Mumbai’s long-awaited Metro Line 3 has recorded a remarkable jump in ridership on the second day as well, following the launch of its final phase. By 6 PM on Friday, Metro Line 3 had recorded 1,11,696 commuters—an increase of over 13,000 compared to the same time on Thursday, when 97,846 passengers were logged.
"On the first full day of operations (Thursday), a total of 1,56,456 passengers boarded trains on the Aqua Line, more than double the daily average seen in September 2025, when the services were available only up to Acharya Atre Chowk," said an official. In September 2025, before the full corridor was functional, the daily average ridership stood at 63,549.
The final stretch—extending service from Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade—was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, with public services commencing on Thursday. The first phase, from Aarey to BKC, opened in October 2024 and was extended to Acharya Atre Chowk in May 2025.
According to officials, the projected ridership for the entire corridor is 13 lakh passengers per day, and the strong start of over 1.5 lakh commuters on Day 1 is being seen as a significant milestone. Officials attribute the sharp rise in usage to high demand for seamless connectivity to South Mumbai’s business hubs and government offices.
In stark contrast, when the initial phase opened in October 2024, ridership was modest—around 18,000 on the first day. It grew to 33,000 when the second phase was launched in May 2025.
BEST Buses Unaffected—For Now
Interestingly, the sharp spike in Metro ridership hasn’t yet dented the passenger numbers of the city’s second lifeline—the BEST bus services. On Thursday, BEST recorded 24.15 lakh passengers, even over 6,000 higher than the 24.09 lakh who travelled on Wednesday, suggesting that the Metro Line 3 expansion has not immediately pulled commuters away from buses.
Data from earlier in the week supports this trend: 24.14 lakh passengers were recorded on Monday and 24.08 lakh on Tuesday. The stability in numbers indicates that commuters are either continuing to rely on buses for first- and last-mile connectivity, or the Metro's impact on surface transport may take longer to reflect.
A Double-Edged Sword for BEST?
Despite the stable figures, transport experts and commuter rights activists caution that the full commissioning of Metro Line 3 could pose long-term challenges for BEST if bus routes aren’t realigned based on emerging demand patterns.
A retired BEST traffic division officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the situation as a “double-edged sword” for BEST. “Metro Line 3 can either bring additional ridership to BEST through feeder services, or it can pull away existing passengers if the administration fails to adapt routes and services to the new pattern. It all depends on how BEST responds to this opportunity,” the officer said.
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