INDIA: The first sections of Mumbai Metro’s elevated Line 2A (Yellow) and Line 7 (Red) were inaugurated by Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on April 2, the Marathi new year.
Running along Link Road and Western Express Highway, the two sections are initially being operated as a single route, pending the completion of the second phases of both lines.
The 9·5 km Phase 1 of Line 2A runs from Dahanukarwadi to Dahisar East, serving nine stations. The 9·8 km Phase 1 of Line 7 runs from Dahisar East to Aarey, adding a further nine stations.
The remaing phases of the two lines are expected to open later this year. Line 2A will eventually run for 18·5 km from Dahisar East to DN Nagar, serving 16 stations, while the 16·5 km Line 7 will link Dahisar East to Andheri East with 13 stations. The two lines will interchange with Line 1 at DN Nagar and Western Express Highway respectively.
Construction of the two lines was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2015. Contracts were awarded in 2016 and work began in November that year, with completion expected by 2019. However, the work was subsequently delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
BEML has supplied 11 six-car trainsets, out of a total of 96 sets on order. The 25 kV 50 Hz stainless steel bodied trains are equipped with air-conditioning, regenerative braking, CCTV and real-time track monitoring equipment. They have four sets of doors per car and a capacity of 1 800 passengers.
Alstom has supplied its Urbalis 400 CBTC which is intended to support driverless operation in the future, as well as public address, communications, CCTV and passenger information systems. The stations are fitted with platform screen doors.
