INDIA: Mumbai Metro Line 1 has carried 100 million passengers in its first year of revenue service, operating concessionaires RATP Dev and Transdev announced on June 4.
Opened on June 8 2014, the 11·4 km east-west line is run jointly by the two French companies on behalf of the Reliance-led PPP consortium under a five-year agreement which also includes maintenance of the infrastructure.
Linking Ghatkopar and Versova, the elevated line serves 12 stations, providing interchange to Indian Railways’ suburban services at Andheri and Ghatkopar. Line 1 is now carrying an average of 260 000 passengers a day, and this figure continues to grow as the city’s population of around 22 million increases by an estimated 4% a year.
Line 1 is intended as the first stage in a metro network totalling at least 90 km, with three further routes already authorised. Last November Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority gave the go-ahead for lines 2 and 4, which are to be completed in the next seven years. Line 3 was approved in 2013, and is expected to open in 2019.
Line 2 will run for 40 km connecting Mankhurd to Dahisar via Bandra and Charkop. Running entirely underground with 36 stations, including an interchange to Line 1 at D N Nagar, this route is expected to cost Rs256·1bn.
The Rs231·4bn Line 3 will run underground for 33·5 km between Colaba, Bandra and Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone; this will meet Line 1 at Marol Naka. To be built at a cost of Rs191bn, the 32 km Line 4 will connect Wadala to Thane and Kasarvadavali, interchanging with Line 1 at Ghatkopar. This route will have 24 underground and six elevated stations.
