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While there have been reports about Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating some of the infrastructure projects during his visit to Mumbai on October 4 which includes the much-awaited Metro 3, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) has maintained that it is gearing up for the operation of Phase-1 of the services between Aarey Colony-JVLR and Bandra Kurla Complex.
Statement Of MMRCL Managing Director, Ashwini Bhide
“We are in the process of undertaking statutory inspections by the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) and the inspection for rolling stock has already been completed. Post-CMRS inspection, the approval from the Government of India is in process. After receipt of this approval, CMRS will be invited for undertaking mainline inspection and if it approves the same, we will commence with the Phase 1 operations,” MMRCL Managing Director, Ashwini Bhide said.
When asked if the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Metro 3 operations on October 4, Bhide said, “I don’t think that the government has announced any date for commencing the operations. However, there is a likelihood of inauguration once we receive a final nod from CMRS.”
About Metro 3
Metro 3 is a 33.5-km-long underground corridor running along Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ. The length of the corridor is marked with 27 key stations out of which 26 will be underground and one at grade. There are multiple layers of clearances such as the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Independent Safety Assessor (ISA), and Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) in sequence.
MMRCL currently has 19 rakes in its fleet, which is sufficient to operate Phase 1 of the underground metro corridor. Once ready, 260 services will cater to an estimated 17 lakh passengers daily. MMRCL is also working on the multi-modal integration of stations, which will involve connectivity with other modes of public transport for the last mile, good footpaths outside the stations, seating arrangements, and foot-over bridges wherever needed.
Govt Of India Signs 5th & Final Tranche Loan Agreement With The Japanese International Cooperation Agency
Recently, the Government of India signed the fifth and final tranche loan agreement with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) marking a significant milestone in the funding of the project. As per the GoI approval dated February 29, 2024, the revised project cost of Mumbai Metro Line-3 is Rs 37,276 Crore, with 57.09% JICA loan amounting to Rs 21,280 Crore. The JICA loan agreement for Tranche V, amounting to 84 billion Japanese Yen (Rs 4657 Crore) completes the funding for the Metro Line 3 project. The first tranche was signed on September 17, 2013.
