BMC approves ₹702-cr pedestrian underpass linking metro, Worli promenade

The proposal was approved by a majority vote at the BMC Standing Committee meeting, paving the way for the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) to commence construction work, said BMC standing committee chairman Prabhakar Shinde

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday approved a proposal to construct an underground pedestrian vestibule connecting the Mahalaxmi Racecourse or the Nehru Science Centre Metro station area on Line 3 with the Coastal Road’s Worli promenade.

The proposed 3.5-4-kilometer link, to be built at a cost of ₹702.44 crore, will provide a direct connection from the Nehru Science Centre Metro station till the Worli promenade and landscaped garden (HT Photo)

The proposal was approved by a majority vote at the BMC Standing Committee meeting, paving the way for the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) to commence construction work, standing committee chairman Prabhakar Shinde told reporters.

The proposed 3.5-4-kilometer link, to be built at a cost of ₹702.44 crore, will provide a direct connection from the Nehru Science Centre Metro station till the Worli promenade and landscaped garden, passing beneath the Mahalaxmi racecourse area and Lala Lajpatrai Road.

Shinde said that while the Coastal Road and the proposed landscaped garden at Worli were expected to become major tourist attractions, access to the area by public transport and on foot remained inadequate. The underground passage, he said, would address this gap by providing a safe and convenient route for pedestrians arriving by metro.

With metro ridership increasing steadily, the facility is expected to encourage greater use of public transport and reduce dependence on private vehicles.

According to Shinde, the MMRC had expressed its willingness to undertake construction of the underground passage in June 2025. At a joint meeting in December 2025, the municipal commissioner approved the execution of the project by the MMRC, with the BMC agreeing to bear the cost.

Shinde said the decision to entrust the work to the MMRC was aimed at leveraging its technical expertise in executing underground infrastructure. Both the BMC and the MMRC were public-sector entities and having one public agency undertake work for another would ensure that existing technical capabilities were utilised for the benefit of citizens.

The BMC had earlier made around ₹2,500 crore available for the metro 3 project, and its decision to fund the pedestrian subway was in keeping with the objective of strengthening public transport and pedestrian infrastructure, Shinde said.

He further said that the underground passage would eventually serve as an important interchange between the city’s metro network and the Coastal Road’s public spaces, offering Mumbaikars a safe, convenient and affordable pedestrian connection.