The proposed corridor will span 34.89 km, including a 9-km underground stretch, and feature 25 stations, of which six will be underground and the remaining elevated. The project is estimated to cost around ₹18,000 crore and will be implemented under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Under the approved funding structure, both the state and the central government will contribute 20 per cent each as viability gap funding (VGF), while the remaining 60 per cent of the investment will be brought in by the private developer. The model mirrors the build-operate-transfer (BOT) framework used for Mumbai Metro Line 1.
Announcing the decision, Fadnavis said the Metro line is officially projected to be completed in five years, but he has directed authorities to target a faster completion timeline of three and a half years.
The Metro corridor is expected to play a critical role in ensuring seamless connectivity between the two airports, particularly for transit passengers, airline crew, cargo operators, and outstation travellers using major rail terminals such as Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT). At present, road travel between the two airports can take anywhere between 70 and 90 minutes, depending on traffic conditions.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the project was initially planned jointly by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO). It will now be executed by CIDCO through a PPP arrangement in partnership with a private consortium.
CIDCO submitted the detailed project report (DPR) to the state government in November after obtaining necessary clearances from the urban development and finance departments.
As per the DPR, the Metro Line Eight corridor will have 20 stations, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Terminal 2, Phoenix Mall, Kurla, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Mankhurd, Vashi, Sanpada, Juinagar, Nerul, Seawoods, Targhar, and Navi Mumbai International Airport (West and Terminal 2), among others.
The corridor is projected to handle a daily ridership of approximately 10.3 lakh passengers by 2031. It will also intersect with at least six other Metro lines, suburban railway networks, bus terminals, and LTT, allowing passengers to access both Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports through a single, direct Metro route.
