Mumbai Metro. The Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region in Maharashtra, India.

While the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited is responsible for all metro rail projects being developed in Maharashtra, except for those in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority is the authority responsible for maintaining the metro system in the Greater Mumbai area.

The rapid transit metro system is designed to reduce traffic congestion in the city and supplement the overcrowded Mumbai Suburban Railway network. It is being built in three phases, over 15 years, with overall completion expected in October 2026. The Mumbai Metro is the fourth longest operational metro network in India with an operational length of  as of January 2023. When completed, the core system will comprise sixteen high-capacity metro railway lines, spanning a total of more than  (25% underground, the rest elevated, with a minuscule portion built at-grade) and serviced by 350 stations.

Line 1 of the Mumbai Metro is operated by Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), a joint venture between Reliance Infrastructure (50%), Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, (50%) and formerly by RATP Dev Transdev Asia (5%) and Hong Kong MTR. While lines 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and their extensions will be built and operated by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the completely underground Line 3 and Line 11 will be built by Mumbai Metro Railway Corporation Limited (MMRCL).

In June 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the Mumbai Metro project, although construction work began in February 2008. A successful trial run was conducted in May 2013, and the system's first line commenced operations on 8 June 2014. Many metro projects were delayed because of late environmental clearances, land acquisition troubles and protests.

After nearly eight years, two new metro corridors, 2A and 7, were inaugurated on 2 April 2022, and are now operational. On 5 October 2024, the 12 km underground BKC to Aarey Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road section of Aqua Line was inaugurated. Additionally, there are 8 other metro lines currently under construction in the city.

History
Being the capital of Maharashtra, Mumbai is among the largest cities in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of over 2 crore (20 million) as of 2011, and a population growth rate of around 2% per annum. Mumbai has the advantage of a high modal share of the public (88%) in favour of a public mass transport system.  The existing Mumbai Suburban Railway carries over 70 lakh (7 million) passengers per day, and is supplemented by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus system, which provides feeder services to station-going passengers to allow them to complete their journeys. Until 1980s, transport in Mumbai was not a big problem. The discontinuation of trams resulted in a direct increase of passenger pressure on the suburban railway network. By 2010, the population of Mumbai doubled. However, due to the city's geographical constraints and rapid population growth, road and rail infrastructure development has not been able to keep pace with growing demand over the last 4-5 decades. Moreover, the Mumbai Suburban Railway, though extensive, is not built to rapid transit specifications. The main objective of the Mumbai Metro is to provide mass rapid transit services to people within an approach distance of between , and to serve the areas not connected by the existing Suburban Rail network.
The master plan unveiled by the MMRDA in 2004 encompassed a total of  of track, of which  would be underground. The Mumbai Metro was proposed to be built in three phases, at an estimated cost of 19,525 crore. In September 2009, the proposed Hutatma Chowk – Ghatkopar was reduced to a line between Hutatma Chowk and Carnac Bunder.

In 2011, the MMRDA unveiled plans for an extended Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ metro line. According to its earlier plans, a  Colaba-to-Bandra metro line was to be constructed, running underground for  from Colaba to Mahalaxmi, and then on an elevated track from Mahalaxmi to Bandra. However, the MMRDA decided to increase ridership on the line by running it out past Bandra to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The  Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ line will be built at a cost of , and will be the city's first underground metro line. It will have 27 stations.On 27 February 2012, the Union Government gave in-principle approval to the plan for Line 3. Money for the project is being borrowed from Japanese International Cooperation Agency (50%), the state government (16%), the central government (14%), and others. In April 2012, the MMRDA announced plans to grant the Mumbai Metro Rail Company increased management autonomy, in an effort to enhance the project's operational efficiency. In July 2012, the MMRDA announced plans to add more metro lines to its existing plan, including a line parallel to the Western Express Highway from Bandra to Dahisar. This line is expected to reduce the passenger load on the Western Line and vehicle traffic on the highway. Another proposed route, the , 28-station Wadala–Kasarvadavali line, received in-principle approval from the state government in 2013. The MMRDA also intends to convert the proposed Lokhandwala–SEEPZ–Kanjurmarg monorail route into a metro line. The Mumbai Metro master plan was revised by the MMRDA in 2012, increasing the total length of the proposed network to . In June 2015, two new lines were proposed. A line from Andheri West to Dahisar West, and a line from BKC to Mankhurd. The following table shows the updated master plan unveiled by the MMRDA: 

On 18 February 2013, the MMRDA signed a memorandum of understanding with Transport for London, the transit authority in Greater London. The arrangement will facilitate the exchange of information, personnel and technology in the transportation sector.

The revised Mumbai Metro master plan had proposed a line along the Thane-Teen Haath Naka-Kaapurbavdi-Ghodbunder Road route. The feasibility report concluded that the line was not feasible as most residents of Thane and its neighbouring areas travelled to Mumbai for work daily. On 14 June 2014, Chavan announced that the MMRDA was instead examining a proposal for a metro line along the new proposed route of Wadala-Ghatkopar-Teen Haat Naka route. RITES will prepare the detailed project report and is expected to submit it by August 2014. The preliminary report proposed a  line with 29 stations, to be built at an estimated cost of 22,000 crore. This would be the fourth line of the metro, after the previously proposed Charkop-Dahisar route was merged with the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd route to form Line 2.

In May 2015, the MMRDA said that it had begun planning for the Andheri-Dahisar line and Seepz-Kanjurmarg. Both lines are expected to be elevated, although the latter could be constructed underground if a proposal to extend Line 3 to Kanjurmarg is undertaken. DPRs for both lines had been prepared in 2004, along with the master plan, and the MMRDA would now update the DPRs. The agency also intends to construct Line 9 of the metro as an underground corridor from Sewri to Worli. However, planning for the project will only begun after the construction of the proposed Mumbai Trans Harbour Link commences.

In a report on 14 November 2014 about the cancellation of the PPP agreement for Line 2, Mint quoted a senior MMRDA official: "as decided earlier, all future lines of Mumbai Metro will be constructed by the Mumbai Metro Railway Corp. Ltd (MMRCL), a joint venture between the state government and the Union government." On 20 May 2015, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requested officials to consider constructing the Charkop-Bandra-Dahisar and the Wadala-Thane-Kasarvadavali lines as elevated corridors. Although both corridors had been planned as elevated lines in the Mumbai Metro master plan, the previous Congress-NCP had decided to construct all metro lines underground, after delays and difficulties caused by acquiring land for Line 1. However, Fadnavis believes that the two proposed lines can be constructed quicker and cheaper if they were elevated due to the proposed route of the alignment. The Government plans to implement all future metro lines (except Line 3) as elevated corridors. On 15 June 2015, the MMRDA announced that it would implement Line 2 of the metro in three parts. The Andheri-Dahisar line will have connectivity with the existing Line 1 and the proposed JVLR-Kanjurmarg line.

In June 2015, Fadnavis announced that he would request the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to assist in the implementation of the Mumbai Metro. He said that he intends to expand the metro system by  before the state assembly elections in October 2019. In July 2015, UPS Madan announced that the State Government formally appointed the DMRC to revise and update the Mumbai Metro master plan. The DMRC will prepare DPRs for the Andheri East to Dahisar East, Jogeshwari to Kanjurmarg, Andheri West to Dahisar West and Bandra Kurla Complex to Mankhurd lines. The Andheri-Dahisar line will have connectivity with the existing Line 1 and the proposed JVLR-Kanjurmarg line. All four lines are proposed to be elevated and constructed as cash contracts. The lines are estimated to cost a total of , or about  per km. In addition, the planned Line 3 and Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavli line of the metro would also be constructed.

Fadnavis announced on 8 April 2017 that the government was considering a circular metro loop line along the Kalyan-Dombivli-Taloja route. The proposed  line would link Kalyan and Shil Phata with 13 stations, bring metro connectivity to Kalyan East, Dombivli, Ambernath and Diva.

The Mumbai Metro resumed services for general public on 19 October 2020, after being shut down since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Protests and delay
The project has faced significant and costly legal challenges. In 2018, protestors rallied to protect trees that were to be chopped down as part of construction plans. The central government first proposed the construction of a metro station at the forest area of Aarey colony. The protest resulted in several arrests. Protests again flared in 2022.

Lines

Line 1 connects Versova in the Western Suburbs to Ghatkopar in the Central Suburbs, covering a distance of . It is fully elevated, and consists of 12 stations. Work on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor, a part of Phase I, began on 8 February 2008. A crucial bridge on the project was completed at the end of 2012. The line opened for service on 8 June 2014.

This corridor is being executed in two phases.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched phase 2A in January 2023. The  long 2A corridor was executed by DMRC on behalf of MMRDA. The corridor has 17 stations (Dahisar (West) to D N Nagar), and cost . The line had been partially operational since 2 April 2022 and became fully operational from 19 January 2023.

The 2B line will be  long, and is estimated to cost , including land acquisition cost of . This section will have 22 stations (D N Nagar to Mandale), work on which began in mid 2018.

A fully underground section of the metro, Line 3 is planned to be  long, and will have 27 stations once fully completed. The metro line will connect the Cuffe Parade business district in the south of Mumbai with SEEPZ and Aarey in the north. It will also pass through the Domestic and International airports of Mumbai, for which the airport operator (GVK) has promised an equity infusion of .

The cost of this corridor was estimated at . The original deadline for the project was 2016, but it was extended due to several delays including COVID. A section of the corridor from Aarey Colony to BKC was inaugurated on 5 October 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This section cost ₹14,120 crore, and consists of 10 stations in a 12.44 km stretch. The remaining section from BKC to Cuffe Parade is expected to be completed by March 2025.

The line will have interchanges with the Line 1 at Marol Naka, under-construction Line 6 at Aarey JVLR, under-construction Line 7A and proposed Line 8 at CSMI Airport T-2, under-construction Line 2B at BKC, Central Line & proposed Line 11 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus,  Mumbai Monorail at Mahalaxmi (Jacob Circle) and Western Line at Santacruz, Dadar, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai Central, Grant Road and Churchgate.

The line 4 of Mumbai Metro is planned to be a  long elevated corridor, covering 32 stations from Kasarvadavali (beyond Thane) in the north to Wadala in the south. It is estimated to cost . This project will help connect the city of Thane with Mumbai with an alternate mode of public transport. The line was approved by the Maharashtra Government on 27 September 2016, and construction work on this line began in mid 2018. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has extended a multilateral loan of  for this project. It is expected to get completed by 2025 at a cost of  ₹15,498 crore and an anticipated daily ridership of 13.4 Lakh (1,340,000).

The -long Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metro-V corridor will have 17 stations and will cost ₹8,416 crore. It will be an elevated corridor. It will connect Thane to Bhiwandi and Kalyan in the eastern suburbs, with further extension to Taloja in Navi Mumbai that is line 12.

The line was approved by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 19 October 2016.The 12.811 km Thane – Bhiwandi section is under construction. Bhiwandi – Kalyan is on-hold (route modification in progress). The corridor is being constructucted by Afcons in one package from Kalyan to Bhiwandi including 7 stations.

The  long Lokhandwala-Jogeshwari-Vikhroli-Kanjurmarg Metro-VI corridor will have 13 stations and cost ₹6,672 crore. It will be an elevated corridor. It will connect Lokhandwala Complex in Andheri in the western suburbs to Vikhroli and Kanjurmarg in the eastern suburbs. The stations include Lokhandwala Complex, Adarsh Nagar, Momin Nagar, JVLR, Shyam Nagar, Mahakali Caves, SEEPZ Village, Saki Vihar Road, Ram Baug, Powai Lake, IIT Powai, Kanjurmarg (W), Vikhroli-Eastern Express Highway.

Metro 6 will provide interchange with Metro 2 at Infinity Mall in Andheri, with Metro 3 at SEEPZ, with Metro 4 and the Mumbai Suburban Railway at Jogeshwari and Kanjurmarg, and with Metro 7 at JVLR.

The line was approved by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 19 October 2016. The MMRDA issued a tender to conduct a detailed aerial mapping survey of the alignment in April 2017. Authorities will also be able to determine the location of trees along the alignment accuracy of up to 10 cm utilizing a differential GPS (DGPS), while a digital aerial triangulation system will help determine the types of trees, their heights and diameters. Line-6's first section is expected to open in 2025.

This corridor is  long, and runs from Dahisar (East) in the north to Andheri (East) in the south, with a further extension till Bhayander in the north, and Mumbai International Airport Terminal 2 in the south. The line is partially elevated (under construction, with completion slated for 2019), and partially underground (approved, with construction planned to begin in 2018).

The elevated section is expected to cost , while the outlay for the recently approved underground section is . Civil works, including viaduct and station works, is being executed by NCC, Simplex Infrastructure, and J. Kumar Infraprojects. The corridor is partially operational since 2 April 2022 and fully operational since 19 January 2023.

A section of Line 7 from Dahisar East to Aarey (along with the section of Line 2 from Dahanukarwadi to Dahisar East ) was opened on 2 April 2022, by the then CM Uddhav Thackeray. The final section of the line (along with the final section of Line 2A from Dhanukarwadi to Andheri West) was inaugurated on 19 January 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This is a proposed metro line between the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the under construction Navi Mumbai International Airport. It will connect Mumbai airport to upcoming Navi Mumbai airport and its length would be approx 32 km.

It's expected to cost ₹15,000 crore and finish construction by October 2026. The line has an anticipated daily ridership of 3 lakh.

Extension of Line 7 (Red Line)
Metro line 9 will ply between Dahisar-Mira Bhayander route. It will have 10 stations all elevated. This Under Construction Metro of Dahisar to Mira-Bhayandar will cut down approximately 30 km of travel distance between the Mira-Bhayandar and Mumbai suburbs. It is an extension of Line 7. Phase 1 of the line is now expected to be completed by June 2025.

Extension of Line 4 (Green Line)
In February 2017, the MMRDA announced that the DMRC was preparing a detailed project report (DPR) on Metro 10, a proposed  elevated extension of Metro 4 from Gaimukh to Shivaji Chowk. The project is estimated to cost  with an estimated ridership of 2.5 lakh (250,000). It will be completed by 2025.

Extension of Line 4 (Green Line)
In November 2018, the MMRDA cleared the Metro 11, which connects Wadala with CSMT. This would be considered to be an extension to Metro 4. The length of the line is , and it proposed to cost ₹8,739 crore (US$1.207 billion). The line will be partially underground, with 8 underground and 2 elevated stations. It will be completed by October 2026.

Extension of Line 5 (Orange Line)
MMRDA has planned the Metro 12, which will connect Kalyan with Taloja. It is an extension of line 5. In another boost to connectivity, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to connect Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai with a Metro line. The construction started in April 2024 and is estimated to be completed in about 3 years.Kalyan Station and Kalyan APMC station have been added to the new route

It is a proposed metro project to connect Mira Road with Virar. The project length is  and the estimated cost of the project is ₹6,900 crore.

It is an approved metro project to connect Vikhroli with Kanjurmarg and further to Ambernath-Badlapur.
It will have an intersection at Kanjurmarg with Line 6, the Pink Line.
This project is now at the DPR stage. 
The project length is  and the estimated cost of the project is ₹13,500 crore.
It will be completed by October 2026.

Network

Lines on the Mumbai Metro are currently identified by numbers. In March 2016, MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner, U.P.S. Madan, announced that all lines on the system would be color-coded after more lines are opened.

Rolling stock
Reliance Infrastructure consulted a number of major international rolling stock builders to provide the train fleet for the Mumbai Metro. Bidders for the contract included established metro-vehicle manufacturers such as Kawasaki, Alstom, Siemens and Bombardier, but CRRC Nanjing Puzhen of China was ultimately chosen to supply rolling stock for ₹600 crore. In May 2008, CSR Nanjing completed the first 16 trains, each comprising four cars. The first ten trains were reported to be ready for operation in January 2013.

The coaches are fire retardant, air-conditioned and designed to reduce noise and vibration, and will feature both high seating capacity and ample space for standing passengers. They will be outfitted with a number of features for safety and convenience, including LCD screens, 3D route maps, first-aid kits, wheelchair facilities, fire-fighting equipment and intercom systems permitting communication with the train driver. Each coach will furthermore feature a black box to assist in accident investigations. The trains will be capable of carrying over 1,100 passengers in a four-car unit, with each carriage being approximately  wide.

In 2018, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation chose Alstom to supply 31 eight car trains for Aqua line (line 3). These trains are capable of driverless operations and were built at Alstom's factory in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh.

In 2018, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority which will operate all metro lines except Line 3, awarded a tender to Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML) to supply 63 trainsets (378 coaches) for Yellow Line (Line 2) and Red Line (Line 7) at a cost of ₹3,015 crores ($427.33 million). Capable of driverless operations, the trains are manufactured at BEML's factory in Bengaluru and first trainset for the Yellow Line arrived in Mumbai on 27 January 2021, and will continue to receive the rest of the sets until 2022. On 17 January 2021, Bombardier won the tender to supply 234 driverless coaches for the Green Line (Line 4) of six-car configuration for Mumbai metro. However, the contract was cancelled in March 2022 due to delays and uncertainties of the project.

Power supply
Mumbai Metro runs on alternating current (AC) which is typically more labour and cost-intensive. MMRDA joint project director Dilip Kawathkar stated that AC power was chosen "after a proper study by a team of experts" which found that the AC model was "a better option". Bidders for Line 3 were reportedly in favour of the DC model. Experts believe that the decision to use AC will escalate the project cost of underground lines by 15%, since more digging is required for the rail to work on AC.

Signalling and communications
The Mumbai Metro will feature an advanced signalling system, including an automatic train protection system (ATPS) and automated signalling to control train movements on the  Line 1. A four-minute service interval is anticipated on the route.

Siemens will supply the signalling systems required for the project, while Thales Group will supply the Metro's communication systems. The network's signalling and train control systems will be based on LZB 700M technology.

Ridership
On 21 October 2019, exactly 1,960 days (approx. 5 years) after Mumbai Metro Line 1's inception, the system crossed 60 crore passengers, with an average daily ridership of around 4,50,000 (4.5 lakh) passengers.

Railway map of Mumbai including metro
List of Mumbai Metro stations

See also
Urban rail transit in India
Navi Mumbai Metro
List of rapid transit systems
Public transport in Mumbai
Mumbai Monorail
M-Indicator
Delhi Metro
Delhi Meerut RRTS

References

External links

Mumbai Metro Rail Project - MMRDA site
Mumbai Metro blog site
Mumbai Metro unofficial magazine
Mumbai Metro unofficial Information Site

 
Transport in Mumbai
Underground rapid transit in India
Standard gauge railways in India
25 kV AC railway electrification
2014 establishments in Maharashtra
Railway lines opened in 2014