Mumbai Metro Line 3: No relief for university folk

Despite the buzz around Mumbairsquos newly launched Metro Line 3mdashAqua Linemdashstudents staff and visitors to the University of Mumbairsquos Kalina Campus are left disappointed Originally expected to improve access to the Vidyanagri campus the metro doesnrsquot offer a convenient lastmile solution with no station close enough to ease daily commuteThe Vidyanagri station now renamed Bandra Colony sits 27 km away from the campus while the Santacruz Metro station is slightly closer at 21 km However both locations require over 30 minutes of walking Many students note that Santacruz railway station less than 2 km from the university offers faster access by autorickshaw taking just five to six minutes to reach the campus entranceWhen midday tested the route from the Santacruz Metro station the nearest stop on Line 3 to the campus the biggest drawback was the lack of lastmile connectivity No autorickshaws were available and there was no nearby bus stop making the journey even more difficultFairoz Logde IT professional working for a Marolbased company right Auto driver Ram Kumar GuptaAfter alighting at Santacruz metro station at 652 pm on Tuesday this reporter had to wait until 730 pm for an auto Eventually the reporter shared a ride with Fairoz Logde an IT professional working for a Marolbased company who was also struggling to find transport after using the Metro line for the first time We reached the main gate of the university campus at 749 pm ldquoI was hoping the Metro would simplify my commuterdquo said Logde who frequently travels from Marol to the Kalina campusldquoI usually take a share auto or bus from Kalina to Santacruz station and then a train to Andheri When I heard the Metro line had opened I thought it would make my commute easiermdashjust one Metro ride from Marol Naka to Santacruz and then an auto home But finding transport here has been challenging I wish there was a bus terminal or share auto stand nearbyrdquo Logde addedlsquoMetro ridership may sufferrsquoUntil infrastructure around the stations improves commuters may continue to rely on traditional more reliable routes Ashish Kumar Dwivedi a former student of Mumbai University shared his concerns saying ldquoLastmile connectivity is a huge issue right now I hope the authorities take note of what commuters are facing and plan for either a bus stop or a shareauto stand nearby Otherwise this will become very inconvenient and eventually affect ridership Many people like me frequently travel to the university Students and staff members commute daily and many have told me that the old modes of transport are better because they provide endtoend service without long waiting timesrdquo Dwivedi added ldquoI also noticed that the escalators at many stations are still not operational or are incomplete It seems like they rushed to get the Metro inaugurated by the prime minister ahead of the Assembly electionsrdquoVinay Yadav a civics and politics student at Mumbai University said ldquoI live in Ghatkopar so when the Metro started I was really excited deciding to ride it on Day One I took the Metro from Ghatkopar got off at Tecno Marol Naka on Line 1 and changed to Line 3 at Marol Naka The entrances for both lines are very close which was convenient However things got confusing after switching over I read online that the Vidyanagari station had been renamed to Bandra Colony so I got off there It was only when my friend told me that Santacruz station was the nearest that I realised my mistake On Monday and Tuesday the toughest part was finding a bus or auto There was either a long wait or I had to walk quite a bit to find a vehiclerdquolsquoHope things changersquoRam Kumar Gupta an auto driver who dropped us at the universityrsquos main entrance from Santacruz Metro station said ldquoNo autos stop outside the Metro station because itrsquos a busy road I accepted the fare but now I have to go back empty Usually passengers from the university head to Kurla or Santacruz stations which isnrsquot profitable for me and therersquos too much traffic during peak hours Even going back toward the Metro station is not feasible due to the traffic Since itrsquos only been two days we donrsquot get many commuters travelling to the Santacruz Metro yet Hopefully after a month or so once more people start using the Metro things will changerdquo