Mumbai: The long awaited and much delayed Mumbai Metro will finally start functioning in the next fortnight after it crossed the final hurdle of obtaining a clearance from the Railway Board. The approval to run the coaches was the last one to begin operations.
The order dated June 5 has been sent to the managing director of the Anil Ambani-led Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), the consortium that has executed the project. The metro has already received a clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety on May 2 2014 after an intensive safety inspection.
Though the final safety inspection was completed on April 28, the file was pending with the railway ministry. On Thursday, railway minister Sadananda Gowda informed BJP MPs from Mumbai Kirit Somaiya and Gopal Shetty that the metro could now be started officially.
The Mumbai Metro is another of the crucial projects for east-west connectivity in the city reducing journey time from 90 minutes to 21 minutes. The Rs23.5 billion Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) elevated line encompasses a length of 12 km and features 12 stations that are located in some of the most congested areas. The metro has the capacity to carry 600,000 commuters per day.
The frequency of trains will be 3.5 minutes going down to 3 minutes during peak hours. Each train will have four coaches but the stations are designed to accommodate six-coach trains.
Compared to the existing suburban trains that connect northern and southern parts of the city, this project will provide east-west rail based connectivity to central and western suburbs. The metro will also provide a level of comfort for the passengers — namely fully air-conditioned world class coaches, provision for lifts and escalators at stations, modern automatic fare collection system, passenger security system, among others.
One of the snags that delayed the project is over the fares since the state government had notified a minimum fare of Rs9 and a maximum of Rs13 in the initial year of operation. However, a steep revision in fares was sought for a minimum of Rs22 and maximum of Rs33, due to escalation of project cost. However, the Centre through a notification in February this year informed the state government that Mumbai Metro will be governed by the Metro Railways Act of 1978 and that RInfra (Reliance Infrastructure), the administrator of project, can fix fares afresh after getting permission from the fare fixation committee.
