Metro Line 3 Phase 2 Opens Up To Worli, Promises Boost In Ridership With Seamless Connectivity

In a big leap for Mumbai’s public transport, Metro Line 3's second phase—connecting Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to Acharya Atre Chowk in Worli—officially began operations on Saturday, bringing south Mumbai within seamless reach of the city’s western suburbs. Commuters can now travel directly from Aarey to Worli without changing trains, a convenience previously unavailable in Mumbai’s crowded suburban rail network.

Despite the seamless connectivity and the official launch on a weekend, footfall on the newly opened stretch remained moderate. Most of the passengers on Saturday appeared to be temple-goers or those visiting friends and family.

One such commuter, who travelled from MIDC SEEPZ to Siddhivinayak station, said: “I usually take an auto to reach Andheri station and then travel in train to reach Dadar to go to Siddhivinayak temple. It was time consuming and tiresome. However, travelling in metro was relaxing moreover the journey was seamless and fully air conditioned.”

Another traveler who boarded at Shitaladevi station and got off at Siddhivinayak Temple station observed on social media that the train was "relatively empty, possibly due to the limited public awareness about the extended operations."

Ashwini Karande, travelling with her husband Kiran, said the metro helped them save time and money. “We travelled from Worli to BKC to go to MIG Club. The travel was seamless and saved time and money.”

On Saturday alone, 26,758 commuters used the Metro 3 corridor between Aarey JVLR and Acharya Atre Chowk, a significant jump compared to 15,911 commuters on May 3 and 12,766 on April 26. While the initial phase between JVLR Aarey and BKC had seen lukewarm response with hardly 20,000 passengers travelling daily—largely attributed to inadequate last-mile connectivity and traffic bottlenecks near stations like Aarey—the new extension into south Mumbai appears to be changing the narrative.The 9.77-km underground stretch, part of the Aqua Line’s Phase 2A, includes six stations: Dharavi, Shitaladevi, Dadar West, Siddhivinayak, Worli, and Acharya Atre Chowk. This corridor enhances connectivity to key business zones and religious landmarks such as Siddhivinayak and Shitaladevi temples, as well as Mahim Dargah and Shivaji Park, offering a vital transport link to thousands of daily travelers.

Metro Line 3, also known as the Aqua Line, is being implemented by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRC). The trains started running at 6:30 AM on Saturday from both ends—JVLR Aarey and Acharya Atre Chowk. Services will run every day from 6:30 AM to 10:30 PM, except on Sundays, when they begin at 8:30 AM.

The line is expected to become even more popular once the final stretch connecting Worli to Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai opens in August, completing the full north-south corridor.

Fares for Phase 2A range from Rs 10 to Rs 40, with a full journey from JVLR Aarey to Acharya Atre Chowk costing Rs 60. A total of 244 metro services will operate daily using eight trains, with a frequency of 6 minutes and 20 seconds between each. Travel times will range from 15-20 minutes between BKC and Acharya Atre Chowk, and about 36 minutes end-to-end.

With growing awareness and improvements in first- and last-mile connectivity, Metro Line 3 Phase 2 has the potential to redefine how Mumbai commutes—quietly, quickly, and comfortably.\