Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Mumbai Opens SCLR Phase-II, Chembur Metro Station, Launches TBM Arjuna
On Thursday, Mumbai got some exciting new ways for people to travel.
A new elevated road called SCLR Phase-II was opened, and cars could use it right away.
This road is the final piece of a longer corridor connecting two big highways, and it could save drivers up to 35 minutes.
A new train station called Chembur Metro also opened, where people can switch to a railway station and the Monorail.
A giant digging machine named Arjuna was launched to build a long underground tunnel between Thane and Borivali.
Arjuna is 86 metres long and will dig beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
When finished, the tunnel could make the trip take about 15 minutes instead of 90.
A flyover was also named after Barrister Babasaheb Anantrao Bhosale, a former chief minister.
All of these projects are part of a plan to make Mumbai's transport faster and more connected.
The 1.40-km final stretch of SCLR Phase-II, between the Bharat Nagar/Mumbai University area and Vakola Junction, was opened to traffic, completing the roughly 10.30-km corridor linking the Eastern and Western Express Highways.
Chembur Metro station on Metro Line 2B commenced passenger services from 5 pm on Thursday, connecting the Metro network with Chembur railway station and the Monorail.
TBM-2 'Arjuna' was launched for the Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel project, joining TBM 'Nayak' to excavate twin tunnels beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park, with two more TBMs planned from the Borivali side.
The 1.62-km, four-lane BKC Connector Flyover linking Bandra-Kurla Complex with the Eastern Express Highway was named after former Maharashtra chief minister Barrister Babasaheb Anantrao Bhosale.
MMRDA estimates the integrated SCLR corridor could save up to 35 minutes of travel time, and the Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel is expected to cut the journey from about 90 minutes to roughly 15 minutes.
- Who
- The projects were inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Sunitra Pawar, with Deputy Chief Minister and MMRDA Chairman Eknath Shinde, senior ministers, officials and other dignitaries present.
- What
- Inauguration of the final SCLR Phase-II stretch, opening of Chembur Metro station on Line 2B, launch of TBM-2 'Arjuna' for the Thane-Borivali Twin Tunnel project, and naming of the BKC Connector Flyover.
- When
- Thursday; the SCLR corridor opened to traffic immediately and Chembur Metro passenger services began at 5 pm.
- Where
- Mumbai, Maharashtra — covering the Santacruz-Chembur corridor, Chembur, Bandra-Kurla Complex, and the Thane-Borivali route.
- Why
- To boost east-west connectivity, bypass congestion around Kalina, Vakola and Kalanagar, and integrate roads, Metro and underground infrastructure across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
- Implementing authority
- Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)
- SCLR Phase-II final stretch
- 1.40-km elevated corridor from Bharat Nagar/Mumbai University area to Vakola Junction
- Integrated SCLR corridor
- Approximately 10.30 km with eight approach roads
- Estimated travel-time saving
- Up to 35 minutes
- Metro Line 2B stations open
- Six
- TBM 'Arjuna' size
- 86 m long; inner diameter 11.85 m, outer diameter 13.34 m
- Thane-Borivali tunnel journey time
- About 15 minutes, down from roughly 90 minutes
- BKC Connector Flyover
- 1.62-km, four-lane link between BKC and the Eastern Express Highway