Mumbai's first Underground Metro to start from October; Here's all you need to know timings, fare

Mumbai Metro 3's phase 1 is most likely to be launched and opened for commuters in the first week of October. In this regard, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) has started preparations and trials of the metro are being conducted.

This will mark the opening of the Aqua Line's first phase, a 12-km stretch running between Aarey Colony and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), with 10 stations operational on this section. Among them 9 underground stations and one grade terminus station at Aarey have been constructed, reports stated.

For the first phase from Aarey to BKC, trains will be run every 6.5 minutes, MMRDA expects to carry 2,500 passengers at a time in each round.

Ticket prices:

For the Aqua Line, the fare structure hasn't been officially confirmed yet. However, based on the fare structures of existing lines, it is expected to follow a similar range.

Here's an estimated fare structure for when it becomes operational:

• 0-3 km: INR 10
• 3-12 km: INR 20
• 12-18 km: INR 30
• 18+ km: INR 40 or more

Initially, passengers will receive paper tickets with a QR code, with plans to activate NCMC cards gradually.

Timings:

As per MMRC schedule, Metro 3 will run between Aarey-BKC from Monday to Saturday from 6.30 am to 10.30 pm and 8.30 am to 10.30 pm on Sundays.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus T-2 and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus T-1 stations have been constructed in this route to reach Mumbai Airport. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus T-2 station has India's longest elevator escalator at 19 meters long.

Also, the work of connecting Metro 3 to Metro 1 from Marol Naka station has been completed. This metro line has stations at a distance of 1 km. At the same time, since Metro is driverless, special measures have been taken in the station for emergency assistance including fire safety, metro door opening, CCTV cameras, elevator management.

When the metro project was approved in 2011, its cost was INR 23,000 crores. It has been implemented on 22 hectares of land and today the cost of Metro-3 project is 36,000 crores. Additionally, 90 per cent work of Metro carshed has been completed.