Mumbai Metro 3 Opens This Saturday: Nine Trains, 96 Daily Trips – Fare And Timings Inside

Mumbai is set to welcome its first underground metro service with the opening of Metro Line 3, also known as the Aqua Line. This significant development will connect the Aarey-Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) area with the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The final safety clearance was granted by the chief commissioner of Metro rail safety on Thursday, paving the way for the grand inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, as reported by Hindustan Times (HT).

"The safety clearance was issued late in the evening on Thursday," confirmed SK Gupta in HT, the Director of Projects for the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC). The first phase of the Metro 3 corridor covers a distance of 12.44 kilometres and includes 10 stations. PM Modi is expected to take a ride on the inaugural train when the line opens.

Initially, nine trains will operate along this route, offering 96 trips daily. Trains will run at a frequency of seven minutes and 30 seconds, which will later be reduced to six minutes and 40 seconds as the service stabilises. Commuters can expect trains to operate from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm on weekdays, while on weekends, services will begin at 8:30 am, with the closing time remaining the same.

Ashwini Bhide, Managing Director of MMRC, added in HT, "A total of 48 train captains, including 10 women, will manage the services." Passengers will have the convenience of purchasing tickets both through a mobile app and at physical ticket counters. The fare structure ranges from Rs 10 to Rs 50, ensuring affordable travel options. By the end of October, commuters will also have access to the National Common Mobility Card, which will be valid across all of Mumbai's Metro lines.

The Metro 3 corridor has been developed at a cost of Rs 37,275.82 crore and is expected to be fully operational by June 2025. However, there are plans to extend the service up to Acharya Atre Chowk in Worli by February 2025. This project marks a significant milestone in improving Mumbai's public transport infrastructure, providing faster and more efficient connectivity across the city.