The Mumbai Metro’s new Aqua Line has been inaugurated for commercial operations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging off the first train after Alstom completed installation of signalling and communication systems. 

The 33.5km line is the first underground line of the Mumbai Metro and is expected to transport more than 1.6 million passengers per day between the Bandra Kurla Complex business district and Aarey JVLR. 

Olivier Loison, managing director of Alstom India, said: “The Alstom built full stack mobility solutions for the Mumbai Aqua Line is packed with some of the most sophisticated engineering and technology solutions for Mumbai’s first underground metro. 

“With our 100% made-in-India driverless trains, we are demonstrating that innovation and efficiency can go hand-in-hand.” 

Technology installed by Alstom for the line includes GOA4 driverless operation systems, computer-based interlocking, automatic train supervision, integrated platform screen doors and telecommunication systems. 

The Metropolis trainsets delivered for the line also include advanced safety features such as CCTV with facial recognition technology, and are the first in India to have 75% motorisation for improved operational efficiency. 

Alstom has delivered 24 of 31 lightweight eight-car metro trains to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation for use on the line as part of one of India’s biggest rolling stock contracts in the urban sector. 

The train design was developed at Alstom’s engineering centre in Bangalore, Karnataka, and are being manufactured at its production facility in Sri City, Andra Pradesh, as part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. 

The launch of operations on the Aqua Line is part of India’s wide-ranging investment in its metro systems in recent years, with Modi inaugurating a number of similar projects this year, including the country’s first underwater metro link in Kolkata.