Longer trains soon to deal with Metro 1 crowds

Eleven years after its launch, Mumbai’s first metro corridor (Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar) could soon see longer trains, which would bring much-needed relief to hundreds of thousands of commuters who frequently experience excess crowding on the route during peak hours.

On a day when overcrowding was reported at the Ghatkopar and Andheri metro stations due to a technical failure in one of the trains, Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) said it plans to procure additional coaches. The length of its trains could increase from four cars to six cars if the proposal is approved, officials said.

“As a long-term solution, we have submitted a plan to our lenders— National Asset Reconstruction Construction Company Limited (NARCL) through India Debt Resolution Company Limited (IDRCL)—for the procurement of additional coaches,” said a statement from MMOPL.

MMOPL currently has 16 rakes of four cars each, which ferry an average of 500,000 daily passengers on the 11-km corridor connecting the eastern and western suburbs. During peak hours, it operates 36 trips with a service frequency of 3 minutes and 20 seconds and a carrying capacity of around 65,000. Each trip ferries 1,800 passengers during peak hours and around 1,500 during off-peak hours. Commuters have been demanding an increase in the number of coaches per rake from four to six due to overcrowding, but this hasn’t fructified so far.

On Monday morning, there was crowding at Metro 1 stations after the authorities withdrew a train that was unable to achieve the target speed, resulting in “slightly delayed” services, said an MMOPL official. Whenever there is a disruption in service, trips get cancelled, and the carrying capacity reduces.

“On July 7, due to the cancellation of a trip, around 500 additional commuters accumulated at Ghatkopar and this backlog continued for around 45 minutes, which resulted in commuters waiting to enter metro premises,” said the official.

Apart from proposing to increase the number of coaches, MMOPL is also contemplating restarting mixed-loop services—alternate short-loop services during peak hours between Ghatkopar and Andheri, which caters to 88% of Metro 1’s total commuters. After beginning such mixed-loop operations in April, they were withdrawn on June 16 after the authorities noticed a drop in footfall at the Versova, DN Nagar, and Azad Nagar metro stations.

“Mixed-loop service operations resulted in a reduced frequency for 12% of commuters who travel from Versova, DN Nagar and Azad Nagar. Though mixed-loop services were discontinued, Metro 1 optimised service efficiency by running additional trips, totalling 452 trips. Efforts are on to optimise operations further by improving speed, resulting in improved headway,” said the official.

REFERENCE: HINDUSTAN TIMES