Metro One or blue line, the city's first Metro started between Versova and Ghatkopar, completes 10 years in service today (June 8). Rolled out in 2014, the 11.4-km corridor has, so far, carried 970 million commuters, with more than 99% punctuality. Currently, Metro One carries around 4.5 lakhs commuters on weekdays by operating 418 trips daily, with service frequency at approx three-and-a-half minutes during peak hours and seven minutes during off-peak hours.
Entering the mass rapid transit system (MRTS) space, largely managed by public sector units, line 1, India’s first public private partnership Metro project, has many pan-India firsts to its credit. Not to mention, first Metro to launch mobile QR ticketing in November 17, 2017, first line with solar roofs, first MRTS to launch loyalty programme in 2018, first to offer unlimited trip pass in 2020 and first roll out WhatsApp e-ticket in 2022.
As it made the commute seamless, Metro One soon became the preferred mode of transportation of Mumbaikars, which is evident from the remarkable ridership. Come rain or shine, the line has delivered 11 lakh trips, so far. In the past decade, 16 trains of Metro One have run nearly 12.6 crore km; around 7.9 lakh km per train. Mid-way, it also made several improvements such as building additional ticket counters, security checkpoints and installing 32 automatic fare collection access points at several stations. Gradually, Metro one saw the addition of one more escalator at the busy Saki Naka station, shortening the link to Andheri and Ghatkopar stations via new footover bridges and linkages with new lines 2A and 7.
Shyam Jha, a resident of Thane who works in Andheri, said that since the Metro services started, his daily commute has become easy. “Imagine starting from Thane, changing the local train at Dadar to go to Andheri and repeating the same vice-versa in the evening. It was a time and energy consuming affair, with the huge crowd further adding to the woes.” With Metro, life has become very easy and less stressful. Thanks to Metro One for starting the service, said Jha, while congratulating the service for completing 10 years. “Metro One has made my daily commute much faster and more comfortable. I am glad to see it completing 10 years of service,” said a Malad resident.
Operated by Mumbai Metro One Private Ltd (MMOPL), the Metro One's journey has been rewarding as it has won several accolades. Some recent recognitions include the 'Best Passenger Services and Satisfaction Award' from the Government of India in 2021, the 'Golden Peacock National Training Award' in 2022 and ISO 9001:2015 certification in 2023, among others. Expressing gratitude towards “the overwhelming affection provided by Mumbaikars”, Metro One said, “We are extremely happy to reach the milestone of providing a delightful customer experience to 970 million commuters in the last 10 years of our journey.”
