Developing patience for the long haul

Mumbaikars who have travelled by Delhi Metro wish the entire Island City is connected by the rapid transit system. Commuters who use the Versova-Ghatkopar, Metro, which has been operational for almost three years now, know how lucky they are. "Ever since the Metro was commissioned, traffic snarls or the road commute along this corridor has decreased considerably," said Abhishek Pednekar, an Andheri resident.

Construction is progressing for three metro lines — Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ, Dahisar (East)-Andheri (East), and Dahisar-Charkop-DN Nagar. Whereas, the bidding process is underway for two other routes — DN Nagar-Bandra-Mankhurd and Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavli. "In October 2016, authorities approved two more metro lines for implementation — Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan and Swami Samarth Nagar (Lokhandwala)-Jogeshwari-Kanjurmarg. However, the two lines are still awaiting state Cabinet approval," said UPS Madan, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA.

"People complain about traffic, but they know the Metro network will be beneficial in the long run," said an MMRDA official.

A few more Metro corridors are being studied, and in the next year, formalities of clearances and tendering should be complete. When the entire Metro network is rolled out, a levy on driving a car will likely be introduced. This will help decongest roads, with commuters looking at the Metro as a travel option.