Mumbaikars will be able to access two of the city’s longest Metro corridors seamlessly at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) plans to provide a paid-to-paid interchange with Metro Line 2B at its BKC station, removing the hassle of passing through the automatic fare collection gates twice when changing lines.
“BKC is going to be a very important hub and it will be a key interchange. By providing a paid-to-paid interchange, we will remove certain obstacles such as scanning baggage twice, making the interchange seamless and convenient,” S.K. Gupta, director (projects), MMRC, said.
A set of four escalators will connect the concourse level of the underground Metro 3 station to a skywalk 8.4 m above ground level, which will lead commuters straight to the paid section of the concourse area of Metro 2B.
As commuters won’t have to exit Metro 3 and re-enter line 2B, they will need to scan their baggage just once. Also, they will have to select their destination when passing through the fare collection gates of any station on either line. The total fare they have to pay will be calculated based on the distance they have travelled on each line.
An internal lift will make the system accessible for persons with disabilities. There will also be an emergency staircase at the ground level.
The 33.5-km-long Metro 3 will connect SEEPZ in Andheri (East) to Cuffe Parade in Colaba. The 23.6-km long-Metro 2B, being executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), will run from DN Nagar in Andheri (West) to Mandale in Mankhurd.
