Commuters express excitement, look forward to shorter travel time
Garlanded access gates to mark the first day of services on the line
Offically opened to the public at 11 am on Monday, the new underground metro saw enthusiastic passengers taking their inaugural rides. Many expressed their excitement about the line, highlighting its potential to save them both time and money.
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Among the first passengers to buy a ticket at Aarey metro station was Soumya Gupta, who said, “I arrived at 9.30 am and waited outside the ticket window because I wanted to be one of the first to purchase a ticket. It’s a historic day—our wait is finally over, and Mumbai’s first underground metro line is now open to the public.”
IIT student Avyukth Radhakrishnan said, “Metro line 3 will greatly shorten travel times for Mumbaikars travelling between SEEPZ and BKC. Once the entire line is operational, we anticipate an increase in ridership as it links the western suburbs with South Mumbai.”
Commuters are all smiles on their way to BKC. Pics/Nimesh Dave
Powai resident Amol Sable arrived with his one-year-old daughter, Aryadhya, eager to experience the underground metro train he had been anticipating for a long time. In an interview with mid-day, Sable expressed his happiness and urged the authorities to expedite the completion of the remaining phases of the underground metro.
Commuter Pravin PVS said, “Metro line 3 will definitely be a game changer for daily commuters travelling from Powai and SEEPZ to BKC, as road travel can take a lot of time. This underground metro line will provide a quick and convenient option.”
On Monday, a mid-day correspondent and photographer boarded the first train departing from Aarey. Throughout the journey, we found excellent network connectivity both in the underground stations and while the train was moving, with just a couple of carriers experiencing outages.
The stations and escalators at Aarey station were functioning smoothly. Upon arriving at BKC, we observed that some commuters encountered difficulties exiting due to the station's size and multiple entry and exit points. However, one commuter noted that these challenges would likely be resolved as people become more accustomed to the travel process. Additionally, maps and information about entry and exit points were clearly displayed.
Kaushal Dubey, a regular public transport user, shared his experience: “On Monday at 10.30 am, I attempted to book a ticket for Metro 3 from Aarey to BKC using the mobile app, but I encountered a technical issue that prevented me from completing the transaction. I ended up waiting five to six minutes to finally book the ticket. There should be a single mobile app for booking tickets across all metro lines in Mumbai.”
Evening peak hours
The crowds at Aqua Line started gathering after 6 pm from BKC with commuters getting in at all stations and at Marol Naka, most of the passengers had exited the station to join Line 1.
"There were significant crowds at Marol station interchange as expected in the evening. Tomorrow will be a challenging day as operations go full-fledged," an official said.
"The train gives us access to Line 1 fastest from BKC. We had been waiting for a long time for this train," office-goer Ravinder Pakhija, who works at BKC, said.
"It is sad that a monthly pass is not available. Had come to buy one today, but I was told it would be available later," Srigun Patel, another commuter said.
Metro Blue Line 1 officials said they had been working on creating additional facilities within the given limitations at Techno Marol Naka station to cater to the increased load.
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