20 August,2026 06:24 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
A reserved promenade along the coastal road will also be available to citizens along with the garden. FILE PIC
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.
Shinde said the underground route would also provide a major boost to tourism in the coastal road area.
Once the landscape garden is completed, Mumbai residents as well as tourists from across India and abroad will be able to reach the area at a minimal cost using the metro, he stated.
"This route will therefore become an important link from the perspective of Mumbai's tourism infrastructure," Shinde said.
He further stated that the MMRC had expressed its willingness in June 2025 to undertake the construction of the underground tunnel.
Following a joint meeting held in December 2025, the municipal commissioner approved the construction through the MMRC, while it was decided that the BMC would bear the financial burden for the project.
Shinde said the expansion of the metro network was helping reduce traffic pressure and congestion on Mumbai's roads, thereby easing the burden on the civic body's road transport infrastructure.
The BMC had earlier provided around Rs 2,500 crore for the Metro 3 project, he stated.
Shinde said the civic body had now agreed to take financial responsibility for constructing the underground pedestrian route in the interest of citizens.
"Both the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation are public sector organisations. What is wrong if one organisation gets work done in the interest of citizens through another organisation?" he stated.
He said the decision was taken to use metro 3's technical capabilities to execute the project more effectively instead of awarding the work to a contractor.
"Some people are unable to digest this proposal. It appears that those accustomed to the 'malida' in contractual works are finding it difficult to accept it," Shinde stated.
He added that the BJP considered the interests of Mumbaikars its top priority and that the proposal had been approved by a majority to provide citizens with modern, safe and accessible pedestrian infrastructure.
The underground pedestrian route will effectively connect the metro, coastal road, promenade, and proposed landscape garden, Shinde said.
He added that the route would eventually become an important link for safe, convenient, and affordable public transport for Mumbaikars.
