DMRC inks Dahisar-Andheri Metro line Agreement with MMRDA

DMRC inks Dahisar-Andheri Metro line Agreement with MMRDA

Mumbai: Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) has signed an agreement with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority to execute Phase I of the Dahisar-Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd corridor.

Phase I of the project, that comprises the Dahisar-DN Nagar stretch of this corridor, is 18.6km long. Metropolitan commissioner UPS Madan said, “The process to invite bids for the project are expected to be floated in a month.”

The MMRDA hopes that the bidders will be finalized in three to four months. The two proposed lines — one from Andheri East to Dahisar East, and another from Dahisar to DN Nagar in Andheri West — are estimated to be completed by March 2019 at a total cost of Rs 8,571 crore.

As per the MMRDA’s proposal, the initial fare for the 16.5-km Andheri East-Dahisar East Metro and the 18.6-km Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro will be Rs 10 for travel up to 3 km, Rs 20 for travel between 3 and 12 km and Rs 30 for over 12 km.

The tariff structure for the city’s first Metro, the 11.4-km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar line, is Rs 10-40, and has been a major bone of contention between the state government and the Reliance Infrastructure-led private operator. Both the lines will be elevated, with the Dahisar-DN Nagar corridor to be the first phase of the larger Dahisar-Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd Metro.

The Andheri East-Dahisar East corridor, with 16 stations, is estimated to cater to a per-hour per-direction ridership of 18,086 or a daily ridership of 5.28 lakh by 2021. By 2031, this is estimated to grow to 6.67 lakh with the per-hour per-direction ridership expected to increase to 18,584 commuters by that time. Similarly, the Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro will have 17 stations and will serve a similar number of commuters, though information about the exact ridership estimates was unavailable.

As per the proposal, MMRDA will pitch in for 52 per cent of the cost of each of the two projects, while the rest 48 per cent will be funded through several other means, with a large portion of it expected to come as a loan from an international financing agency. The development authority is in advanced talks with the Asian Development Bank for a loan.

Besides, the MMRDA has also proposed giving out additional floor space index (FSI) for up to 500 metres from the two Metro corridors’ alignment on the payment of a premium, with the civic body expected to deposit 50 per cent of this amount with the MMRDA.

Other methods of funding will include commercial exploitation of land at the two car depots — Dahisar for the Dahisar East-Andheri East Metro and Malvani for the Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro — and advertising rights on the corridors.