The Mumbai Metropolitan Region is preparing not just for high-speed rail, but for next-generation station cities, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority said on 28 February.
Integrated station area development is being planned for the Thane and Virar stations on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor under the Government of Maharashtra’s Project-SMART initiative. The locations have been identified for multimodal connectivity and transit-linked urban planning.
Under Project-SMART, the Government of Maharashtra is fast-tracking integrated station area development along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor, with Thane and Virar being designed as future-ready economic and multimodal hubs, MMRDA said in a statement.
MMRDA hosted a strategic workshop at its Bandra-Kurla Complex headquarters to chart the roadmap for station area development.
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Officials from the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Maharashtra State Town Planning and Valuation Department, Thane Municipal Corporation and Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation participated, along with technical experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Drawing from global best practices, JICA experts shared insights on Transit-Oriented Development, land value capture, integrated mobility, environmental sustainability and structured private sector participation in state-led urban regeneration.
The authority said detailed deliberations were held on integrated master plans for the Thane and Virar high-speed rail station areas, followed by a review chaired by the MMRDA metropolitan commissioner.
Thane and Virar are among the four high-speed rail stations located in Maharashtra, along with Bandra-Kurla Complex and Boisar, out of the total 12 stations planned along the corridor.
The model being prepared for Thane and Virar will also guide development around the Bandra-Kurla Complex and Boisar stations.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project is India’s first bullet train corridor and is currently under development across Maharashtra and Gujarat.
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