Mumbai metro goes underground to cut travel time by half

Mumbai’s much-awaited first underground metro corridor, Metro Line 3, has become fully operational on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the final stretch of the project.

The 11.2-km-long final stretch, whose work began in January 2017, has 11 stops linking Acharya Atre Chowk in Worli to Cuffe Parade. It is part of the 33.7 km of Metro 3, connecting the six business centres, including Nariman Point, Cuffe Parade, Fort, Lower Parel, BKC and SEEPZ/MIDC.

The corridor stretching from Colaba in South Mumbai to Aarey in the North promises to halve travel time and offer a faster alternative to the city’s choked traffic routes. Ridership on the first day through 6 p.m. was 97,846. The Metro 3 will operate daily from 5.55 a.m. to 10.30 p.m.

According to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the stretch will directly connect South Mumbai with Central Mumbai and link areas such as Kalbadevi, Girgaum, Worli, and the international and intra-State airports that are not linked to the city’s lifeline – the railway network.

“The total travel time from north to south of the city will take less than one hour and connect at least 30 educational institutions, 13 hospitals, 14 religious places and over 30 entertainment facilities. We expect 15% of suburban railway traffic to be on Metro 3, easing the burden on the railways,” an MMRC official said.

“The metro will cut the travel time from a two-hour journey to 30-40 minutes and reflects the vision of Viksit Bharat,” Mr. Modi had said after unveiling the prestigious project worth ₹37,276 crore.

280 train trips daily

The trains will run every five minutes during peak hours. In total, 280 train trips will operate on the fully functional underground Aqua Line with a base fare ranging between ₹10 and ₹70.

Currently, on average, 70,000 commuters travel on the operational part of the line each day. The first two phases cover 22.3 km of total line, connecting Aarey and Worli. The first phase from Aarey to BKC (12.6 km) was inaugurated on October 7, 2024, while the second phase – BKC to Acharya Atre Chowk station (9.7 km) – was inaugurated on May 9 this year.

The Aqua Line will have interchanges with the elevated Pink Line 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar–Vikhroli at Aarey station, Blue Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Versova) interchange at Marol Naka station, proposed Gold Line 8 at CSMI Airport T-2 station, under-construction Yellow Line 2B at BKC and more, according to MMRC.

The line runs parallel to Mumbai’s railway network, further facilitating transport and future connections to the upcoming bullet train.