Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar presented the 2025-26 budget in the Legislative Assembly, prioritizing infrastructure development in Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur. The budget allocates funds to accelerate ongoing metro projects in these cities. Pawar highlighted the existing 143.57 km of operational metro lines serving approximately 1 million daily passengers, providing eco-friendly, sustainable, accessible, and air-conditioned transport.
An additional 64.4 km of metro lines are slated to open next year (41.2 km in Mumbai, 23.2 km in Pune), with a total of 237.5 km expected to be operational within five years. The first phase of the 40-km Nagpur Metro is complete, and the second phase, a 43.80-km project costing Rs 6,708 crore, is underway.
The Central Government has approved the Thane Circular Metro Line and the Swargate-Katraj Extension Line in Pune. A Rs 9,897 crore proposal for Pune Metro Rail Phase-2, encompassing the Khadakwasla-Swargate-Hadapsar-Kharadi and Nal Stop-Warje-Manikbag lines, has been submitted to the Central Government for approval. Work on the metro line connecting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport will commence soon.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport in Ulwe, nearing 85% completion with successful test flights, is projected to handle 90 million passengers and 2.6 million tonnes of cargo annually. Domestic flight services are scheduled to begin in April 2025.
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway's missing link project on the Khopoli-Khandala Ghat stretch is expected to be completed by August 2025, reducing travel time, fuel consumption, and traffic congestion. Plans are in place for an elevated road connecting Thane to Navi Mumbai International Airport, facilitating access for Thane, Dombivli, Kalyan, and other major cities. The 13.45 km Thane coastal road from Balkum to Gaymukh is projected for completion by the end of 2028 at a cost of Rs 3,364 crore.
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Key budget announcements include:
- The 14-km Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Sea Bridge between Bandra and Versova, costing Rs 18,120 crore, will be completed by May 2028.
- The 55-km Uttan-Virar sea bridge and connecting roads project will be undertaken at a cost of Rs 87,427 crore.
- The construction of a 54-km elevated road from Pune to Shirur will be undertaken at a cost of Rs 7,515 crore.
- A policy will be announced to incentivize state-of-the-art boats for safe travel from Gateway of India to Mandwa and Elephanta.
- The Mumbai Metropolitan Region will be developed as an international-class economic development center.
- International-class trade centers will be established at Bandra-Kurla Complex, Kurla-Worli, Wadala, Goregaon, Navi Mumbai, Kharghar, and Virar-Boisar.