Mumbai metro to get French, Hong Kong tech help

The world's leading mass transport system operators "" Connex SA, France, and MRT Corporation, Hong Kong "" that are part of the Reliance Energy Limited (REL) consortium, which bagged the contract for Mumbai Metro's first line between Ghatkopar and Versova, will provide technology solutions and take care of the operational side of Mumbai Metrorail.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to lay the foundation stone of the 12 km-long first line at Ghatkopar on Wednesday.

Connex, which is part of the $35-billion Veolia Environment Group, is providing transport solutions in 25 countries based on heavy rail, mono rail, light rail, rail-based Mass Rapid Transit Systems (MRTS), high-capacity buses and hovercrafts.

The MRT Corporation is the developer and operator of the Hong Kong Metro, which is considered the world's largest metro rail project with five lines and an airport link. The company is also involved in metro rail projects in countries like China, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

The 12 stations on this 12-km long route will have three levels "" the entrance will make up the ground level, the second level will be the commercial area where, besides ticket counters, amenities like cafeterias, book-shops, internet cafes, etc.,will be made available. The third level will be the actual station.

The ticketing system will see no human interface as it will be completely automated.

A REL official claimed that it would be the most disabled-friendly facility ever built in the country, and that special efforts had been made to make entry, exit and ticketing easy for those with special needs.

Initially, the train frequency will be around four minutes but it will be brought down to 3.5 to 3 minutes. The average speed of trains will be around 33 kmph, with a maximum speed of 80 kmph.

It is expected that once the line becomes operational it will reduce travel time between Versova and Ghatkopar to 20 minutes.