MMRDA to launch operations of Mumbai Metro Line 2A and 7 in January 2022

Mumbai, India (Urban Transport News): The hope of Mumbaikers to ride on new upcoming Metro lines 2A and 7 of Mumbai Metro in 2021 will not be fulfilled as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has postponed its plan to launch these lines for the public from October 2021 to January 2022.

On May 31, 2021, MMRDA had commenced the trial run on a 20-km stretch of Mumbai Metro's Line 2A & 7 between Dahanukarwadi and Aarey stations, which run along the Link Road and Western Express Highway in the Western suburbs of Mumbai. The trial run was commenced in presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackrey who had flagged off the trial run of the metro train and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat.

“A team from Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO, Lucknow; functions as technical adviser and consultant to the railways) will begin inspections next week. The commissioner of railway safety (CRS) can begin his inspection of line 7 in October," said SVR Srinivas, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA updating the progress of metro projects.

He said that MMRDA will begin commercial operations on both corridors with 10 trains, of which two have arrived.

Earlier, MMRDA had set a deadline of December 2019 to commence operations of metro trains on Line 2A and Line 7 but the Covid-19 pandemic caused major delays and work came to a standstill due to the migrant exodus.

Mumbai is currently served by a single 11.4-km metro line (Mumbai Metro 1) which connects Versova to Ghatkopar via Andheri since June 2014. Since then no new lines and sections of the metro rail project are opened for the public.

The 18.6 km Mumbai Metro Line 2A will connect Dahisar to DN Nagar with 17 elevated stations which are being constructed at a cost of Rs 6,400 crores while Line 7 (16.5 km) will connect Dahisar (East) to Andheri with 13 elevated metro stations, being constructed at a cost of Rs 6,200 crore.

For more details, please explore the Mumbai Metro page of Urban Transport News.