The Red Line is part of the Mumbai Metro rail network for the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. During construction, the line was divided into three smaller lines – Line 7 ( to ), Line 7A ( to ), and Line 9 ( to ).
The 31.045 km corridor connects the region of Mira-Bhayandar to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport via Andheri (East) and Dahisar (East). Construction of Line 7 began in August 2016, while construction of Lines 7A and 9 began in March 2020. The majority of the corridor is elevated, with only the airport section being underground.
There are a total of 23 stations planned on the corridor, of which 21 are elevated and 1 is underground. The line offers interchange with: the Yellow Line at the Pink Line at the Blue Line at the Aqua Line at
The line is also proposed to have interchanges with the Green Line and the Gold Line.
On 7 April 2026, the Red Line was extended northward into Mira-Bhayandar with the opening of Phase 1 of Line 9, covering three stations from to . Commercial services began on 8 April 2026.
Stations opened in this phase are: Dahisar East metro station Pandurang Wadi metro station Miragaon metro station Kashigaon metro station
Planning Red LineLine numberStationOpening DistanceFromTo9December 20278 April 202672 April 202219 January 20237ADecember 2027Total
Line 7 An metro line connecting Andheri East and Dahisar East was proposed as Line 7 in the original Mumbai Metro master plan, unveiled by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in 2004. In June 2015, the MMRDA proposed building Line 7 as part of a plan to build 6 new metro lines at a total estimated cost of . The MMRDA approved the detailed project report for Line 7 in August 2015. The report proposed a elevated line between Andheri East and Dahisar East at an estimated cost of .
Over the course of two weeks in March–April 2017, Mumbai residents saved nearly 4,000 plants growing on dividers and along the Western Express Highway that had not been marked for replanting by metro authorities. Residents replanted these trees in their own housing societies, as well as at schools and other locations. Nearly 210 people and over 40 housing societies participated in the initiative, coordinating their efforts through WhatsApp messages.
In April 2017, the Ministry of Civil Aviation approved the transfer of 40 acres of land in Dahisar for the construction of the metro depot. The Airports Authority of India and the MMRDA signed a formal agreement on 24 April 2017. In June 2017, the Maharashtra Government transferred three plots of land at Aarey Colony, measuring a total of 20,387 sqm (5.03 acres), to the MMRDA for a labour camp and a casting yard for Line 7, and a centralised operation centre for the metro system. In November 2021, the MMRDA cancelled the plan to build the line's depot at Dahisar, and instead proposed building the depot for Line 7, and its extensions, at Rai Murdhe in Bhayandar.
In February 2020, MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner R.A. Rajeev stated that Line 7 would be identified as the Red Line. A study by the World Resources Institute (WRI) India, published in May 2021, estimated that Line 7 and Line 2A had the potential to create 1.1 million jobs in the city.
Line 7A and 9 In February 2017, the MMRDA announced that the DMRC was preparing a detailed project report (DPR) on a proposed extension of Line 7 from Dahisar to Bhayander, via Mira Road. The extension would have 9 stations, with an inter-station distance of . The line would run parallel to the Surat-Dahisar Highway, then turn left at Kashi Mira Junction, before passing through Mira Road-Bhayander, and terminating at Golden Nest Circle in Bhayander. The project is estimated to cost . In March 2017, the MMRDA stated that the DMRC was conducting a feasibility study to extend the line to Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
The extensions to Mira-Bhayander and the airport were officially announced by Chief Minister Fadnavis on 30 March 2017. The alignment for the extension from Andheri to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Terminus was approved by the State Cabinet on 12 April 2017. In June 2018, the MMRDA stated that it had decided to terminate the proposed extension at the international airport, and not extend it to the domestic terminal due to technical challenges. As the metro extension is proposed to be underground, it would have to be constructed below or above Line 3 which also passes under the airport. Line 7A is long including a underground twin tunnel. The extension is partially elevated, running parallel to the Western Express Highway and Sahar Elevated Road, and goes underground just ahead of the vehicular underpass of Sahar Elevated Road. The Maharashtra Cabinet approved the implementation of both extensions in September 2018.
Construction
Line 7 The Bhoomipujan ceremony for Line 7 was performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Mumbai on 11 October 2015. Line 7 was implemented through the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) model. The MMRDA invited bids for the project in December 2015. Tendering for the design and construction of the corridor was split into 3 packages. The first package included an elevated viaduct and 5 elevated stations – Andheri East, Shankarwadi, JVLR Junction, Mahanand and new Ashok Nagar. The second package included an elevated viaduct and 6 elevated stations – Aarey, Dindoshi, Pathan Wadi, Pushpa Park, Bandongri and Mahindra & Mahindra, and an elevated viaduct and 5 elevated stations – Magathane, Devipada, National Park, Ovaripada and Dahisar East. A total of 16 companies expressed interest, and 9 bids were submitted. In April 2016, the MMRDA awarded contracts to Simplex Infrastructure, J Kumar Infraprojects, and Nagarjuna Construction Company for the first, second and third packages respectively. The project is estimated to cost . The contract awarded to Simplex Infrastructure was worth .
Construction work on the corridor began on 8 August 2016. The contractors were expected to complete construction of the corridor and all 14 stations within 30 months from the day of commencement of work. On 18 February 2017, MMRDA officials stated that 15% of piling, pile caps and pier work on the corridor had been completed. By the end of April 2017, 25% of piling work, 60% of barricading work and 77% of the soil testing for pier foundation had been completed. Line 7 stations were built on a single pier, unlike the three piers used to support stations on Line 1. The single pier design was chosen to facilitate the construction of smaller stations and reduce the amount of land occupied on the Western Express Highway which could obstruct traffic flow.
On 14 March 2017, the Mumbai High Court temporarily stayed all construction activities at Metro 7's casting yard in Bandra Reclamation. The Court was hearing a PIL filed by Mohammed Furqan Ali Mohammed Qureshi, who alleged that the site of the casting yard had been reserved by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for use as a Sunni Muslim cemetery. Piling work in Kandivli resulted in a gas pipeline bursting on 29 March 2017. The damage to the Mahanagar Gas pipeline resulted in temporary disruptions in the supply of CNG to Kandivli, Borivli, Dahisar, Mira Road and Bhayander. Mahanagar Gas began repairing the pipeline on the evening of 31 March, and completed the work by the following evening. The BMC accused Nagarjuna Construction Company of illegally operating an unlicensed concrete ready mix plant at its casting yard in April 2017.
The MMRDA announced that construction of viaducts would begin in April 2017. The agency had completed construction of piers on several sections of the corridor, and the viaducts will be built at locations where pier caps have been built. The first viaduct was constructed in the section between JVLR and Mahanand. Construction of all pier caps along the corridor will be completed by the end of 2017. The first U-girder, the concrete structure on which metro tracks are laid, was launched near Pathanwadi Junction in Malad on 2 May 2017. In total, Metro 7 required 1,400 U-girders. Work on erecting the U-girders, as well as disposal and dumping of muck generated from underground work was done only between 11:30 pm and 6:00 am. During this period, multi-axle trailers transported U-girders weighing 170 tonne from the casting yard in Bandra to the location where it is to be erected. The trailer had to move slowly to avoid causing imbalance to the heavy load, which can result in toppling, and took roughly two hours to complete the journey. Lifting the girder and attaching it to the pier caps was also a difficult process and was carried out at night time. Traffic diversions were placed around the launching site to reduce the possibility of accidents. Officials erected an average of two girders every day.
The MMRDA issued notices to all three contractors working on the project on 11 August 2017 over the "poor progress" of work. The agency stated that although contractors were required to deploy 600 workers each, Simplex had only deployed 320, J Kumar Infraprojects had deployed 395, and NCC had deployed 318 labourers. The MMRDA had also issued a similar notice on 4 July 2017. By August 2017, about 600–700 metres of each package had been constructed, 63 piers and 22 girders had been erected, and barricades had been placed on 67% of the entire route. Track laying work on the line began in June 2019. The first escalator on Line 7 was installed at Bandongri station in August 2019.
In January 2020, the MMRDA terminated the contract awarded to Simplex Infrastructure for the first package over a delay in completing the work. The next month, the agency invited bids to replace Simplex. The work was split into two tenders, including one for a 6.25 km viaduct and another to complete work on four stations. In July 2020, the MMRDA awarded a and contract to J Kumar Infraprojects and Nagarjuna Construction Company respectively to complete the work. The MMRDA also encashed a bank guarantee of provided by Simplex. Simplex had completed around 75% of work at the time its contract was terminated.
MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner R.A. Rajeev stated in September 2020 that almost 80% of construction work had been completed. The MMRDA began conducting pre-trials on the rolling stock at the Charkop depot in February 2021. The MMRDA announced that electrification of the line had been completed on 26 May, and the first trial runs were conducted from 31 May. The MMRDA began a dynamic test and trial run on the 20 km stretch between Dhanukarwadi and Aarey (including a portion of Line 2) on 19 June. The stretch between Dhanukarwadi and Aarey received provisional approval from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in January 2022. The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) began inspecting the line in February 2022.
A section of Line 7 from Dahisar East to Aarey (along with the section of Line 2 from Dhanukarwadi to Dahisar East) was opened on 2 April 2022. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray flagged off the first train at 4pm, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, and the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Pravin Darekar. The line opened for public service from 8pm, with services operating between Aarey and Dhanukarwadi (on Line 2) via Dahisar East.
The remaining section of Line 7 from Goregaon East to Gundavali received approval from the RDSO in October 2022. The CMRS began inspecting the line in December 2022. The final section of the line (along with the final section of Line 2A from Dhanukarwadi to Andheri West) was inaugurated on 19 January 2023, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Line 7A