Mumbai Metro 3: Over 2 lakh commuters used Aqua line in 10 days after launch
Among the ten stations on the route, Marol Naka witnessed the highest footfall at 39,887 passengers over nine days
Mumbai: Ridership on the Aqua line of Mumbai metro, also called Metro 3, has surpassed the 200,000-mark within 10 days of being thrown open to the public, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) officials said on Friday. The highest footfall was recorded at the Marol Naka station, which intersects with the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro 1 corridor, the officials added.
“We surpassed the figure of 2 lakh passengers a couple of days ago,” said an MMRCL official, noting that updated data was not yet available. Data released by MMRC showed that between October 7 and October 15, more than 198,000 passengers used the Aqua line to commute between Aarey and Bandra Kurla Complex. While the ridership on October 7 was 18,015, the daily average ridership over the first nine days was 22,043 passengers, the data showed.
Among the nearly 200,000 commuters who travelled on the Metro 3 corridor, 11,213 passengers used the MetroConnect3 mobile app to purchase tickets. Tickets can be booked via the app from any location in the city and commuters must undertake the journey within three hours.
Among the ten stations on the route, Marol Naka witnessed the highest footfall at 39,887 passengers over nine days, bringing the daily average to 4,432 passengers. The only other station that crossed the 30,000-mark as regards footfall was BKC, with 31,977 passengers and a daily average footfall of 3,553 passengers.
The Marol Naka station on the blue line or Metro 1 corridor also witnessed a spike in footfall during this period. Between October 7 and October 11, the daily average footfall at Marol Naka was 45,700, said MMOPL officials. The daily average was 10.12% higher than the footfall between September 30 and October 4, when 41,500 commuters travelled every day on the Metro 1 corridor.
“We have created extra space in the passage area, added security check points and fare collection gates and installed directional signages to guide commuters towards aqua line to accommodate the increased footfall,” said an MMOPL official.
Transport experts said that since Marol Naka was a changeover point, it was naturally used by more passengers after the launch of the aqua line. "Similar connectivity of multiple modes of public transport is required in the near future as well when other metro lines come up. Connectivity with the suburban railway network is also important,” said AV Shenoy, transport expert and member, Mumbai Mobility Forum.
Between October 7 and October 11, 502,500 commuters travelled on the Metro 1 corridor everyday. Likewise, between September 30 and October 4, there were 498,500 passengers who travelled daily on the VAG corridor. Sources in MMOPL said that during weekends, the daily footfall drops by more than 50%.
The first phase of Metro 3, the city’s first underground metro rail corridor, was opened to the public on October 7. It operates from 6.30am to 10.30pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 8.30am to 10.30pm on Sundays, with fares ranging ₹10-50.
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