Mumbai Metro Line-3 (Aqua Line), the city’s first fully underground metro corridor, began operations on Thursday, October 9. On Day 1 of operations, the corridor clocked 1,56,456 passengers. However, contrary to concerns, the launch of the Metro-3 line has not had a negative impact on the ridership of BEST buses operating from South Mumbai’s Backbay Depot.
In fact, the data shared by the BEST indicates a swell in the ridership of the buses following the Metro Line-3 launch. On the day of the Metro-3 launch on Wednesday, October 8, BEST recorded an increase of 855 commuters compared to the previous day. On Day 1 of the Aqua Line`s operations on Thursday, the positive trend continued and BEST recorded a significant rise of 6,351 passengers, suggesting that the metro may be complementing and not competing with the city’s bus network.
BEST ridership data (Backbay Depot)
Monday: 24,13,618
Tuesday: 24,07,742
Wednesday (Metro-3 launch): 24,08,597
Thursday (Day 1 of Metro-3 operations): 24,14,948
The Aqua Line, recording a strong footfall, ferried 1,56,456 passengers on the Aarey JVLR to Cuffe Parade route on Thursday, October 9, according to data from Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC).
On Friday, Day 2 of Aqua Line`s operations, the metro had already seen a ridership of 1,11,696 passengers by 6 pm, reflecting strong commuter interest in the new corridor.
The Aqua Line connects major residential and commercial hubs of Mumbai and is expected to significantly reduce road congestion and cut down travel time. Its inauguration marks a major milestone in the city’s transit infrastructure.
The inauguration ceremony was held on Wednesday and was virtually addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who lauded the project as a key step forward in enhancing Mumbai`s urban connectivity and infrastructure. PM Modi noted that “connectivity is essential for a city’s growth”, calling the opening of Phase 2B of the Metro Line-3 a “very big step for Mumbai’s future.”
On Thursday, operations at the Vidhan Bhavan Metro Station were briefly halted due to overcrowding but resumed within minutes, and the situation was brought under control swiftly.
With strong ridership figures on both the Metro and BEST buses, the initial response indicates that Mumbai’s public transport systems can effectively coexist and even support each other in catering to the city’s growing commuter base.
