The decision comes after Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) secured a Rs 2,771.32 crore debt restructuring agreement with the National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL). The financial support has allowed the company to move ahead with plans to purchase additional metro coaches.
Metro 1 is Mumbai’s first metro corridor and remains one of the busiest in the city. Around five lakh passengers travel on the route every day, with stations witnessing heavy crowds during morning and evening peak hours.
At present, only four-coach trains operate on the corridor, making it difficult to handle the growing number of passengers. The demand to increase the train length from four coaches to six has been pending for several years.
MMOPL had earlier planned to buy 32 additional coaches, but the proposal could not move forward because of financial difficulties. Efforts to secure funding from the state government also did not succeed.
With the latest financial relief, the company has now decided to go ahead with the purchase. Senior MMOPL officials said tenders for the 32 additional coaches will be invited soon.
Once the coaches are delivered, all 16 existing four-coach trains will be converted into six-coach trains. The upgraded trains will undergo testing before they begin commercial operations.
MMOPL has also decided to purchase one new six-coach train, taking the total number of six-coach trains on the Metro 1 corridor to 17.
The upgrade is expected to be the first major expansion of Metro 1’s train capacity in nearly 12 years and will help reduce overcrowding during peak travel hours.
read more at mumbaipune.co.in
