By Arosh John | Founder – John Real Estate (MahaRERA Reg. No. A51700001835) | Editor-in-Chief – Thane Real Estate News (TREN)
Thane – MMR | November 2025
From Textile Town to Logistics Capital
Once known for its textile godowns, Bhiwandi has evolved into India’s most active warehousing hub, absorbing a significant portion of the country’s logistics and serving as the operational heart of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s supply chain.
In H1 2025, Mumbai’s industrial and warehousing sector recorded approximately 6.2 million sq ft of leasing, representing a 114% year-over-year increase, with Bhiwandi accounting for over 80% of the total.
3PL operators continue to dominate demand, followed by e-commerce, FMCG, and engineering firms.
Institutional developers such as IndoSpace, ESR, and Welspun One have deepened their footprint in Bhiwandi, joined by LOGOS India, Ascendas Firstspace, and AllCargo Logistics Parks.
Together, their Grade-A campuses mark the shift from fragmented godowns to organised, automation-ready logistics parks — a transformation that has repositioned Bhiwandi as India’s most institutionalised warehousing cluster.
Recent marquee leases — including Zomato Hyperpure (approximately 5.5 lakh sq ft) and Swiggy-owned Scootsy Logistics (approximately 5.8 lakh sq ft) — underscore sustained occupier confidence in the corridor.
Infrastructure Catalysts Reshaping the Corridor
Metro Line 5 (Thane – Bhiwandi – Kalyan)
A 24.9-km elevated corridor with 15 stations, currently under construction by the MMRDA, is expected to link Thane’s urban workforce to Bhiwandi’s industrial belt, enhancing labour mobility and unlocking mixed-use growth along the logistics spine.
Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC)
The 1,504-km freight rail line from Dadri to JNPT, now nearing completion, will integrate Bhiwandi with India’s national freight grid, reducing port-to-warehouse turnaround times.
Multimodal & Freight Corridors
The Virar–Alibaug Multimodal Corridor (Phase 1) and the 105-km Vadhavan Port–Samruddhi Expressway freight link will enhance cross-region cargo movement and reinforce Bhiwandi’s strategic role within MMR’s logistics network.
Expressway Integration: Samruddhi Begins at Amane on NH-3 (Mumbai–Nashik Highway)
Thane–Nashik Highway (NH-3, now renumbered NH-848) 8-Lane Expansion
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is upgrading the Thane–Bhiwandi–Padgha–Kalyan–Nashik corridor to eight lanes, featuring flyovers, service roads, and truck bays.
Once complete, the project is expected to reduce Thane–Nashik travel time by nearly half, divert heavy vehicles off city roads, and open zones such as Padgha, Kalher, and Kharbao for institutional-grade warehousing.
The Vadpe–Bhiwandi segment is well advanced, with overall completion targeted for 2026 under NHAI supervision.
Samruddhi Mahamarg – Amane Connector
The 701-km Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg originates from Amane in Bhiwandi Taluka, Thane District, serving as its western starting point before extending eastward to Nagpur.
At Amane, the expressway merges directly with the Thane–Nashik Highway (NH-3, now NH-848) — currently being widened to eight lanes — creating a continuous express-grade corridor from Thane to Nagpur.
This alignment firmly positions Bhiwandi as the gateway where Maharashtra’s Samruddhi Expressway begins, linking central India’s manufacturing belt with Mumbai’s ports and consumption centres.
Together, the Samruddhi and NH-3/NH-848 upgrades complete Bhiwandi’s connectivity triangle — highway, metro, and freight — establishing it as India’s most strategically connected warehousing zone.
Creek Bridge Links: Unlocking Thane–Bhiwandi Direct Access
Three new creek bridges connecting Ghodbunder Road to Bhiwandi — Gaimukh–Paye Gaon, Kasarvadavali–Kharbao (Kharbhav), and Kolshet–Kalher — are set to significantly improve cross-creek connectivity within the next three to five years.
Developed under the Thane–Bhiwandi Link Road and TMC–MMRDA mobility programmes, these bridges will reduce current travel times from 45–60 minutes to under 20 minutes for freight and staff movement.
Together, they will integrate Ghodbunder Road, Thane West, and the Bhiwandi logistics belt into a unified, faster transport grid — further amplifying demand for warehousing and industrial land on both banks.
Outlook 2025 – 2030
With expressways, metros, creek bridges, and freight corridors progressing in tandem, Bhiwandi and its peripheries — Padgha, Kalher, Kharbao, and Kone — are poised for sustained growth in warehousing absorption and land values.
Industry analysts expect institutional ownership of warehousing stock in the Thane–Bhiwandi belt to exceed 60% by 2030, driven by formalisation and rising global participation.
About the Author
Arosh John is the Founder of John Real Estate (MahaRERA Reg. No. A51700001835) and Editor-in-Chief of Thane Real Estate News (TREN) — a digital platform dedicated to factual, insight-driven coverage of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s property landscape. With over a decade of on-the-ground experience across Thane’s residential, villa, and infrastructure corridors, Arosh combines local market intelligence with regulatory insight to decode how policies and urban planning shape real-estate value. He is widely regarded as one of the emerging voices of Thane’s new-age property journalism — bridging professional advisory and data-backed reporting for investors, developers, and end-users alike.
Disclaimer
All information has been verified from official sources, including MMRDA, MSRDC, NHAI, TMC, and Cushman & Wakefield reports as of November 8, 2025. Project timelines and details are subject to change; readers should verify the latest status before making investment decisions.
