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Scroll.in
01-08-2025
- General
- Scroll.in
Urban immobility: Why the Mumbai Metro is failing to take off
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated two metro lines in Mumbai in 2023, Yaakshi Dave thought the sweat and grind of her commute to the office would end. The 21-year-old graphic designer eagerly hopped on to the swanky coaches of the metro, hoping to travel 15 km in the city's western suburbs in air-conditioned bliss. But mid-way in the journey, she found that not only did she have to change from one metro line to the other, she had to exit the station and navigate dense traffic to do so. The two metro lines did not intersect. There was no interchange station. For 23 minutes of air-conditioned metro travel, Dave had to walk a total of 20 minutes – to get to the metro station and to switch lines. Tired of the exertion, she gave up on metro travel and went back to commuting by bus. She is not the only one. Data shows Mumbai commuters are staying away from the metro network, belying hopes that it would take the load off local trains and ease traffic on the roads. Lines 2A and 7 between Andheri and Dahisar, for instance, have only reached 2.05 lakh ridership per day – 25% of the projected ridership, data till mid-June shows. The latest addition to the network – the Aqualine which connects Aarey Colony in the north to Worli in central Mumbai – has only 45,000 daily passengers, till mid-June, a tenth of estimated daily ridership, The total daily ridership on all four metro lines is less than seven lakh, against an estimate of 18.84 lakh. The Mumbai metro network is being built at a staggering cost of more than Rs 90,000 crore, which is escalating with every year of construction delays. Its failure to attract riders, experts say, reflects a wider crisis in India's urban transport landscape – the focus of this three-part series. Connectivity trouble Mumbai currently has four metro lines run by three operators. Not only do they lack seamless interconnectivity, the lines don't even share common ticketing. Every morning that Sahil Gupta, an engineer, takes the metro to work, he goes through three rounds of security checks, ticket scans and baggage scans. An autorickshaw from home takes him to Malad station in the western suburbs where he boards metro line 2A, alighting at DN Nagar. Here, he exits the station, takes a foot overbridge to line 1. He repeats ticketing and security before travelling to Marol, where he crosses the road, and goes through the same drill again before boarding his third and final metro line 3 to get to the airport. 'The system is complicated,' Gupta said. 'I have to buy three tickets and go through three scans.' An official from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority defended the system, saying it was natural for each metro operator to undertake their own security checks. In June, the National Common Mobility Card came into use in Maharashtra. The contactless card is meant to streamline travel across all modes of public transport in India. However, in Mumbai, it only works on metros and buses. A MMRDA official said the monorail has a closed-loop ticketing system, which means it requires dedicated cards and will not accept interoperable cards used on other modes of transport. The common mobility card is not integrated with the suburban railway system. Last mile chaos Mitesh Tomani, a 24-year-old college student, said he struggles every day to look for an auto or a bus from Aarey-JVLR metro station to his college, SDA Bocconi Asia Center, in Hiranandani Gardens. Tomani first takes a bus from his home in Worli to Acharya Atre Chowk metro station, then he hops on to line 3, known as the Aqualine, and travels till the last station in Aarey colony. From there, if he is lucky to find a bus or an auto rickshaw he travels further for about 4 km to his college. The entire journey takes over an hour and costs Rs 250. 'The metro makes the ride comfortable,' he said. 'But little thought has been put towards what passengers can do once they step out of the metro.' There are four buses from the bus stop near Aarey metro station towards Hiranandani where his college is. Most days, he gets tired of waiting for a bus on the desolate stretch. 'The frequency of buses is poor,' he explained. He ends up spending Rs 70-Rs 100 on an autorickshaw ride one way. 'Even for that I have to wait,' Tomani said. 'Not many autorickshaws pass through this road. The metro station is new.' Transport experts say this is a common experience, which they attributed to a lack of planning. 'There are bus stands and dedicated lanes for autorickshaw outside railway stations, but nothing similar can be found outside metro stations,' said AV Shenoy, co-founder of the Mumbai Mobility Forum, a think-tank that focuses on public transport. He pointed out that Mumbai had different operators for local trains, BEST bus and metros, all of which work in isolation. 'Ideally new bus routes should be started around the new metro stations,' he said. For instance, for most of its length, metro line 7 runs parallel to the Western Express Highway. When passengers exit the metro stations, they emerge on the highway where moving traffic makes it impossible for auto rickshaws to halt for long. Even bus stops are not located close to the metro stations. 'There is little thought put into how people will get to the metro station or leave it,' said transportation analyst Sudhir Badami. Back in 2008, the state government had formed the Unified Mumbai Metropolitan Transport Authority to bring all modes of public transport under one umbrella. But Shenoy said the chaos outside metro stations showed that the authority had failed to do its job. A former official of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, which operates metro lines 2A and 7, claimed that the agency had actually attempted to ensure that it was integrated with other modes of transport. 'For some stations, we tried to create a space for buses to stop and autos to ply,' he said, requesting anonymity since he was no longer authorised to speak to the media. But for the efforts to succeed, he said, 'BEST has to ensure they create [bus] stops near metro stations and auto-unions must create a service of share-autos from there.' The MMRDA is now working on connecting some of its metro stations to local railway stations. Metro users, however, point out that the problem isn't limited to the lack of last-mile connectivity. Exiting metro stations itself can be a hazard – there is no safe pedestrian space outside. A survey by the Walking Project, a citizen initiative in Mumbai, found that at least four metro stations on line 2A had no footpath at the exits. 'Lack of holistic planning forces ridership to the lower side,' said Walking Project's programme manager Vedant Mhatre. 'London has much wider footpath access to stations.' Steep cost The Mumbai metro network has been under construction for over a decade. The first metro line connecting Versova and Ghatkopar in the western suburbs was inaugurated in 2014. The per kilometre cost of building it was Rs 206 crore in 2012, according to data from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. By the time the MMRDA began building metro line 7 and 2A, the cost had escalated to Rs 359 crore per kilometre. 'At one-tenth the cost, buses would have ferried the same number of people,' said transport expert Badami, who has been advocating a bus rapid transport system as the solution for Mumbai's traffic woes. Eighty-two percent of Mumbai's population lives within 5 km of their workplace, according to a 2008 survey by the Mumbai Urban Transport Project. 'That leaves 18% who would ride a metro for long-distance travel,' Badami said. However, he noted that 'with 50% of the population residing in slums, not everyone can afford metro fare'. It costs Rs 10 to travel 40 km by local trains. On the metro, the cost is Rs 80 for the same distance. Transport expert Shenoy questioned the utility of the Mumbai metro in its current form. It is too expensive for Mumbai's working class, he said, who continue to take the local trains. And those who can afford the metro are unlikely to use it because of the lack of convenience. 'Why would they walk so much?' he asked. The Maharashtra government plans to eventually build 14 metro lines over 337 km with 225 stations in the Mumbai metropolitan region. Many believe this ambition is not matched by action. 'The metro is not being built for how people would like to use it,' said urban activist Zoru Bhathena. 'It is being built for the sake of it.'
News18
28-07-2025
- Business
- News18
Old Metro Cards Out, Singara Chennai Card In: All You Need To Know
Last Updated: From 1 August, Chennai Metro commuters must upgrade to the new NCMC-based Singara Chennai Card as top-ups for old cards come to a stop. Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has announced that commuters will no longer be able to recharge their old metro smart cards starting 1 August 2025. Instead, the Singara Chennai Card—based on the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) system—will take full charge across all 41 metro stations. Still Have an Old Card? Here's What to Do Once the value drops below Rs 50, commuters must return the old card at any metro ticket counter. In return, they'll receive the Singara Chennai Card free of cost. The remaining balance and security deposit will be automatically transferred to the new card, as per Times Now News. What is the Singara Chennai Card? Launched in April 2023, this smart card is part of a larger national initiative by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It's designed to make travel easier by working across metros, buses, toll booths, and more—all with one card. It also promotes digital and eco-friendly travel by reducing the need for paper tickets. Is This the End of Paper Tickets? The move to the Singara Chennai Card supports eco-friendly commuting by cutting down paper use and encourages cashless, digital travel. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India.com
25-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
This stock hits upper circuit after contract win from Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation
सेफ इंवेस्टमेंट भी जरूरी Shares of Eraaya Lifespaces surged 2 percent upper circuit to hit upper circuit today, July 25, 2025. The stock has gained even as benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled around 0.75 per cent. The counter opened with a jump of 2 per cent to 50.67 on the BSE. The surge in the counter come as the company has informed exchanges that it has won Rs 140 crore order from Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). The counter has been gaining for the last two days and has risen by 3.88 per cent in the period. Technically, it trades Higher than the 5-day, 20-day and 50-day moving averages but lower than the 100-day and 200-day moving averages. Contract From MCRTC According to exchange filing, the company has received the contract for the statewide rollout of the National Common Mobility Card. '…secured a ₹140 crore contract with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) for the first statewide rollout of the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) for concessionaires in India,' the filing reads. Earlier to this, the company awarded a contract to supply and maintain 38,622 Android-based Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) integrated with an online reservation system. Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tumbled in early trade today, dragged down by Bajaj Finance and persistent foreign fund outflows. The 30-share BSE Sensex dropped 407.45 points to 81,776.72 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty declined 144.3 points to 24,917.80. From the Sensex firms, Bajaj Finance tanked nearly 6 per cent post its June quarter earnings announcement. Bajaj Finserv fell by over 4 per cent. Tata Steel, Hindustan Unilever, Mahindra & Mahindra, UltraTech Cement, Power Grid and Maruti were also among the laggards. However, Eternal, ICICI Bank, HCL Tech and State Bank of India were the gainers.
Mint
25-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Multibagger small-cap stock hits upper circuit despite stock market crash; here's why
Eraaya Lifespaces share price was locked in the 2% upper circuit for the second consecutive session on Friday, driven by strong buying interest. The small-cap stock rose 2% to ₹ 50.67 apiece on the BSE. The latest gains in Eraaya Lifespaces shares comes after the company announced that its Indian subsidiary Ebix Technologies has won ₹ 140 crore-order from MSRTC. Ebix Technologies (formerly known as EbixCash), has secured a ₹ 140 crore contract with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) for the first statewide rollout of the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) for concessionaires in India, Eraaya Lifespaces said in a release. The newly awarded NCMC program expands this partnership with a focus on smart, interoperable payments. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) spearheads this initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to enable passengers to use a single smartcard across multiple transport modes, creating a truly integrated mobility ecosystem, it added. Key highlights of the project include the mandatory adoption of the NCMC smartcard for all concessional passengers and pass holders on MSRTC buses. A minimum business assurance of 70 lakh NCMC cards sold in the first year alone, scaling to over 2 crore cards. It also includes facilities for card top-ups, use of advanced Aadhaar-based authentication APIs, and the expected transaction volumes exceeding ₹ 2,000 crore annually once fully operational. Ebix Technologies had earlier been awarded a contract on 30 November 2022 to supply and maintain 38,622 Android-based Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) integrated with an online reservation system. It has successfully facilitated the issuance of approximately 220 crore passenger tickets in the past two years. This network spans MSRTC's fleet of over 16,000 buses, serving more than 13 crore passengers monthly across urban and rural Maharashtra. Eraaya Lifespaces share price has gained 15% in one month and 8% in three months. The smallcap stock has declined 61% in six months and has dropped 56% on a year-to-date (YTD) basis. However, Eraaya Lifespaces share price has delivered multibagger returns of 3,890% in two years and a staggering 6,568% in five years. At 11:40 AM, Eraaya Lifespaces share price was still locked in at 2% upper circuit of ₹ 50.67 apiece on the BSE. Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
The Print
23-07-2025
- Business
- The Print
Ebix Tech secures Rs 140 crore contract from Maharashtra Transport Corp
In November 2022, the company was awarded a contract to supply and maintain 38,622 Android-based Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) integrated with an online reservation system. Once fully operational, the project is expected to clock transactional volumes to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore annually, boosting the entity's digital transaction ecosystem and passenger convenience, Ebix Technologies Limited, earlier known as EbixCash, said in a statement. Mumbai, Jul 22 (PTI) Ebix Technologies, Indian subsidiary of Eraaya Lifespaces, on Tuesday announced securing a Rs 140 crore contract from Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation for the first state-wide rollout of the National Common Mobility Card for concessionaires in India. This mandate has successfully facilitated the issuance of approximately 220 crore passenger tickets in the past two years, Ebix Technologies said, adding that this network spans MSRTC's fleet of over 16,000 buses, serving more than 13 crore passengers monthly across urban and rural Maharashtra. The newly-awarded National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) programme expands this partnership with a focus on smart and interoperable payments that will revolutionise how millions travel daily, it said. Spearheaded by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the initiative enables passengers to use a single smartcard across multiple transport modes, creating a truly integrated mobility ecosystem, Ebix said. 'With the NCMC rollout, we are not just introducing another payment method. We are fundamentally reimagining how citizens experience everyday travel across Maharashtra,' a company spokesperson said. The project includes mandatory adoption of the NCMC smartcard for all concessional passengers and pass holders on MSRTC buses, with optional availability for regular passengers, a minimum business assurance of 70 lakh NCMC cards to be sold in the first year alone, scaling to over 2 crore cards issued statewide through a network of 3,000 dedicated retail outlets established by Ebix Technologies, among others. PTI IAS BAL BAL This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
