Eight years in the making, Mumbai Saturday finally got its first underground Metro with PM Narendra Modi inaugurating the first phase of the Aqua Line Metro, a 12.44-km stretch that will run from Aarey to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The entire 33.5-km-long stretch that will connect Cuffe Parade-BKC-Aarey Colony will be functional by March 2025. The PM also took a ride from BKC to Santacruz and back, joined by Metro construction workers and beneficiaries of the ‘Chief Minister Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’. Mumbai residents will be able to avail the services of the new line starting Monday, 11 am. Regular services will begin the following day, operating from 6.30 am to 10.30 pm. Work on the project began in January 2017 with construction taking place in some of the busiest parts of Mumbai. Before the inauguration, Modi visited Thane, where he did bhoomipujan of the Thane Ring Metro project and the new Thane Municipal Corporation headquarters. He highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects in Mumbai, asserting that the current government supported by the BJP has made significant progress in enhancing city’s transport system. “In Mumbai, approximately 300 km of Metro projects are underway, alongside major infrastructure initiatives such as the Thane-Borivali twin tunnel, Versova -Bandra Coastal Road, Eastern Freeway extension among others,” he said. Modi criticised the previous MVA government for delaying the Metro 3 project for two and a half years, which he claimed increased its cost by Rs 14,000 crore. As Maharashtra prepares for the Assembly elections, the new Metro Line 3 is being seen as a vital addition to the city’s transport network.
