In a move to strengthen local connections, the Union Government has approved the renaming of 27 stations on Mumbai's underground Metro Line-3, also known as the "Aqua Line". This decision comes just days before the partial commissioning of the line is set to be inaugurated in early October.

Key changes involve renaming 11 out of the 27 stations, including the airport stops, which are now designated as "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport - T1" and "T2" -- replacing the previous "Domestic" and "International" names. Bandra Station has been updated to "Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC)" for better location accuracy, and Mumbai Central Metro has been renamed to Jagannath Shankarshet Metro.

The stations to be renamed on the Mumbai Metro Line-3 (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ) Corridor are:

• Cuffe Parade

• Vidhan Bhavan

• Churchgate Metro

• Hutatma Chowk

• Kalbadevi

• Girgaon

• Grant Road Metro

• Mahalaxmi Metro

• Science Centre

• Acharya Atre Chowk

• Worli

• Siddhivinayak

• Dadar Metro

• Shitala Devi Mandir

• Dharavi

• Bandra Colony

• Santacruz Metro

• Sahar Road

• Marol Naka

• MIDC - Andheri

• SEEPZ

• Aarey JVLR

The new names of these stations are yet to be disclosed.

The 33.5-km Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ corridor, featuring 27 stations, will see its first stretch from Aarey to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) open to the public next week. This 12.5-km section includes 10 stations and is currently undergoing final safety inspections.

According to Ashwini Bhide, Managing Director of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), these changes aim to make the metro system more relatable and accessible to residents. Safety inspections are currently underway, with hopes to have the entire line ready by March 2025.