More Mumbai Metro lines to open in 2026: Mira Bhayandar, Thane to get connectivity finally

In 2025, the highly anticipated Mumbai Metro Aqua Line, which runs from Aarey to Cuffe Parade, was inaugurated. This new line provides the city with an additional public transport option alongside the local railway system, and it is part of a broader network of planned metro lines for Mumbai. A wide range of infrastructure projects is currently underway in Mumbai and the surrounding MMR region.

The year 2026 is set to continue this trend, with several lines scheduled to open. Specifically, portions of four lines and an extension are expected to be inaugurated, with two of the openings anticipated in the first month of the year. Other significant projects, including tunnels and bridges such as the Thane-Borivali twin tunnels and the Eastern Freeway, will take a bit longer to complete.

With only four stations, the phase one opening of Line 9 is of tremendous importance. Extending Line 7, which runs from Andheri to Dahisar East, to the suburb of Mira Bhayandar, the four stations, set to open soon, will take it from the Dahisar East end to Kashigaon. It will introduce a metro line and network along 4.5 km at the outskirts of Mumbai.

Commuters from Mira Bhayandar will have access to both lines that converge at Dahisar East and head towards Andheri. They can use Line 7 to reach the Western Express Highway (WEH) and Line 2A to get to DN Nagar. Additionally, interchanges with Lines 1 and 3 (Aqua Line) will be accessible.

A total of 4 of the 13 stations are ready, ending at the Subhash Chandra Bose Stadium in Bhayandar. Checks by the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) began in December, said an official from the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), and the back-and-forth over the final stamp of approval continues. CMRS evaluations assign points for rectification until an ideal is achieved.

An opening initially teased for December has been postponed to January 2026. Although the current code of conduct may delay the grand inauguration of the line, the exact opening date remains uncertain.

In the coming months, the MMRDA also hopes to make the remaining portions of the line ready up to the Subhash Chandra Bose Stadium in Bhayandar.

Line 2 B is currently undergoing CMRS testing, and five of its stations are nearly ready for passenger service. However, the section of the line that stretches from Mandale in the far eastern suburbs to Diamond Garden in Chembur may attract fewer passengers due to its limited interconnectivity with other transportation networks.

The currently out-of-order monorail intends to meet the line at Chembur station (tentative name), one stop after Diamond Garden. The only public transport line connected to the 5.3-km stretch will be the Mankhurd railway station on the Harbour line, which will open the network to commuters in the eastern suburbs.

When complete, the 23.6-km line will enhance the city’s east-west connectivity. It begins at DN Nagar, then goes into Bandra, then towards Kurla, onto Chembur, and finally to Mankhurd.

The second phase of Line 2B is also expected to begin in mid-2026. The stations to open will be on the other end of the line, linking DN Nagar till Saraswat Nagar in Khar.

The line connecting Mumbai to Thane will open to the public in 2026, with two-thirds of it operational.

An MMRDA official said the first section of the line in Thane is expected to open by March. This initial 10.5-km stretch will run from Cadbury Junction to Gaimukh. It includes Line 4A, which is a short 2.7-km extension from Kasarvadavali, the current endpoint of Line 4, to Gaimukh.

In September 2024, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis praised the trial runs on this stretch and committed to completing the initial stations by the end of 2025. However, an MMRDA official explained that the design of the stations, featuring a crimped, wavy top, can be executed only by a single vendor and a single machine, which is causing delays.

Over the next six months, the goal is to operationalise the next 10 km of the line. This expansion will extend the working stations from Gaimukh in the north to Gandhi Nagar in Vikhroli. The entire line is expected to be fully operational by 2027, ultimately reaching Wadala.

A crucial 15.3-km metro line that runs along the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), the MMRDA aims to get the entire Line 6 operational by mid-2026.

The line begins at Swami Samarth Nagar in Andheri West, runs along the east-west corridor in Andheri East, Saki Vihar Road, Powai, and Kanjurmarg, intersects the WEH and EEH, and ends at Vikhroli. The design of the station at Mahakali Caves will be influenced by the caves.

Due to constraints, the line includes several standout features. In many spots, it will be the third level of transport, towering over a flyover and the road below. The tallest line: its highest pillars reach 29.5 metres.

Issues with the metro car depot at Kanjurmarg have also necessitated inspection and maintenance provisions along the lines. “As work on the Kanjurmarg depot and the complications around it continue, we are building 8-lane inspection pit lines alongside. A few stations also have pocket lines on the sides, so scheduled maintenance and inspections of the underside of the cars can continue. These will make it possible to open the entire line in 2026, even if frequency will be restricted to every 6 minutes,” said the official.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) plans to complete the ‘missing link’ on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway by March and open it to traffic.

Skipping the Lonavala section, the link will cut the Khopoli to Kusgaon section to 13.3 km, reducing travel time by 30 minutes. The missing link consists of two tunnels through the hills, two cable-stayed bridges, and a viaduct. Minor works remain, and an MSRDC officer assured that they would be completed by March.