NEWS N PICS – Metro in Mumbai

Maharashtra’s first Metro Rail was inaugurated with Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan showing a green flag to the maiden Mumbai Metro service amid cheers by a large crowd of onlookers here Sunday morning. The inauguration of the first rail corridor linking east-west Mumbai suburbs between Versova and Ghatkopar proceeded smoothly despite a bitter controversy over passenger fares. In order to attract and familiarise Mumbaikars with the Metro, the Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra) and Mumbai Metro One Pvt. Ltd. (MMOPL) have announced a month-long promotional fare of Rs.10 one-way. The first service for the public will start around noon Sunday. In a statement, RInfra announced a month-long one-way promotional fare of Rs.10 between any two stations on the 11.40-km long Metro Rail. The regular services will be operated daily from 5.30 a.m. and continue till midnight with a total of 16 rakes deployed on the line, serving the glamour and IT centres of Versova and the business and manufacturing areas of Ghatkopar at a whopping top speed of 80 kmph. Each coach of the colourful four-coach rakes has a capacity of around 375 commuters, with a total capacity of around 1,500 commuters per service. The Metro will be zooming above the city between the two points – Versova-Ghatkopar – with a total of 12 elevated stations en route.