Six new jetties in suburbs costing 120cr to be ready for passenger transport by '26

Time of India

03-05-2025

Mumbai: Commute around Mumbai is all set to get faster and more environmentally friendly by the end of next year. The construction of six out of 10 new jetties or water terminals planned in prominent coastal or creek/river-side suburbs in the region has been put into execution mode.
"By Sep 2026, six new jetties costing Rs 120 crore will be ready for passenger water transport connecting Vasai, Kalyan, Bhayander, Kolshet, Kalher (Bhiwandi), and Dombivli," said senior state transport department officials, pointing out that the work orders were already issued to the contractors on the job.
You Can Also Check:
Mumbai AQI
|
Weather in Mumbai
|
Bank Holidays in Mumbai
|
Public Holidays in Mumbai
"Another Rs 124 crore will be pumped into water transport development in a couple of years, which will include construction of four jetties at Mulund, Meethbunder, Airoli, and Vashi. This phase is awaiting a green signal from the Centre, which is expected soon. Contracts will only be awarded following the nod," they added.
Thus, the existing travel time of around two hours between South Mumbai and Vasai by road could be reduced to 40-50 minutes with the introduction of water taxis. Similarly, the Kalyan to Vasai trip, currently taking about 1 hour and 40 minutes, could be covered in 35-45 minutes by water. It may be recalled that over 12 years ago, MSRDC planned to execute water transport between Borivli and Nariman Point, which was shelved after coastal road and sea link plans gained momentum. The third stage of this project will also include five more jetties and Ro-Ro (roll-on/roll-off) ferry services and water ambulances, sources said. All of these projects are part of the national waterway development for which the Centre and the state's water transport arm, Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), are jointly contributing. Once these jetties are completed, there are plans to operate water taxis to link existing locations such as Belapur, Panvel, Trombay, Bhaucha Dhukka (Ferry Wharf), Elephanta, and Gateway, officials pointed out.
It may be noted that the state fisheries, water transport, and port minister, Nitesh Rane, has already announced the purchase of 15
green water taxis
following the recommendations of the Kochi Water Metro Ltd, who were appointed consultants for the passenger water transport development in and around the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Potential 21 jetty sites have been identified by the state for building jetties in Thane, Palghar, Raigad, and Mumbai regions, with 10 being executed in the first two phases, whereas five more will come up in the third phase.