In some good news for commuters in India’s financial capital Mumbai, in the state of Maharashtra, a Metro train trial run was successfully conducted on May 1, 2013 on a 2KM stretch between Versova and Ghatkopar. The route is expected to be opened by the end of the year.
The metro lines are stretched across 12 kms and will link the eastern and the western suburbs of Mumbai. They will serve the city’s 20 million plus residents with a luxurious public transport service, which is an alternative to the already existing local trains of the Indian railways. This is also the only train that runs on the north and south direction, along the length of the islands and its suburbs.
The trial took place as part of the first phase of the rollout and ran between Versova and Azad Nagar in the Andheri area, which was flagged off by the chief minister of the state Prithviraj Chauhan. The corridor of the Metro will be developed by Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd, which is a consortium that is led by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, which holds a 69% stake in the operation.
The Metro project is estimated to be of Rs. 23,500 crores and the other state holders in the company include Veolia Transport, France, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. The line will be having 12 stations.
