All metro projects in Mumbai to be operational by 2026: MMRDA Commissioner

All existing metro projects in Mumbai are expected to be operational by 2026, by which time commuters will be able to travel from any one end of the city to another under 60 minutes.

Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is currently working on nine different corridors, expects to complete the city’s entire 337-km long metro network in the next six years.

When ready, the city’s entire metro network will be able to carry an estimated 1.3 crore people daily.

“The daily ridership across 14 Metro corridors (225 stations) will touch 1.3 crore per day by 2026 when all routes are commissioned. You can reach anywhere in the Mumbai metropolitan region from any place within 60 minutes by Metro,” MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner R A Rajeev told The Times of India.

At present, around 1.9 crore people travel in the metropolitan daily by means of local trains, BEST buses, taxis, autos, etc.

“At present, railways (WR, CR) has a combined ridership of 80 lakh, BEST 34 lakh, and autos-taxi less than 10 lakh riders. The carrying capacity of the completed Metro network will be more than the existing load of Mumbai suburban trains,” added Rajeev.

To ensure better last-mile connectivity, each metro station will have adequate parking space for taxis, autos or buses under the station.

Further, given the wider coverage of the metro routes, authorities are confident that more people will ditch their cars and resort to travelling via the metro, which would result in lesser pollution and congestion on roads.

The planning body is also sure of the financial viability of each metro corridor and expects each one to be cashflow positive.

“Ghatkopar-Versova is one of the busiest Metro lines in India. In all, 4.5 lakh persons use it daily. This year, we plan to inaugurate Metro lines 2A and 7. All Metro routes are viable and not a single route is expected to run in losses,” the MMRDA commissioner said.