MUMBAI: Aiming to boost passenger capacity, Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), operating the metro corridor between Ghatkopar and Versova, recently removed 16 seats from one of its rakes recently. Every coach has 48-52 seats.
Metro One officials said, "This will create additional space in the area, accommodating 32 commuters, instead of 16."
Explaining further, they said this experiment would be carried out for two to three weeks and based on commuter feedback, the future course of action would be decided. However, seats reserved for senior citizens, pregnant women and others in need have not been touched.
An official spokesperson of the MMOPL said, "This experiment is carried out on the basis of suggestions received from commuters. We continuously work towards enhancing commuter convenience and this experiment is one amongst them. As per the initial feedback, commuters have given a positive response to it."
In all, a total of 16 rakes with four cars each are in service on Metro One, the only operational metro route in Mumbai so far. Operational since June 2014, about 400 million passengers have travelled on this metro corridor and has reportedly registered a 13 per cent increase in the number of passengers in 2017-18.
According to MMOPL, the current capacity of a rake is around 1,500 passengers, with 1,300 standees (87%). The average journey time is less than 10 minutes.
The first train from Versova leaves at 5.20am and from Ghatkopar at 5.29am, while the last service leaves Versova at 11.20pm and from Ghatkopar at 11.46pm.
