Car shed, despite 2.5-year delay, will be ready by October 15: MMRC

The Aarey car shed, considered the nerve center of the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz underground corridor, is expected to be ready by October, months ahead of the full commissioning of services for the entire 33.5 km route.
Its location was embroiled in controversy due to a high-profile campaign both on the streets and in court. When work was stayed in November 2019, only 27% of the project had been completed, and no activities occurred at the depot site for nearly 30 months.

Work began again after chief minister Eknath Shinde took office, and on July 21, 2022, the first decision of the government of Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was to lift the stay on work. Since then, progress has accelerated, with 62% of the work completed, and advancements visible on all aspects of the depot.
According to SK Gupta, the director of projects at MMRC, "Progress has been on track despite several constraints, and we are confident that we will complete the depot work within the set timelines."
The Metro team's first objective is to finish work to commission Phase I services with nine rakes of eight coaches each.
"We have already started laying stabling lines, and by July, we expect to complete all work required to operate Phase I services smoothly," said an official. "In two weeks, sheds will begin to take shape above the workshop area, and work on internal roads will be completed in a couple of months. The depot is critical to the commissioning of the project, as trains cannot be operated without it."
To level the 30-hectare plot and avoid any waterlogging during the monsoon, nearly 5 lakh cubic meters of soil had to be dumped. Despite the fact that constructing a Metro car shed with operations and maintenance infrastructure usually takes three years, officials claim that urgency demands that this timeframe be compressed into months.
According to an official, "The technology used for Metro 3 is compatible with unattended train operations. Therefore, software experts stationed in the operations room will be able to control all train operations, including taking trains in and out of stabling and maintenance lines without human intervention."
The underground infrastructure has been constructed in layers, with stormwater drains at the bottom and cable pipes and electrical cables on top. Mithi river, which has retaining walls on both sides, flows along the boundaries of the car shed.
Three internal roads are being constructed in the shed, with the main one designed to carry weights of up to 35 tons. Additionally, there will be a side road running around the car shed, and a third road leading to the heavy and light wash areas for train coaches. Despite the recent commencement of work on the station at the site, there will be no delay in its scheduled commissioning because it is being constructed at ground level, unlike other Metro 3 stations that are underground.