In November, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) plans to begin testing the first section of Metro Line 3 between Aarey and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).
This comes after the authorities successfully completed the first long-distance testing, which covered 17 km from MIDC to Vidyanagari Metro station and back to SEEPZ.
Earlier in August 2022, the MMRC performed a 3-kilometre short-distance trial of the first prototype rake from Sariput Nagar in Aarey with Marol Naka.
The Metro-3 corridor, which runs along Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ for 33.5 km, is Mumbai’s first underground metro route. With 26 subterranean and one at-grade station, it will connect the Cuffe Parade commercial sector in the city’s extreme south to SEEPZ in the city’s north-central.
“Track laying on a short portion”, according to MMRC “authorities, is yet incomplete. Following that, overhead electrical lines will be energised in both directions, allowing for trial runs of the whole Phase 1 between Aarey and BKC stations, according to Indian Express.”
The next step will be to contact the Metro Railway Safety Commissioner (CMRS). The CMRS examines operational safety, traction and power supply, signalling systems, viaducts, tracks and curves, passenger amenities at metro stations, firefighting systems, passenger information systems, and other systems. Once the CMRS gets safety approval, commercial operations can proceed.
MMRCL had intended to begin Phase 1 operations in December of the current year. However, with a planned trial run in November, Phase 1 activities will now be postponed until next year.
The second phase, which was supposed to start approximately six months of Phase 1 operations, possibly in May 2024, will also be postponed.
“The Metro-3 Line trains will have a capacity of 3,000 passengers per train and are planned for peak hour peak direction traffic (PHPDT) of 72,000 people. The trains are equipped with a communication-based train control (CBTC) signalling system that allows for driverless train operations. The Metro-3 corridor, which runs along Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ for 33.5 km, is Mumbai’s first underground metro route, a report mentioned.
For driverless train operations, these trains have a communication-based train control (CBTC) signalling system. The Metro-3 corridor, which runs for 33.5 kilometres in the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ axis, is Mumbai’s first underground metro corridor.
The MMRC also intends to start the services with drivers on board and has applied for approval from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS). Once CMRS permission for commissioning with drivers is achieved, preparation for autonomous operations will begin. At least six months of trials would be required to obtain CMRS permission to conduct driverless operations. As previously stated by managing director Ashiwini Bhide to the Indian Express in an earlier report, they would be completed concurrently after commissioning.