CM Uddhav Thackeray to inaugurate two Metro lines in Mumbai on April 2, can carry cycles on train

While the Metro Line 2A is between Dahanukarwadi and Dahisar, the Line 7 is between Aarey Colony and Dahisar.

Mumbaikars are up for a delight on the occasion of Gudi Padwa, the Marathi New Year as Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will inaugurate sections of two new Mumbai Metro lines on April 2. Metro services on the first phase of Line 2A and also Line 7, both in western suburbs, will be thrown open for commuter use, nearly eight years after the mass rapid transit system made its entry into the city.

Addressing a press conference at MMRDA headquarters in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) commissioner SVR Srinivas said the phase one of the two Metro lines will be opened for public use on the same day or next morning after inauguration of the 20.17-km-long corridors (their combined length), which have 18 stations.

Metro Line 2A is between Dahanukarwadi and Dahisar, while Line 7 is between Aarey Colony and Dahisar. The Metro services will be operated between 6 am and 10 pm. The trains to be deployed on the elevated corridors are designed for driverless operations along with communication-based train control (CBTC) signalling systems.

However, during the initial phases, the trains will be manned by operators or attendants, including a few female pilots. "The system will be upgraded to unmanned train operation (UTO) in the future," he said, adding though the sanctioned speed for the corridors is 80 kmph, initially the trains will be operated at 70 kmph.

Over 2,250 passengers can travel on a train at a time. The senior metro official said the minimum ticket for the Metro train ride is Rs 10, while the maximum is Rs 50 (rates will change after every 3km), but monthly pass facility won't be available initially on the new lines. "Fares are reasonable," the MMRDA commissioner said, adding cycles can be carried on the Metro trains, but charges for them have not been decided yet.

He said the MMRDA has done multi-modal integration at the Metro stations and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking buses will be run as feeder services. Highlighting that Line 2A and Line 7 have witnessed "negligible cost escalation", Srinivas said they have targeted to complete phase two of the corridors by August 15. 

With inputs from PTI

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