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The Story of Mumbai's Eastern Edge through the Lens of Transportation and supporting Infrastructure.
GROUP
Neha Dalvi
Yash Mhatre
Urmi Bhanushali
Shruti Nikam
TRANSPORT - ROAD, METRO, TRANS HARBOUR LINK
Public transport in Mumbai involves the transport of millions of its citizens by train, road, and water. As of 2015, 52% of commuters use public transport.
Mumbai has the largest organized bus transport network among major Indian cities.
Mumbai's public transport consists primarily of rapid transit on exclusive suburban railway lines augmented by commuter rail on main lines serving outlying suburbs, the bus services of the three municipalities making up the metropolitan area, public taxis and auto rickshaws, as well as ferry services. A metro and a monorail system were inaugurated in 2014. A commercial seaplane service was also introduced in 2014.
The zone of study of transport is in Sewri, Mumbai where many new infrastructural projects have been coming up since the past decade in order to connect Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and create ease of transport for the daily commuters in terms of saving time, vehicle operating cost and fuel saving.
The major transport projects over the years are:
Trans Harbour Link
Eastern Freeway
Harbour Railway Line
Bombay Port Trust Railway
Trans Harbour Link Connectivity
The MMRDA will construct a 1.5 km long cloverleaf interchange connecting the Eastern Freeway, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg, Acharya Donde Marg, and the proposed Sewri–Worli elevated road, with the MTHL.The loop will be built on a 27-acre plot located east of the Sewri railway station. The plot was leased for a period of 30 years from the Mumbai Port Trust. The loop consists of two lanes branching out from the MTHL and linking with the Eastern Freeway, the proposed elevated Sewri-Worli road, and the existing at-grade Messant Road. The Coastal Road intersects the proposed Sewri-Worli connector on Worli Seaface providing additional connectivity.
Future of the Trans Harbour Link
The end goal of this project would be to increase the economic activities in the Raigad area. However since its inception, the cost of the project has jumped by almost 295%. The project was proposed to be a six lane project in 2004. Its price then was INR 4500 crore which increased to 9360 crores in 2013.As per 2014 destination it was 11000 crores while in 2019 its cost was 17000 crores. The construction technologies upgradation and the advancements in the companies completing it are responsible for cost rises.
The project also passes through the economic sensitive zone (Flamingo Habitat) and Atomic Research Centre situated in Mumbai. Till 2032 it is expected 1,03,000 cars would be running across the bridge and it would be 16% of the Mumbai traffic congestion.
Agencies Operating in the Trans Harbour Link and Its Impacts:
The State Government
Informal Settlement Dwellers
Mangrove Replantation (Environmentalists petition)
Migratory Birds
Claims by MMRDA
1) Land Acquisition
The project requires 130 hectares of land. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) contributed 88 hectares. The remaining land is privately owned.] According to MMRDA officials, land owners will be given the same compensation package as that given in the Navi Mumbai International Airport project. Three hundred and twenty structures in Sewri were affected by the project, of which 250 properties were residential. The MMRDA provided resettlement for the affected people by offering accommodation in either Kanjurmarg or Kurla. The majority chose to relocate to Kanjurmarg. The MMRDA also paid ₹6 lakh (US$8,000) each as compensation to 1,500 fishermen who were affected by the construction of the project. In October 2016, the MMRDA agreed to pay MbPT a total of ₹ 1000 crores in instalments over the course of 30 years as rent for using the MbPT land for construction of ramps for the MTHL on the Mumbai side. The MMRDA will receive 27.2 hectares of land on the Sewri side of the MbPT, of which 15.17 hectares will temporarily be used for the casting yard.
The MMRDA utilized a drone to carry out survey work for the MTHL. The drones were fitted with 360 degrees camera that provide up to 3 millimeter accuracy. The aerial survey takes less time than a regular survey, achieves greater accuracy and helps protect against false claims for compensation. Over 1,000 boreholes were drilled to study the strata. The MMRDA began conducting a geological survey for the project on 15 January 2018. The project work will affect 1,635 trees of which 753 will be cut and the remaining 882 will be replanted at other locations. Most of the trees are located at Sewri and Vakola.
2) Noise and vision barriers
The MMRDA will install noise and vision barriers on a 6 km section of the MTHL. The vision barriers are intended to block the view of the BARC from the MTHL, while the noise barriers are intended to protect the movement of flamingos and migratory birds at the Sewri mudflats. The MMRDA also stated that it would declare nearly 2 km of the MTHL on the Sewri side as a "silent zone", as well as near schools and other sensitive areas on the Navi Mumbai side of the MTHL. Construction equipment used during the project were fitted with silencers to reduce the potential impact of noise on migratory birds such as flamingos. The project utilized reverse circulation drilling methodology which helps reduce noise levels and helps speed up construction in marine areas
3) Bird Watching Platform
A 5.6 km long temporary access bridge had been built to transport equipment and workers for the construction of the MTHL. In November 2021, the MMRDA announced that it had decided against demolishing the bridge and would convert it into a bird-watching platform to view flamingos and other birds. The agency noted that the decision would also save the cost of having to demolish the bridge.
4) Mangrove Habitat
Environmentalists said payments being made to safeguard the environment were less than 1% of the total project cost and after the project is completed, much larger environment destruction was expected. “MTHL will be a gateway for opening up ecologically sensitive areas of Uran and Ulwe for development. It will allow real estate and industrial activities by destroying wetlands and mangrove forests towards the eastern seafront and reclaim remaining bird habitats recommended for protection,” said Debi Goenka, executive trustee, Conservation Action Trust.
GREEN FUNDS FOR MTHL TO PAY FOR GIANTS OF THE SEA MUSEUM IN AIROLI
Of the ₹86.31 crore paid to the Mangrove Foundation for environmental impact reduction for the MTHL project, ₹10 crore will be used for the construction of the country’s first solar-powered marine mammal museum - Giants of the Sea – at the Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Centre at Airoli, Navi Mumbai. The museum will house skeletal remains of endangered marine species such as the Bryde’s whale, sperm whale, Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins and finless porpoises, which will all be on display. A separate area has been allocated for housing skeletal remains of turtles that washed ashore along with different areas of the Mumbai coastline. The entire five-acre complex will be powered by solar with the museum built across 2-acres. Other features include a kilometre-long boardwalk through mangrove forests in the Thane creek flamingo sanctuary, new interactive displays on marine biodiversity along Maharashtra’s coast, a watchtower for bird enthusiasts and to witness the expanse of mangrove cover at Thane creek, an entrance plaza, a visitors centre, and a parking space for tourists.
Eastern Freeway
Freeway is limited and controlled access roads without intersections and is also a part of the highway. It is named as freeway because you don’t have to pay anything to use it and it is free from stoplights, at-grade crossings and intersections.
The “Eastern Freeway” in Mumbai was built by MMRDA and funded by the Central Government through Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission officially known as Vilasrao Deshmukh Freeway. Heavy vehicles (except public buses), three wheelers, two wheelers, bullock-carts, hand carts and pedestrians are prohibited from using the freeway. It has a no toll and is a free road.
This Eastern Freeway is a 16.8 km long stretch and is divided in 3 parts as below:
PART-I - Elevated corridor
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya to Anik Junction for faster movement of heavy traffic towards Mumbai Port Trust.
PART-II - Elevated as well as on ground
Anik–Panjarpol Link Road. It begins from Anik in Wadala and ends at Panjarpol Junction on Sion-Panvel Link Road.
PART-III - Entirely Elevated
This starts from Panjarpol Junction on Sion-Panvel Link Road and culminates at Chembur – Mankhurd Link Road via Tukaram Patil Marg.
Challenges of the Eastern Freeway
Transfer of land from various government agencies like Mumbai Port Trust, Salt Pan and Customs
Huge and various underground utilities
5500 structures rehabilitated including 30 religious’ structures.
Environmental clearance
Diversion of forest land for non-forest activities
Railway permission
Restricted working hours in Mumbai Port Trust area
Shifting of TATA Pylons
Erection of segments at a 13 m height across the existing 100-year-old Victoria over bridge
Benefits offered by project
Designed for 100 km/hr. speed, signal free link
Designed for heavy multiaxle vehicular traffic
One can reach Southern Mumbai within 15-20 minutes from Ghatkopar on Eastern Express Highway and from Chembur on Sion-Panvel Road.
Lower transportation cost for vehicles.
Facilitate cargo growth and expanding container facilities in Mumbai Port.
Disadvantage of Eastern Free-way
Local transport experts fear the freeway whose traffic-light and toll-free lanes are exclusively for car traffic. Although the free way can handle high traffic volumes, its endpoint, the city center lacks the road and parking capacity to deal with the higher number of cars set to arrive via Eastern Freeway.
The Eastern Freeway does little to address the growing travel demand from low-income groups on the periphery: slum dwellers relocated from central areas and newly arrived rural – urban migrants. The travel mode used by these groups and even by the lower middle classes namely bicycles, two and three wheelers are banned from the road. Also, Eastern Freeway is not viable as a bus route.
The intention of the project is to ease the congestion for middle class car owners but it also excludes large group of people from the benefits of this state funded public space.
Mumbai Harbour Line Railway
The Harbour line is a branch line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway operated by Central Railway. It was named so because it catered to the eastern neighbourhoods along the city's natural harbour. Its termini are Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Andheri/Goregaon and Panvel on the CSMT-Goregaon, CSMT-Panvel and Panvel-Andheri routes.
The line is a double line and therefore does not have any fast trains on it. The line runs parallel to the Central Railway line till just before Sandhurst Road station where the line turns eastward and runs elevated up till Sewri. At Wadala Road, the line branches into two. The first line joins with the Western line at Mahim and terminates at Goregaon. The second line follows through Mankhurd into the city of Navi Mumbai, where it again branches out into two lines, one going to Thane and the other to Panvel. The first stop outside Mumbai is the township of Vashi.
The stations in Navi Mumbai are well maintained and beautifully designed by CIDCO. There are IT offices above the stations. The Railbridge connecting Vashi and Mankhurd railway stations running over Thane creek, parallel to the road bridge has brought Navi Mumbai closer to Mumbai, boosting the development of the region.
About 580 services run daily on the Harbour line. Approximately 208 of those are on the Thane-Vashi-Nerul-Panvel route and 172 of those run on the CSMT-Andheri route.
Mumbai Harbour Line Railway - Wadala Station Connectivity
Sewri formerly known as Sewree, (station code SVE) is a railway station on the harbour line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway
WESTERN RAILWAY STATION:
To reach Sewri (Harbour Railway Station) from western line one should alight anywhere from Andheri and Mahim Junction and then board the harbour line train for C.S.T., and can disembark in Sewri railway station.
CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION:
To reach Sewri (Harbour Railway Station) from central line one should alight at Kurla Junction and then board the harbour line train for C.S.T., and can disembark in Sewri railway station.
HARBOUR RAILWAY STATION:
To reach Sewri from Harbour Railway Station one should alight directly at Sewri railway station.
Mumbai Port Trust Railway
The Port of Mumbai owns and operates its own Railway which is connected to broad-gauge mainlines of Central and Western Railway through its interchange yard at Wadala. The Port Railway runs about 10 kms. of a straight route between Indira Dock and Wadala and has a network of tracks of about 55 kms.
Port Railway provides rail connectivity to the hinterland of country for exim cargo and has rail sidings for loading / unloading in the Docks area and also in outline area. The railway owns its fleet of 5 direct locomotives and has facilities for handling coal, agro-products like oil cake, sugar, maize, rice, etc. iron and steel and ICD containers.
The Docks and outlying areas are serviced by a network of railway owned by MbPT. The railway is broad gauge and measures about 55 track kilometers. This network is connected to Central and Western Railways at its interchange yard at Wadala. For handling ICD traffic, a fully-fledged RCD has been set up at Cotton Depot with facilities for reception, stacking etc. of containers. It can handle two trains of 45 wagons with double dispatch facilities.
SECTION 2022
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To understand the various lenses that are interdependent on one another and thus together built the Eastern Edge of Mumbai, refer the Google Sites link below:
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