Mumbai: The Mumbai Metro 3 Aqua Line, running between Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Cuffe Parade, is expected to begin operation by May 2025, said officials. The Mumbai Metro 3 is a 33.5-km-long underground corridor that features 27 stations along the route starting from Colaba to SEEPZ. Of this, 26 are underground, with one at grade. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) started operations at the first phase, connecting Aarey Colony to BKC, on October 7.
According to MMRCL officials, the work on the second phase is 90 per cent completed. However, there are various challenges at local level, which need to be fixed before starting the operation, said a local media portal The Free Press Journal.
Mumbai Metro 3 Completion Date
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Managing Director of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) Ashwini Bhide had mentioned that the BKC to Colaba Metro project will be completed by March. She stated that the work is over 90 per cent complete, with only a few complex stations like Girgaon and Acharya Atre Chowk in Worli still requiring attention, citing delays due to various local issues. Bhide said, "March 2025 is our target date. But it may take a couple of months more due to the testing phase." She also indicated that the time frame for completion may fall between March and May 2025.
It should be noted that the officials had earlier decided to complete the task by March, but now extended the deadline by May. This corridor is set to benefit the passengers by giving them easy access from the meteor to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). It is because the MMRCL has announced plans to construct a temporary walkway between Terminal 2 (T2) of the Mumbai Airport and the Metro 3 underground station located outside the terminal.
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At the moment, passengers have to walk at least 15 minutes from the metro station to T2 due to the ongoing construction of the Metro 7A station. It will eventually link the airport to Gundavali until then, passengers can use the temporary walkway, according to the media report.
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The walkway is expected to be in use till December 2025. It is also the deadline, by which the Metro 7A construction is expected to be finished. Then, the authorities will establish a permanent forecourt above the two underground stations. It will provide the direct access to the T2.