First day riders share how 2 new metro lines will help ease suburb commutes

sAs the muchawaited Metro corridorsmdashlines 2A and 7mdashwere flagged off by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday thousands of people were seen taking joyrides for free with around 12000 people riding the Metro on Saturday night itself midday correspondents and photographers also took rides and interacted with passengers to see how the lines were faring and what Mumbaikarsrsquo first impression of the Metro wasDeepak Chauhan a commuter on the Metro on Sunday PicAnurag AhireYuva Sena core committee member Ankit Prabhu who was one of the first passengers to board the train from Aarey station at 745 pm said ldquoWe are extremely happy that both the corridors have been thrown open for public and I am confident that these lines will be a boon for daily commuters This will help save a lot of time for commuters travelling between Dahisar and Aarey and Dahisar and Dahanukar Wadi In addition this environmentfriendly public transport will also bring down the pollution levelrdquoYoungsters ride a metro between Aarey Colony and Dahanukarwadi on Saturday PicSatej ShindeGoregaon resident Bipin Raut aged 62 said ldquoI travel between Goregaon and Dahisar frequently and I used to take my car With this Metro line opening I will no longer have to get stuck in traffic on the Western Express Highway especially during morning and evening peak hoursrdquoAnother commuter Swamini Wad said ldquoItrsquos a proud moment for Mumbaikars as two important metro corridors have been thrown open for the public I feel that once the entire line between Dahisar and Andheri East and Dahisar and DN Nagar is operational it would benefit even more commutersrdquoHowever senior midday photographer Satej Shinde who took the last train from Dahanukarwadi to Aarey told this correspondent that it took him around two hours to reach Aarey as the train suffered some technical glitchesWhile Saturdayrsquos rides were free Sunday also saw scores of Mumbaikar take a rideRamesh Poojary a 66yearold from Kandarpada who took a ride on Sunday morningDeepak Chauhan 39 who was travelling to Kurar with his family said ldquoIt is a big relief to people living in north Mumbai People are fed up with traffic jams on the Western Express Highway I usually travel by my twowheeler but now I will opt for metro The fares are reasonable toordquoAnother commuter Sandeep Ahire 32 who came from Dombivli said ldquoI have some work in Goregaon so I thought of taking the metro from Dahisar It was a good experience The overall infrastructure is good and it will save a lot of time We are eagerly waiting for the metro to come to Dombivli in the near futurerdquoRamesh Poojary a 66yearold of Kandarpada said ldquoIt is a joy ride for me The fare is very reasonable and the travel time is much less compared to the road This will help rid some of the traffic on the road and will also help those who used to travel in crowded local trainsrdquoA metro arrives at Borivli East station on Sunday morning PicsAnurag AhireEven children were eager to travel by metro train Yagnesh Rane a Std IX student who came along with his father Paresh Rane all the way from Dombivli for a ride said ldquoI was curious to know what the metro and stations look like especially after reading about them for so long I asked my dad to bring me here and Irsquom happy that wersquore here This is also my first time travelling in a metro trainrdquoMahendra Bhai Makwana 69 who also travelled by metro for the first time said ldquoI had never travelled in a metro train So when I heard about the new services I came to experience it Irsquom happy with the arrangements and it was a good experiencerdquo12000Approximate no of passengers on Saturday80100No of commuters who protested the sudden train cancellation at Aarey station