As Mumbai’s first and only fully underground metro line, this gigantic project redefines commuting across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), offering a faster, more efficient, and modern transit solution for millions of residents.
Mumbai’s Metro Line 3 is called the Aqua Line as it is fully built underground. The tunnelled route has 33.5 km. Of the 27 stations on the route starting from Cuffe Parade in the south end of Mumbai to Aarey JVLR in the north centre, 26 are underground, and one is at-grade, being at the same level. The final phase has introduced 11 new underground stations. The line connects with other metro lines, monorail, the legendary suburban rail, inter-city rail, and Mumbai’s International Airport. The Aqua Line will drastically decongest the roads, especially those connecting the south end of the city. The corridor is now open to the public, marking a historic moment in the development of India’s urban infrastructure landscape. Colaba–Bandra–SEEPZ corridor of the line is funded to the extent of Yen 354,132 million through Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In terms of yen, the overall project cost was JPY 680,692 million.
Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL), a joint venture between the Central Government and the Government of Maharashtra, implemented the project. With the completion of the project, people can travel from Cuffe Parade to the Airport within 45 minutes instead of around two hours earlier. The Aqua Line will cater to 1.3 million passengers a day. Though the project was conceived in 2011, the work on the site, involving complex engineering and tunnelling with the use of 17 Tunnel Boring Machines, began in 2017.
