Mumbai’s Metro service began operations on Sunday, nearly eight years after its inception. It carried more than 2 lakh commuters between Versova and Ghatkopar on its inaugural day. Although Mumbaikars thronged to get a feel of their new East-West connect that promises to cut travel time drastically, the landmark event was marred by a dispute between the state government and the operators over fares and a few technical glitches.
Chief minister Prithivraj Chavan, who had threatened to skip the launch, flagged of the service from Versova at 10.25 am. He was accompanied by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani and his wife Tina.The company that built it, Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), said, “Day one of operations surpassed our expectations.Till 10 pm, 2.2 lakh commuters travelled by the Metro and it is estimated that by midnight the figure will touch around 2.4 lakh.“ Industry sources said revenue could cross Rs 2 crore.
The Metro is now the city's third rapid mass transport system after the suburban railway system and the monorail, which rolled out on February 2. Even though Metro officials had announced that commercial operations would begin by 1 pm, commuters began to flock to stations since early morning. An official said, “It began with a trickle and by afternoon had turned into a wave, which then got transformed into a tsunami.” The promotional fare of Rs 10 per ride, irrespective of destination, proved to be a major incentive for commuters.
The authorities had a tough time handling crowds and at 7 pm, Versova station had to be shut for commuters for a few minutes due to an unexpected surge in wannabe commuters.
Chavan, who was peeved about the issue of fares, lauded the efforts of MMOPL and MMRDA officials. He said, “Metro 1 was the biggest challenge in a congested city like Mumbai. Though delayed, the dream of every Mumbaikar has come true.“
“We did not disrupt a single suburban local train service (at Andheri) when we built the Metro over the railway tracks.The S-bend track en route is also a marvel in engineering. We did not compromise on passenger safety and launched the service only after getting security certificates from all, including the Metro rail safety commissioner and the railway ministry,“ he stated, adding that the state had given the go-ahead for similar metro services in Pune and Nagpur.
There was a festive atmosphere at stations and many commuters were seen clicking `selfies'.
The metro had a good run for the first few trips, after which there was a drop in frequency after noon. Trains began running 20-30 minutes behind schedule. A senior MMOPL official said, “Trains were slow because of overcrowding at stations.“
Three women--Rizwana (42), Sunita Rane (51) and Vaishali (60)--were hurt in a minor accident.
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