By Arosh John – Founder, John Real Estate (MahaRERA Reg. No. A51700001835) & Editor-in-Chief, Thane Real Estate News (TREN)
Thane–MMR | December 2025
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has indicated that Mumbai Metro Line-4 (Wadala–Ghatkopar–Mulund–Thane–Kasarvadavali) and its Line-4A extension towards Gaimukh are moving towards their first operational phase in December 2025. At the same time, he has set a clear target to ease Ghodbunder Road congestion by 15 January 2026.
After a review meeting with MMRDA, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and transport officials, the minister asked all agencies to clear pending work on a “war footing”. The immediate focus now lies on metro station access, service roads and traffic management along the Thane and Ghodbunder Road stretches.
In the last quarter, several official and media updates have pointed to a phased opening of the Thane segment of Metro Line-4/4A. Trial runs already take place on the Kasarvadavali–Gaimukh belt, and authorities have proposed opening an initial group of four stations in December 2025, subject to safety clearances from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS).
What Is Expected to Open in December?
Recent statements by the Transport Minister and briefings by metro and infrastructure officials suggest the following working plan:
- Phase-1 of Metro-4/4A in Thane will run between Gaimukh and Cadbury Junction.
- Authorities plan to open around four stations in December 2025 on this stretch.
- They then aim to commission the remaining stations in this 10.5 km section by around April 2026, depending on approvals and readiness.
Therefore, December 2025 should be viewed as the launch of a priority section, not as the full commissioning of the entire Wadala–Kasarvadavali corridor.
The exact stations in the first phase will become clear only after:
- Integrated testing and trial runs finish
- CMRS completes safety inspections and grants certification
- The state government and MMRDA issue a formal notification and inauguration schedule
From a commuter and homebuyer viewpoint, residents in and around the Gaimukh–Kasarvadavali–Vijay Garden belt on Ghodbunder Road will see the earliest direct benefit from Metro-4/4A services.
BEST & MSRTC Feeder Network Being Planned
A metro line works only when people can reach the stations easily. To avoid weak last-mile connectivity, the Transport Department has asked BEST, MSRTC and local authorities to prepare an integrated feeder and bus rationalisation plan for Thane, Mulund and Ghodbunder Road.
Key components under discussion include:
- New feeder buses linking residential clusters and major junctions to nearby metro stations
- Route rationalisation, so that long-haul buses support the metro network instead of duplicating it
- High-frequency services during peak hours, especially between Ghodbunder Road’s housing hubs and Thane’s business districts and railway stations
- Dedicated passenger bays and hubs under or near elevated stations to allow smooth interchange between metro, buses, autos and taxis
In short, planners want to ensure that the bus network points towards the metro, rather than competing with it, from the very first day of operations.
Ghodbunder Road: Barricade Removal and Traffic Relief by Mid-January
Ghodbunder Road has faced years of heavy disruption because of:
- Metro-4/4A viaduct and station construction
- Service-road building and concretisation
- Utility shifting for pipelines, power cables and drains
- Continuous civic and private development activity
As a result, commuters deal with frequent congestion, most notably around Anand Nagar, Waghbil, Kavesar and Kasarvadavali. Narrow stretches, diversion lanes and construction barricades create daily bottlenecks.
According to the latest directions from the minister:
- Agencies should complete final-stage works on Ghodbunder Road by mid-December 2025, wherever technically possible.
- Service-road connectivity along key parts of the corridor now carries a firm deadline of 15 January 2026.
To meet these dates, contractors and civic officials must:
- Remove or reduce barricades once heavy civil work finishes
- Restore medians and road surfaces within defined time frames
- Reopen closed lanes and slip roads at major junctions
- Coordinate with Thane Traffic Police on diversions, signals and lane markings
If they follow these instructions, commuters can expect visible decongestion on Ghodbunder Road around 15 January 2026, especially after service roads and under-viaduct stretches reopen in a planned manner.
Ground-Level Bottlenecks: Service Roads, Access and Drainage
Although the viaduct and station structures on Ghodbunder Road look close to completion, several ground-level issues still appear in review discussions:
- Continuity and usable width of service roads below and beside the metro alignment
- Right-of-way challenges at tight junctions and narrow sections
- Pedestrian safety and access to stations, including footpaths, crossings, skywalks and segregated walkways
- Encroachment removal near approach roads and station influence zones
- Drainage and utility planning, so that agencies do not repeatedly dig the same stretches and so that monsoon flooding remains under control
TMC, MMRDA, the Public Works Department (PWD) and other stakeholders now work on a joint action plan. Their stated objective is simple: do not open the metro with confusing, incomplete or unsafe access for commuters.
Also Read: Metro Lines 4, 4A & 11: The Continuous Spine from Gaimukh to Colaba
Why Metro-4 Matters for Thane Real Estate
For Thane’s real estate market, Metro Line-4/4A does more than add a new transport option. It reshapes how Ghodbunder Road and central Thane connect to Mumbai and the wider MMR.
Once the full corridor becomes operational, Metro-4 will likely:
- Cut Thane–Wadala travel time by more than 50% for many commuters, depending on origin and destination points
- Lower car dependency, especially for office-goers who now rely on Eastern Express Highway, private vehicles or crowded suburban trains
- Improve connectivity across high-density residential pockets like Kavesar, Kasarvadavali, Waghbil, Anand Nagar and Dongripada
- Support long-term price and rental growth, as Ghodbunder Road evolves from a highway-and-bus corridor into a true mass-transit spine
- Add a new high-capacity axis that works alongside the Eastern Express Highway and Thane’s railway nodes, making cross-MMR commuting more predictable over time
For buyers and investors, phasing remains the crucial detail:
- In the near term, micro-markets closest to the first operational stations on the Gaimukh–Kasarvadavali stretch stand to gain the most.
- As operations extend towards Cadbury Junction and later towards Wadala, the network effect will grow, and data on price appreciation, rental demand and absorption will become more visible and reliable.
Official Announcement Still Awaited
Although Minister Sarnaik’s comments and recent trial runs strongly indicate:
- A December 2025 opening for a limited set of Metro-4/4A stations in Thane, and
- A mid-January 2026 target for meaningful traffic relief on Ghodbunder Road,
the final, binding position will emerge only after:
- CMRS completes inspections and issues formal approvals for passenger operations
- The state government and MMRDA publish the inauguration date and final list of operational stations
- TMC and implementing agencies certify that service roads, station approaches and basic commuter facilities meet minimum readiness standards
Until then, timelines should be treated as targets, not guarantees. Thane Real Estate News (TREN) will continue to verify each milestone, compare public announcements with on-ground progress, and provide updated, practical guidance for residents, homebuyers, investors and daily commuters.
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 specialised digital newsroom focused on Thane and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Active in the Thane real estate market since 2014, he advises end-users, NRIs and investors on residential, villa and premium resale transactions. He combines on-ground deal experience with close tracking of infrastructure projects and regulatory change. This approach helps readers understand how metro lines, highways and policy decisions convert into real estate risks and opportunities. Through TREN, he aims to deliver transparent, data-backed and buyer-first real estate journalism for Thane–MMR.
Disclaimer
This article draws on official statements, government communications and credible public-domain sources available at the time of writing. Project scopes, timelines and implementation details can change because of administrative decisions, technical issues or policy updates. Readers, buyers and investors should:
- Cross-check current status and timelines with relevant authorities such as MMRDA, MahaMetro, TMC and PWD, and
- Seek professional advice before taking any investment or transactional decision.
Thane Real Estate News (TREN) and the author do not accept any liability for actions taken solely on the basis of this article.
