Mumbai’s First Underground Metro, Aqua Line, to Be Inaugurated by PM Modi on Saturday
Mumbai, 4th October 2024: Metro 3, also known as the Aqua line, is set to become Mumbai’s first and Maharashtra’s second underground metro rail corridor, soon to be opened to the public between Aarey JVLR and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). On Thursday, the chief commissioner of Metro rail safety granted the final set of clearances for the segment, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
“The safety clearance was issued late Thursday evening,” confirmed SK Gupta, Director (Projects) of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC).
The prime minister will ride on the first phase of the 12.44 km corridor, which includes ten stations, on Saturday. Initially, nine trains will be in operation, providing a total of 96 daily trips. The frequency of services will begin at 7.30 minutes and is planned to be reduced to 6.40 minutes over time.
“The trains will operate from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm on weekdays, while on weekends, services will start at 8:30 am with the closing time remaining unchanged,” stated Ashwini Bhide, Managing Director of MMRC.
A total of 48 train captains, including 10 women, will be responsible for transporting passengers. Tickets will be available through both a mobile app and physical ticket counters, with fares ranging from ₹10 to ₹50. By the end of October, commuters will be able to purchase the National Common Mobility Card, which will be usable across all current Mumbai Metro lines.
Constructed at a cost of ₹37,275.82 crore, the entire Metro 3 corridor is expected to be completed by June 2025. However, services may be extended to Acharya Atre Chowk in Worli by February 2025.
