Mumbai: The city’s first underground metro corridor between Colaba and Seepz will have eight-coach trains, two more than the six that was planned earlier, as the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the implementing agency for the project, anticipates an increase in ridership even as the project has been delayed.
The project for which the detailed project report (DPR) was prepared in 2008 by the Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) was scheduled to be completed in 2016 with an average daily ridership of 14 lakh but that has now increased to 18 lakh while the project will be completed by 2020.
Ashwini Bhide, managing director, MMRC, said, “Initially our demand was for 35 trains that will be of six coaches but now were planning to have eight coaches train so accordingly, such trains will be procured. Currently, we are in the process of ensuring that maximum spare parts required for the rolling stock (coaches) are Indian-based or from Indian-origin manufactures in keeping with the ‘Make In India’ initiative of the Central government.”
“We are making the best possible attempt to have international companies set up their base in India or rope in domestic companies so that we get speedy services as the requirement for maintenance of the rolling stock is from time to time.”
Meanwhile, work on the 32-km-long Metro 3 underground corridor begun in October 2016 with MMRC carrying out soil testing, geo technical survey while, currently carrying out the work of piling and identifying utilities for the project.
With the project getting delayed, MMRC is suffering a loss of Rs 3 crore per day. However, Ms Bhide said the Centre’s demonestisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes did not have any effect on the costing of the project or in getting labourers to conduct the civil work for the same.
The Metro 3 will have 27 underground stations and will be a crucial north-south link where it will connect major central business districts (CBD) such as Nariman Point, Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Seepz in Andheri.
The project has been mired in controversy with the construction of a car depot at Aarey Colony and also after the residents of Girgaum and Kalbadevi protested the alignment of the project citing their displacement.
