Green flag for new Yellow-Red Metros
The city finally has two new Metro lines – Line 2A and 7 – that will cover 20-km stretch in less than 30 minutes. They were flagged off by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday evening, along with other state ministers and MMRDA Commissioner SVR Srinivas at Aarey station; they also took a ride till Kurar station and back.
While the stretch between Dhanukarwadi and Aarey (Phase 1) opened to the public from Saturday at 7.45 pm and was free for an hour, daily services will be operational from today between 6 am and 10 pm, every 11 minutes. The minimum fare is Rs 10 for 3 km. The ‘Make in India’ trains are equipped with a driverless system. However, these trains will be operated by motormen, said Srinivas.
The Chief Minister said it is a very special day for Mumbaikars. “I am a real Mumbaikar and have seen how the city has changed over the years. I also travelled in trams, trains, and now we are travelling in AC Metro.”
Hitting back at his political opponents over the state government taking credit for Metro work, the CM said, “They are claiming that Mumbai has seen their work. Yes, Mumbai has seen how they killed thousands of trees in one night at Aarey. We want development, but not by harming the environment. If they really bother about the city's development, why are they not giving land for a depot in Kanjurmarg? If a car shed comes up here, Metro can go up to Badlapur in MMR benefitting so many people.”
Minister Eknath Shinde said talking about who did what and taking credit really does not matter. “The first Metro line in Mumbai was inaugurated by Congress party’s Prithviraj Chavan,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar appealed to travellers to take care of the lines. “Keep the Metro and station premises clean, maintain hygiene. Don’t spit and litter and deface the premises. The way we maintain discipline while travelling in other international countries, similarly we should take care of our public transport services,” he said.