Mumbai Metro-3 will give commuters comfortable rail journey in AC coaches, MMRCL tells HC

The Mumbai Metro-3 is expected to serve 16 lakh commuters daily, making it necessary, said the MMRCL

The Metro-3 will give commuters a convenient, comfortable and affordable journey in air-conditioned coaches, without requiring them to spend considerable time in the ‘exasperating’ traffic, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) said in an affidavit filed before the Bombay high court.

The Metro-3 is a 33.5-km-long completely underground corridor on the Colaba–Bandra–SEEPZ route, with 27 stations. (HT File)

Escalators, automatic doors and secured platforms will keep Mumbaiites, especially senior citizens, women, children and patients, safe, adds the affidavit.

The Metro-3 is a 33.5-km-long completely underground corridor on the Colaba–Bandra–SEEPZ route, with 27 stations. It is expected to serve 16 lakh commuters daily. It will have five inter-change points linking the Metro line to the suburban railway network and one each connecting it to the monorail and the Metro-1, which links Versova and Ghatkopar

The Metro-3 will connect financial hubs such as Worli, Lower Parel and the Bandra-Kurla Complex. It will also provide connectivity between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Churchgate railway station, said the affidavit, while highlighting why such a line was necessary.

The affidavit was filed in response to a petition filed by advocate Robin Jaisinghani, who complained that the work on the Metro line was being carried out in violation of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, and the high court’s August 2016 judgment, which held that no noise-emitting equipment can be used in residential areas between 10pm and 6am.

Acting on his plea, a bench of chief justice Manjula Chellur and justice Nitin Jamdar restrained the MMRCL from carrying out any construction work at night.

The MMRCL urged the high court to vacate the stay on construction at night, saying the project involves large sums of public money — Rs23,136 crore — and thus needs to be executed on time and put to use so as to enable effective repayment of the loan taken to construct it. “Each day’s delay will lead to a loss of Rs4.5 crore,” said the affidavit.