Sat, 17 Oct, 2026, 03:38 am
Reported by Inventiva
Mumbai Metro One: A Line Built On Delay, Launched Amid Dispute And Remembered Because Of Anil Ambani
Mumbai Metro One Private Limited did not begin its life as a smoothly-running enterprise, and that origin matters for understanding where it has ended up. The Versova–Andheri–Ghatkopar corridor — India's first metro project structured as a public-private partnership — was awarded through global competitive bidding in March 2007 to a consortium of Reliance Infrastructure (initially holding 69%, later 74%), the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (26%), and French operator Veolia Transport (5%).
The concession envisaged design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of a 12-km elevated line with 12 stations — the first metro contract awarded in India on a PPP basis.
It took nearly seven years and multiple missed deadlines before the line finally opened on June 8, 2014 — and even the inauguration itself was accompanied by a fare dispute rather than unqualified celebration. Reliance Infrastructure's MMOPL wanted to charge between ₹10 and ₹40 per ride, citing cost overruns; the Maharashtra government insisted the concession agreement fixed fares between ₹9 and ₹13.
