Mumbai | September 6, 2026
Mumbai Metro Line 3 services will run until midnight from September 14 to 25 to help devotees travel to Ganeshotsav celebrations and return home after visiting pandals, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation has announced.
The Aqua Line’s last trains currently depart from both terminals, Cuffe Parade and Aarey JVLR, at 10.30 pm. During the extended-service period, the final departures will operate until midnight, giving passengers an additional 90 minutes to travel, according to the announcement reported by Mid-Day.
The extension will cover the main Ganeshotsav period and is intended to provide an alternative to road travel during a festival that draws large crowds across Mumbai. Metro Line 3 connects areas including Siddhivinayak, Dadar, Worli, Mahalaxmi and Girgaon, where devotees and visitors are expected to travel to pandals and other festival locations.
Passengers will also be allowed to carry Ganesh idols up to 18 inches, or about 45 centimetres, on Metro Line 3, subject to safety guidelines. The measure is intended to make the metro more convenient for devotees travelling with idols while maintaining operational and passenger-safety requirements.
The extended services come as Mumbai prepares for increased festival movement on roads and public transport. The metro corridor offers a way for passengers to avoid some road congestion during evening and late-night travel, although the report does not specify the revised frequency of trains or the number of additional services planned during the period.
The report also said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee has approved a proposal for a 70.244-crore underground pedestrian route linking the Nehru Science Centre Metro station with the Worli Promenade and a proposed landscape garden along the Coastal Road. The route is expected to be about one kilometre long and 7.5 metres wide.
According to Standing Committee chairman Prabhakar Shinde, the BMC will bear the estimated cost, while construction will be carried out by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation. The proposed route would pass through the Mahalaxmi Racecourse area and beneath Lala Lajpatrai Road, allowing commuters to walk from the Metro 3 station towards the promenade and garden.
The proposed landscape garden is planned across about 300 acres along the Swarajya Rakshak Dharmaveer Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road project. A promenade along the coastal road is also intended to be accessible to citizens. The proposal is aimed at addressing the reported gap in public-transport and pedestrian connectivity to the area, which is currently easier to reach by private vehicle.
The midnight services will remain in operation through September 25. The report did not provide a separate construction timeline or completion date for the proposed underground pedestrian route.
