Maharashtra Sets Up Panel for Unified Metro Operations

14 Nov 2025 CW Team

The Maharashtra government has set up a committee under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to recommend how all metro lines across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) can be operated by a single umbrella authority.

According to a Government Resolution issued by the Urban Development Department, the committee—headed by MMRDA Commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee—has been asked to submit its recommendations within three months. The panel will study global transport bodies such as Transport for London (TfL) and Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA), both of which manage integrated citywide systems, to design a similar framework for Mumbai’s metro network.

Currently, three state agencies run and build metro lines in the MMR: the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and the MMRDA. MMRC operates the Aqualine (Metro 3) and is constructing the Wadala–Gateway of India corridor. CIDCO operates the Belapur–Pendhar metro in Navi Mumbai and is building three additional lines in the region. All remaining metro lines fall under the MMRDA’s purview for both construction and operations.

The committee will include MMRC Managing Director Ashwini Bhide; Rubal Agarwal, Managing Director of Maha Mumbai Metro Operations Corporation Limited; the Joint Managing Director of CIDCO; the Joint Secretary of Urban Development; and the Director (Planning) at the MMRC.

The MMRC was originally formed under Ashwini Bhide’s leadership when the state government lacked confidence in MMRDA’s ability to plan and build metro corridors. The government now aims to streamline operations by placing all MMR metro lines under one consolidated authority instead of maintaining three separate bodies.

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