Work on second phase of Mumbai Metro Lines 2A (Dahisar East-DN Nagar (Andheri west)) and Line 7 (Andheri east-Dahisar east) is complete and is scheduled to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India on January 19, 2023. After the inauguration, the Metro system will be open for commuters from January 20.
Ahead of the launch of the metro system, here’s an overview of what you can expect.
The trains on this corridor will run at an average frequency of every 10 minutes, depending on the time of the day. With the commissioning of the second phase, the commuters can travel between Andheri and Dahisar on eastern and western sides of the suburbs without a halt.
Route and planning of Mumbai Metro
The commissioning of both the lines covering a distance of 35 km in the western and northern regions of Mumbai were planned in two phases by the Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA). The Metro Line 2A Corridor between Dahisar East and DN Nagar (Andheri west) with 18.6 km is a fully-elevated stretch while Line 7 is only elevated from Andheri to Dahisar.
These two new Metro lines comprising a total 30 elevated stations, will run parallel on the east and west sides of the western and northern suburbs of the city and once the 35 km stretch is operational, it is expected to decongest the Western Express Highway, a major arterial road of Mumbai.
Indigenous coaches of the Mumbai Metro
The 85% indigenous coaches of the Mumbai metro have been built by Bharat Earth Movers Limited. This first ever indigenous train can run at a speed of 80 km per hour. With a total of 28 trains having six cars each, a passenger capacity of 2,280 is estimated.
The new coaches will be driver-less, with the most modern signaling system and other salient features. However, for the initial period, drivers will be present in the coaches.
Timings and fair of the new metro lines
The first train from Andheri west (Line 2A) will depart at 05:55 am and the last train will be at 09:24 pm. Similarly on Line 7, the first train from Gundavali (Andheri E) will depart at 06:00 am and the last train will be at 9:24 pm.
The passenger fare structure for Metro Lines approved by the state government is somewhat like this. For first 3 km price is ₹10, for 3 to 12 km price is ₹20, further for 12 to 18 km price is ₹30, for the next 18 to 24 km price is ₹40, and so on. The pattern is such that for every 6 kms, prices increase by ₹10.
Depot for Lines 2A and 7
A maintenance depot on a 16.4 hectare land was constructed for stabling and maintenance of the trains at Charkop/Malwani.
The same depot will serve as a common depot for Lines 2A and 7 and will have six covered stabling lines and 12 open stabling lines for maintenance and stabling of 18 trains. Also, two workshop lines, three inspection bay lines, one test track, pit wheel lathe, ETU unit, operation control room (OCC) and a fully automatic washing plant have been provided inside the depot.
