The inauguration of Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1, which stretches over approximately 11.1 kilometers and links Belapur to Pendhar, is expected to take place on October 15 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to City and Industrial Development Corporation CIDCO, The Indian Express reported.
The 11.1-kilometre of metro line has been given a clearance certificate from the Commission of Railway Safety (CMRS), making it ready for operations. There are 11 stations lying on the line – Belapur, Sector-7 Bela-pur, Science Park, Utsav Chowk, Sector 11 Kharghar, Sector 14 Kharghar, Central Park, Petha-pada, Sector 34 Kharghar, Panch-nand, and Pendhar Terminal. The line’s maintenance depot is at Taloja and has two traction substations at Panchanand and Kharghar.
Project’s delay
This project has faced several challenges along the way. The issues include a lack of experts, legal and technical obstacles,and funding challenges, among other things. The elevated Navi Mumbai metro has been in the works for 12 years. This was infact the first metro line which was planned for the city.
CIDCO received a financial line of credit from ICICI Bank to fund the project of Rs 500 crore. In order to meet the challenges posed by financial constraints, CIDCO has allocated dedicated land for the Navi Mumbai Metro project in the 2022-23 budget.
Fare details
CIDCO is in charge of the Navi Mumbai Metro project. It has appointed Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MahaMetro) to run services on Line 1 of the project, for a period of 10 years costing them Rs 500 crore.
The fares on the Navi Mumbai line will be between Rs 10 and 40. A ride up to two kilometres will cost the commuters Rs 10, while above 10 kilometres the journey will cost Rs 40 for one side. The metro fare is fixed in 2021 by CIDCO and will be operated by MahaMetro.
Other Metro Lines in Mumbai
The Mumbai Metro Line One, led by Reliance Infra by MMRDA under Public Private Partnership, took off in June 2014 and opened to the public.
Metro Lines 2A and 7, spanning 35 kilometers and connecting Dahisar to Andheri along the Western Express Highway and Link Road, were made accessible to the public in 2023. Furthermore, Line 6, Line 4, and the underground Metro Line 3 are expected to be partially operational by the end of this year, with full operation anticipated by the following year.