MMRCL proposes new underground metro Line 11 in SoBo

MMRCL has proposed Mumbai Metro Line 11, a 17.5km underground route from Anik Depot to Gateway of India, awaiting state approval.

Mumbai: As August approaches, and with it, the D-day to operationalise the entire length of the 33.5km long Mumbai Metro Aqua line 3, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) has initiated the process for yet another underground metro in the city. MMRCL has submitted a proposal for line 11, a part of the green line, to the Maharashtra government for approval.

Mumbai, India - May 27, 2025: Security outside closed Acharya Atre Chowk Metro Station Aqua Line 3 which is nonfunctional, after yesterday's water flooding, at Worli in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The MMRCL is tasked with designing, constructing, and operationalising the metro Line 11. According to the detailed project report submitted to the state government for approval, the 17.5km long route will go from Anik Depot to Gateway of India via Nagpada and Bhendi Bazaar, among other stations. Like the Aqua line, line 11 too will have one station at ground level, Anik Depot, and the rest of it will be underground, snaking through some of the most dense areas of south Mumbai.

“We have submitted the proposal to the state government for the initial clearance. Once it receives the nod, it will be forwarded to the union government,” said a senior MMRCL official. He added that as per the procedure, once a feasibility study and detailed reports are put together, they are sent to the government’s Urban Development Department (UDD). After the UDD’s sanctions, the reports then go to the Union Ministry of Urban Department for further approvals.

As per the MMRCL official, once the project is set to be funded through domestic or international finance agencies, the process to get environment and other statutory clearances begins. Infrastructure companies are then appointed, based on competitive bidding, to shape the project on the ground.

Initially, the metro train will have six coaches, and their depot has been proposed at the Anik - Pratiksha Nagar BEST bus depot over 16 hectares of land which will integrate the metro line into the existing bus infrastructure. The proposed Line 11 will also intersect the Line 4 (Wadala - Ghatkopar - Thane - Kasarvadavli), the Aqua line (Cuffe Parade - Bandra Kurla Complex - Aarey JVLR), the Monorail, and suburban railway stations such as Byculla and CSMT.

As per the MMRCL, eight of the line’s 13 underground stations will be constructed through the cut and cover method, a tunnel construction technique where a trench is excavated, a tunnel is built within, and the trench is covered back up with the excavated material. The remaining five, will be constructed using the New Austrian Tuneling Method, a technique which leverages the natural strength of surrounding rock masses to support the tunnel structure.

The MMRCL’s ridership projections predict 580,000 commuters in 2031 and 869,000 commuters in 2041. Details regarding the bidding, commencement, and termination of the project will be available only after the proposed line has been approved by state and central bodies.