According to officials from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), daily passenger numbers had earlier remained around 1.8 lakh. However, over the past two months, the corridor has been carrying between 2 lakh and 2.3 lakh passengers every day.
The ridership saw another increase on September 25, when Metro 3 services operated round the clock for Ganesh idol immersion. Around 2.4 lakh passengers travelled on the corridor during the 24-hour period.
The 33.5-km underground Metro 3 corridor was opened in three phases between October 2024 and October 2025.
When the first phase between Aarey and BKC opened, the corridor recorded only around 20,000 passengers a day. After the second phase between BKC and Acharya Atre Chowk became operational, the route was extended from Aarey to Acharya Atre Chowk and daily ridership increased to around 75,000-80,000.
However, passenger numbers remained a concern at that stage.
The situation changed after the final phase between Acharya Atre Chowk and Cuffe Parade opened. With the entire corridor operational, daily ridership increased steadily and reached around 1.8 lakh passengers.
Officials said passenger numbers have continued to grow over the past two months, with daily ridership now reaching 2.3 lakh passengers on some days.
During the Ganesh festival, Metro 3 services were extended into the night to accommodate additional passengers. Despite the holiday period, daily ridership remained above the 2 lakh mark.
On September 25, services began at 5.55 am and continued throughout the night. The corridor recorded around 2.4 lakh passengers during those 24 hours.
MMRC officials have said they expect Metro 3 daily ridership to cross 3 lakh in the near future as more passengers begin using the fully operational underground corridor.
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