Metro to match peak hr load of 200 buses: Study

Thane: The Wadala-Thane metro service will ferry nearly 40,000 city passengers, equal to the carrying capacity of 200 AC buses between Teen Haath Naka and Kasarvadavli, daily during peak hours.
A study reveals the metro link will not only help Thane passengers get a faster mode of travel to and from Mumbai, but will also give a welcome relief for intra-city commuters from the poor facilities provided by the TMT.As per the statistics, a copy of which is with TOI, the density of passengers boarding the metro trains at all the stations within city limits is huge and is scheduled to increase three folds in the next ten years (see box).
Activists said the project is much required especially for those who stay beyond Majiwada as there aren’t enough fast transportation facilities connecting their homes and workplaces in Mumbai. Presently, it takes nearly two hours, one way, for an average commuter to reach office in Mumbai from GB road.
“I spend around Rs 200 on an average commuting between Thane and Vikhroli and it takes me no less than 90 minutes of changing modes from auto, bus and trains to reach work. I could possibly use the metro services as it runs on the corridor where my office is located instead of endlessly waiting for buses and autos daily,” said Rachna Shah, a resident of Manpada.
The MMRDA is also positive of drawing in more commuters in a decade of operations and as per the DMRC study “The metro project will help connect Thane and Mumbai through a modern public transport system,” said a MMRDA official.
The metro service between Wadala and Kasarvadavli in Thane is likely to be made operational in 2021. City traffic officials say once the metro project is operational, the city traffic is likely to be reduced along the highways.