Chief minister Prithivraj Chavan, who had threatened to skip the launch, flagged of the service from Versova at 10.25am. He was accompanied by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani and his wife Tina.
The company that built it, Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), said, "Day one of operations surpassed our expectations. Till 10pm, 2.2 lakh commuters travelled by the Metro and it is estimated that by midnight the figure will touch around 2.4 lakh." Industry sources said revenue could cross Rs 2 crore.
The Metro is now the city's third rapid mass transport system after the suburban railway system and the monorail, which rolled out on February 2.
Even though Metro officials had announced that commercial operations would begin by 1pm, commuters began to flock to stations since early morning. An official said, "It began with a trickle and by afternoon had turned into a wave, whichthen got transformed into a tsunami."
The promotional fare of Rs 10 per ride, irrespective of destination, proved to be a major incentive for commuters.
An official said, "People preferred to travel from Versova to Ghatkopar and vice-versa. The crowd at these stations was huge, compared to other 10 intermediate stations."
The authorities had a tough time handling crowds and at 7pm, Versova station had to be shut for commuters for a few minutes due to an unexpected surge in wannabe commuters.
Chavan, who was peeved about the issue of fares, lauded the efforts of MMOPL and MMRDA officials. He said, "Metro 1 was the biggest challenge in a congested city like Mumbai. Though delayed, the dream of every Mumbaikar has come true."
"We did not disrupt a single suburban local train service (at Andheri) when we built the Metro over the railway tracks. The S-bend track en route is also a marvel in engineering. We did not compromise on passenger safety and launched the service only after getting security certificates from all, including the Metro rail safety commissioner and the railway ministry," he stated, adding that the state had given the go-ahead for similar metro services in Pune and Nagpur.
There was a festive atmosphere at stations as most passengers embarked on the journey with shouts of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' when the train pulled into stations. Many commuters were also seen clicking 'selfies'.
Anil Soni, a commuter said, "The metro will soon become the pride of the city. A city like Mumbai truly deserves a transportation of this quality and class." The thrill and excitement was palpable on the faces of commuters, who till now had to travel in congested, non-air-conditioned compartments of suburban trains.
Rajesh Kulkarni, a commuter, said, "The most popular bus route between Ghatkopar and Andheri station is 340. It has got a good frequency but travelling is a nightmare because of traffic snarls. The Metro will surely ring the death knell of this service, and it is unlikely to be mourned."
Sanjay Khatmode, who had come from Pune for his son's treatment, also took the Metro. "My son is being treated at Ambani Hospital in Versova. I needed to go to Ghatkopar for some work and someone happened to tell me about the service. I took the ride and I could not believe how fast I reached Ghatkopar. Thankfully, this journey was less time-consuming and helped me save money."
Nalini Chhadwa, who along with her husband Prakash who is physically challenged, took the Metro, said, "The ride was comfortable and easy. My husband did not have any problem and we made use of lifts, instead of the escalators, which others were taking. We purchased tokens instead of smart cards as we do not travel frequently."
The rakes had a good run for the first two to four trips, following which there was a drop in frequency after noon. Also, the rakes began running 20-30 minutes behind schedule, which affected services.
The first day was also marred by glitches too, which unsettled a few commuters. "We were in a packed coach and the services were running very slow. It waited at two stations for 5-10 minutes. It was frustrating," said Ramesh Bhatia, who travelled with his family from Versova to Ghatkopar.
Some trains took almost 45 minutes from Versova to Ghatkopar, against the scheduled 21 minutes. Another commuter said there was an announcement about a "technical problem", due to which services were delayed. "But they did not inform us about the nature of the problem. Is it a signal failure or breakdown of some other rake in front?" he asked. MMOPL officials denied there was any breakdown. "Trains are running slow because of over-crowding at stations," a senior official stated.
Three women—Rizwana (42), Sunita Rane (51) and Vaishali (60)—were injured in a minor accident. The medical superintendent of Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, Dr Vidya Thakur, said they missed a step on the escalator at Ghatkopar and sustained minor injuries. Rizwana complained of a backache and nausea, while Vaishali had a swelling on her hands. Rane sustained superficial injuries on her head, said the doctor. Though they are stable, they have been advised admission for observation.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Suburban railway system,rapid mass transport system,Mumbai metro,Monorail
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