All you need to know about new lines of Mumbai Metro which will be opened by PM Modi this week – The Indian Express

After the inauguration by PM Modi, the Metro system will be opened for commuters from 4 pm on January 20.

The officials said the trains on the corridor would run at an average frequency of every 10 minutes, depending on the time of the day. With the commissioning of the second phase, the commuters can travel between Andheri and Dahisar on eastern and western sides of the suburbs without a halt.

The first train from Andheri west (Line 2A) will be at 5:55 am and the last train will be at 9:24 pm. On Line 7, the first train from Gundavali (Andheri E) will start from 6 am and the last train will be at 9:24 pm.

These two new Metro lines comprising a total 30 elevated stations will run parallelly on the east and west sides of the western and northern suburbs of the city and once the 35 km stretch is operational, it is expected to decongest the Western Express Highway, the major arterial road of Mumbai.

The commissioning of both the lines covering a 35 km distance in the western and northern regions of Mumbai were planned in two phases by the Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA).

While phase 1 (Aarey to Dhanukarwadi) of the Metro Line 2A (Dhanukarwadi-Upper Dahisar) and the phase 1 of Metro Line 7 (Aarey-Dahisar East) covering a total of 18 stations was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on April 2 last year and is currently operational, the phase two of the corridors were yet to start.

After commissioning phase 1, the MMRDA had initially planned to start the phase 2 by October, however, there was a delay in the work.

The circular Metro network on the stretch will not only decongest the WEH and the railway network but is expected to provide interconnectivity among the existing Western Express Highway, Western Railway, Metro Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Versova), the Metro Line 2A (Dahisar to D N Nagar) and the proposed Metro Line 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar to Vikhroli).

It will also facilitate smooth and efficient interchange with the suburban rail system and the MRT system at Andheri, JVLR and Dahisar and will reduce the travel time at least by 30-50 per cent.

It is expected to cater to almost 10 lakh commuters daily by 2031.

Project timeline

The Metro Line 2A Corridor between Dahisar East and DN Nagar (Andheri west) with 18.6 km is a fully-elevated stretch while Line 7 is an elevated corridor from Andheri to Dahisar.

A total of 16.5 km of fully-elevated stretch along the Western Express highway was sanctioned by the government of Maharashtra on October 6, 2015 and the Bhoomipujan was performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 11, 2015.

These two new Metro lines comprising a total 30 elevated stations will run parallelly on the east and west sides of the western and northern suburbs of the city and once the 35 km stretch is operational, it is expected to decongest the Western Express Highway, the major arterial road of Mumbai.

After approval from the state government in 2015, contracts were awarded in May 2016 with the estimated project cost being over Rs 12,000 crore.

As per the original approval and the plan, the project was to be completed by 2019 and the MMRDA was supposed to start commercial operations in December 2020, however, the authority claimed the work was hit due to the Covid-induced lockdown with absence of work force and other issues during the initial phase of the lockdown. The trial runs commenced on May 31, 2021. MMRDA had commissioned the first phase of the two lines in April 2022.

Features of Mumbai’s new Metro trains

The coaches for the Metro are 85 per cent indigenous having been built by Bharat Earth Movers Limited.

The first ever indigenous train can be run at a speed of 80 km per hour. There will be a total of 28 trains of six cars. Each train will have a capacity of 2,280 passengers.

Mumbaikars will be getting the second Metro line almost eight years later. Earlier, in 2014, Mumbaikars had got their first ever, 11.4-km elevated Metro line-1 corridor, connecting Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova.

The new coaches will be driver less with the most modern signalling system and other salient features. However, for the initial period, drivers will be present in the coaches.

The two phases and which stations they will cover

Mumbai Metro Line 7 between Gundvali (East Andheri) and Dahisar East Corridor is on the Western Expressway and Mumbai Metro Route 7 will connect the western parts of Mumbai to the eastern parts.

It will help reduce the load on the Western Expressway. Mumbai Metro Route-7 has been completed in two phases.

Completion Cost — Rs 6,208 crore

Daily Ridership — 6.68 lakh by 2031

Rolling Stock — six coaches in each train

Mumbai Metro Line 7’s phase 1 is a 10.902 km elevated corridor having nine stations — Ovaripada, National Park, Devipada, Magathane, Poisar, Akurli, Kurar, Dindoshi and Aarey.

The phase 2 of the Metro Line 7, which is about to be commissioned now, is a 5.552 km elevated corridor having four stations — Goregaon East, Jogeshwari East, Mogra and Gundavali.

Mumbai Metro Route 2A between Andheri (W) Dahisar East Corridor is a very useful route for the western parts of Mumbai. This too was completed in two phases.

Completion Cost — Rs 6,410 crore

Daily Ridership — 6.09 lakh by 2031

Rolling Stock — six coaches in each train

The phase 1 of the Mumbai Metro Line 2A is a 9.828 km elevated line having nine stations — Dahisar East, Anand Nagar, Kanderpada, Mandapeshwar, Eksar, Borivali P, Pahadi Eksar, Kandivali W and Dahanukarwadi.

The phase 2 of Metro line 2A which is going to be commissioned now is an 8.768 km elevated corridor having eight stations — Valnai, Malad W, Lower Malad, Pahari Goregaon, Goregaon W, Oshiwara, Lower Oshiwara and Andheri W.

The interchange station of Line 1 is at D N Nagar Station, on Line-6 at Shastri Nagar Station near Lokhandwala and on Line 7 at Dahisar Station.

Fare structure

The passenger fare structure for Metro Lines approved by the state government.

Km                     Rs

0-3                       10

3-12                     20

12-18                    30

18-24                   40

24-30                  50

30-36                  60

36-42                  70

42 Above            80

Depot for Lines 2A and 7

A maintenance depot on a 16.4 hectare of land was constructed for stabling and maintenance of the trains at Charkop/Malwani. It was inaugurated by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on January 29, 2021.

The depot will serve as a common depot for Lines 2A and 7 and will have six covered stabling lines and 12 open stabling lines for maintenance and stabling of 18 trains. Also, two workshop lines, three inspection bay lines, one test track, pit wheel lathe, ETU unit, operation control room (OCC) and a fully automatic washing plant have been provided inside the depot.

Metro networks plan for MMR

A total length of 337.1 km of Metro network is proposed to be constructed in the Mumbai Metro Pooran regions and once all these Metro lines are completed, the system will have a daily passenger capacity of 1.3 times that of Mumbai’s suburban rail system.