Mumbai Metro 4 station removal will create a 3-km gap

The proposed site where the Amar Mahal Junction Metro station would have come up

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's decision, as Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) chairman, to drop the Amar Mahal Junction Metro station from the Wadala-Thane Green Line 4 has resulted in a nearly 3-km gap between Siddharth Colony station, at Kurla signal, and Garodia Nagar station, near the old Ghatkopar pumping station on the Ghatkopar-Mahul Road.

mid-day took a walk from the former station, which is coming up as a combined station for Green Line 4 and Yellow Line 2B, to the latter one to assess the situation. The distance from Siddharth Colony station to Amar Mahal junction is about 1.78 km and the distance from Amar Mahal junction to Garodia Nagar station is about 0.73 km, taking the total distance to nearly 2.6 km.

Shinde has recently given sanction to delete two stations from the Green Line 4 map: Suman Nagar and Amar Mahal Junction. While the deletion of the former is unlikely to impact the populace, the deletion of the latter will affect a large number of commuters and passengers as the junction is a key integration point of over six roads and a high-risk zone.

As per a study conducted by traffic safety organisations that are assisting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in redesigning key city junctions, the Amar Mahal junction in Chembur is one of the deadliest intersections in the city with 24 fatalities recorded at the spot in the past three years and among the 20 high-risk crossings that will be redesigned by the BMC to make them safer.

Transmission line issue solved

At the junction, there is a set of transmission lines that form an overhead web, which has been stated as a possible reason for the deletion of the station. But, Tata Power Company, in consultation with the Mumbai Metro team, had designed and proposed to build a novel three-circuit high-tension transmission tower. Carrying 220 kV power lines overhead, the tower was to facilitate the clearance of obstructing transmission lines over the Metro rail network between Amar Mahal, Ghatkopar and Vikhroli to be completed by December 2021. The project proposed to raise the height of the tower from 35.7 m to a record 50.1 m without affecting the regular power supply. The Metro Project Implementation Unit/MMRDA appreciated the effort as it not only helped cut costs but also reduced the project cycle time to help it execute all line crossings of Yellow Line 2B, Green Line-4 and two crossings of Pink Line 6 in adherence to Railways' and Central Electricity Authority (CEA) regulations. Tata Power officials confirmed that the work had been completed as per the plan, begging the question why did the MMRDA not factor in the Amar Mahal Junction station at the time.

CriticSpeak

The Metro Line 4 from Wadala to Kasarvadavli in Thane is 32.32 km. long elevated corridor. Earlier, as per the detailed project report (DPR), it had 32 stations, but now has been reduced to 30 stations. MMRDA officials refused to comment or say anything on record on the matter.

"Deleting several Metro stations is nothing but a deficiency of ideas and a dumb mindset of the government in transport planning. Amar Mahal junction was always one of the most chaotic intersections where flyovers and subways are added on express highways/arterial roads. Yet it's an important location from commuters' point of view. Had the Metro been underground as vehemently suggested by citizens, we would have had much better connectivity," prominent architect Nitin Killawala said.

"When the MMRDA has no qualms about deleting five Metro stations (out of 48) from lines 2B and 4, it amounts to reducing almost 10 per cent of Metro stations, which is unfortunate. The government will now cite cost optimisation of the project to justify its decision but in reality, it is the snatching of the convenience of the commuters forever," Killawala added.

Political impact

The move by Shinde has also been questioned by Opposition parties. "CM Shinde has lately been dropping stations across the Mumbai Metro network, the latest being the Suman Nagar and Amar Mahal stations. He has, so far, dropped five stations from the planned network after the construction had already begun. What is the motive behind CM Eknath Shinde ji's decisions?" NCP National Spokesperson Clyde Crasto said.

"The Metro network has been designed by experts, so if the stations are being dropped, does it mean that these experts did not know their job? Funds were sanctioned by the BJP-led Maharashtra cabinet and construction had begun. Does it mean that funds were passed without a proper study? The CM is wasting public money, which he must be surely aware of. Cancelling these stations will cause extreme inconvenience to Mumbaikars because experts had planned them, keeping the convenience of commuting for Metro users. Therefore, CM Eknath Shinde ji needs to answer all these questions and also needs to tell the people of Mumbai his motive behind the decision," he added.

32.32 km
Total length of Metro Line 4

30
No. of stations on Metro Line 4