Mumbai, Oct 7 (PTI) Mumbai's first fully underground metro corridor will become operational on the entire route when Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurates its 10.99-km-long final stretch between Acharya Atre Chowk and Cuffe Parade stations, officials said on Tuesday.

The 33.5-km Aqua Line (Metro Line 3) from Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai to Aarey JVLR in Goregaon is completely underground with two phases of the corridor currently operational (Aarey JVLR-Bandra Kurla Complex and BKC-Acharya Atre Chowk).

The PM, who will be on a two-day Mumbai visit, will inaugurate Phase 2B of Metro Line 3, stretching from Acharya Atre Chowk in central Mumbai to Cuffe Parade and also launch "Mumbai One", a common mobility app for all public transport modes in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

On Wednesday, Modi will also inaugurate the Navi Mumbai International Airport.

The final stretch will add 11 underground stations to Metro Line-3. The Phase 2B was constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 12,195 crore and will provide seamless connectivity to south Mumbai's heritage district and direct connectivity to government administrative hubs and business districts.

In Phase 2B, the Aqua Line is integrated with Central Railway at Mumbai CSMT station and with Western Railway at Mumbai Central and Churchgate. It will improve the access to financial institutions like RBI and BSE, besides providing connectivity to business districts at Fort, Nariman Point and Kalabadevi.

The entire Aqua Line has been constructed at a cost of over Rs 37,270 crore and its operation will mark a major milestone in Mumbai's urban transport transformation.

"Metro Line 3 is expected to reduce the load of suburban Railway by 15 per cent," operator Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) claimed, adding it will bring 3.54 lakh litres per day fuel saving and reduce vehicular trips by 6.65 lakh a day besides reducing traffic congestions and lowering noise pollution.

The Aqua Line, comprising 27 stations, will connect Cuffe Parade to Aarey JVLR and also provide connectivity to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from south Mumbai.

As per MMRCL, it has planted over 23,000 trees under compensatory plantations at multiple locations and mangrove restoration was underway. For the project, rehabilitation of 1,941 families was done in ownership flats and 733 in temporary flats.

According to MMRCL, while constructing the Aqua Line, for the first time in India, 17 TBMs (Tunnel Boring Machines) were deployed simultaneously and it was a national record in underground construction.

Once Metro Line 3 is fully operational, commuters can reach Aarey JVLR from Cuffe Parade in around 1 hour, which presently takes at least 1 to 2 hours depending on traffic congestion. Half a dozen business and employment hubs, 30 educational institutions, 13 hospitals, 14 religious places and 30 recreational centres will get easy access from the corridor.

Metro Line 3 is expected to serve around 13 lakh commuters daily. It will provide direct metro connectivity to south Mumbai from northern suburbs, making commuting to business districts, government administrative hubs, cultural and art centres easy for citizens.

Construction of this metro stretch began in 2017 and involved more than 15,000 workers.

On October 7, 2024, the 12.69-km-long first phase of the underground line between Aarey Colony JVLR and BKC stations was inaugurated by the PM. The 9.77-km-long second phase between BKC and Acharya Atre Chowk station was thrown open to commuters on May 10, 2025.

The Aqua Line, developed by MMRCL, was funded jointly by the Government of India and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

"As Mumbai's first and only fully underground metro line, this project is set to redefine commuting across the MMR, offering a faster, more efficient, and modern transit solution for millions of residents," a PIB release said.

The PM will also launch "Mumbai One", an integrated common mobility app for 11 public transport operators (PTO) across metro, monorail, suburban Railways and civic bus in the MMR.

Commuters using Mumbai Metro Line 2A and Line 7, Aqua Line, Metro Line 1, monorail, Navi Mumbai Metro, suburban Railway, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), Thane, Mira Bhayander, Kalyan-Dombivali and Navi Mumbai municipal transport corporations' buses will benefit from the app.

As per the PIB release, the Mumbai One App offers commuters a range of benefits, including integrated mobile ticketing across multiple PTOs, elimination of queueing by promoting digital transactions, and seamless multimodal connectivity through a single dynamic ticket for trips involving multiple transport modes. PTI KK RSY