City’s first metro line crosses 5 lakh passengers

MUMBAI: It took a decade for Mumbai’s first metro rail line to up its daily footfall to over 500,000 passengers. On August 13, Mumbai Metro One carried 5,00,385 commuters on its Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor, also called the Blue Line.
Sources said that the most people boarded and alighted at Andheri, Ghatkopar, Saki Naka and Western Express Highway stations where the Blue Line meets suburban trains, Metro 7, 2A, and also connects commercial and office spaces.
“This is the first time that ridership has crossed the milestone figure of 500,000 without the impact of external factors,” said an official from Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL). “This has happened once before but that was when BEST buses went on strike for nine days in January 2019.”
The weekday ridership on the Blue Line in 2023 was in the range of 4 lakh to 4.50 lakh. From January to July, it stood at 4.50 lakh to 4.60 lakh. At the beginning of August 2024, it went up to around 4.85 lakh and reached 5,00,385 on August 13.
Authorities said that the increased footfall was not just because of connectivity with other modes of public transport but also initiatives like loyalty programmes for commuters and corporates, rewards and the promotion of digital payments. “We have made a few improvements like creating additional ticket counters, security checkpoints and installing additional AFC access points as well as upgrading existing gates with new scanners and readers,” said an MMOPL spokesperson.
Over the past few weeks, MMOPL has added one more escalator at Saki Naka metro station, and shortened the link to Andheri and Ghatkopar railway stations via new FOB connections and seamless connections with new metro lines 2A & 7. Mumbai Metro One currently runs 430 trips on weekdays with a service frequency of around 3.5 minutes during peak hours and seven minutes during off-peak hours.
“We are extremely happy to reach the milestone of 500,000 commuters a day,” said an MMOPL official. “We appreciate the overwhelming affection of Mumbaikars, who helped us become a lifeline in the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor. With tremendous focus on operational efficiency, technological innovation and customer centricity, Mumbai Metro One has transformed the way the city commutes.”