Latest news with #Metro3
Euronews
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
338 days without a government: Can Brussels break the deadlock?
Radio Schuman spoke with outgoing Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt about Brussels being without rule for almost a year. She told us how this damages Brussels' reputation, hurts locals and why it is so difficult to come to an agreement. Van den Brandt also touched on the uncertain future of the Metro 3 project, aimed at connecting the city's northern and southern neighbourhoods, and the criticism of her vision to make Brussels liveable. We also head to the Western Balkans for the start of European Council President's four-day tour as part of diplomatic efforts to keep candidate countries on an EU path. And finally, Europe's rapidly ageing population is posing an existential threat to the continent's healthcare system. Which countries are worst affected? This episode of Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Lauren Walker. Audio editing by David Brodheim. Music by Alexandre Jas.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Time of India
32k+ ridership recorded on day 2 of Metro line 3 extension
Mumbai: On Day 2 of operations after the underground Colaba-Bandra-Aarey Metro Line 3 was extended up to Acharya Atre Chowk in Worli, the corridor witnessed a ridership of 32,725 till 8pm on Sunday. The extended section of the Aqua Line, commissioned on Saturday, had recorded a ridership of 32,791 on Day 1, Saturday. Of these, 16,377 passengers travelled between Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Acharya Atre Chowk, the newly opened Phase 2A stretch that connects a crucial commercial hub with the rest of the corridor. Over the weekend, more than 65,000 commuters used the Phase 2A section of Metro 3, indicating a promising start for the new alignment. "We are witnessing consistent ridership across both days, which reflects the corridor's utility for both office and leisure travel. We anticipate further growth as familiarity with the service increases," an Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd official this extension, the operational segment of Metro Line 3 now connects Aarey, Seepz, BKC, both airport terminals, Dharavi, Dadar, Siddhivinayak Temple, and Acharya Atre Chowk, significantly reducing travel time across key parts of the Aarey-BKC route was opened in Oct 2024. The entire 32.5km Colaba-Bandra-Aarey stretch is expected to open by Aug, said sources. Metro 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Metro 2A (Dahisar East-Andheri West ) and Metro 7 (Andheri East-Dahisar East) are operational in the suburbs. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Time of India
Mumbai Metro 3: BKC-Worli services to start from May 10, final phase to open in August
MUMBAI : The final phase of Mumbai Metro Line 3 between Acharya Atre Chowk in Worli and Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai will become operational in August, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Friday. Services from Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to Acharya Atre Chowk are set to start from Saturday, he said. Fadnavis and deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde rode by a Metro train through the underground corridor from BKC to Siddhivinayak Temple on Friday afternoon. Speaking to reporters after the 10-minute ride, Fadnavis said the BKC to Acharya Atre Chowk section (phase 2A) of Metro Line 3 will be open to the public from Saturday morning. Last year, the 13 km stretch between JVLR Aarey and BKC was thrown open for the public, he noted. Phase 2A of Metro Line 3, also called Aqua Line, is 9.77 km long, and its tunnel has been built through the 'rockbed' underneath the Mithi River, officials said. It will have six stations, namely, Dharavi, Shitaladevi, Dadar West, Siddhivinayak, Worli, and Acharya Atre Chowk. Fadnavis said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited when the final phase between Atre Chowk and Cuff Parade will become operational. The Colaba-BKC-Aarey line is the longest underground Metro route in the country, and the project is an "engineering marvel" as the corridor passes beneath the Mithi river and densely-populated areas like Girgaon, the chief minister noted. The work of two stations in the next phase is in final stages, and once it is completed, the entire metro corridor will be opened to the public, he said. "The Metro stretch that is operational is receiving good response. Ridership is increasing, and when end-to-end connectivity becomes available, the ridership will increase more," said the chief minister. The underground metro corridor has 26 stations and boasts of a state-of-the-art design with multiple entry and exit points which will avoid congestion, he said. Metro-3 will provide excellent connectivity for the airport, Fadnavis said, adding it will take some time due to ongoing constructions, but until then shuttle services will be operated for the convenience of passengers. Trials of the common mobility card for all modes of transport in Mumbai including Metro, monorail, railways and BEST buses have been successful so far, and once all the trials are over, the card will be rolled out commercially, he said. "Mumbaikars will then get an end-to-end solution," Fadnavis added. The authorities have entered into a tie-up with Google to enable passengers to track the location of BEST buses in real time, and train passengers too would be able to use this facility, he said. Deputy CM Shinde said that due to Metro 3, nearly five lakh vehicles will go off the roads, which will save a large amount of fuel and time. "When this 33 km stretch is completed, you will be able to travel from end to end within an hour," Shinde said. With the extension to Acharya Atre Chowk becoming operational, Metro 3 will provide connectivity between BKC and the business hubs in Worli, Lower Parel and Prabhadevi. Reaching the shrines of Siddhivinayak temple, Shitaladevi temple and Mahim Darga too will become more convenient. As per the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, the minimum fare will be Rs 10 and the maximum fare will be Rs 40 for the journey in phase 2A of the underground corridor. For the travel between JVRL Aarey and Acharya Atre Chowk, passengers will have to shell out Rs 60. MMRC has planned 244 services on the corridor with eight Metro trains, and the travel time between BKC and Acharya Atre Chowk will be 15-20 minutes, while that between JVRL Aarey and Acharya Atre Chowk will be 36 minutes. The headway between two trains will be 6 minutes and 20 seconds.
Hindustan Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Fadnavis asks administration to act against sleeper cells
In light of escalated tensions between India and Pakistan, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis held a meeting with officials from the home department, police force, intelligence cell and administration to review the state's security and preparedness, at his official residence Varsha on Friday. He alerted the administrative bodies and police to strictly act against potential sleeper cells that could have allegiance to Pakistan, increase awareness among citizens about safety by holding workshops and directed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to make the underground Metro 3 line, currently operational between Aarey and Worli, available for evacuation in the possible event of a terror attack. Some of the officers who attended the meeting were acting chief secretary Rajesh Kumar, DGP Rashmi Shukla, Mumbai police commissioner Deven Bharti, BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, state intelligence commissioner Shirish Jain, among others. The state government is anticipating a threat to Mumbai, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Pune, where most vital installations – Reserve Bank of India, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, Mumbai Port Authority, Bombay Stock Exchange, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, among others -- are concentrated. People in the know have said, the chief minister also expressed concern that sleeper cells 'empathising with Pakistan through SIMI-like organisations may become active during the present India-Pak conflict'. 'They are expected to be active in Mumbai suburbs such as Jogeshwari and Mumbra; and Malegaon, in Nashik district, which have previous history of terror activities. The police force has been asked to act strictly against them,' an official from the home department, who was part of the high-level meeting, told HT. The CM, who also heads the home department, asked the police force to step up patrolling, frisking and nakabandi (blockades) to foil any anti-national or terrorist activities. Make citizens aware Officials from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been told to create awareness among residents of cooperative housing societies by holding workshops and mock drills. 'The drills will be an exercise for people to understand the dos and don'ts during war. Since the Mumbai could be on the hit list, the workshops will sensitise about precautions to be taken during black outs. The MMRDA has been directed to chalk out a plan to keep the underground Metro 3 free for evacuation if the need arises. Similarly, the parking lots of the high-rises and other housing complexes will be identified as hideouts during evacuation,' said another officer who participated in CM's meeting on Friday. The state government is also expected to hold a meeting with the central agencies and armed forces officials soon. 'We did not want to disturb them amid the escalated tension between the two countries. We are planning our next meeting with the central agencies online,' the officer said. Combat cyber attacks The police force has been asked to take steps to combat the threat of cyber attacks. To ward off such an eventuality, the state administration and police force have also been asked to conduct a cyber audit, especially of vital installations. 'Of over 250 such installations in the country, over 40 are in Maharashtra, most of them in Mumbai, MMR and Pune. The Class A installations such as RBI and BSE have their own security cover. The state may be asked for the external cover, in which case city police will be alerted,' the officer said. After the meeting, a statement issued by the chief minister's office (CMO) said, 'The administration has been tracking social media to scan pro-Pakistan handles and has acted against them. The police have to have been asked to take strict action against the people who have been spreading false information.' The government has also decided set up a mechanism to the disseminate authentic information related to the present Indo-Pak conflict. The statement added, 'The state government will also release funds required to procure equipment required for drills and evacuation exercise such as sirens etc in cases of emergency; proposals for such procurement would be cleared within an hour. The administration has also been asked to keep the tab of the unwarranted spread of the messages and videos related to the preparations of the armed forces. The police force has been asked to book people involved in such activities immediately.' Top officials of the state administration have been asked to study the Centre Union War Book, which has guidelines for agencies and state government to follow at a time of war. The health department has also been asked to stock up on medical equipment, supply of medicines and alternative power supply in case of blackouts, at its hospitals.
Hindustan Times
10-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Metro 3 will be fully operational by August: CM
Mumbai: The entire route of Metro 3, the only underground metro corridor in the city, will become operational by August this year, which would boost ridership significantly, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday. 'The ridership of Metro 3 is increasing gradually and when the entire route is opened for the public, ridership numbers will jump further,' Fadnavis said while inaugurating metro services between Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Acharya Atre Chowk on the Metro 3 route. The stretch will be thrown open to the public from Saturday morning, he said. 'We will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi when we open the entire route till Cuffe Parade in August,' Fadnavis said. The aqua line could have become operational 1.5 years ago if the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had not stalled it, he alleged. The chief minister was speaking to reporters after taking a ride on the aqua line, another name for the Metro 3 corridor, from BKC to Siddhivinayak Temple. Officials said a total of 244 daily services will be operational from Saturday between BKC and Acharya Atre Chowk in Worli – the second phase of the Metro 3 corridor spanning 9.77 km. There are a total of 208 escalators and 67 lifts at metro stations between Aarey JVLR and Acharya Atre Chowk, they said. At present, over 20,000 passengers use Metro 3 services between Aarey JVLR and BKC on a daily basis. This constitutes just 5% of the expected ridership of 400,000 on the aqua line. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL), which operates the line, expects ridership numbers to go up with services being extended till Worli from Saturday. Work on the Metro 3 corridor began in 2017 but was hit by delays owing to the pandemic and other reasons, which pushed up the project cost from ₹23,000 crore to ₹37,000 crore. Once the entire line is operational, it will cater to around 1.3 million passengers daily, ferrying approximately 2,500 passengers in each eight-coach train, said MMRCL officials. It will also improve connectivity between business hubs like BKC, Worli and Nariman Point besides providing easy access to religious sites like Siddhivinayak temple, Mahim dargah and Mahim church and recreational places like Shivaji Park, Ravindra Natya Mandir, Shivaji Mandir, Yashwant Natya Mandir and Plaza Cinema. The BKC station will also be connected with Metro line 2B and the bullet train in future, which is expected to further boost ridership, said officials.
