Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday announced that the state cabinet has approved a new metro line connecting Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport with the Navi Mumbai International Airport. The 35-kilometre corridor will have 20 stations and feature a 9-km underground stretch.
The project is estimated to cost around Rs 22,862 crore, slightly higher than the earlier estimate of Rs 18,000 crore, according to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office. Fadnavis said the metro is expected to be built in three and a half years, although the official timeline is five years.
Public-private partnership to build the metro
The state government has decided to implement the project under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Both the Centre and the Maharashtra government will provide 20% each of the viability gap funding, while the remaining 60% will come from a private partner.
The project will be built by CIDCO in association with a private consortium, taking over from the earlier plan managed jointly by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and CIDCO. The detailed project report (DPR) was submitted by CIDCO in November after receiving all necessary approvals.
Stations and connectivity
The new Metro Line Eight will have 20 stations, including major hubs like Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Vashi, Nerul, and Navi Mumbai International Airport Terminals 1 and 2. Six stations will be underground, and 14 will be elevated. The line will connect with six other metro lines, suburban rail networks, bus terminals, and LTT. By 2031, daily ridership is expected to reach over 10 lakh passengers.
Currently, road travel between the two airports can take 70–90 minutes depending on traffic. The new metro will provide seamless travel for flyers, airline crew, cargo operators, and outstation passengers, making it much faster and more convenient.
