to operate simultaneously to expedite project completion.

An elevated link road in G-Block of the Bandra–Kurla Complex was also unveiled, expected to provide faster connectivity for motorists and reduce travel time. The Chembur station on Metro Line 2B will be integrated with existing lines to ease commuting in the eastern suburbs.

The central government has approved the procurement of 238 new air-conditioned suburban local trains under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), with the first batch expected to be delivered by 2027 and all new trains to be commissioned by 2029-30. Agencies such as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) are implementing these projects to ease congestion and upgrade urban transport. During the event, an infrastructure facility was named after former Maharashtra Chief Minister Babasaheb Bhosale. Fadnavis said that those who contributed to the state's development should be remembered.