By Arosh John | Founder – John Real Estate (MahaRERA Reg. No. A51700001835) | Editor-in-Chief – Thane Real Estate News (TREN)
Thane – MMR | November 2025
Thane has moved far beyond its old label of “commuter suburb.” With a new generation of marquee infrastructure projects, updated planning regulations and a revised Development Plan up to 2046, the city is being positioned as an autonomous, high-density metropolitan hub within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Today, this transformation rests on three tightly linked layers:
- A planning framework built around Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and UDCPR 2020
- Connectivity-led socio-economic change through tunnels, metros, bridges and express corridors
- A real estate market response visible in pricing, rentals and emerging micro-markets
1. Planning Relationship: Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
UDCPR 2020 and TOD Regulations
Maharashtra’s Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations, 2020 (“UDCPR”), as amended from time to time, provide a unified planning and development framework across the state (excluding Greater Mumbai). In practice, they set the common rules for FSI, land use and building control.
On top of this, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) regulations for metro and mass-transit corridors allow higher FSI and mixed-use development along transit alignments. As a result, planning policy actively encourages walkable, compact, higher-density neighbourhoods around stations.
In Thane, this translates into:
- Higher development potential (additional FSI) around metro corridors and major transit nodes
- Mixed-use zoning that brings residential, office and retail within walking distance of stations
- A clear policy bias towards dense, transit-linked growth instead of scattered, car-dependent sprawl
Consequently, TOD is not just a buzzword. It is a formal planning tool that links transport investment, zoning flexibility and real estate intensity.
TOD as a Financial Lever
Importantly, TOD also works as a public finance mechanism.
First, additional FSI and premiums in TOD influence zones help authorities capture part of the land-value uplift created by metro and road projects. Over time, denser development around stations also deepens the property tax base.
Because of this, the same infrastructure that raises land values becomes easier to sustain financially. In Thane’s case, this logic sits under projects such as the Thane Metro / Internal Ring Metro, Mumbai Metro Line 4/4A, Orange Line (5) and the planned multimodal hub around the bullet train station.
2. Socio-Economic Transformation and Connectivity
The second layer is where residents feel the change most directly: travel times, job access and daily quality of life.
Key Projects and Time Compression
Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel (under SGNP)
- Approximate length: ~11.8 km twin underground tunnels beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park
- Status: Work is in advanced execution as of 2025
- Impact: Estimates consistently indicate a reduction in Thane–Borivali travel time from about 90 minutes to roughly 15 minutes once operational
Eastern Freeway Extension: South Mumbai – Thane
- New elevated extension from the Chheda Nagar end (Ghatkopar side) towards Thane
- Designed to provide a largely signal-free route from South Mumbai to Thane
- Expected to save around 30 minutes between Chheda Nagar and Thane
Kolshet–Kalher (Thane–Bhiwandi) Bridge
- ~2.2 km, six-lane bridge connecting Kolshet in Thane to Kalher in Bhiwandi across the creek
- Projected to cut travel time on this stretch from roughly 45 minutes to about 5–7 minutes
Metro Network: Lines 4/4A and 5
- Line 4/4A: Wadala–Thane–Kasarvadavali–Gaimukh
- Line 5: Thane–Bhiwandi–Kalyan (Orange Line)
- Under phased construction, with several civil packages showing substantial progress
- Metro systems of this kind typically reduce journey times by 50–75% versus surface travel and create predictable, high-capacity public transport spines
Taken together, these projects compress Thane’s effective distance to major job centres in the Western suburbs, South Mumbai, the Bhiwandi logistics belt and the Kalyan–Dombivli–Palava region. In turn, that shift supports a very different housing story.
Bullet Train and Thane Multimodal Hub
Alongside these projects, the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (bullet train) is progressing with tunnel works under Thane Creek and has defined national timelines:
- Total length: ~508 km with 12 stations
- Official guidance: Full corridor targeted around 2029, with an earlier operational stretch around 2027 on part of the Gujarat section
Within this corridor, Thane is planned as a key multimodal node.
The proposed campus will function as a fully integrated multimodal transport hub, combining high-speed rail, suburban rail, metro lines, buses, intermediate public transport and potential water transport. In addition, a significant portion of the campus is earmarked as green, public space.
Consequently, this node is expected to act as a regional anchor for offices, hotels, business districts and higher-density housing.
Jobs, Services and Urban Identity
On the planning side, the sanctioned Thane Development Plan 2026 and the Draft Revised Development Plan (DRDP) 2026–2046 both highlight new growth centres, IT/ITeS clusters and logistics zones, particularly along the Thane–Dombivli axis and the extended Thane–Bhiwandi belt.
At the same time, smart-city initiatives and DP provisions aim to position Thane as a safe, green, technology-enabled metropolitan centre. There is a particular focus on parks, waterfronts, SATIS projects and improved public realm.
Together, these elements create an emerging urban identity that underpins both end-user confidence and investor interest in Thane’s real estate.
3. Real Estate Market Impact
With planning and infrastructure as the backbone, Thane’s property market is now shifting structurally, not just cyclically.
Premium and Luxury Demand
Improved connectivity to Western and South Mumbai, combined with larger usable spaces than core-city micro-markets, has pushed up demand for mid-premium, premium and luxury housing in corridors such as:
- Ghodbunder Road
- Majiwada
- Kolshet
- Kavesar and Kasarvadavali
- Balkum and parts of Wagle Estate
Increasingly, NRI and HNI buyers see these pockets as “city addresses” rather than outer suburbs. This is especially true where large integrated townships, better amenities and brand-name developers are present.
Price and Rental Behaviour Along Infra Corridors
Data from Indian metro cities, including Mumbai/MMR, points to a clear pattern:
- Homes in transit-proximate zones (often within ~1 km of a station) tend to command higher capital values than comparable non-transit locations
- Infra-linked corridors usually show stronger appreciation and liquidity after operations stabilise
- Operational metro lines in the western suburbs already illustrate how reliable time savings lead to stronger housing demand and firmer rentals around stations
Of course, numbers differ between corridors and cycles. Even so, the underlying lesson holds: connectivity plus regulatory clarity generally supports stronger medium-term capital growth and healthier rental absorption.
New and Emerging Micro-Markets
Because of this infra pipeline, Thane’s internal map is also shifting.
From “old core” to “new core”
Traditional premium corridors, such as parts of Pokhran Road and central Ghodbunder Road, remain relevant. However, demand is steadily spreading into Majiwada, Kolshet, Kasarvadavali, Kavesar and Balkum, which sit closer to upcoming metro lines, DP roads and creek crossings.
Logistics and industrial edge markets
At the same time, Kalher and the broader Thane–Bhiwandi belt, supported by the proposed Kolshet–Kalher bridge and Metro Line 5, are consolidating as warehousing, logistics and worker-housing markets. This shift is already influencing nearby residential segments.
For serious buyers and investors, the key is to distinguish between:
- Projects that simply use infra in marketing, and
- Locations where alignments, station locations, DP reservations and visible construction progress are genuinely aligned with long-term plans
Timing: 2025–2027 as a Strategic Window
As of late 2025:
- The Thane–Borivali tunnel, Eastern Freeway extension, multiple metro lines, creek bridges and station-area projects are under construction or in advanced stages of approval/tendering
- Commissioning for many of these is spread over the second half of this decade
For investors with a 5–10 year holding horizon, the pre-completion phase – when execution is visible but not fully priced in – is often the most attractive entry window.
Of course, returns are never guaranteed. Even so, 2025–2027 is a crucial decision period for infra-linked Thane assets.
4. Planning Challenges and Socio-Political Hurdles
The picture is not uniformly positive. Large-scale infra and densification also bring real constraints that must be acknowledged.
Imbalance Between Housing and Amenities
Implementation data for the sanctioned Thane Development Plan 2026 reveals a striking imbalance:
- Residential Zone: approx. 3,073 hectares; about 2,110.95 hectares developed – around 68.69% implementation
- Designated Sites (public amenities): approx. 1,476 hectares; about 214 hectares developed – around 14.49% implementation
- Overall development across all zones: roughly 44.44%
In plain language, housing has run ahead of schools, hospitals, open spaces and roads in several pockets.
The Draft Revised Development Plan 2026–2046, published in 2024, attempts to address this. It proposes more structured growth centres, stronger environmental buffers and clearer amenity reservations. The real test, however, will be the speed and quality of execution on the ground.
Socio-Political Resistance: The Metro Line 5 Example
A clear illustration of project risk comes from Mumbai Metro Line 5 (Thane–Bhiwandi–Kalyan):
- Resistance in the Bhiwandi stretch over demolition concerns led the State Government to redesign a ~3 km section between Dhamankar Naka and Temghar as underground, sparing roughly 735 buildings
- This realignment has been linked with an additional cost of about ₹1,727 crore
Accordingly, the episode shows how alignment conflicts, land acquisition and stakeholder negotiations can materially change both timelines and project economics.
Coordination Complexity and Execution Risk
Major projects in Thane typically involve multiple agencies, including:
- Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC)
- Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)
- Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA)
- State urban development and transport departments
Experience from bus depots, SATIS works, flyovers and station improvements shows that even moderate schemes can be delayed by inter-agency clearances, utility shifts and land handover delays. These issues often push completion out by months or even years.
For real estate decision-making, the implication is clear: treat infrastructure timelines conservatively and place greater weight on what has been notified, funded and is visibly under construction than on early-stage announcements.
5. The Feedback Loop: Infra ⇄ Policy ⇄ Real Estate
At a city scale, Thane’s transformation operates as a feedback loop.
Policy & Planning
To begin with, UDCPR 2020 and TOD regulations create a stable framework for high-density, transit-linked, mixed-use growth. In parallel, the Draft Revised Development Plan 2026–2046 aligns land use, mobility and environmental safeguards under a longer-term metropolitan vision.
Infrastructure & Connectivity
On the delivery side, state and regional agencies have committed large metro and infra packages. These include tunnels, bridges, metro lines and freeway extensions, together amounting to tens of thousands of crores over this decade.
Real Estate & Public Finance
In response, infra-linked corridors tend to see stronger demand, better absorption and firmer pricing. Over time, that deepens the tax and premium base and helps justify the next wave of infrastructure.
If Thane can:
- Deliver core infrastructure broadly on schedule
- Upgrade public amenities and environmental buffers alongside new housing
- Maintain regulatory clarity and legal compliance at the project level
then it is well placed to become one of India’s most important infrastructure-anchored real estate markets over the next 10–20 years.
For end-users and investors, the core insight is straightforward:
focus on where the transport lines, TOD zones and Development Plan are actually going – because that is where Thane’s next decade of value creation is likely to be concentrated.
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 Thane–MMR’s property and infrastructure landscape. With over a decade of on-ground experience, he specialises in villas, premium resale homes and NRI advisory, with a strong focus on infrastructure-led appreciation corridors and legally compliant, document-strong transactions. Through TREN, he is building Thane’s first dedicated, data-backed real estate news and advisory ecosystem.
Disclaimer
This article is intended solely for information and education purposes. It is based on official documents (including the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations, 2020 (“UDCPR”), as amended from time to time, TOD regulations, the sanctioned Thane Development Plan 2026, and the Draft Revised Development Plan 2026–2046), public statements by authorities, and credible media and industry reports available as of 21 November 2025. Infrastructure timelines, project costs, alignments, regulations and market conditions are subject to change by competent authorities and market forces.
Nothing in this article should be construed as legal, tax or investment advice, or as a guarantee of any specific return or outcome. Readers are strongly advised to:
- Verify critical details through official notifications and government websites, and
- Consult a practising advocate experienced in real-estate transactions, as well as a qualified financial advisor, before making any decision to buy, sell or invest in property.
FAQ: Thane’s Infrastructure and Real Estate
New tunnels, metro lines, creek bridges and freeway links are sharply reducing travel time between Thane, Mumbai and key job hubs. As connectivity improves, demand for well-planned projects along these corridors increases, which typically supports better price growth, absorption and rental yields compared to poorly connected locations.
The Thane–Borivali twin tunnel, the Eastern Freeway extension, Mumbai Metro Lines 4/4A and 5, the Kolshet–Kalher bridge, and the planned Thane multimodal hub for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train are expected to be the key drivers. Together, they will integrate Thane more tightly with Western and South Mumbai as well as the Bhiwandi–Kalyan–Dombivli belt.
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a planning approach that allows higher FSI and mixed-use development around mass-transit stations, under frameworks such as UDCPR 2020. In Thane, TOD zones around metro and multimodal hubs will host denser, walkable neighbourhoods that usually attract stronger end-user and investor demand over time.
No. Infrastructure reduces travel time and improves access, but prices still depend on interest rates, income growth, project quality, legal compliance and overall market sentiment. Infra-linked corridors tend to outperform over a 5–10 year horizon, yet individual projects can underperform if they are poorly planned or non-compliant.
Corridors such as Ghodbunder Road, Majiwada, Kolshet, Kavesar, Kasarvadavali, Balkum and the extended Kalher–Bhiwandi belt are directly linked to upcoming tunnels, metro lines, creek bridges and DP roads. Micro-markets that combine this connectivity with good social infrastructure and legally strong projects are best placed for infra-led appreciation.
