Mumbai (Metro Rail News): On July 4, 2024, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) extended the trial operations on Mumbai Metro’s Line 3, also known as the Aqua Line, to include the stretch from Dadar station to Siddhivinayak station.
For the trials, the MMRC deployed an 8-coach metro train manufactured by Alstom. The train ran at a low speed of 10 km/h up to Siddhivinayak station. The distance between Dadar station and Siddhivinayak station is 1.1 km, while the distance to BKC station is 5.4 km.
Objective of Trial Run
The main aim behind the trial run was to check for Schedule of Dimensions (SoD) clearances. It is done to ensure that the train interacts with the civil structure and there are no physical barriers along the route.
Construction Details
Continental Engineering Corp – ITD Cementation – Tata Projects consortium constructed the twin tunnels for this section under the package UGC-04 which runs 6.08 km connecting Dharavi to Worli.
In October 2020, TBM S-1074 (Krishna 2) (Krishna 1) completed tunnelling for the 1106 m up-line tunnel, and its trials are yet to be started. In December 2020, Herrenknecht TBM-1073 completed its tunneling for 1126 m down line, running from Siddhivinayak to Dadar.
Delayed Construction of Mumbai’s Line 3
Mumbai’s Line 3 is lagging behind schedule, given that other Indian metro projects typically take about two years to complete system installation, station architectural finishing, and testing after the final tunnel breakthrough.
In contrast, the Uttar Pradesh Rail Metro Corporation (UPRMC) in Agra took only 2 months to start its commercial operations. Line 1’s priority Corridors’ final breakthrough was recorded on December 29, 2023, and the travel to passengers on the line opened on March 6, 2024.
Recent Updates About Mumbai Metro Line 3
In March 2024, Integrated train testing on Phase 1, running from Aarey Colony to Bandra Kurla Complex, with 10 stations, started. Also, the Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO) has just completed the Line 3 rolling stock testing.
All the stations of Phase 1 are left for architectural finishing work. Mock drills at all stations of Phase 1 are scheduled for the upcoming weeks so that MMRC can get the fire department’s NOC to start its operations.
