By Arosh John | Founder – John Real Estate (MahaRERA Reg. No. A51700001835), Editor-in-Chief – Thane Real Estate News (TREN)
Thane–MMR | January 2026
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has put urban transport and metro execution at the centre of the campaign narrative for the upcoming Thane Municipal Corporation elections on 15 January 2026.
In a chat-show-style interaction in Thane, he outlined a roadmap that promises faster metro delivery, decongested roads, new multimodal hubs, and improved water security for Thane and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). These are political commitments, not official government notifications, but they signal how the State wants voters to view the next phase of infrastructure.
Metro Network: “All Major Corridors by 2030”
The Chief Minister reiterated that the government’s objective is to have all major metro corridors in MMR operational by 2030. For Thane, this umbrella statement touches several key lines:
- Metro Line 4 – Wadala–Thane–Kasarvadavali
- Metro Line 4A – Kasarvadavali–Gaimukh extension
- Metro Line 5 – Thane–Bhiwandi–Kalyan
- The Thane Internal Ring Metro – a dedicated intra-city loop for Thane
In simple terms, the political message is that by the end of this decade, Thane should be connected to a continuous metro web linking its western and central belts to Mumbai, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, and the wider region.
For developers and buyers, the key point is not the slogan but the sequence: budget allocations, tender awards, EPC contracts, station tenders and trial runs. Those milestones will show how closely execution follows the 2030 target.
Coastal Road as Part of a Wider “Traffic Ring”
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also spoke about using Mumbai’s Coastal Road as part of a broader “ring” system to divert heavy traffic away from the city core.
The idea is to:
- Treat the Coastal Road as one leg of a regional traffic ring
- Tie it into other expressways and elevated connectors
- Keep long-distance and through-traffic outside the most congested inner roads
For Thane, this matters because ring-style planning changes how traffic enters and exits the city. If heavy vehicles and long-distance flows increasingly use outer rings and connectors, pressure on junctions such as Majiwada, Kapurbawdi, and Teen Hath Naka can ease over time, provided local roads and junction designs keep pace.
Kolshet–Diva “Growth Hub” and Water Taxi Plan
The most specific local assurance for Thane focused on congestion on Ghodbunder Road.
To relieve the load on this arterial corridor, the Chief Minister spoke of:
- Developing a “growth hub” between Kolshet and Diva
- Introducing water taxi services as part of the connectivity mix
The concept is simple but powerful:
- Shift some economic and commuting activity to a new multimodal hub between Thane city and Diva
- Use the creek and waterways as an additional transport option, instead of pushing everything onto Ghodbunder Road and the Eastern Express Highway
This dovetails with a broader State-level plan to build a waterway grid across MMR, connecting suburbs with the Navi Mumbai International Airport and south Mumbai, and reducing the burden on the road network.
For western Thane, a functioning Kolshet–Diva hub with water transport could gradually:
- Open up new development pockets
- Support office and mixed-use clusters off the traditional Ghodbunder strip
- Change commuting patterns for residents in Kolshet, Balkum, Manpada and neighbouring areas
Water Security: Dams, Gargai and Kalu
Beyond transport, Chief Minister Fadnavis also addressed water availability – a recurring concern for Thane and MMR.
Key points from his remarks:
- Poshir and Pelhar dams are targeted for completion over roughly the next three years
- The long-delayed Gargai project has moved forward after agreements with the villages affected by rehabilitation
- Once fully operational, the Kalu Dam at Murbad in Thane district is expected to play a major role in stabilising water supply across MMR
Taken together, these projects are being presented as the backbone of a plan to resolve urban water shortages within three years. For real estate, this is critical because densification and high-FSI redevelopment are only viable if core utilities keep pace.
Solid Waste and Urban Services
The Chief Minister also touched upon solid waste management, stating that the State intends to move away from traditional dumping grounds and scale up bio-mining and processing.
For cities like Thane, this has two long-term implications:
- Land currently locked in dump yards can, over time, enter the conversation for reclamation and reuse
- Local environmental conditions and liveability scores can improve if waste processing keeps pace with population and housing growth
While this part of the roadmap is less directly connected to pricing, it plays into the “quality of life” story that increasingly influences buyer decisions in mid- to premium housing.
How Stakeholders Should Read These Promises
These announcements sit on top of an already heavy pipeline of ongoing and approved projects around Thane, including:
- Metro Lines 4, 4A and 5 under various stages of execution
- The Thane Internal Ring Metro, now moving into EPC and station-tender phases
- Large road and tunnel projects such as the Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel, Thane Coastal Road and the creek bridges towards Bhiwandi
- Wider expressway connectivity through the Samruddhi Mahamarg and related links
From a professional standpoint:
- These statements are campaign-time political commitments, not formal project notifications
- They do, however, provide clear reference points that citizens, buyers and industry can use to hold future governments accountable
- The real test will be visible progress on:
- metro civil works and station readiness
- road and tunnel commissioning
- dam and water-supply capacity
- actual launch of water transport and multimodal hubs
For now, the message to Thane is that traffic, metro completion, and water security are at the centre of the political conversation. How closely execution tracks these promises will define the next decade of value creation across Thane’s micro-markets.
Also READ: Shri Eknath Shinde Unveils Comprehensive Development Plan for Thane District
Also READ: Thane Inaugurates “Oxygen Park” in Manpada — A New Green Milestone for Urban Liveability
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 focused on factual, infrastructure-led coverage of Thane and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region. With more than a decade of on-ground experience across Thane’s residential corridors, premium housing, villas, redevelopment pockets and NRI advisory, he specialises in decoding how policy decisions and large public projects translate into real, long-term value for homebuyers, investors and developers.
Disclaimer
This article is based on public statements made by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during a recent campaign event in Thane ahead of the Thane Municipal Corporation elections, along with related information available from official and reputable news sources as of January 2026. The projects, timelines and plans mentioned here are subject to detailed project reports, statutory clearances, budgetary allocations and formal government notifications. Readers should independently verify project-specific details before making any investment or transactional decisions. All trademarks and project names remain the property of their respective owners.
