The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday, 18 August approved two major infrastructure projects — Metro Line 13 (Mira Bhayander to Vasai-Virar) and the eastern extension of the Pune Ring Road (Sortapwadi to Varve-Shivare) — with a combined outlay of over ₹28,227 crore. The twin approvals mark one of the largest single-day infrastructure clearances for Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Pune in recent years.

Metro Line 13: Key Details

Metro Line 13, spanning 25.03 km across Thane and Palghar districts, will be executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) at an estimated cost of ₹17,724.99 crore. The corridor runs from Mira Bhayander to Vasai-Virar, connecting key nodes including Mira Road, Vasai, Nalasopara, Naigaon, and Virar.

Of its 16 proposed stations, 13 will be elevated and three underground, with the track comprising 21.78 km of elevated alignment and 3.25 km underground. A distinctive feature is a 4.92 km integrated double-decker structure over Vasai Creek connecting Panju Island, which will carry a six-lane (3+3) road alongside the metro line — an engineering first for the region. A metro depot is proposed at Chikhal Dongri.

The line will integrate with suburban railway stations at Naigaon, Nalasopara, and Virar, and offer an interchange with Metro Line 9 at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Stadium. Feeder bus services are planned at all stations. The project requires acquisition of 24.84 hectares of land, and CM Fadnavis directed officials to complete land acquisition and access road construction within six months.

Projected Impact of Metro Line 13

Daily ridership on Metro Line 13 is projected to reach approximately 4.49 lakh passengers by 2031. The project is expected to cut travel time by 50% compared to road transport, reduce private vehicle usage and highway congestion, lower carbon emissions, and strengthen connectivity between industrial, logistics, and suburban centres. Completion is targeted within five years from the date of approval.

Notably, the Vasai-Virar belt has seen rapid population growth over the past decade with limited mass transit options, making this corridor one of the most anticipated metro additions to the MMR network.

Pune Ring Road Eastern Extension: What Was Approved

The government also granted administrative approval for a revised cost of ₹10,502.36 crore for the eastern extension of the Pune Ring Road, to be implemented by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). The 31.805 km access-controlled expressway will run from Sortapwadi (Valti) on the Pune-Solapur Road to Varve Budruk (Shivare) on the Pune-Satara Road.

Designed as a six-lane (three lanes on each side) corridor with a design speed of 120 km/h, the expressway will divert interstate and intrastate transit traffic away from Pune city limits to ease urban bottlenecks. Key structural features include one interchange, three major bridges, five minor bridges, 18 elevated structures or flyovers, and four tunnels, along with roadside afforestation and landscaping at interchanges.

Ring Road Network and Timeline

Once the eastern extension is integrated with existing stretches, the complete Pune Ring Road network will span 168.981 km, forming a continuous access-controlled bypass around the city. Land acquisition is already 80% complete, and project completion is targeted for June 2029. This comes amid mounting pressure on Pune's road infrastructure, which has struggled to absorb the city's expanding vehicle population and growing freight movement on key national highways.