Trial Runs for Mumbai Metro Line 3 extended to Siddhivinayak Station

Mumbai, India (Metro Rail Today): Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) extended the trial runs for the 33.5 km Line-3 (Aqua Line) from Dadar Station to Siddhivinayak Station on Thursday.

Trial Run Details

• Distance Covered: Approximately 1.1 km from Dadar Station to Siddhivinayak Station.
• Speed and Operation: The trial run was conducted at a low speed of 10 km/h with an 8-coach Alstom Metropolis train manually operated by MMRC and Alstom Transport teams.
• Objective: The main purpose was to check for Schedule of Dimensions (SOD) clearances and ensure the train’s interaction with the civil structure was free of physical obstructions.

Construction and Tunneling

• Contractor: The twin tunnels were built by Continental Engineering Corp – ITD Cementation – Tata Projects JV as part of the 6.08 km Package UGC-04 connecting Dharavi to Worli.
• TBM Work: Herrenknecht TBM S-1073 (Krishna-1) completed tunneling for the 1126m down-line tunnel from Siddhivinayak to Dadar in December 2020. Tunneling for the 1106m up-line tunnel was completed in October 2020 by TBM S-1074 (Krishna-2).

Electrification and Testing

• Electrification: Alstom Transport energized the line’s 25 kV overhead electrification (OHE) system on May 3 to facilitate the trial run.
• Photos: Photos from the trial run, including electronic signage within the train, were shared by followers.

Project Delays

• Schedule Delays: Mumbai’s Line-3 has experienced significant delays. Typically, Indian metro operators take no more than 2 years after the final tunnel breakthrough to finish system installation, station architectural finishing, and testing.
• Comparison: In Agra, the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) took only 2 months to start commercial operations after the final breakthrough for Line-1’s Priority Corridor.

Phased Opening

• Phase 1: Integrated train testing on Phase 1 (Aarey Colony – Bandra Kurla Complex) with 10 stations began in March 2024. India’s Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) recently completed testing Line-3’s rolling stock. Architectural finishing and mock fire drills are pending at all Phase 1 stations.
• Phase 2: The next phase (Bandra Kurla Complex – Acharya Atre Chowk) includes 6 underground stations and is expected to open within six months of Phase 1.