Two rakes added to Metro Line 2A, 7 fleet

Mumbai Metro has added two new trains to its fleet for Lines 2A and 7. The new additions will enable the authorities to increase services by up to 10 per day, depending on demand, which has dipped slightly due to the summer holidays. The company currently operates 253 services daily and can accommodate up to 34 trains. The Charkop depot is capable of holding 22 rakes, with sidings at metro stations used to park the trains overnight.

Mumbai: Two new metro rakes were added to the fleet of Mumbai Metro Lines 2A (Andheri-Dahisar) and 7 (Gundavali-Dahisar East) earlier last week.

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These two trains were inducted into the system at Charkop depot. Chairman and managing director of the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Ltd (MMMOCL) and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) commissioner SVR Srinivas inspected the rakes.

The two rakes are likely to allow the authorities to further increase the number of services on these Metro lines. Sources said that if things go as planned, they can add 8 to 10 services. However, for that they will analyse the daily passenger demand, which at present has either remained stagnant or has gone down slightly due to the summer vacations.

“We are reviewing if the two metro rakes are meeting the necessary compliances. It will create scope to add more services in future,” a MMMOCL senior official said.

Currently, the authorities have commissioned 28 metro rakes of the fleet of 31, which complete 253 services daily. Each rake provides 12 services each day on average. Senior officials from the MMMOCL said that the Charkop depot can accommodate 22 rakes plus the sidings along the route next to the metro stations are also used to park the trains at night. The maximum the depot and sidings can accommodate is 34 metro rakes.

Moreover, the authorities will be monitoring how the monsoon pans out and analyse the demand that will emerge on Metro-7 and 2A lines.

The MMMOCL expects that the people will opt for the metro during rains. If the demand spikes upwards, they will think of adding more services.

On May 1, the MMMOCL had added eight more services, taking the total to 253 services. During peak hours, metro services are available every 7.28 minutes. During non-peak hours, the frequency will, however, remain at 10.25 minutes as headway between two metro services.

As part of pre-monsoon schedule, the MMRDA authorities inspected the Charkop depot, metro rakes, its technical specifications like wheels, wipers, door opening/closing, plugging leakages if any, other systems and mechanical works etc. Works of three more foot over bridges (FOBs) on the Western Express Highway will be completed by May 31.