Mumbai Metro 3 sees lukewarm ridership: Each Aarey-BKC service carries an average of 46 passengers

The Aqua Line was inaugurated on October 5, 2024, and opened to the public two days later. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which constructed and operates the line, had initially projected a daily ridership of 400,000 passengers

MUMBAI: The city’s only underground metro corridor, the Aqua Line (Metro 3), which runs from BKC to Aarey Colony, has recorded a lukewarm response in the four-and-a-half months since its partial launch. Between October 7, 2024, and February 20, 2025, just 2.66 million passengers travelled on the Aarey–Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) stretch—an average of fewer than 20,000 passengers per day or less than 100 passengers per trip.

Mumbai, India. Oct 07, 2024: Mumbai's first underground Metro Line 3, the aqua line's phase-1, from Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to Aarey, became operational for the public on Monday, October 7, 2024.Mumbai, India. Oct, 07, 2024.(Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

The Aqua Line was inaugurated on October 5, 2024, and opened to the public two days later. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which constructed and operates the line, had initially projected a daily ridership of 400,000 passengers.

However, according to MMRC data, the 12.44 km section has witnessed 29,162 trips (or 58,324 services) over 136 days. A trip involves a complete journey from Aarey to BKC and back, whereas a service refers to a one-way journey. The data suggests that an average of 91 passengers per trip—or 46 passengers per service—opted for Metro 3 as their mode of transport.

Each eight-coach train has a maximum passenger capacity of 2,500, but with only nine trains operating at a frequency of 7 minutes 30 seconds, ridership remains well below expectations. The metro runs between 6:30 am and 10:30 pm on weekdays and from 8:30 am to 10:30 pm on weekends.

Ridership peaks during morning and evening rush hours, while footfall remains thin throughout the day. An MMRC official, speaking to Hindustan Times, acknowledged the low ridership but expressed optimism that numbers would rise once the entire corridor becomes operational later this year.

Despite the modest passenger turnout, MMRC reported a punctuality rate of 99.60% in its latest update on X. The Aqua Line is part of the larger 33.5 km Aarey–BKC–Cuffe Parade corridor, which is being completed in phases. The section up to Acharya Atre Chowk is expected to be ready in the next few months, with full completion targeted by June 2025.