Mumbai Metro rolls out, over 1 lakh commuters take maiden ride

After a long wait, the first Metro service in the bustling metropolis was rolled out today with the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan flagging off the service even as over 1,00,000 passengers enjoyed the train ride within six hours of its operations.
"Mumbai Metro passes one lakh ridership within six hours of its first day operations," a Mumbai Metro One Pvt Limited (MMOPL) spokesperson said here.
During this period, it operated 14 services.
Earlier in the day, the services on the 11.4 km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar section, connecting western suburbs with eastern suburbs, were launched by Chavan along with ADAG Chairman Anil Ambani and his wife Tina Ambani at 10.10 AM.

State Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and local MPs Kirit Somaiya, Poonam Mahajan and Gajanan Kirtikar were also present at the launch.
With the launch, Mumbai becomes the fourth city in the country to have Metro rail operations, besides Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore.

The new mode of transport is expected to provide much-needed relief to the commuters in the bustling metropolis where the overburdened suburban railways ferries 70 lakh people every day.
The company said it will operate 200-250 services a day, carrying around 11 lakh passengers. Every coach can carry 375 passengers, while the entire train can transport 1,500 commuters.

The introduction of Metro services will revolutionise the commuting of Mumbaikars, Chavan said after the launch, which came after a delay of three-and-a-half years from the scheduled time.
"This project was conceptualised in 2006. It had faced several challenges during execution mainly because it is an elevated corridor. It definitely has taken time, but finally we have launched the services. This project is important for a populated city like Mumbai," he said.
The government has been insisting that all safety measures should be met and that there is no compromise on safety of passengers, Chavan said.