05 September,2026 10:39 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Mumbai Metro Line-3. FILE PIC
Mumbaikars travelling to Ganeshotsav celebrations will get more time to visit pandals and return home as Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) has extended services on the Aqua Line (Metro Line-3) till midnight during the festival.
The extended services will be available from September 14 to September 25.
Currently, the last trains from both terminal stations - Cuffe Parade and Aarey JVLR - depart at 10.30 pm. During the extended service period, the last trains will run till midnight, giving devotees an additional 90 minutes to travel.
The Aqua Line connects several areas that see heavy footfall during Ganeshotsav, including Siddhivinayak, Dadar, Worli, Mahalaxmi and Girgaon. The extended services are expected to offer devotees an alternative to road travel and help them avoid traffic congestion during the festival.
Passengers will also be permitted to carry Ganesh idols up to 18 inches (45 cm) in height on the Aqua Line, subject to safety guidelines.
The extended services are aimed at making travel during Ganeshotsav more convenient while allowing devotees to return home safely after visiting pandals across the city.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Standing Committee has approved a proposal to construct an underground pedestrian route connecting the Nehru Science Centre Metro station on Metro Line-3 with the Worli Promenade and the proposed landscape garden along the coastal road.
The BMC will bear the estimated cost of Rs 702.44 crore for the underground pedestrian route, while the construction will be carried out by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde said.
The approximately 1-km-long and 7.5-metre-wide underground route is aimed at providing easy access to the proposed landscape garden spread across around 300 acres along the Swarajya Rakshak Dharmaveer Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road project, as well as the Worli Promenade, for residents and tourists.
Shinde said the coastal road has emerged as a landmark project for Mumbai and a large landscape garden has been proposed across around 300 acres along the project.
A reserved promenade along the coastal road will also be available to citizens along with the garden. However, while the area can currently be accessed relatively easily by four-wheelers, there is no adequate connectivity for the general public to reach it easily by public transport or on foot, he said.
The proposed underground pedestrian route is intended to address this gap.
After getting off at the Nehru Science Centre Metro station, commuters will be able to walk through the Mahalaxmi Racecourse area and under Lala Lajpatrai Road to reach the Worli Promenade and landscape garden directly.
The route, which will be around 1 km long and 7.5 metres wide, will enable a large number of people to travel safely and conveniently, Shinde said.
With the use of the metro increasing steadily in Mumbai, it has become an affordable and convenient mode of public transport for citizens, he said.
"Through Metro 3, citizens will be able to reach Nehru Science Centre and then directly access the promenade and landscape garden through this underground pedestrian route," Shinde stated.
The facility is expected to reduce dependence on private vehicles and encourage the use of public transport and pedestrian infrastructure.
