The Maharashtra government has approved a new metro corridor linking Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports. This is a long-awaited project aimed at easing travel between the two aviation hubs and cutting transit time across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Tuesday that the state cabinet had cleared the 35-km Mumbai-Navi Mumbai Airport Metro, which will feature 20 stations, including a 9-km underground stretch. The project is estimated to cost Rs 22,862 crore, higher than the earlier Rs 18,000 crore estimate.
The new line will provide a direct, seamless connection between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the newly operational Navi Mumbai International Airport. At present, road travel between the two airports can take 70 to 90 minutes, depending on traffic conditions.
Timeline
While the official construction timeline is five years, Fadnavis said he has pushed for completion within three-and-a-half years. If achieved, it would mark one of the fastest deliveries for a large metro corridor in the region.
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Route and Stations
The corridor-also referred to as Metro Line 8-will include six underground and 14 elevated stations.
The underground stretch of the corridor will link Mumbai Airport’s Terminal 2 with Ghatkopar East, while the elevated portion will extend from Ghatkopar West to Terminal 2 of the Navi Mumbai Airport. The line will have stations spaced at intervals of less than 2 kilometres on average.
Key stations include Terminal 2 of Mumbai airport, Kurla, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Vashi, Nerul, Seawoods, and both terminals of the Navi Mumbai airport.
Connectivity
The line is designed as a major interchange corridor, connecting with at least six other metro lines, suburban rail services, bus terminals and LTT. This would allow passengers to reach either airport using a single metro line, without changing modes.
Daily ridership on the corridor is projected to reach 10.3 lakh passengers by 2031, reflecting both airport traffic and regular commuter usage across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
PPP Model and Funding Structure
The metro will be developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Both the Centre and the Maharashtra government will contribute 20% each as viability gap funding, while the remaining 60% investment will come from the private developer.
According to officials, the project will be implemented by City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) in partnership with a private consortium. The model is similar to the build-operate-transfer structure used for Mumbai Metro Line 1.
CIDCO submitted the detailed project report in November after securing approvals from the urban development and finance departments.
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