Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde on Friday inaugurated Phase 2A of the Aqua Line (Metro 3), marking another key milestone in Mumbai’s Metro journey.Starting Saturday, commuters can travel underground from Aarey to Acharya Atre Chowk in Worli in 36 minutes, covering a distance of 22km for a fare of Rs 60.With this, the city’s operational Metro network has expanded from 59km to 68km. The newly opened 9.77km stretch runs between BKC and Acharya Atre Chowk and includes six stations—Dharavi, Shitaladevi, Dadar West, Siddhivinayak, Worli and Acharya Atre Chowk. “This is an engineering marvel. We’ve built a tunnel under the Mithi river and passed through congested areas like Girgaon. Our aim is to open 50km of Metro lines this year and another 50km by next year, making a total of 100 km operational by 2026,” said Fadnavis after taking a Metro ride from BKC to Siddhivinayak.Trains will run daily from 6:30am to 10:30pm, with a headway of 6 minutes and 20 seconds. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) will operate 244 services daily using eight trains. Frequency is expected to improve as more rakes are inducted, especially during peak hours.The stretch boosts east-west connectivity and links key commercial zones like BKC, Worli, Lower Parel and Prabhadevi. Commuters will also get easier access to religious places such as Siddhivinayak temple, Shitaladevi and Mahim Dargah, and recreational hubs such as Shivaji Park and Ravindra Natya Mandir. The corridor is also expected to decongest arterial roads such as Senapati Bapat Marg and Tulsi Pipe Road, which are currently burdened with heavy traffic.Deputy CM Shinde said the corridor will take 4.5-5 lakh vehicles off the road. “It’s not just about infrastructure, it’s about improving quality of life. We’re reducing congestion, travel time and fuel use,” he said.The final leg of Aqua Line 3—Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade—will be inaugurated in Aug. The full 33.5km Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ corridor will be the country’s longest fully underground Metro line with 26 stations. Travel from end to end will take under an hour.Fares for Phase 2A range from Rs 10 to Rs 40 depending on distance, while the end-to-end fare from JVLR Aarey to Acharya Atre Chowk is Rs 60. Ticketing machines, smartcard kiosks and digital payment options have been installed at all stations to ease the commuter experience.Fadnavis also announced that a common mobility card —valid across Metro, Monorail, BEST and rail—will be rolled out soon after successful trials. “This will give Mumbaikars a truly end-to-end, seamless travel experience. We’ve also partnered with Google to provide real-time BEST tracking and journey planning on mobile.”With this launch, Mumbai’s Metro vision inches closer to global standards — safe, reliable, and interconnected public transport across the region.