Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other senior leaders will inaugurate the first phase of Mumbai Metro Line 9 connecting the Mira-Bhayandar suburb to Dahisar on Tuesday. Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar will kick off proceedings at Dahisar at 10 a.m., as per NDTV Marathi.
The inauguration covers four stations running 4.5 km from Dahisar to Kashigaon in Mira Road, which was so far not connected to the city's metro network. The entire route will be an elevated corridor and complement the suburban network of the Western Railways. Mira-Bhayandar has been the fastest growing residential suburb in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, well connected to both Mumbai, Thane and Vasai-Virar.
The four stations opening today are Dahisar, Pandhurang Wadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. They run along the Western Express Highway, offering a faster and cheaper alternative to the perpetually congested Dahisar toll booth. The remaining four stations on Line 9 that will run till Bhayandar West are expected to open within six months.
Commuters travelling to and from Mira Road will not need to change trains to connect with Line 7, which runs between Dahisar East and Gundavali in Andheri East. At Dahisar, there is also an interchange with Line 2A for those heading to Andheri West. A future connection to Line 6 at JVLR is also planned. Authorities expect between 50,000 and one lakh people to use the line from day one, according to an Indian Express report.
The Line 9 will eventually extend further to Line 7A connecting to the Mumbai international airport, though that is not expected before 2027.
Metro line 9 has been delayed several times, with its launch date shifting from April 3 to April 6, and now to April 7. Sources said that the postponement is largely due to the availability of political leaders for the inauguration.
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