MUMBAI: The state cabinet on Thursday approved extension of Metro 4A project route from Kasarwadavali to Gaimukh in Thane district on Thursday.

The 2.7-km-long extension to the 32km-long Metro-4 corridor from Wadala-Ghatkopar-Mulund-Thane-Kasarvadavali will add more elevated stations— Govaniwada and Gaimukh.

“The dividing line between the city and its metropolitan region is getting thinner, increasing the demand for commuting options. We have approved the extension to the Wadala-Kasarvadavali Metro-4 corridor up to Gaimukh and we are also bringing another Metro corridor – Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metro-5. We will make every effort to make everyone’s commute easy and comfortable,” Fadnavis had said this year when the detailed project report of the extension was approved by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

The Metro-4 corridor is being constructed at a cost of Rs 14,549 crore and the extension will cost an additional Rs 949 crore, taking up total cost to Rs 16,498 crore.

Funding for the additional arm is to be raised from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency . The project is scheduled to be completed by March 2022 and MMRDA will spend Rs449 crore on the civil work.

Officials said with this extension, projected ridership on the entire Metro corridor is expected to increase to 10.2 lakh commuters from the existing projected ridership of 8.7 lakh by 2021.

TOI was the first to report on MMRDA’s plans to develop Gaimukh into a transport hub as the MMRDA has plans to connect the area with Bhayander and Kalyan in future.

Residents from the Western suburbs or Thane, Bhiwandi , Kalyan and suburbs can alight at Gaimukh and access the corresponding line to reach their respective destinations without having to switch over to another mode.

