Mumbai’s rapid transit network took a major step forward this week with the inauguration and commencement of commercial services on two new metro corridors — Lines 2B and 9 — adding vital links to the city’s expanding mass-transit system. These additions are expected to transform suburban connectivity, cut travel times and ease congestion on busy road routes across the metropolitan region.
The first phase of Metro Line 9, stretching roughly **4.5 km between Dahisar East and Kashigaon on the northern edge of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, opened to commuters on April 7-8. This marks the first metro corridor to enter Thane district from Mumbai, offering a faster alternative to crowded road travel.
Meanwhile, Metro Line 2B saw its initial Phase-I section become operational across about **5.5 km between **Mandale (Mankhurd) and Chembur’s Diamond Garden station in the city’s eastern suburbs. This stretch provides Mumbai with its first metro access on the Harbour Line, helping link the east-west travel axis more efficiently.
The launches were officiated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alongside Deputy Chief Ministers <span class="aet-entity aet-person" data-title="Eknath Shinde" data-text="Eknath Sambhaji Shinde is an Indian politician who has served as the 10th Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra alongside Sunetra Pawar under Chief Minister…” data-img=”https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Eknath_Shinde_SS.jpg/330px-Eknath_Shinde_SS.jpg” data-url=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eknath_Shinde”>Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, signalling continued focus on urban mobility upgrades in India’s financial capital.
Together with existing routes, these new corridors push Mumbai’s operational metro network well past the 100 km milestone, making it the second-largest metro system in India after the Delhi–NCR network. The metro authority says this achievement reflects sustained progress toward an integrated network that will serve millions of daily commuters.
Operational changes are also underway: Metro Line 7 will be integrated with Line 9, creating direct connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar via Kashigaon without transfers, while Lines 2A and 7 will function independently to streamline services.
Phase-I services on both corridors run at frequent intervals and operate from early morning to late evening, aiming to cut travel times, reduce traffic on road corridors and boost public transport usage across the region. Further phases of Lines 2B and 9 — completing their full stretches — are expected to open progressively through 2026 and 2027 as construction completes.
