Mumbai's first metro rolls out from Versova depot, test run on May 1

Finally, for the first time, the first metro rail of Mumbai rolled out of the Versova car depot on Friday evening.

“The trial process started on Friday evening and the metro rail rolled out of the Versova car depot to run up to Azad Nagar (also known as Indian Oil Junction),” confirmed SVR Srinivas, additional metropolitan commissioner, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

MMRDA officials will hold the trial run officially on May 1, which is Maharashtra Day.

Earlier this month, dna had reported of trial runs likely to be conducted in the second half of April in order to meet the deadline of August 2013 when the metro is expected to be opened for public use.

As per the plans, the 11.07-km-long Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar metro will be opened for public in two phases. The first phase will be between Versova and Airport Road station in August and second between Airport Road and Ghatkopar by December 2013. The entire route will be ready for public use only by end of December or early next year.

In the weeks to come, Research Design and Standards Organisation will check rolling stock, followed by other certification, including one from Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS).

As per the tentative schedule prepared, CRS will commences supervision only in the first week of July.

Implemented by Reliance Infrastructure-led consortium Mumbai Metro One Private Limited, work on the first route had commenced in February 2008 and was announced to be completed by December 2010. The cost has shot up from Rs2,356 crore to around Rs3,800 crore.