06 September,2024 07:43 PM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
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The Mumbai Metro One (Versova-Ghatkopar) authorities have announced an extension of its operational hours to facilitate commuters during the Ganeshotsav 2024 festive season.
The timings will be extended from September 7 to 17 keeping in mind the late-night festivities.
The last Mumbai Metro train from Versova will leave for Ghatkopar at 12.10 am instead of 11.20 pm. From Ghatkopar, the final Mumbai Metro train to Versova will leave at 12.40 am instead of 11.45 pm.
"This extension is in celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi and Anant Chaturthi, allowing passengers to enjoy pandal hopping and other festivities with ease. We look forward to serving you during this vibrant time of the year," the Mumbai Metro One stated in a press release.
Line had crossed 5-lakh ridership last month
The Mumbai Metro One service has witnessed high footfall since it became operational in 2014. Last month, Mumbai Metro One hit a new record by ferrying more than 5 lakh commuters on a single day when it ferried 5,00,385 commuters on August 13. "This is the first time ridership of Mumbai Metro One has crossed the milestone figure of 500,000 without the impact of external factors. In 2019, the ridership of Mumbai Metro One crossed 5 lakh since the BEST buses went on a nine-day strike," a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said that the weekday ridership of Mumbai Metro One in 2023 was in the range of 4 lakh to 4.5 lakh. Until July this year, the ridership increased to 4.5 lakh to 4.6 lakh.
"Since the beginning of August, the weekday ridership rose to around 4.85 lakh, and on August 13, it reached a new high of 5 lakh," she said.
"This improvement in ridership is an outcome of various sales & marketing initiatives by Mumbai Metro One. Mumbai Metro One adopted strategies like loyalty programs for metro commuters, corporate contact programs, society contact programs, retailer contact programs, rewards, and promoting digital payments to name a few. As a result of these efforts, Mumbai Metro One's weekday ridership has been able to reach this milestone of 500,000," she added.
Mumbai Metro One now operates 430 trips each day, with a service frequency of around 3.5 minutes during peak hours and 7 minutes during off-peak hours.
