Mumbai's First Underground Metro Set to Launch on July 24

Mumbai's first underground Metro, the 33.5 km Metro Line 3, is scheduled to begin operations on July 24 as per BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde. The line, funded partly by JICA, aims to connect south Mumbai with the western suburbs and alleviate local transit congestion.

Mumbai's first underground Metro rail corridor, known as Metro Line 3, will start operating from July 24, Bharatiya Janata Party's general secretary Vinod Tawde announced on Wednesday.

In a post on X, Tawde revealed, "Mumbai's first underground metro (Aqua Line) is starting from July 24, which will give new impetus to the speed of the city."

Metro Line 3, also known as the Mumbai Metro Aqua Line or Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Line, stretches 33.5 km and will link south Mumbai to the city's western suburbs, easing the burden on existing suburban locals.

He highlighted that this project is a step towards fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise to make life easier for Mumbaikars.

Last month, the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) successfully completed the trials of rolling stock for the underground Metro Line 3.

The project, a joint venture between the Union and Maharashtra governments, is managed by Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL). Ashwini Bhide, MMRCL's managing director, could not be reached for comment, and an MMRCL spokesperson did not respond to inquiries.

Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project's total cost has been revised to Rs 37,276 crore, with Rs 21,280 crore coming from a JICA loan, as approved by the Union government in February.