The Mumbai Metro Line-3 and the car shed in Aarey forest would get commissioned by next year.
Metro-3 will cater to 17 lakh passengers daily with a frequency of 3 to 4 minutes, ferrying approximately 2,500 passengers at once.
Overall, 76.6 per cent of the Mumbai Metro Line-3, also known as the Bandra-Colaba-SEEPZ Line, which is the first and only underground metro network in Mumbai, has been completed, according to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL).
The total cost of the project is expected to be around Rs 38,000 crore.
The first phase between Aarey Milk Colony and Bandra-Kurla Complex of the Mumbai Metro Line-3 and the Aarey car shed would be functional by December 2023, according to S K Gupta, Director (Projects), MMRCL.
“The first phase of the project between Aarey Colony and BKC would be operational by December 2023. The Aarey car shed would also be operational by then. The stations in the stretch including Aarey Colony station would be ready by December next year,” Gupta told reporters at the MIDC Metro Station at Andheri on Friday. "The second phase between BKC and Colaba would take another six months and would be completed by mid-2024," he added.
“The trial runs of rolling stock is also under way,” he said, adding that the construction work of Metro-3 started in October 2016 and is now in final stages of completion.
The tunnelling started in November 2017 - and for the first time, 17 tunnel boring machines (TBMs) worked simultaneously for an underground metro project.
The total length is 33.5 km (fully underground) with 27 stations (26 underground plus 1 at grade).
This will ensure a commute from Colaba to SEEPZ within one hour - and would run on the North-South and South-North direction like the suburban networks of Central Railway and Western Railway, allowing connectivity to 6 major business and employment centers including Nariman Point, Cuffe Parade, Fort, Lower Parel, BKC and SEEPZ/MIDC.
It will result in an easy access to over 30 educational institutes, 13 hospitals, 14 religious places and over 30 recreational facilities. “It will provide connectivity to the areas not connected with suburban rail like Kalbadevi, Girgaum, Worli and the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport,” officials said.
It will integrate with other Metros, Monorail, Suburban Rail and ST Bus Services and will also reduce congestion on suburban railways by 15 per cent.
First breakthrough of TBM was achieved in September 2018. The first twin tunnel breakthrough of line-3 and 3rd in the country was achieved in January 2019.
Total 3-km (Up and Downline) tunnelling from BKC to Dharavi which was beneath Mithi river has been successfully accomplished by 2 TBMs. This was the second time in the country when tunnelling under the waterbody was successfully achieved.
“The Mumbai Metro Line-3 trains having eight metro cars will cater to increased ridership requirements from the beginning. Around 75 per cent of motorisation will help to improve the trains running performance,” MMRCL officials said.
The planned speed of 95 km/ph and an actual operating speed of 85 km/ph will reduce the overall travel time of passengers.