Mumbai’s much-anticipated underground metro, connecting Aarey to the bustling Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), was recently inaugurated, marking a major milestone in the city's infrastructure development.
With a length of 12.69 km and 10 key metro stations, this new stretch forms part of the larger 33.5-km Colaba-SEEPZ-Aarey Metro Line 3.
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Ashwini Bhide, Managing Director of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), outlined the timeline for the next phase of the project, which connects BKC to Colaba. She confirmed that the work is over 90% complete, with only a few complex stations like Girgaon and Acharya Atre Chowk in Worli still requiring attention. These areas faced delays due to various local issues. Bhide said, "March 2025 is our target date. But it may take a couple of months more due to the testing phase." She indicated that the time frame for completion would likely fall between March and May 2025.
Bhide also addressed concerns regarding delays in the first phase of the project, emphasising that the setbacks were not intentional. While the broad infrastructure was completed earlier, extensive testing and commissioning processes for the underground metro, which involves complex systems and automation, took longer than anticipated. She explained, "It took us more time because there are multiple layers of systems that need to be tested."
The newly-opened section of Metro Line 3 connects key locations such as BKC, Bandra Colony, Santacruz, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) terminals, offering a faster, cleaner, and more efficient mode of transportation for Mumbaikars. The prime minister inaugurated the line on October 5, 2024, with services now operating daily, except Sundays, from 6.30 am to 10.30 pm. On Sundays, services will start at 8.30 am.
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Reflecting on the teething issues encountered just prior to the launch, Bhide clarified that safety protocols, including checks by the commissioner of Metrorail Safety, caused the minor delays. The application for main line safety clearance was delayed as final integrated tests were not fully completed. Bhide admitted, "The project involves too much of complicated technical work, and that is why it took time."
Below are the excerpts of the interview.
Q: Why the delay in completing the project?
Bhide: I don't think the delay was deliberate. We had planned the commissioning last December itself but it took time because even if the broad infrastructure is ready, the testing and commissioning takes lot of time and it took more time in underground metro because there are multiple layers of system which need to be tested and we need to reach a certain stage of automation — that is why it took us longer time. One good thing that happened is we completed the major monsoon phase also. In fact, had we commissioned it earlier, it would have been better for us.
Q: What were the teething problems in the last eight weeks? We were given to understand September and then October 1 and now it is October 7. So it looks like there were teething problems?
Bhide: No, teething problems. There is a process involved. Before any section is commissioned it needs to undergo the safety checking, which is done by the commissioner of Metrorail Safety and it is divided into two phases. One is the testing for the rolling stock, which is the train and then the main section. So first we submitted our application for trains. It took us some time and we ourselves delayed the application for the main line because we had to complete certain things So as I said, the last integrated testing, took us some time and even then we had not been able to complete it. So there we have kept the manual kind of arrangement and that is the reason. The project involves too much of complicated technical work and that is why it took time.
Q: The next part — BKC to Colaba — can you give us a timeline and is it less likely to be delayed?
Bhide: We are thinking of doing it by March 2025 because that work is also more than 90% complete. There are only a few pockets in between which started a little late... they were more complicated like the Girgaon station or Acharya Atre Chowk station in Worli, where because of lot of local issues, the work started late than in the other stations. So, there we are still working on completing those stations. Those are the only pain points as of today. But we are trying to wind them up and March 2025 is our target date. But as I said, it may take a couple of months more because even if we complete the entire work, the testing takes some time. So, I am giving a time frame of say March to May 2025 — within that, it should be completed.
Watch accompanying video for entire conversation.
