Navi Mumbai Metro an instant hit

A woman holds up her baby for the view from Navi Mumbai’s first metro train on Friday. Pic/CIDCO

Launched after five months of being ready for operation, Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1 received a warm response from local residents. The services saw a good number of passengers and officials are confident that numbers will rise as time goes by.

Navi Mumbai Metro was made operational unceremoniously on Friday afternoon. The services for the Metro line began at 3 pm. Trains took off simultaneously from both ends - the Belapur Terminal and Pendhar station - in the presence of officials from CIDCO, Mahametro and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. mid-day took a tour of the new line on the first day to take stock of the situation and ascertain if the services were running flawlessly.

"There were a good number of passengers during the first hour of operation, but the crowd reduced for the next couple of hours, only to swell again during peak hours," said staff at the Belapur Terminal. "Passenger numbers were good during peak hours," the staff added.

However, the first day witnessed a few technical glitches at the station. The entry coupons issued to passengers for access didn't work seamlessly. "Some access machines are facing issues. We allowed all passengers who bought coupons," said another staff member at the Metro station.

mid-day chose the even rush hours to check out the operations and passenger experiences. At 8 pm, a good crowd was observed with all the ticket counters at the Belapur Terminal having queues. The security personnel and platform staff were seen helping citizens access the newest transport system of the city.

Neha Joshi who stays near Kendriya Vihar said she would have to shell out R30 for an auto-rickshaw ride and it would still be difficult to get one to ply. "The metro fare is just Rs 10 cheaper, but the commute today feels so comfortable. I am happy that I won't have to hustle for autos now," she said.

According to Vikas Yadav, his commute from Kharghar to Taloja Phase-II was expensive and troublesome, taking at least 20 minutes each day just to find an auto-rickshaw. "Today it was a hassle-free travel experience for me. Navi Mumbai Metro will be a hit soon," he said.

Harish Gupta, managing director of Mahametro, said, "We have received a good response on Day 1. Yes, there are some glitches but these issues will be resolved as operations continue. The Metro witnessed a good response, especially during the rush hours." According to Gupta, the weekend is sure to see a rush of local residents wanting to experience the new service. "We will also track the usage on Monday morning to see how office goers respond," he added.

3 PM
Time Metro services were flagged off on Friday