When completed, the 24.9 km (15.5 mi) line will connect Thane with Kalyan via Bhiwandi, with 17 stations.

In March 2016, the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation proposed building an elevated suburban rail corridor from Kurla to Bhiwandi via Thane at an estimated cost of ₹7,500 crore (US$870 million).

[1] On 19 October 2016, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, approved a plan to build 24 km metro rail line from Thane to Kalyan via Bhiwandi.

[3] The detailed project report for Line 5 was prepared by a consortium of D’Appolonia and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

A 3.9 km stretch of Line 5 passes through CRZ areas along the Kasheli bridge crossing the Ulhas river, and also near Durgadi Fort.

The Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation demanded that the first route be taken in order to benefit more people.

[7] Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Line 5 in Kalyan on 18 December 2018.

[18] In March 2022, Shinde stated that a stretch of the line passing through Bhiwandi would be underground in order to avoid affecting 735 buildings.

[19] The State Urban Development Department approved building a 3 km section of Line 5 between Dhamankar Naka and Temghar underground on 6 June 2023.

Police registered first information reports against the site supervisor and a crane operator charging them with "causing death by negligence".

[37] Construction of the 550 metre viaduct over Kasheli Creek was completed on 22 January 2023, taking a total of 123 days.

[39] Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is appointed to finalize the alignment and to prepare the revise DPR.

[4] The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development provided a total loan of ₹2,357.25 crore (US$270 million) for the project.