Mumbai Metro

Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of over 2 crore (20 million) as of 2011,[14] and a population growth rate of around 2% per annum.[15] Mumbai has the advantage of a high modal share of the public (88%) in favour of a public mass transport system. The existing Mumbai Suburban Railway carries over 70 lakh (7 million) passengers per day,[16] and is supplemented by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus system, which provides feeder services to station-going passengers to allow them to complete their journeys. Until 1980s, transport in Mumbai was not a big problem. The discontinuation of trams resulted in a direct increase of passenger pressure on the suburban railway network. By 2010, the population of Mumbai doubled. However, due to the city's geographical constraints and rapid population growth, road and rail infrastructure development has not been able to keep pace with growing demand over the last 4-5 decades.[17] Moreover, the Mumbai Suburban Railway, though extensive, is not built to rapid transit specifications. The main objective of the Mumbai Metro is to provide mass rapid transit services to people within an approach distance of between 1 and 2 kilometres (0.62 and 1.24 mi), and to serve the areas not connected by the existing Suburban Rail network. The master plan unveiled by the MMRDA in 2004 encompassed a total of 146.5 kilometres (91.0 mi) of track, of which 32 kilometres (20 mi) would be underground.[18] The Mumbai Metro was proposed to be built in three phases, at an estimated cost of ₹19,525 crore.[17] In September 2009, the proposed Hutatma Chowk – Ghatkopar was reduced to a line between Hutatma Chowk and Carnac Bunder.

In 2011, the MMRDA unveiled plans for an extended Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ metro line. According to its earlier plans, a 20 km (12 mi) Colaba-to-Bandra metro line was to be constructed, running underground for 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Colaba to Mahalaxmi, and then on an elevated track from Mahalaxmi to Bandra. However, the MMRDA decided to increase ridership on the line by running it out past Bandra to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The 33.5-kilometre (20.8 mi) Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ line will be built at a cost of ₹21,000 crore (US$2.6 billion),[19] and will be the city's first underground metro line. It will have 27 stations.[20]

CRRC Puzhen trainset on Line 1 approaching Andheri station in 2019

On 27 February 2012, the Union Government gave in-principle approval to the plan for Line 3. Money for the project is being borrowed from Japanese International Cooperation Agency (50%), the state government (16%), the central government (14%), and others.[21] In April 2012, the MMRDA announced plans to grant the Mumbai Metro Rail Company increased management autonomy, in an effort to enhance the project's operational efficiency.[22] In July 2012, the MMRDA announced plans to add more metro lines to its existing plan, including a line parallel to the Western Express Highway from Bandra to Dahisar. This line is expected to reduce the passenger load on the Western Line and vehicle traffic on the highway. Another proposed route, the 30-kilometre (19 mi), 28-station Wadala–Kasarvadavali line, received in-principle approval from the state government in 2013.[23] The MMRDA also intends to convert the proposed Lokhandwala–SEEPZ–Kanjurmarg monorail route into a metro line.[24] The Mumbai Metro master plan was revised by the MMRDA in 2012, increasing the total length of the proposed network to 160.90 km (99.98 mi).[25] In June 2015, two new lines were proposed. A line from Andheri West to Dahisar West, and a line from BKC to Mankhurd.[26] The following table shows the updated master plan unveiled by the MMRDA:

A metro station under construction in Andheri in March 2012.

SVR Srinivas, IAS, CMD-MMMOCL while announcing trip based passes on Mumbai 1 card

On 18 February 2013, the MMRDA signed a memorandum of understanding with Transport for London, the transit authority in Greater London. The arrangement will facilitate the exchange of information, personnel and technology in the transportation sector.[27][28][29][30]

The revised Mumbai Metro master plan had proposed a line along the Thane-Teen Haath Naka-Kaapurbavdi-Ghodbunder Road route. The feasibility report concluded that the line was not feasible as most residents of Thane and its neighbouring areas travelled to Mumbai for work daily. On 14 June 2014, Chavan announced that the MMRDA was instead examining a proposal for a metro line along the new proposed route of Wadala-Ghatkopar-Teen Haat Naka route. RITES will prepare the detailed project report and is expected to submit it by August 2014. The preliminary report proposed a 32 km (20 mi) line with 29 stations, to be built at an estimated cost of ₹22,000 crore.[31] This would be the fourth line of the metro, after the previously proposed Charkop-Dahisar route was merged with the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd route to form Line 2.[32]

Following the opening of Line 1, MMRDA metropolitan commissioner UPS Madan stated that the authority would focus on constructing the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ, Dahisar-Bandra-Mankhurd, and Wadala-Thane-Kasarvadavali lines. He also stated that the other proposed lines had not been cancelled and that they may be implemented in the future.[33] In May 2015, the MMRDA stated that it had begun planning for the Andheri-Dahisar line and Seepz-Kanjurmarg. Both lines are expected to be elevated, although the latter could be constructed underground if a proposal to extend Line 3 to Kanjurmarg is undertaken. DPRs for both lines had been prepared in 2004, along with the master plan, and the MMRDA would now update the DPRs. The agency also intends to construct Line 9 of the metro as an underground corridor from Sewri to Worli. However, planning for the project will only begun after the construction of the proposed Mumbai Trans Harbour Link commences.[34]

In a report on 14 November 2014 about the cancellation of the PPP agreement for Line 2, Mint quoted a senior MMRDA official as stating, "as decided earlier, all future lines of Mumbai Metro will be constructed by the Mumbai Metro Railway Corp. Ltd (MMRCL), a joint venture between the state government and the Union government."[35] On 20 May 2015, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requested officials to consider constructing the Charkop-Bandra-Dahisar and the Wadala-Thane-Kasarvadavali lines as elevated corridors. Although, both corridors had been planned as elevated lines in the Mumbai Metro master plan, the previous Congress-NCP had decided to construct all metro lines underground, after delays and difficulties caused by acquiring land for Line 1. However, Fadnavis believes that the two proposed lines can be constructed quicker and cheaper if they were elevated due to the proposed route of the alignment.[36] The Government plans to implement all future metro lines (except Line 3) as elevated corridors.[37] On 15 June 2015, the MMRDA announced that it would implement Line 2 of the metro in three parts. The Andheri-Dahisar line will have connectivity with the existing Line 1 and the proposed JVLR-Kanjurmarg line.[37]

In June 2015, Fadnavis announced that he would request the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to assist in the implementation of the Mumbai Metro. He stated that he intends to expand the metro system by 109 km (68 mi) before the state assembly elections in October 2019.[38][39][40] In July 2015, UPS Madan announced that the State Government formally appointed the DMRC to revise and update the Mumbai Metro master plan. The DMRC will prepare DPRs for the Andheri East to Dahisar East, Jogeshwari to Kanjurmarg, Andheri West to Dahisar West and Bandra Kurla Complex to Mankhurd lines.[41] The Andheri-Dahisar line will have connectivity with the existing Line 1 and the proposed JVLR-Kanjurmarg line.[37] All four lines are proposed to be elevated and constructed as cash contracts. The lines are estimated to cost a total of ₹21,000 crore (US$2.6 billion), or about ₹350 crore (US$44 million) per km.[26] In addition, the planned Line 3 and Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavli line of the metro would also be constructed.[41]

Fadnavis announced on 8 April 2017 that the government was considering a circular metro loop line along the Kalyan-Dombivli-Taloja route. The proposed 15 km (9.3 mi) line would link Kalyan and Shil Phata with 13 stations, bring metro connectivity to Kalyan East, Dombivli, Ambernath and Diva.[42][43]

The Mumbai Metro resumed services for general public on 19 October 2020, after being shut down since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[44][45]

It was reported that rising litigation costs related to court matters against the metro construction work have led to major financial losses for the government and the public.[46] Protests against construction of the Aarey car shed metro began since 2018, in order to protect the forest cover, and since the central government first proposed the construction of a metro station at the forest area of Aarey colony.[47] This has led to several arrests, as activists were held up by the police on multiple occasions.[48]

After the Uddhav-Thackeray-led government went out of power, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis once again announced the construction of a car shed at Mumbai's Aarey colony, which has led to protesters accompanied by Aditya Thackeray rising to the streets once again, but they later died down in due time.[49]

Lines on the Mumbai Metro are currently identified by numbers. In March 2016, MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner, U.P.S. Madan, announced that all lines on the system would be color-coded after more lines are opened.

Reliance Infrastructure consulted a number of major international rolling stock builders to provide the train fleet for the Mumbai Metro. Bidders for the contract included established metro-vehicle manufacturers such as Kawasaki, Alstom, Siemens and Bombardier, but CRRC Nanjing Puzhen of China was ultimately chosen to supply rolling stock for ₹600 crore.[82][83] In May 2008, CSR Nanjing completed the first 16 trains, each comprising four cars.[82] The first ten trains were reported to be ready for operation in January 2013.[84]

The coaches are fire retardant,[85] air-conditioned and designed to reduce noise and vibration, and will feature both high seating capacity and ample space for standing passengers. They will be outfitted with a number of features for safety and convenience, including LCD screens, 3D route maps, first-aid kits, wheelchair facilities, fire-fighting equipment and intercom systems permitting communication with the train driver. Each coach will furthermore feature a black box to assist in accident investigations.[86] The trains will be capable of carrying over 1,100 passengers in a four-car unit, with each carriage being approximately 2.9 metres (9 ft 6 in) wide.[87]

In 2018, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation chose Alstom to supply 31 eight car trains for Aqua line (line 3). The trains will be capable of driverless operations and will be built at Alstom's factory in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh.[88]

In 2018, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority which will operate all metro lines except Line 3, awarded a tender to Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML) to supply 63 trainsets (378 coaches) for Yellow Line (Line 2) and Red Line (Line 7) at a cost of ₹3,015 crores ($427.33 million). Capable of driverless operations, the trains are manufactured at BEML's factory in Bengaluru and first trainset for the Yellow Line arrived in Mumbai on 27 January 2021, and will continue to receive the rest of the sets until 2022.[89][90] Recently on 17 January 2021, Bombardier won the tender to supply 234 driverless coaches for Green Line (Line 4) of six-car configuration for Mumbai metro. However, the contract has been cancelled in March 2022 due to delays and uncertainties of the project.[91][92]

Unlike 97% of metro corridors worldwide which run on direct current (DC), the Mumbai Metro runs on alternating current (AC) which is more labour and cost-intensive. MMRDA joint project director Dilip Kawathkar stated that AC power was chosen "after a proper study by a team of experts" which found that the AC model was "a better option". Bidders for Line 3 were reportedly in favour of the DC model. Experts believe that the decision to use AC will escalate the project cost of underground lines by 15%, since more digging is required for the rail to work on AC.[93]

The Mumbai Metro will feature an advanced signalling system, including an automatic train protection system (ATPS) and automated signalling to control train movements on the 11-kilometre (6.8 mi) Line 1. A four-minute service interval is anticipated on the route.[3]

Siemens will supply the signalling systems required for the project, while Thales Group will supply the Metro's communication systems. The network's signalling and train control systems will be based on LZB 700M technology.[94]

On 21 October 2019, exactly after 1,960 days (approx. 5 years) of Mumbai Metro Line 1's inception, the system crossed 60 crore passengers, with an average daily ridership of around 4,50,000 (4.5 lakh) passengers.[95]

• Urban rail transit in India
  • Navi Mumbai Metro
• List of rapid transit systems
• Public transport in Mumbai
• Mumbai Monorail
• M-Indicator

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mumbai Metro.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Mumbai.

• Mumbai Metro Rail Project - MMRDA site
• Mumbai Metro blog site
• Mumbai Metro unofficial magazine
• Mumbai Metro unofficial Information Site