MMRDA calls for new ideas to boost Metro connectivity

Maharashtra government has planned 13 metro corridors in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, of which six are under-construction in the city.

To improve last-mile access to Metro stations, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), along with the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Toyota Mobility Foundation, has launched the Station Access and Mobility Program (STAMP) – a technology driven challenge inviting innovative ideas for crowd management and connectivity.

With last-mile connectivity being a major issue in Mumbai, the aim is to look at ideas to integrate different modes of transport. The initiative will be facilitated by the Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (which operates the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor), Mumbai Traffic Police, Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation Limited, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Maharashtra State Innovation Society. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

The Maharashtra government has planned 13 metro corridors in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, of which six are under-construction in the city. With last-mile connectivity being a major issue in Mumbai, the aim is to look at ideas to integrate different modes of transport. The initiative will be facilitated by the Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (which operates the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor), Mumbai Traffic Police, Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation Limited, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Maharashtra State Innovation Society.

RA Rajeev, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, said, “We are encouraging young entrepreneurs and start-ups to develop models to ensure smooth, efficient and safe dispersal of commuters for first- and last-mile connectivity. The model can be replicated for different Metro corridors. The MMRDA will also facilitate data required to develop these models.”

This is the fourth edition of STAMP, which has earlier been undertaken in cities namely Bengaluru, Kochi and Hyderabad. The WRI is looking at two more cities in the future. Madhav Pai, director, WRI Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities, said, “The winner will be supported to implement the pilot project. In Bengaluru, we facilitated the pilot for electric scooter sharing in one station, which was later expanded to other stations.”

The WRI got 70 applications in Bengaluru, which included ideas like pre-booking parking sites and car-pooling solutions.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which is implementing the underground Metro-3, also launched a competition inviting ideas from students to plan station areas in March.