Maharashtra government inaugurates Metro 9

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis green-signalled Metro Line 9 (first phase) rail service between Dahisar East in Mumbai and Mira Bhayandar in Thane district on Tuesday (April 7, 2026), saying that with this, the total length of metro lines operational in Mumbai has crossed 100 km, and it will increase in the next two years as many metro lines are in the final phase.

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“With the first phase completed, the 96% work for the second phase of the ₹6,607 crore metro project from Saibaba Nagar to Subhash Chandra Bose Nagar is completed, and we will try to complete this year,” said Mr. Fadnavis, adding that this will cut journey time to 30 minutes from 1.5 hours.

Devendra Fadnavis, along with Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, were present at the inauguration ceremony, where they took the ride on the 4.97 km line connecting Dahisar and Kashigaon. Phase 1 has four stations, including Pandurang Wadi and Miragaon.

The Metro Line-9 links to the Red Line via Metro Line-7 (Dahisar East–Andheri East), with an interchange at Dahisar (E), a major node on Metro Line-2A, and Line-7A (Andheri East–Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport).

According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), one of the benefits is to alleviate heavy traffic at the Dahisar Toll Plaza. With a more direct and efficient metro connectivity, fewer vehicles may be forced onto the roads, leading to less congestion and smoother traffic flows during rush hours. This improved flow could ultimately result in a better commuting experience for Mira Bhayander.

Calling it a historical day for residents of Mira-Bhayandar, Mr. Shinde pointed out that the Metro 9 line connecting to Line 7 and Line 3 will provide seamless connectivity between Colaba in South Mumbai and Mira-Bhayandar in Thane. “We are creating a loop to interconnect the MMR regions,” Mr. Shinde said.

“Metro Line-9 will divert 20-30% of commuters from the roads to the metro, thereby making daily commuting more convenient. During rush hours, this could reduce traffic congestion by 10-15%, leading to faster vehicular movement and fewer instances of traffic gridlock,” as per the MMRDA authority.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the project in December 2018; it took almost seven years to complete the project. The first train will run at 5:50 a.m. (from Kashigaon to Gundavli), and the last train will run at 11 p.m. It will be operational for the public from April 8, 2026.

MMRDA has also released the revised timetables for the metro corridors. Metro Line 2A and Metro Line 7 will operate as independent corridors, while Line 7 will run in integration with Line 9, enabling connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar. The Metro Line 2A will function as a standalone corridor between Andheri West and Dahisar East, having a frequency of six minutes during rush hours, while Metro Line 7 & Line 9 ( Gundavali to Kashigaon will be an integrated red line corridor with 276 trips on weekdays, having a frequency of six minutes.

MMRDA chairman, Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, called the newly inaugurated line a “milestone in Mumbai’s metro expansion” and changes in timetable are “to ensure seamless passenger movement, reduce operational overlaps, and enhance overall network efficiency”. “Step by step, we are moving closer to our vision of a fully integrated 337 km metro network and a ‘Mumbai in Minutes’ reality,” he added.