Conduct Mumbai city-Navi Mumbai airport tunnel link feasibility study: Shinde tells MMRDA

Mumbai, Oct 6 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday directed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority to submit a detailed feasibility report on connecting Mumbai with the Navi Mumbai international airport through a tunnel.

A statement by the DCM's office said the Navi Mumbai Airport will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The new airport will have the capacity to handle two crore passengers.

With the huge volume of vehicular traffic coming from Mumbai, the existing routes will not be sufficient. Air traffic will also increase at the new airport, according to a statement issued after Shinde held a meeting with MMRDA officials.

"It is necessary to have a holistic connectivity of the airport with suburban railway, Metro rail, and waterways network. From that perspective, the deputy chief minister has asked MMRDA Commissioner (Sanjay Mukherjee) to construct a tunnel from the Bandra Worli Sea Link, Bandra Kurla Complex, to the Navi Mumbai Airport," the statement said.

Separately, Shinde has directed an assessment of the potential linking of high-speed railway with Mhatardi bullet train station, to Kopar railway station, and Taloja metro station.

A bullet train station, Mhatardi, is being constructed in Diva, Thane district. This station will become an integrated traffic centre. This station will serve the bullet train, railway, metro rail, bus, and highway, the statement added. PTI PR NSK