Security personnel stand guard during the inauguration of the first phase of Mumbai Metro Line 9 from Dahisar East to Kashigaon, in Mumbai, on Tuesday, April 7. PTI
India’s top 5 largest Metro networks: Mumbai overtakes Bengaluru, moves to 2nd
Commercial operations on the first phases of Mumbai Metro corridors 9 and 2B began on Wednesday morning (April 8)
Mumbai Metro has achieved a major milestone with over 100 kilometres of operational lines, surpassing Bengaluru’s Namma Metro and jumping to second spot behind Delhi in the largest network list in India.
Commercial operations on the first phases of Mumbai Metro corridors 9 and 2B began on Wednesday morning (April 8), a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the mass-transit routes, officials said.
Mumbai Metro's new lines
While the Metro 9 marks the first direct connectivity between a suburb in Mumbai and a part of Thane city in the metropolitan region, the Line 2B will provide the first metro connectivity on the Harbour Line in Mumbai.
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The 5.6-km elevated Phase 1 stretch of Metro Line 9 comprises four stations -- Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. The 5.53-km Phase 1 of Metro Line 2B has five stations, including Deshbhakt N G Acharya Udyan (Diamond Garden), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, Deonar, Mankhurd and Maharashtra Nagar-Mandale.
According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Line 9 is expected to cut travel time between Mira-Bhayandar in Thane district and Mumbai to around 30 minutes from the current one to two hours. Built at Rs 6,607 crore, it will eventually provide seamless connectivity to south Mumbai through interlinking with other lines.
With the addition of the two new lines, Mumbai’s operational Metro network has expanded to six corridors, including Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Line 2A (Andheri West-Dahisar East), Line 7 (Dahisar East-Andheri East) and the underground Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra Kurla Complex-SEEPZ).
Here are India’s top 5 Metro networks
1. Delhi Metro: 416 kms with 303 stations, crossing into Uttar Pradesh and Haryana states
2. Mumbai Metro: 101.33 kms with 69 stations
3: Bengaluru Metro (Namma Metro): 96.1 kms with 89 stations
4. Kolkata Metro: 73.4 kms with 58 stations
5. Hyderabad Metro: 69.2 kms with 57 stations