Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Arjuna TBM, SCLR Final Link, Chembur Metro Opening in Mumbai
Mumbai is getting faster ways for people to travel around the city.
A giant digging machine called Arjuna is going to start working on a big underground tunnel.
The tunnel will go under a large national park and connect two busy parts of the city.
Today, that trip can take over an hour, but when the tunnel is finished it might take just 15 minutes.
A long road called the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road is also getting its final piece, which will help drivers get across the city faster.
A new train station called Chembur Metro is opening, and it sits very close to a Monorail stop, so people can easily switch between the two.
To take care of nature, the city will plant about 11,000 new trees.
The new routes should make Mumbai less crowded with traffic and cleaner to breathe.
However, the Mumbai Monorail will still start running a bit later.
MEIL will begin operations with 'Arjuna', the second tunnel boring machine for the Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel Project, following the commissioning of 'Nayak'.
The 11.84-km tunnel project will link Ghodbunder Road in Thane with the Western Express Highway near Borivali, cutting travel time from 60–90 minutes to 15 minutes.
The SCLR's final BKC–Vakola connector opens on Thursday, August 13, completing the east-west corridor and saving up to 35 minutes of travel time.
Chembur Metro station on Line 2B, which received CMRS approval in June, opens as an interchange located about 50 metres from the VN Purav Monorail station.
Commercial Monorail operations remain suspended despite clearances and near-daily trial runs, as MMRDA continues station and system works.
The twin tunnel, expected to carry about 80,000 vehicles a day by 2029, includes compensatory plantation of around 11,000 trees beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
- Who
- The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), infrastructure company MEIL, and Maharashtra's Chief Minister and two Deputy Chief Ministers, who will attend the opening programme at Government Guest House Sahyadri in Malabar Hill.
- What
- 'Arjuna' TBM begins the Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel, the SCLR's final BKC–Vakola connector opens, and Chembur Metro station on Line 2B starts passenger services.
- When
- Announced on August 12, 2026; the SCLR connector and Chembur Metro station open on Thursday, August 13, 2026.
- Where
- Mumbai, Maharashtra, India — including Thane, Borivali, Santacruz, Chembur, Bandra Kurla Complex and beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
- Why
- To cut travel times, reduce congestion on arterial roads, and improve connectivity between Mumbai's eastern and western suburbs.
- Projects covered
- Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel, SCLR BKC–Vakola connector, Chembur Metro station (Line 2B)
- Thane–Borivali tunnel length
- 11.84 km total (10.25 km twin tunnel + 1.59 km connecting roads)
- Tunnel travel time cut
- From 60–90 minutes to 15 minutes
- Expected tunnel traffic
- About 80,000 vehicles per day by 2029
- TBM 'Arjuna' specs
- 13.34-m diameter, 86-m length, approximately 2,500 tonnes
- Compensatory plantation
- Around 11,000 trees
- SCLR travel time cut
- Up to 35 minutes on the completed corridor
- Metro Line 2B Phase I
- 5.4-km stretch from Diamond Garden to Mandale with 5 stations; Chembur station received CMRS approval in June