Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar will inaugurate the first phase of metro line 2-B from Diamond Garden Chembur to Maharashtra Nagar Mandale in Mumbai on Tuesday (April 7, 2026). | Photo credit: Emmanuel Yogini
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday (April 7, 2026) green-lighted Metro Line 9 (Phase 1) and Line 2B (Stage 1), rail services between Dahisar East in Mumbai and Mira Bhayandar in Thane district, saying it will increase the total length of Mumbai Metro lines to cross 10 km in Mumbai. years, as many metro lines are in the final stages.
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“With the completion of the first phase, the second phase of the ₹6,607 crore metro project from Saibaba Nagar to Subhash Chandra Bose Nagar is 96% complete and we will try to complete it this year,” Mr. Fadnavis said, adding that it would reduce the travel 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 a ride on the 4.97 km track connecting Dahisar and Kashigaon. Phase 1 has four stations including Pandurang Wadi and Miragaon.
Metro Line-9 connects the Red Line via Metro Line-7 (Dahisar East–Andheri East), with a transfer at Dahisar (E), which is a major hub 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 the easing of heavy traffic at the Dahisar Toll Plaza. With a more direct and efficient connection to the metro, fewer vehicles can be forced onto the roads, resulting in less congestion and smoother traffic during rush hours. This improved flow could eventually lead to a better commute for Mira Bhayander.
Describing it as a historic day for the people of Mira-Bhayandar, Mr. Shinde pointed out that Metro Line 9 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 connect the MMR regions,” Mr. Shinde said.
“Metro Line-9 will divert 20-30% of commuters from roads to the metro, making daily commute more convenient. It could reduce traffic congestion by 10-15% during peak hours, leading to faster movement of vehicles and fewer incidents of traffic jams,” says the MMRDA office.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the project in December 2018; the project took nearly seven years to complete. The first train will run at 5:50 AM (Kashigaon to Gundavli) and the last train will run at 11:00 PM. It will be open to the public from April 8, 2026.
MMRDA has also released revised timetables for metro corridors. Metro Line 2A and Metro Line 7 will function as independent corridors, while Line 7 will run in integration with Line 9, enabling connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar. Metro Line 2A will operate as a separate corridor between Andheri West and Dahisar East with a frequency of 6 minutes during peak hours, while Metro Line 7 and Line 9 (Gundavali to Kashigaon) will be an integrated red line corridor with 276 trips on weekdays with a frequency of 6 minutes.
Chairman MMRDA, Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, called the newly inaugurated line “a milestone in the expansion of the Mumbai Metro” and the changes in the timetable are meant to “ensure seamless movement of passengers, reduce operational overlaps and increase overall network efficiency”. “Step by step we are moving closer to our vision of a fully integrated 337 km metro network and the reality of ‘Mumbai in Minutes’,” he added.
Published – 07 Apr 2026 16:22 IST
