India has laid foundation stones for two metro lines to be built with an investment of Rs150bn ($2.12bn) in its commercial city of Mumbai.
The two metro lines are Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan (Metro-5) and the Dahisar-Mira Bhayander (Metro-9).
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The foundation stones were laid by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Once built, around 229,000 people will be able to travel on the 24.9-km Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan metro corridor (Metro-5), which will have 17 stations. This Rs84.16bn ($1.19bn) system is designed for six-coach trains, reported Press Trust of India.
Featuring eight stations, the 10.3-km elevated Dahisar-Mira Bhayander corridor (Metro-9) will be completed by 2022 and will be built with a Rs66.07bn ($934m) investment.
The two metro projects are being executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
According to the plan, Metro-9 will be integrated with Metro-7 (Dahisar to Andheri) and Metro-2A (Dahisar-DN Road) along with the proposed Rs36bn ($509m) Gaimukh-Shivaji Chowk (Metro-10).
The tendering process for the appointment of general consultants and contractors for civil works is underway and is due to commence in March 2019.
Suburban line connects the north-western suburbs of Mira-Bhayander with Mumbai.
Work on many metro corridors is in progress including the DN Nagar-Mankhurd (Metro-2B), Andheri-Dhisar (Metro-7), Colaba-Bandra-Seepz (Metro-3), Dahisar-DN Nagar (Metro-2A), the Swami Samarthnagar- Jogeshwari-Vikhroli (Metro-6) and the elevated Wadala-Kasarvadavali (Metro 4).
Meanwhile, the Northern Railway division of Indian Railways is planning to use an empirical algorithm to predict train timings and keep passengers informed through SMS alerts.
