Confusion among Mumbaikars as social media handles of Central govt body, ex-minister mention July 24 as inauguration date on X before deleting post; local officials tight-lipped
The Aqua Line trains at the shed
A major gaffe in a social media post by the Central government handle MyGovIndia, reposted and retweeted by a senior ruling party politician, triggered a round of confusion about the opening dates of Mumbai’s first underground Metro, Aqua Line 3. MyGovIndia announced the opening date as July 24, but it was unclear if this meant July 24 or some date in July 2024. Vinod Tawde’s post mentioned the date as July 24.
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The MyGovIndia handle had originally posted a video saying, “Next Stop? Mumbai Metro! Operational from July 24. The future of transportation starts now.” This post belongs to MyGov, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, led by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Screenshot of Tawde’s deleted post on X, screenshot of Central government’s deleted post on X
Tawde’s repost in Hindi, which is now deleted, translated to: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi-ji had given a guarantee to make the life of Mumbaikars easier and this is going to be fulfilled. Mumbai’s first underground metro (Aqua Line) is starting from July 24, which will give new impetus to the speed of the city.”
With most Mumbaikars awaiting the opening of the city’s first underground Metro Aqua Line 3 with bated breath, the post quickly gathered momentum with more speculations that the line might really open up sooner.
Awaiting safety trials
Mumbai Metro Line 3 officials offered no comments on the post. According to the latest update, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL), which is executing the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro Line 3, has completed the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) trials for the rolling stock of Metro Line 3 and is awaiting the commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) inspection. Sources said that with the trials and tests complete, phase one of Metro Line 3 between Aarey and BKC was originally slated to open in September 2024 and phase two between BKC to Colaba in December 2024.
BJP leader Vinod Tawde
Asked about the post and the opening dates, Tawde told mid-day, “I had merely reposted what was originally posted by a Central government handle. It was not my original post.”
By the end of the day, MyGovIndia quietly deleted the post without giving a reason, followed by Tawde deleting his version of the post, too.
About Metro Line 3
Once fully operational, this 33.5-km line between Colaba and Seepz is expected to serve an estimated daily passenger capacity of 1.7 million. It will connect with eight railway stations, the MSRTC bus depot, and Metro Yellow Line 2B and Blue Line 1. Out of 27 stations on the line, 26 will be underground.
The Metro Line 3 project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the total project cost, revised to R37,276 crore as approved by the Union government in February this year, includes a JICA loan of Rs 21,280 crore.
Rs 37,276 cr
Total cost of the project
33.5km
Distance the Aqua Line will cover between Colaba and Seepz
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