Mumbai's First Underground Metro Starts Operations

Mumbai's first underground metro started operations on Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The swanky Aqua Line will transform urban transit by easing travel across Mumbai's streets and reducing traffic congestion.

The first phase of the Mumbai Metro Line 3 will transport passengers between the Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ) and the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The Aqua Line will connect with current metro lines, buses and suburban rail services along its path stretching from North Mumbai to South Mumbai. The whole project will be completed by the end of December 2024.

The Aqua Line will run a 33.5 kilometre route with 27 stops at places like Cuffe Parade, Vidhan Bhavan, Churchgate, Hutatma Chowk, CST Metro, Kalbadevi, Girgaon, Grant Road, Mumbai Central Metro, Mahalaxmi, Science Museum, Acharya Atre Chowk, Worli, Siddhivinayak, Dadar, Shitladevi, Dharavi, BKC, Vidyanagari, Santacruz, Domestic Airport, Sahar Road, International Airport, Marol Naka, MIDC, SEEPZ and the Aarey Depot.

The travel time from Cuffe Parade to the Airport will be reduced from 100 minutes to just 50 minutes.

According to reports, the Aqua Line is 98 per cent complete and has a revised cost of INR 37,275.50 crore. The MML-3 project will also restore Colaba station to the rail network after it was closed down in 1930.

The comfort and security of passengers were kept in mind during the construction of the Aqua Line. The inclusion of escalators, elevators, secured platforms and closed train doors along with CCTV coverage will go a long way in ensuring those goals are met.

About 97 per cent of the overall station construction has been completed. Tunnelling works have been fully completed. The metro line project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Service on the Aqua Line will begin at 6:30AM and continue until 11PM with trains running at intervals of a few minutes. Trains will travel at speeds of up to 90 kilometres per hour.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will manage the operation and maintenance of the Aqua Line for 10 years. The DMRC will handle day-to-day operations, including managing the operation control centre, depot control centre, stations, running trains and maintaining all metro systems infrastructure to ensure passenger safety.

(With inputs from multiple news sources)