Mumbai: Phase 1 of Metro Line 2A and 7 opened for public

CM Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the metro line. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Urban Develop-ment Minister Ekanath Shinde, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and BJP’s Pravin Darekar, the leader of Opposition in Legislative Council, were present at the ceremony.

Driver-less coaches with most modern signalling system and other salient features. For the initial period, driver will be present in coaches.

The first-ever indigenous train can be run at a speed of 80 km per hour and at a frequency of 11 minutes from 6 am to 9 pm.

There will be 11 trains of six cars, each train having a capacity to ferry 2,280 passengers.

As per the finalised time table, 150 trips will be made in a day on both lines, carrying 3 lakh to 3.5 lakh commuters.

This will be the second time that the city will get Metro lines and that too after nearly eight years. In 2014, the Mumbaikars had got their first ever 11.4 km elevated Metro Line 1 corridor, connecting Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is constructing 35 km of two elevated Metro lines 2A and 7 between Andheri and Dahisar.

These two will run parallel to the east and west side of the suburb and is expected to decongest the Western Express Highway (WEH), the major arterial road of Mumbai.

The commissioning of both the lines has been planned in two phases. In the first phase, which will be thrown open on Saturday, while a partial corridor of Line 7 between Aarey and Dahisar East will be made operational, a part of Line 2A corridor, between Dahisar (West) and Dahanukarwadi, will also start operations.

Both lines will cover 18 stations of 20.7 km.

Once the whole 35 km of corridor is functional, one can travel between Dahisar and Ghatkopar without exiting the Metro station. The second phase is expected to be commissioned in October.

The two lines, which will be a ring route, will not only connect each other at Dahisar East, but also connect Metro Line 1 of Ghatko-par-Andheri-Versova corridor.

Line 2A, with 18.6 km of elevated corridor, will run between Andheri West (D N Nagar station of Line 1) and Dahisar.

It is expected to cater to almost 12 lakh commuters daily by 2031. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Line 7, with 16.4 km of elevated corridor, will be connected to Line 1 at Andheri station and the other side will be connected to Line 2A at Dahisar. Line 7 will run above WEH and parallel to Western Railway’s (WR) Mumbai suburban network.

The circular Metro network will not only decongest the WEH and the railway network but is also expected to provide inter-connectivity among WEH, WR, Metro Line 1, Line 2A and proposed Line 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar to Vikhroli).

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

It is expected to cater to almost 12 lakh commuters daily by 2031.

However, experts said that corridors will be useful only once the complete stretch is thrown open.

A V Shenoy, a transport and infrastructure expert, said, “The real use of the Metro can be seen only when the full stretch starts… Metro Line 2A will be most useful in particular areas of Oshiwara and Charkop.”

He added that while Line 7 will not be able to attract many rail passengers, it will decongest the area and those using taxis or cars can shift to taking Metro.