Over 1.55 lakh commuters rode Mumbai’s Metro Line 3 on its first day of full-length service between Cuffe Parade and Aarey JVLR, officials confirmed on Friday. This 33.5-km underground stretch, popularly called the Aqua Line, ferried 1,55,456 passengers on October 9, marking a significant milestone for the city’s public transport network. Stations including CSMT and Vidhan Bhavan saw a continuous stream of travelers, while Churchgate experienced long queues during peak morning and evening hours. The launch of Mumbai’s first completely underground metro corridor was highly anticipated, drawing large crowds eager to experience the new rapid transit system.
However, the inaugural day was marred by a major mobile network outage at Churchgate, which caused disruptions and overcrowding. Technical glitches with entry-exit flap barriers forced staff to manually operate gates for thousands of passengers, delaying travel and causing frustration. With no mobile connectivity inside the stations, commuters could not access QR-based payment or ticketing apps, relying entirely on cash payments. Videos circulating on social media highlighted the massive crowds near exit barriers, generating criticism over inadequate preparedness for digital payment failures and underscoring the challenges of managing the city’s first fully underground metro corridor.
The Phase 2B section connecting Worli to Cuffe Parade was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8. The entire 33.5-km corridor stretches from Aarey JVLR in the north to Cuffe Parade in the south, featuring 27 stations—26 underground and one at grade. Trains operate daily from 5:55 AM to 10:30 PM, covering the entire route in under an hour. The Metro Line 3 promises to significantly reduce commute times, ease traffic congestion, and provide a modern, rapid transit alternative for Mumbai’s growing number of daily commuters.