Mumbai Metro 3, linking Colaba, Bandra and SEEPZ, opens next week

The city’s first and Maharashtra’s second underground metro—Line 3 or the Colaba–Bandra–SEEPZ line—is days away from partially opening for the public.

This route, when fully operational on the entire 33.5 km, will change the dynamics of mass transport.

It will also be the first metro corridor to connect congested South Mumbai, will link several disconnected business districts along the island city and suburbs, the two airport terminals and beyond.

With Metro-3 partially opening to the public in the first week of October, it will be the fourth metro line to be functional.

The Aqua Line, as it is called, is described as the trunk route for all the metro corridors put together in Mumbai.

Cutting through the belly of Mumbai’s deccan basalt rock, it will begin from Aarey depot, criss-crossing beneath forests, highways and bridges to reach the Bandra-Kurla Complex. It covers a total of 12.44 km.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL), which is responsible for making this metro rail a reality, is presently awaiting the final nod from the commissioner of metro rail safety (CMRS).

In all, 10 stations will be open for Phase 1, which will be operational from 6.30 am to 10.30 pm on weekdays and 8.30 am to 10.30 pm on weekends.

There will be nine rakes, undertaking 96 trips each day. The MMRCL authorities expect each eight-car train to ferry 2,500 passengers while the headway between two metro trains will be 6.40 minutes.

Forty-eight train captains will manoeuvre the trains, although technically they can operate driverless. The fares for the Aarey-BKC route will be in the range of ₹10 to ₹50.