Mumbai Metro Expansion: Connecting Suburbs and Peripheral Areas

According to SVR Srinivas, Metropolitan Commissioner of the MMRDA, “The important thing is that for the first time in Mumbai, we have a metro network,” “That is significant.” It has been almost a year since the partial launch of Mumbai metro lines 2A and 7. With the inauguration of Phase 2 of the lines by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mumbaikars can now travel the length of the city from Dahisar to Andheri in 40 minutes, via Line 2A in the west and Line 7 in the east.

The six-car trains with a capacity of 2,280 passengers will easily be the speedier and more enjoyable option for travel, running parallel to the Western railway line and Western Express Highway (WEH) at 80 kilometres per hour. Their connection to Metro Line 1, which runs from Andheri to Ghatkopar, opens up the east-west corridor to passengers. It is not surprising, then, that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) estimates a tenfold rise in ridership, from a maximum number of riders from around thirty thousand to three lakh per day. It has been projected that by the year 2031, ridership on both lines shall double to almost 6 lakh passengers.

Upcoming Summary

Mumbai’s developing metro network continues to remain far from being completed as planned: 14 lines, 300+ kilometres, over 225 stations, and many interchanges. However, Mumbai residents are now on the verge of another lengthy gap before any new metro rail corridor opens up for them. Many metro lines will open by the end of 2025, but some may be ready to begin operations in 2024.

 The current status and expected year of the launch of each Mumbai metro 

Partial opening in 2024 possible

Line 2B: Andheri West to Mandale, in the eastern suburbs

Line 2B, an important east-west connection, is one of the lines that could see a partial start in 2024. It would connect the newly operational Line 2A from its end in DN Nagar in Andheri West to Mandale in the eastern suburbs. It will cross the upcoming Line 3 in Bandra, the Line 4 and the trains at Kurla, and shall meet and connect to the monorail in Chembur. The popular east-west segment, however, will not be the first to open. Only thirty per cent of the construction on the line has been completed. However, Mumbai’s largest Mandale depot has more than fifty-four per cent of its civil work been completed. If Phase 1 opens in 2024, it will only connect DN Nagar to National College in Bandra.

Line 3: Colaba to BKC to SEEPZ

To say the least, the last year has been an eventful period for the underground Line 3. All of the tunnelling work has been accomplished, more than fifty per cent of the track installation has been completed, and about ninety per cent of the stations have also been constructed. Bids for the Navy Nagar extension were invited. A trial run with the first prototype rake has been performed and carried out successfully, and a second train has also been delivered. Work on the controversial depot in Aarey, which was transferred due to environmental concerns to Kanjurmarg, where it had been stalled in litigation, is now picking up the pace with the construction work now approximately forty per cent complete, up from thirty per cent when it had been paused and suspended. Still, there is a lot of work to be done on the highly awaited line. Phase 1 has been planned to run between BKC and SEEPZ and is expected to begin late this year or early next year. Phase 2 is scheduled to complete a viable alternative to the Western railways and the Western Express Highway (WEH) to Cuffe Parade and, eventually, till Navy Nagar.

Line 4 and 4A: Wadala to Kasarvadavali to Gaimukh

The green Line 4 runs parallel to Line 3 in the eastern suburbs, from Wadala in the south to Kasarvadavali in Thane in the north. It has been planned to travel through Ghatkopar, BS Marg, and Ghodbunder Road until reaching Kasarvadavali. Line 4A, an extension, shall connect the corridor to Gaimukh. It shall intersect with metro lines 2B, 5, 6, 8, the central railway, and the monorail along the route. Forty-three per cent of the civil work on the line has been completed, demonstrating little development since this time last year, when 40-50% of the work had been claimed to be finished. For the past four years, land acquisition for the depot in Mogharpada on Ghodbunder Road has been stalled. The MMRDA requested the land in a letter to the revenue department in January. Bids have been sought for the car shed. Fresh tenders for rolling stock shall also be required, as contracts were cancelled due to the slow development. Line 4A, which consists of two stations, is 45% complete.

Line 5: Thane to Kalyan

The initial and first phase of the orange Line 5, which connects Thane and Bhiwandi, is seventy per cent complete. Phase 2 construction, which would span between Bhiwandi and Kalyan, will begin this year. This phase will be underground in order to avoid the demolition of nearly 1,500 establishment and structures that are both residential and commercial. However, it is on hold due to the Maharashtra government’s pending clearance. The current deadline is December 20, 2025.

Line 9 and 7A: Augmenting Line 7 between CSIA and Mira Road

Lines 9 and 7A are expansions to the recently opened Line 7 between Dahisar and Gundavali in Andheri East. Line 9 shall stretch and extend the corridor north of Mumbai to Mira Road, while Line 7A will connect it to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) Terminal 2. The civil work on both the lines has been completed to nearly twenty-five per cent. Farmers in Mira Bhayandar’s Rai, Morve, and Murdha villages have all opposed the depot, fearing for their livelihoods. However, since there are no feasible alternatives, the MMRDA is proceeding with their proposal.

 A map of all the metro lines planned for Mumbai

Under construction

Line 6: Lokhandwala to Vikhroli

Line 6 will be another east-west connector connecting Swami Samarth Nagar in Lokhandwala, Andheri, and Powai to Vikhroli through the Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR). It is planned to build an elevated road on the first level, allowing for an additional vehicle lane. The civil work on the line is 65% finished. The Maharashtra government is yet to approve the proposed depot at Kanjurmarg on saltpan land for this route. Given the bids for rolling stock, signalling, and communication still needs to be solicited and carried, it may be fair to predict that the line will begin operations in 2025 or later.

In planning

Line 8: Airport Express

In comparison to the other lines proposed for Mumbai, the gold Line 8 is an oddity. It connects the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSIA) to the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) through an express route. The 35-kilometre stretch has been planned to have only seven stations. Considering that the NMIA is not expected to begin operations until late 2024 or 2025, there has been minimal development on this route.

Lines 10, 11 and 12: To be tendered

Following an unsuccessful attempt in 2020, the company SYSTRA – DB JV was appointed general consultant for lines 10 and 12. The survey and alignment drawing are currently being prepared. Last August, a draught MoU for cost-sharing with the Mumbai Port Trust has been pending, and the tendering process is yet to begin. Lines 10 and 11 are extensions of the green line; the first connects the Gaimukh, Thane terminus of Line 4 to Mira Road. Line 11, on the other hand, will connect Wadala to CSMT in the south. Line 12 is an extension of Line 5, which runs from Thane to Kalyan, Dombivali, and Taloja.

Lines 13 and 14: Connecting the outskirts of Mumbai

Lines 13 and 14 are two more that are in the planning stages. Line 13 would connect Mira Road and Virar, while Line 14 will connect Vikhroli and Badlapur. Line 14 has emerged as an especially sought line, with a number of campaigns and letters submitted to speed up its construction. It serves the people of Badlapur, Kalyan, Dombivli, Ghansoli, and Airoli who have to commute between Navi Mumbai and Mumbai through crowded central and harbour line trains or congested roads and highways. The MMRDA has planned to assign a consultant to the corridor soon.

Summary & Latest Update

The Metro Rail network in India’s financial capital has been planned to expand to a significant level in the near future. According to the state economic assessment released before the budget, as many as nine Metro lines and stretches are under development in Mumbai, with two of them projected to be operational by 2024. According to the economic analysis, five more metro lines will open in 2025, with two additional lines joining the network in 2026.

Metro 3, commonly known as the ColabaBandra-SEEPZ Line, will be the first to open. Nearly eighty per cent of the construction work has been done, and the route has been planned to open in two stages. The Aarey-BKC section will hopefully open in December 2023, while the BKC-Cuffe Parade section has been scheduled to open in July 2024. Another corridor set to open in 2024 is the Metro Line 6, which will connect Swami Samarth Nagar in Lokhandwala to Vikhroli. This 15.31-kilometre link being an important stretch, shall connect the Western and Eastern Express Highways, passing through Jogeshwari and Powai. In addition, the Mumbai Metro 2B has also been planned to be partially operational in 2024. The 5-kilometre segment between Diamond Garden and Mandale is likely to be operational within a year. The corridor extends from DN Nagar to Mandale.

A 5km segment of Line 9 between Dahisar and Mira Road is also expected to open within a year. Line 9 is an expansion of Line 7 that connects Andheri to CSMIA and Dahisar to Mira Road, thereby stretching and extending the Red Line. The 32.32-kilometre-long Metro Line 4 from Wadala (Mumbai) to Kasarvadavali (Ghodbunder road, Thane) via Ghatkopar, Mulund, and Teen Hath Naka is also under construction. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) is in charge for 32.5 kilometres of the 185-kilometre-long Metro 3 route and project, while the remaining section is being developed and executed by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

Mumbai Metro Route in Nutshell

• The Mumbai Metro Line 1 Aqua Line, also known as the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Line, includes 12 stations. 
• The Mumbai Metro Line2A (Yellow Line) runs from Dahisar East to Dhanukarwadi. There are a total of nine stations. The Yellow Line is expanding, with eight new stations under construction. It will begin in Dhanukarwadi and terminate at DN Nagar. 
• The planned and proposed route of the Yellow Line, Line 2 B is D.N. Nagar – Bandra – Mandale, with 22 stations in the middle. 
• The Aqua Line, also known as Line 3, has twenty-two stations in total. 
• Line 4 (Green Line) runs through Bhakti Park, Ghatkopar, Thane, and Kasarvadavali. 
• Line 5 is another name for the Orange Line, which connects Thane, Bhiwandi, and Kalyan through seventeen metro stations along the route. 
• Line 6 is known as the Pink Line, and it has thirteen stations which stretches from Swami Samarth Nagar to Vikhroli.
• The Red Line, also known as Metro Line 7, has only four stations. 
• The Mumbai Metro Orange Line connects Navi Mumbai with Kalyan-Dombivali city. Mumbai metro lines go on, with Line fourteen being the last one.