OREANDA-NEWS. Reliance Infrastructure Limited (RInfra), part of the Reliance Group, through its Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd. (MMOPL) successfully commenced operations of Mumbai Metro on June 8, 2014, after Hon'ble Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan flagged off the first train amid much fanfare and enthusiasm.

Hon'ble Chief Minister along with Shri Anil Ambani, Reliance Group Chairman and other dignitaries boarded the first metro train at Versova metro station and took a ride up to Ghatkopar station.

Commenting on the development, Lalit Jalan, CEO, Reliance infrastructure, said: "It was a momentous occasion for us when the commercial operation of Mumbai metro started. Despite being Sunday and opened for public only from noon, 2.4 lakh people travelled. This would redefine the way Mumbaikars travel."

The busy corridor is estimated to cater to over 7 lakh commuters per day in its first year of operation.

To extend the world class travelling experience to Mumbaikars, a concessional and promotional fare of Rs. 10 is being charged for the first 30 days, irrespective of the distance travelled on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) corridor, for a single one way trip between any two stations. This promotional fare is notwithstanding the initial fare fixed and notified separately.

The initial fare has been fixed and notified as Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 30 and Rs 40 under Section 33 of the Central Metro Act 2002. As per a Central government directive, the MMOPL is the Metro Railway Administration (MRA) and the fare for the Mumbai metro is to be fixed afresh by MMOPL for the initial opening of the line.

The 11.40 km long Mumbai Metro One corridor, providing connectivity between Versova (Western Mumbai) and Ghatkopar (Eastern Mumbai), reduces travel time from 90 minutes to 21 minutes. MMOPL would run the service between 5.30 am and 12 midnight on every working day at a frequency of four minutes during peak hours and eight minutes during non-peak hours.