Underground metro, Navi Mumbai Airport, meet with Starmer: PM Modi’s big 2-day Mumbai visit kicks off today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the final 10.99-km stretch of Mumbai’s first fully underground metro corridor on Wednesday, completing the 33.5-km Aqua Line (Metro Line 3) from Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai to Aarey JVLR in Goregaon. The newly operational segment connects Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade, marking a major milestone in the city’s public transport infrastructure.

Two other sections of the line — Aarey JVLR to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and BKC to Acharya Atre Chowk — are already functional. Phase 2B, covering the final stretch, adds 11 new underground stations, enhancing connectivity to South Mumbai’s heritage areas, key government offices, and major business districts. The segment has been constructed at an estimated cost of ₹12,195 crore, bringing the total investment in the Aqua Line to over ₹37,270 crore.

According to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL), the fully underground line will reduce pressure on suburban trains by 15 per cent, save 3.54 lakh litres of fuel daily, and cut 6.65 lakh vehicular trips, helping mitigate traffic congestion and noise pollution.

The Aqua Line connects 27 stations, offering direct access from South Mumbai to Aarey JVLR, including the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, and provides commuter access to business hubs, educational institutions, hospitals, religious sites, and recreational centres. The line is expected to serve 13 lakh passengers daily, reducing travel time between Cuffe Parade and Aarey JVLR to around one hour.

In addition to the metro inauguration, PM Modi will also inaugurate Phase 1 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) at approximately 3:30 pm on Wednesday. Developed under a Public–Private Partnership (PPP) at a cost of ₹19,650 crore, NMIA is India’s largest greenfield airport project. It will complement Mumbai’s existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, eventually handling 9 crore passengers annually and 3.25 million metric tonnes of cargo, and will be the first Indian airport connected by Water Taxi.

During his two-day visit, PM Modi will host UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Mumbai at around 10 am on October 9 and will also launch “Mumbai One”, a unified mobility app integrating public transport systems across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

The completion of the Aqua Line and NMIA marks a transformative step in Mumbai’s transport landscape, offering modern, efficient, and sustainable mobility solutions for millions of residents and commuters.