In a big relief to people in Navi Mumbai, Metro Rail Line 1 services will begin between Belapur and Pendhar from Friday.
The City and Industrial Development Corporation said services on the 11.10-kilometre route were being thrown open to the public on the direction of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde “without any official programme”.
“The much-awaited metro services will commence on line 1 between Belapur to Pendhar from November 17. Hearty congratulations to all Navi Mumbaikars. The Maharashtra government had given instructions to CIDCO that the metro should be made operational at the earliest for the citizens of Navi Mumbai. Accordingly, Metro services are being commenced without waiting for an official public programme,” the CM was quoted as saying in the release.
Shinde said metro services will provide better connectivity within Navi Mumbai. “The government aims to build a strong network of metro lines in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. CIDCO is implementing a metro network very effectively in Navi Mumbai,” Shinde further said.
The metro service will commence on Friday between Pendhar to Belapur Terminal and Belapur Terminal to Pendhar at 3.00 PM, with the last service being at 10 pm.
Metro Timings, Frequency, Fare
Passengers can avail the service from 6 pm to 10 pm on the Pendharh-Belapur Terminal route.
The frequency will be of 15 minutes.
The fares are Rs 10 for 0 to 2 KM, Rs 15 for 2 to 4 KM, Rs 20 for 4 to 6 KM, Rs 25 for 6 to 8 KM, Rs 30 for 8 to 10 KM and Rs 40 for distances beyond 10 KM.
CIDCO vice chairperson and managing director Anil Diggikar said line 1 will ensure better connectivity for rapidly developing Kharghar and Taloja nodes along with CBD Belapur.
It will give Navi Mumbai a better and efficient public transport system and will strengthen its presence as an international city, Diggikar added. The metro route between Belapur and Pendhar has 11 stations, with the depot located at Taloja Panchanand.