Changed timings in Mumbai Metro Line 3 today, tomorrow as final testing work progresses
Mumbai Metro Line 3, known as the Aqua Line, will run with changed timings on Friday and Saturday to allow essential final testing work.
The changes are being done to allow trial runs between the Aarey-Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) section and the newly opened BKC-Acharya Atre Chowk section, officials from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) said.
Passengers using Metro Line 3 are advised to plan their journeys accordingly on April 25 and 26.
This is an important block in the gradual commissioning of Metro Line 3, the city's first completely underground Metro line.
The 33.5-kilometre line will link major business and residential nodes from Colaba in South Mumbai to SEEPZ in the western suburbs, providing a much-needed relief to the city's traffic affected road and rail network.
Currently, a limited section of the corridor between Aarey and BKC is in operation. The future BKC-Acharya Atre Chowk section will fill the gap towards the city centre and move the Metro closer to reaching important destinations such as Mahalaxmi, Hutatma Chowk and Churchgate.
Trial runs will ensure signalling, power, communications, and system integration on the entire Phase 1 route to test.
An official in MMRCL claimed, 'These integration trials are a must for ensuring safe and smooth operation of the corridor before we open further sections to public.'
The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) on April 10 carried out final checks on the 9.77-km BKC–Acharya Atre Chowk section.
The CMRS checked all civil, structure, electrical, and safety systems. MMRCL had already provided inspection reports, and the report of the independent safety assessor was received in March.
The BKC-Dharavi section was of specific engineering importance, as it goes underground, under the Mithi River.
This is a milestone for the city's first fully underground Metro tunnel. The Aqua Line was opened on October 7, 2024, and now operates 12.69 km from Aarey JVLR to BKC. When the BKC-Worli section opens, the total operating length will grow to over 22 km.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Not for public trasnport series – Part 3: Why has the Pune Metro not been able to reduce private vehicles?
Rohit Chothe travels from Shahunagar in Pimpri Chinchwad to Yerwada for work every day. Even though Pimpri Chinchwad and Yerwada are connected by the Pune Metro, Chothe drives a car to work. 'I travel 20 km every day. The PCMC metro station is 4 km from my house and the Yerwada metro station is 3 km from my office. Even if I want to take the Metro, I'll have to use a bike or some other mode for 7 km. This is not feasible,' he says. The Pune Metro, like any mode of public transport, was built to bring down the number of private vehicles on the road, thereby reducing traffic. Now that both the Aqua Line and the Purple Line are operational barring a couple of stations, The Indian Express takes a look at the extent to which the Pune Metro has been able to achieve its primary aim. What do the numbers say? The Pune Metro is very far from reaching the ridership figures estimated in its Detailed Project Report (DPR). The final report submitted in 2015 predicted a combined daily ridership figure of over 6 lakh per day for the year 2021, while the 'optimistic' scenario predicted a greater ridership of 10 lakh per day. However, the actual numbers paint a dismal picture. In May, the Pune Metro carried a total of 47,62,865 riders. This translates to 1,53,640 or 1.53 lakh riders per day — 25 per cent of the projected 6 lakh number. Worryingly, the number of passengers travelling on the metro every day has not increased in the past months. In October 2024, before which the Purple Line was completed with the inauguration of the Swargate Metro station, the ridership figures stood at 1.55 lakh per day. Similar figures can be observed till April. Prashant Inamdar from the group Pedestrian First told The Indian Express, 'There has not been any significant improvement in the traffic situation on roads, even in the influence area of the metro corridors… The low daily ridership of Metro also clearly indicates that there has not been any major shift from private vehicles to Metro.' Similarly, Chothe added, 'There is a lot of traffic along the route, especially at Nashik Phata, Khadki, and a signal near Bopodi. I personally don't feel that the Metro has reduced traffic on the route.' Warnings ignored Ashok Sreenivas, then with the NGO Parisar, had claimed that there were flaws in the project's original DPR. He had then said that the cost-benefit analysis, time savings, and estimated ridership figures presented in the report were deeply flawed and unlikely to be realistic. An 2011 article by Sreenivas published in Economic and Political Weekly titled 'Urban Transport Planning: Lessons from the Proposed Pune Metro Rail' said, 'The DPR also states that 75% of the journeys are less than 9 km. Assuming an average speed of 20 kmph for other modes, 75% of the journeys would take a maximum of 27 minutes by other modes and 16 minutes by metro rail. Therefore, the travel time saving is just 11 minutes for 75% of the journeys. Metro rail users who have shifted from two-wheelers or cars would not save any time in walking to the metro rail station and waiting for a train – in fact, they would lose time.' Talking to The Indian Express, Sreenivas said, 'The paper was written nearly 15 years ago. As the author of the paper, I guess I'm happy that the analysis is borne out. But, whether it is good for the city is an open question.' He added that infrastructure projects in the country were prone to inflated figures. 'Many infrastructure projects, such as flyovers, are unfortunately likely to have similar issues. To get investment, project benefits, such as the time saved, tend to be overestimated and costs under-estimated,' he added. Ranjit Gadgil, Programme Director at NGO Parisar, says that the issues with the DPR were taken up with relevant authorities before the construction began but the concerns were dismissed. What do the authorities say? When asked about if the Metro had been successful in reducing the number of private vehicles on the street, Dr Hemant Sonawane, Executive Director (Administration & Public Relations) at Maha Metro, said, 'We started with 5,000 daily ridership and have risen up to almost 1,65,000 per day. I think people who stay near the metro corridor, maybe 500 metres, or one kilometer, they have started using (the metro).' He added that they were concentrating on feeder bus services, already existing at nine stations. 'If we can see how better feeder service we can provide and so that people from the nearby areas can come easily to the Metro and seamlessly to the Metro station and make the longer journey on the Metro,' he said. However, with the PMPML itself struggling with a lack of buses, he said the job was that much more difficult. Sonawane did not provide a deadline for when an increase in daily ridership figures could be expected. Reducing the gap between trains from 7 minutes to 6 minutes during peak hours and 10 minutes to 8 minutes during non-peak hours to boost ridership is a move that the Metro is looking to implement in the next two months, said Sonawane.
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Mumbai Metro 1 Turns 11: 111 Crore Passengers, Versova-Ghatkopar In 21 Minutes, Reasons To Celebrate
Last Updated: Mumbai's Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro Line: Unclogged roads, reduced pressure on railways to smoother commute, the city's first Metro line is special for more than 11 reasons In a key milestone for Mumbai, its first east-west Metro corridor, Mumbai Metro Line 1 or Metro One, completed 11 years of operation on Sunday. The 11.4-km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) corridor has transported over 111 crore passengers to date. 'On its 11-year run, Mumbai Metro One has made more than 12.66 lakh train journeys…," operator Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) said. Ghatkopar has seen almost 30 crore travellers, Andheri 23 crore and Saki Naka 11 crore since its launch. 11th Foundation Day of Mumbai Metro One 🎉Towards greater achievements, stronger connections, and continuous success!Here's to the journey so far — and the exciting path ahead. 🚇💙 #MMO11Years #FoundationDay #UrbanMobility #StrongerTogether #MetroAnniversary #ConnectingMumbai … — Mumbai Metro (@MumbaiMetro01) June 8, 2025 THE BLUE LINE The Mumbai Metro 1 Blue Line started operations on June 8, 2014, with inauguration by then CM Prithviraj Chavan. It is said to have the eighth highest passenger density of any metro line in the world. There are a total of 64 curves on the line, with the steepest curve being 107 metres (351 ft). Metro One was designed as an alternative to the roads and railways on public-private-partnership (PPP) between Reliance Infrastructure and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). On this Children's Day, young adventurers boarded the Metro and had a ride full of laughter and wonder! 🚇✨ #ChildrensDay #MetroFun #HappyRides #LittleExplorers #KidsOnTheMetro #JoyfulJourneys#ChildhoodAdventures #MetroMagic #HappyLittleTravellers #MetroJoy … — Mumbai Metro (@MumbaiMetro01) November 15, 2024 THE KEY CONNECTING LINK FOR MUMBAI Mumbai Metro 1 provides connectivity between the eastern and western suburbs to Western & Central Railway. It has 12 stations – Versova, DN Nagar, Azad Nagar, Andheri, Western Express Highway, Chakala (J B Nagar), Airport Road, Marol Naka, Saki Naka, Asalpha, Jagruti Nagar, Ghatkopar. It facilitates smooth and efficient interchange between suburban rail system and MRT System at Andheri and Ghatkopar Stations. Reduced the journey time from 71 minutes to 21 minutes, between Versova and Ghatkopar. Provides rail-based access to the MIDC, SEEPZ and commercial developments. It is also connected to other Metro lines – Line 2A at D N Nagar, Line 7 at Western Express Highway, and Line 3 at Marol Naka – making the north-south and east-west journey smoother. Metro One offsets over 67,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, an impact comparable to planting over 3 million trees. The line has also been recognised with over 40 prestigious awards for its service, innovation, and environmental contributions, according to MMOPL. First Published: June 08, 2025, 13:39 IST
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
‘RWAs, individuals can prune trees in emergency situations'
New Delhi: Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa shared a standard operating procedure allowing individuals, RWAs, and land-owning agencies to prune or fell trees in "emergency situations" under Section 8 of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994 (DPTA). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sirsa clarified that while Section 8 of the DPTA generally prohibits the felling, removal, or disposal of trees without prior permission from the Tree Officer, it includes provisions for emergency situations where a tree poses an immediate threat to life, property, or traffic. In such cases, individuals or responsible agencies may take action after they report it to the Tree Officer within 24 hours. The forest dept has issued guidelines outlining circumstances that may warrant immediate pruning or removal. These include cases where trees are obstructing roads, bridges, drains, or sewer lines; damaging buildings or heritage structures; interfering with Metro or Railway infrastructure; or where trees are dried, dead, or leaning precariously, posing a risk of falling. In such instances, the concerned party must upload a report on the DPTA e-Forest portal within 24 hours, which must include photos from at least three angles, site geo-coordinates, justification for the action, and post-action images. These will be treated as valid compliance under the Act. Sirsa warned that any misuse under the emergency clause would attract strict legal action.
