Mumbai's Aqua Line, India's longest underground metro, launches with 1.5 lakh riders

Mumbai’s long-awaited underground rail dream became a bustling reality on Thursday as the city’s first fully underground Metro, the 33.5km Aqua Line, commenced full operations. The service witnessed an overwhelming public response, with 1,46,087 commuters using the link between Aarey and Cuffe Parade by 9 pm, according to a TOI report.

The figures underscore a seismic shift in the city’s commuting patterns. The single-day ridership till early afternoon nearly matched the average daily footfall recorded over an entire day when only a partial section of the line was operational. A direct comparison highlighted the surge in demand; the initial Phase 1 launch in October had attracted 18,015 users, a figure dwarfed by the public turnout for the completed corridor.

The Metro’s primary appeal lies in its drastic reduction of both travel time and cost for journeys connecting the suburbs to south Mumbai’s key business and government districts.

A TOI analysis of key corridors across key corridors found the Aqua Line has significantly cut commute time and costs. The comparison revealed a trip from Aarey to Cuffe Parade took 58 minutes on the Metro compared to 1 hour and 22 minutes by car, at one-tenth the cost - Rs 70 versus nearly Rs 800. On the BKC to Churchgate route, the Metro completed the journey in 31 minutes for Rs 30, against 36 minutes and approximately Rs 560 by car.

For travel between T2 and CSMT, the underground service clocked 40 minutes at a fare of Rs 50, a stark contrast to the 56 minutes and Rs 929 typically spent on the road. Overall, the data indicated travel times were reduced by up to 40%, with costs slashed by as much as 80%.

The tangible benefits were echoed by commuters. Ramesh Jadhav, who works at an insurance firm in Cuffe Parade, was cited by TOI as saying that his arduous journey from Worli, which involved a 20-minute wait for a bus and an hour in traffic, was slashed to just 19 minutes on the Metro for a mere Rs 20.

The immediate impact was visible on the city’s roads. BEST buses from areas like Mantralaya were seen running with visibly fewer passengers. Outside CSMT station, the usual crowds at bus stops had thinned considerably, with three buses spotted waiting idly for passengers at 11 am, a rare sight on a weekday. Some taxi drivers at the stand were reportedly approaching commuters to offer shared cabs in a bid to secure fares.

The evening peak hours saw particularly heavy passenger turnout at stations like Vidhan Bhavan in Nariman Point and BKC, prompting officials to briefly close one entry gate at Vidhan Bhavan for crowd management. The CSMT-Churchgate-Vidhan Bhavan stretch emerged as one of the most patronised routes.

For many, the Metro has been transformative. Neha Shah, a bank employee travelling from Marol to BKC, stated that her daily commute cost has dropped from Rs 200 to Rs 40 and her travel time is now a predictable 25 minutes. "I can actually plan meetings knowing I'll be on time," she said, as cited by TOI.

The infrastructure project has also generated significant buzz online. Infra enthusiast Sahil P posted on X about "insane scenes" at Aarey station, while user Sandesh Samant observed, "You can already sense this line is going to be a hit."