Mumbaikars welcomed the much-awaited two new lines to its metro system, Line 2A and Line 7 on Thursday, January 19, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off its services for public use.
Over the weekend, the city saw a massive influx of passengers, with a total of 2.63 lakhs people travelling through the new lines. However, this was just the beginning, as Monday, January 23, marked the first working day since the metro's opening and saw an even greater number of passengers.
According to officials, on Monday alone, 1.37 lakh people had travelled through the new lines by 10 pm, surpassing the number of people who had travelled on the previous two days, Saturday and Sunday, with 1.29 and 1.33 lakh passengers respectively.
Even on the first day of operation, Friday, January 20, a total of 84,929 passengers boarded the metro from the new lines.
A passenger shared his experience, saying, "With the new metro lines it has become easy for a traveler to switch from one line to another, adding about the emphasis on the importance of such connections, the passenger went on to say, "Such connections should be made in the forthcoming metro projects."
While the metro has been seen as a success by many, some passengers have expressed their concerns over the naming of certain stations. Mid Day reported that there was confusion among the naming series of the stations, with some passengers suggesting that instead of "Lower Oshiwara" and "Oshiwara" stations, the station should have simply been called "Adarsh Nagar".
Despite these minor issues, the metro has received an overwhelming response from commuters, with many hailing it as a "lifesaver".
Took a ride on the first day after Inauguration by @narendramodi of #MumbaiMetro line 2A and 7.
— k (@pkalp01) January 20, 2023
The overall experience is pretty pleasent. Everyone around in coach was feeling proud. Heard people talk "never expected this in india", "last i saw platform screen doors in London". pic.twitter.com/cFBTzplGo8
#MumbaiMetro 😍⭐️@MMRDAOfficial @AndheriLOCA #Gratitude for finally getting some world-class infrastructure in my city! 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/fMajTjtEu6
— Jyoti Kapur Das 🇮🇳 (@jkd18) January 22, 2023
Traveled today by #MumbaiMetro redline 7 from Dahisar East to Gundavali in around 25 mins, good experience. Thanks @MMRDAOfficial @Dev_Fadnavis @mieknathshinde @AshwiniBhide pic.twitter.com/Dq5eALO0CY
— Harshad Wadivkar (@harshad83) January 24, 2023
One passenger even took to Twitter to express their joy at being able to cover a distance of 20 minutes for just INR 20, a journey that would have otherwise taken them 1.5 hours and cost anywhere between INR 200 to 250.
In a video shared by a Twitter user, a passenger was even seen travelling with his bicycle on the metro, as they have also made provision for the separate cycle docking system installed in coaches to aid bicycle riders.
To further ease the process for commuters, a new card named "Mumbai Common Transport Card" has also been issued by Maha Mumbai Metro. The card will be free and will allow a minimum balance of INR 100 and a maximum balance of INR 2,000.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has announced plans to directly connect crowded workplace areas, housing areas, and shopping centers to the metro. This new initiative will allow for easier and more convenient access to the metro for residents and workers in these areas.
The first of these facilities will be constructed at Oberoi Mall and NESCO Goregaon, with launch plans for the project currently being completed by authorities. To facilitate this new connection, the metro stations will be linked to these facilities via skywalks and travelators, providing an efficient and comfortable way for commuters to access the metro.
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