Mumbai Metro body plans to earn Rs 1,500 crore from non-fare revenue options

Mumbai: The Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL), the operation and maintenance body of Metro Rail, is planning to raise Rs 1,500 crore by giving out commercial rights of Metro 2A and 7 for the next 15 years.

Metro 2A has been constructed between Dahisar and D. N. Nagar has a length of 18.6 km and Metro 7 is between Andheri East and Dahisar East for a length of 16.5 km.

MMMOCL has been mandated with carrying out business of operation and maintenance related functions of all the metro lines in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), identify, plan and implement non-fare box revenue, maintain or lease out facilities related to metro rail systems.

“In order to ensure MMMOCL has already monetised non-fare revenue worth Rs 70 crores annually for the partially commissioned metro lines 2A and 7 in the financial year 2022-2023 and the remaining Rs 30 crores worth of deals are in the pipeline. MMMOCL plans to award a license period of upto 15 years across various revenue streams which will amount to a total of Rs 1,500 crores,” said a statement issued by MMMOCL spokesperson.

The non-fare revenues include those from retail, food & beverage, ATM space rentals, advertising rights on stations as well as trains, telecom tower rights, film or television or advertising shooting rights to production houses, station branding, optic fibre cable rights, pillar telecom and advertising rights, etc.

Overall, around 80,000 sq. ft. of commercial space at the 30 stations are available for rent. At Andheri West Metro Station alone, there is 17,500 sq. ft. available for lease. It will be leased out to a master concessionaire, who will in turn rent it out to companies having retail interest in conducting the business.

On the subject, S. V. R. Srinivas Chairman, Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation & Commissioner of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority said, “Maximizing revenue from non-fare sources helps keep fares in check, thereby making it affordable to more passengers; this encourages switch from private to public transport, which is required to decongest the city, reduce air pollution and make the city more liveable.”

Of these 30 metro stations, 18 were operationalized on April 2 this year, between Aarey or Goregaon East to Dahanukarwadi (Kandivali West). Authorities state that the balance of 12 stations and corridors will be made open to the public by December 2022.