According to a post made on the central government’s community interaction platform MyGovIndia on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, Mumbai’s first underground Metro 3 or the Aqua Line line is anticipated to begin operations on July 24.
🚨 Mumbai’s first underground metro line, Metro-3 (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ) phase 1 is set to begin operations on July 24. pic.twitter.com/fs59irbwvW
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) July 17, 2024
Overview of the Aqua Line
The Aqua line (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ), Mumbai’s first subterranean metro line, is scheduled to open for service on July 24. It would revolutionize urban transportation, making it easier to navigate Mumbai’s streets and lessening traffic congestion along its 33.5 km route from Aarey Colony to Cuffe Parade with 27 stations, according to a post from MyGovIndia that included a brief video clip.
Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL), a joint venture established by the federal and state governments to carry out the Mumbai Metro Line-3 project, remained silent. Vinod Tawde, general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), posted the video footage on MyGovIndia and stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “had given a guarantee to make the life of Mumbaikars easier and this is going to be fulfilled.”
Government and Project Stakeholders’ Involvement
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, testing runs with metro rakes running up to 90 kmph are presently taking place. According to the source, Phase 1 work was likewise completed at the metro stations.
The fifth and final tranche of an official development aid (ODA) credit of Japanese yen 84,261 million, or Rs. 4,474 crore, for the Metro-3 line was extended earlier this month by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This funding is the result of recently concluded experiments conducted by Indian Railways’ Research, Design and Standards Organization wing. Speaking to Hindustan Times, JICA representatives stated that they are happy with MMRCL’s recovery and speedy project completion, adding that delays with such significant infrastructure projects in a metropolis like Mumbai are common.
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MMRCL presented BKC station to the Israeli Consul General on July 15. By December 2024, the second phase of this corridor on the BKC-Colaba route is anticipated to open. Metro-3’s revised cost has been reduced from Rs. 23,000 crore to Rs. 37, 275.50 crore.