Mumbai: Mumbai’s ambitious Metro Line 3, the 33.5-km Aqua Line, is nearing completion, promising to transform commuting between Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai and Aarey in the western suburbs. The city’s first fully underground metro has been rolled out in phases. Aarey to BKC has been operational since October 2024, BKC to Worli launched in May 2025, while the final Worli–Cuffe Parade stretch awaits safety clearance, bringing the entire corridor closer to full-scale operations. The mega project has seen several delays in deadlines and is likely to be launched fully very soon.

The city’s long-awaited underground Metro Line 3 project is now in its last lap, with the Worli–Cuffe Parade section awaiting fire safety clearance before inspection by the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS). According to Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) Managing Director Ashwini Bhide, commercial operations on the final segment can only begin after CMRS approval, making this the last step before Mumbai’s first fully underground metro corridor becomes fully operational.

The 33.5-km Aqua Line, connecting Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai to Aarey in the western suburbs, has been Mumbai’s most ambitious transport infrastructure project to date. Its completion marks a major milestone in the city’s efforts to decongest overcrowded suburban railways and reduce dependence on private vehicles.

A major achievement came on July 23, 2025, when MMRCL successfully energised the entire stretch by activating the 25 kV traction line. This enabled the commencement of trial runs on the remaining Worli–Colaba Cuffe Parade section. While the launch was initially scheduled for August, pending trial runs and safety clearances have pushed back the timeline slightly. Once CMRS inspection is complete, the corridor can finally open for public use.

The Aqua Line has been rolled out in phases. The first operational stretch, covering Aarey-JVLR to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), was inaugurated on October 7, 2024, offering commuters in the western suburbs direct connectivity to Mumbai’s emerging financial hub. The second segment, running from BKC to Worli’s Acharya Atre Chowk, was flagged off on May 9, 2025, and opened the following day. Together, these two phases cover 22.5 km, which has already seen strong ridership. The final leg from Worli to Cuffe Parade will unlock seamless north–south connectivity across Mumbai.

Meanwhile, the Aqua Line recently crossed the 1 crore ridership mark, as per an update on August 28. Stretching from Aarey JVLR to Acharya Atre Chowk, the corridor has quickly become a vital urban lifeline. Officials hailed the milestone, noting the positive response from commuters who have embraced the new metro as a faster, more reliable alternative.

When fully operational, Metro Line 3 is expected to carry 4.5 lakh passengers daily, with projections of 6.5 lakh trips as ridership scales up. It promises to cut travel time drastically between South Mumbai and the western suburbs, while offering direct rail access to both domestic and international airports, a long-pending demand of the city.

The corridor will also enhance last-mile connectivity to six key business districts, 30 major office hubs, 12 educational institutes, 11 hospitals, 10 transport nodes and 25 cultural and religious sites. Crucially, it will integrate with existing suburban rail at Churchgate and CSMT, and provide relief to congested road corridors like the Western Express Highway.

Beyond its commuter benefits, Metro Line 3 represents a symbolic shift in Mumbai’s infrastructure ambitions. By introducing India’s first fully underground metro corridor at such a scale, it sets a benchmark for future projects.

With safety trials in their final phase, the countdown has begun. Once CMRS approval is secured, the Aqua Line will be opened in its entirety, reshaping Mumbai’s commuting landscape for decades to come.

Mumbai, Sep 10: The Indian benchmark indices opened higher on Wednesday, on the back of promising developments in the US-India trade discussions along with strong overnight global cues.

US President Donald Trump’s initiative to improve India-US relations and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s positive response to the same is a positive cue for the Indian market.

The Sensex was up 334 points or 0.41 per cent at 81,435 in the early morning trade, and the Nifty was up 106 points or 0.43 per cent at 24,975.

The broadcap indices made strong gains, as Nifty Midcap 100 inched up by 0.73 per cent, and the Nifty Small cap 100 moved up 0.71 per cent.

In the Nifty pack, Larsen and Toubro, Kotak Mahindra, Dr Reddys Labs and TCS were the major gainers. The major losers were Hero Motocorp, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Steel and Hindalco.

Among sectoral indices, Nifty IT, the top gainer, jumped 1.88 per cent. Nifty PSU bank and Nifty Realty were the other major gainers. Only Nifty Auto (down 0.33 per cent) and Nifty Consumer durables were in the red.

Nifty on Tuesday faced resistance near the 24,900 level for the second consecutive session. The index formed a small green candle with a long lower shadow on the daily chart, reflecting ongoing consolidation and intraday volatility.

“Nifty continued its upward journey yesterday, rising for the fifth consecutive session and closing at a two-week high. By closing above 24791, Nifty managed to reclaim its level above 50 DEMA. The index has now decisively surpassed its 5, 10, 20, and 50-day DMAs, which is a bullish signal on short-term charts,” said Devarsh Vakil, Head of Prime Research at HDFC Securities.

According to market analysts, buying interest is visible at lower levels, and the 24,900–25,000 zone continues to act as a stiff hurdle. Immediate support is placed at 24,620, and as long as the index trades below 25,000, some consolidation or mild weakness may persist, they said.

US markets made strong gains overnight as the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 0.43 per cent, while the Nasdaq advanced by 0.37 per cent and the S&P 500 gained 0.27 per cent. The rally was driven by expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts following a sharp downward revision to US job data.

The Asian markets were firmly in green during the morning session. China’s Shanghai index advanced 0.17 per cent, and Shenzhen added 0.24 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei was up 0.6 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index added 0.98 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi inched up 1.55 per cent.

On Tuesday, foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) snapped their 11-day selling streak by purchasing equities worth Rs 2,050 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net bought shares worth Rs 83 crore.

Mumbai: A Range Rover (MH 02 FJ 7866) struck two WagonR cars on the Western Express Highway in Bandra East on Mon day, injuring one person. The Kherwadi police registered a case against an unidentified individual on the same day.

According to the FIR, Nemchand Yadav, 24, a Jogeshwari West resident, operates a WagonR for passenger transport. On Monday, his car’s belt broke in Mahim. His friend Mantesh Yadav arrived with his WagonR, tied Nemchand’s car with a rope, and began towing it towards Andheri for repairs. At around 2:15pm, before the Vakola bridge, the Range Rover rammed into Nemchand’s WagonR, causing it to collide with Mantesh’s car. Nemchand, seated in his broken-down vehicle, suffered head, hand, and leg injuries and lost consciousness. Mantesh’s friends rushed him to V.N. Desai Hospital in Santacruz East.

Nemchand told FPJ, “I became unconscious after the accident and regained consciousness at around 7.30am the next day. The police were present there. They told me that the Range Rover was also damaged, with losses of around Rs70,000 to Rs80,000, but the driver was unwilling to compensate me. I later learned that the Range Rover driver had come to the police station, and it seemed he might have paid them money.”