Mumbai: As civil construction on several new Mumbai Metro lines achieved maximum work scope, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is exploring options to kickstart operations – even without dedicated depots.
Among the solutions being considered is the use of testing pits, which could be crucial for the agency until full-fledged depots are ready. It is a temporary arrangement where a facility is created by bringing the rake on a siding track and inspection of rakes can be done.
A retired railway official and worked in metro maintenaiance department as a head (Metro One) Shankar Bandopadhyay, said, “Pit lines underneath the rake are essential for going under the frame. During the running of the Metro, any fault could aggravate. The development, initiation, and even failure happens so rapidly, it’s beyond someone’s prediction. Many such things happen – with new engines, new rakes."
Inspection can be done on elevated portions and facilities can be created at the start or end of the corridor station, the same is made at Metro Line one at Versova station end called as siding area but relying on testing pits is just a temporary arrangement but depots are required.
Some components may not need full maintenance every time, but regular observation is a must. You need arrangements to raise the rake by at least 4 to 5 feet for proper inspection – which is generally done in the depot.
Creating a separate facility just for this is financially unjustified. It may remain unused most of the time – and that’s an unnecessary financial burden as the facility is created at depot.
“In the initial years of Metro operations, the rakes require minimal maintenance,” said MMRDA Commissioner Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee owhen questioned over no depot work started yet “This gives us some flexibility. Depot construction can run in parallel while we use testing pits to commence operations.”
Metro Lines 4 (Wadala-Kasarvadavali), 4A (Kasarvadavli-Gaikmukh), 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar-Vikhroli), and 9 (Dahisar East–Mira Bhayandar) have all made significant headway—some as much as 97% complete. But each faces the same bottleneck: depot delays caused by land acquisition issues, legal wrangles, and local opposition.
Despite the depot setbacks, MMRDA is pushing to launch these lines in phases starting later this year. Metro Line 9 is 97% ready, while Lines 4 and 4A are 81% and 91% complete, respectively. A trial run on Metro 9 already commenced while on Metro 4and 4A to the trial run expected to be starting soon, informed the official.
However, the clock is ticking. “Construction of a full-fledged depot takes over a year,” the official admitted. “That’s why interim options like testing pits are being seriously evaluated—to ensure that the public can start using these routes without unnecessary delay.”
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