Ridership increases on shorter routes of Mumbai Metro One

According to the MMOPL, commuter traffic on routes between Andheri and Western Express Highway is up by 48 per cent, followed by the route between Andheri and Azad Nagar, where it has increased by 45 per cent. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty/File) 

As the Mumbai Metro One nears four years of operation, it has witnessed a 13 per cent growth in ridership in the year 2017-18. During this period, there has also been a marked increase in ridership on shorter routes around Andheri station. According to the Mumbai Metro One Private Ltd (MMOPL), commuter traffic on routes between Andheri and Western Express Highway is up by 48 per cent, followed by the route between Andheri and Azad Nagar, where it has increased by 45 per cent. Incidentally, experts say, the increase in ridership on the two routes coincides with the increase in traffic congestion on both sides due to the construction of Metro corridors on Western Express Highway and Link Road.

“There has been an increase in traffic congestion on both roads and people now prefer to take the Metro than spend hours on the road. These distances can be covered on foot as well but there are no footpaths and the walking experience is horrible. On SV Road, work on a stormwater drain has been going on for the last eight months, pushing traffic onto one carriageway at the JP Road junction,” said Rishi Aggarwal, a transport expert.

According to data provided by MMOPL, ridership on shorter routes has also witnessed growth in the last year. The top four routes which have witnessed the maximum increase in ridership are within two stations from Andheri. “The last-mile connectivity to Andheri suburban railway station has become a nightmare due to the traffic congestions. The average speed on the road there has become very slow. People would earlier travel by buses or autorickshaws to the stations but now they prefer to walk to the Metro station and reach the Andheri suburban railway station faster,” added Aggarwal.

Data shows that Andheri on the western side and Ghatkopar on the eastern side of the Metro corridor continue to witness the maximum footfall. While the numbers have dipped at Ghatkopar by 9.25 per cent, it has increased in Andheri by 24.34 per cent compared to 2016-17. During 2016-17, footfall at Andheri and Ghatkopar for a typical weekday was around 80,000 and 96,000 respectively. In 2018 Andheri has beaten Ghatkopar to touch 105,745 while the latter has dipped to 87,116.

“It is hard to say what could have caused the dip at Ghatkopar but the opening of the new bridge at Andheri, which provides faster connectivity between the suburban railway station and the Metro station, seems to have played a role. Commuters now take less time to reach the Metro station on foot. The new bridge has also meant more entry and exit to the station and lesser time in queues,” he said.

The ridership on the Andheri-Saki Naka route was recorded at 10,60,533, overtaking the ridership of the Andheri-Ghatkopar route by 11,393 at 10,49,140, which until last year was the highest. The Andheri-Saki Naka route has witnessed a 20 per cent increase in ridership. Mumbai Metro One operates 378 to 382 daily trips on weekdays. During 2017-18 it operated 125,894 train trips with a Peak Hour Peak Direction Traffic (PHPDT) of approximately 29 thousand commuters.