The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the licensing of spaces at 11 stations on Navi Mumbai Metro Line-1, offering semi-naming rights. A total of 600 sqm of indoor advertisement space is available across 10 stations, from Belapur to Pendhar. Semi-naming is a concept in which brands or logos of business houses can be prefixed or suffixed to the names of metro stations.
Although the commercial operations of Navi Mumbai Metro commenced in November 2023, CIDCO is actively exploring non-fare box revenue (NFBR) options to ensure the project is financially viable and self-sustainable. In addition to fare revenue, CIDCO plans to generate income from alternative sources such as advertisements, retail, food and beverages, and real estate development, both inside and outside the Metro stations. Under the current plan, semi-naming rights for 11 stations, from Belapur to Pendhar, will be made available. “A total of 600 sqm of indoor advertisement space is available across 10 stations from RBI to Pendhar. Of this, 300 sqm will be allocated to the Licensee, while the remaining 50% will be licensed to an out-of-home (OOH) agency for third-party advertising. A separate tender has been invited by the Authority for this purpose,” said an official associated with the project.
At CBD Belapur station, a total of 1,275 sqm of advertisement space is available. Of this, 300 sqm will be allocated to the Licensee, with the remaining space licensed to an OOH agency for third-party advertising. According to estimates, the projected daily ridership for 2031 is 4.1 lakh unique passengers, making it one of the busiest lines in India. Currently, the average monthly ridership of Navi Mumbai Metro Line-1 is 347,821, with Belapur station being the busiest, registering 119,425 passengers.
“Considering that public transport projects like the Metro are capital and maintenance-intensive, they cannot be financially sustainable by relying solely on farebox revenues,” said an official involved with the project. He added that providing world-class commuter services requires substantial financial resources, prompting CIDCO to seek additional revenue opportunities beyond fare collection.