Inside Mumbai’s Aqua Line: Smooth rides, crowd chaos, and no network underground

After the Aqua Line was thrown open to the public midday took a ride during peak hours to experience firsthand the crowd scene as well as public transport and lastmile connectivity optionsHerersquos what we foundMorning8 am to 9 amThe nearly onehour journey from Aarey JVLR to Cuffe Parade was bereft of crowds and near seamless at 8 am Several travellers arrived via auto and private vehicles owing to a lack of convenient bus or pedestrian routesWith zero internet a commuter takes to reading via conventional media on the Metro PICADITI ALURKARDeepak K who boarded the train at Seepz and works at Vidhan Bhavan termed the Aqua Line a source of relief amid the incessant bustle of the city Powai residents Mohan Jacob and Akash took an auto to Marol to travel via Metro to their Colaba offices ldquoThe privileged and underprivileged boarding the Metro is a sign of a truly developed cityrdquo Mohan said They however rued the lack of lastmile connectivity9 am to 10 amWhile some commuters stated that the Metro had brought relief others said local trains still had no match and were the most convenient mode of transport Borivli resident Jui Khatu said ldquoAs someone travelling from Borivli to CSMT it hasnrsquot really made my commute smoother The lack of direct connectivity means Irsquom still taking the same local train every morningrdquoNayantara Gupta said ldquoThe service as a whole is great comfortable and quick But there is no phone network while you are underground a challenge to start the mobile app to access the QR code on the ticketrdquo Rajesh Hardikar sales analyst said ldquoI managed to save at least an hour Since I have to travel just four days a week from home to my workplace this is a convenient optionrdquoA floor manager helps a commuter at a ticket vending machine at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Metro station in Fort PICSATEJ SHINDESushil Jadhav said ldquoI live in Vikhroli and work in South Mumbai It takes me just 1520 minutes on my twowheeler to reach Aarey JVLR station and another 5055 minutes to reach South Mumbai The Metro is costlier than travelling by train but the convenience makes it worth itrdquo10 am to 12 noonAarey JVLR station was crowded A ticket counter attendant said ldquoWe are almost out of cash and spare change due to the number of people travelling beyond Acharya Atre Chowk We are asking people to make UPI paymentsrdquoThis proved troublesome due to the lack of mobile network in underground stations and lack of ATMs Lack of a proper parking lot at the Aarey JVLR station also irked commutersVehicles parked outside the Aarey JVLR station in Jogeshwari East on Wednesday morning PICSATEJ SHINDEAnother issue at Aarey JVLR station is the lack of a proper parking lot at the metro station Anubha Nadgouda a regular Metro user said ldquoA proper auto stand would help but due to the traffic situation no rickshaw driver wants to come hererdquoEvening5 pm to 6 pmMany chose to avoid the morning rush and check out the Aqua Line on their way back home resulting in crowding Madhavi Gawde a commuter who works near Vidhan Bhavan said ldquoUsing the Metro is cheaper than taking the bus helping me save Rs 52 per monthrdquoJui Khatu Borivli residentThe pressure on the ticket scanning machine caused the machines to lag and crowds formed around them ldquoIt will take a week to gauge the load and other IT glitches This happened on the GhatkoparVersova Line when it first started But technical staff are available round the clock for supportrdquo said a floor manager6 pm to 7 pmThe Cuffe Parade to Aarey JVLR route was jampacked as people were returning from offices in South Mumbai At the CSMT Metro station which is accessible from the railway terminus several passengers alighted to catch trains After this as many as 10 people were standing in each compartment This was not witnessed at the Dadar Metro station ldquoI am travelling to my friendrsquos place in Andheri If I had been going home I wouldnrsquot have taken the Metro but caught a train from Churchgaterdquo said a commuterAt Bandra Kurla Complex station a fair amount of officegoers returning home got in At Marol Naka station multiple commuters got off to catch a connecting service from Line 1 Since many knew that underground Metro stations are plagued by network issues commuters carried cash but ticket counters witnessed a shortage of smaller currency notes ldquoI couldnrsquot even get R30 change at the Churchgate station from where I had taken a train to Aarey JVLR I had to go back onto the ground level and withdraw cash from a nearby ATMrdquo said a travellerGlitches in new appThe Mumbai Metro One app launched by the Prime Minister on Wednesday also gave passengers headaches ldquoI could not find the new stations as the one seen in the app was Acharya Atre Chowk This put me off initially but later someone showed me the MMRCL app which was working wellrdquo a Shubham P a commuter said The MMRDA and Metro 3 officials said that the data of the new stations along line would be integrated within 24 hours7 pm to 8 pmWhile many grumbled about the total lack of cellular connectivity in the new underground Aqua Line Line 3 the disconnect came as a blessing in disguise to all those bookworms who were losing their touch Shantanu Singh a lawyer who was travelling only until Girgaon chose to start reading his newest book in the train itself ldquoMany of my friends suggested that I carry a book or newspaper PDFs Since there was a place to sit and no reason to check the phone I thought this was as good a time to start reading as anyrdquo he saidAn avid reader Priyanka said that it was refreshing to see people away from their phones ldquoWhile I carry my books and papers everywhere I go Metro may bring in an unexpected change As soon as I board the local train I see everyone glued to their phone The Metro may change thisrdquo she said