Mumbai Metro: First Phase of Line 3 To Be Completed By December; Details Here

In a groundbreaking development, Mumbai is all set to get its first fully underground metro corridor – the Mumbai Metro Line-3, popularly known as the Aqua Line.

With the project now inching closer to completion, the city’s transport landscape is about to witness a revolutionary transformation.

Ashwini Bhide, the Managing Director of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, recently revealed in an exclusive conversation with BQ Prime that the organization is striving to finish the first phase of the Line-3 project by December of this year. “The commissioning of phase one is very much within our reach. We are fully gearing up for this last-mile push,” Bhide affirmed, as quoted by BQ. However, she also acknowledged that unforeseen delays, up to two or three months, may occur due to late access to the depot and monsoon-related construction challenges.

The Aqua Line will cover a sprawling distance of 33.5 kilometers, establishing a crucial link between Seepz in Andheri and Colaba, the southernmost area of the city. Boasting an impressive array of 27 stations, the Aqua Line is expected to significantly enhance connectivity, particularly to bustling locations such as the airport, the Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone, the Bandra-Kurla Complex, and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation area.

When the Aqua Line project was initiated in 2011, the cost was estimated to be around Rs 23,000 crore. But more than Rs 37,000 crore has already been spent. Since the budget is quite high, it is difficult for the state and central government to bear all the expenses. Almost 57 percent of the overall cost has been borrowed from the Japan International Cooperation Agency as a soft loan. The remaining amount will be covered by government funding, according to Bhide. “The company (MMRCL) also has to generate revenue of around Rs 1,000 crore, which we can get with the help of commercial use of land,” she said.

In September 2018, the MMRCL agreed to a substantial contract of over 315 million euros with the renowned French manufacturer Alstom. As per the agreement, Alstom will provide 248 metro cars for the Mumbai Metro Line-3. The contract calls for the design, delivery, and commissioning of 31 fully-furnished modern passenger train sets, which will have eight cars each.