Everything You Need To Know About Transport in Mumbai

About 1.84 crore people reside in Mumbai, the commercial capital of the country. Often terms as overcrowded, the city of dreams, Mumbai, has still managed to provide for Mumbaikars in every possible way, especially in terms of commutation.

From local trains and metro to rickshaws, buses, and taxis, the best part about the city's public transport is that it is economical and has easy access. However, it may be or may not be comfortable.

1. Airport

Earlier known as Sahar International Airport, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is the chief center for the airways transport in the city. There are two terminals, Terminal 1 is mostly for Domestic flights which is busy during the day and Terminal 2 is for international flights, which is occupied during the nights. Both the terminals are separated by a distance of around 5 kilometers (3 mi). You can take direct flights from Mumbai airport to all the major domestic and international destinations. In India, you can fly directly from Mumbai to Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Kochi, Pune, Goa, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Varanasi, and other major cities. The international airport connects Mumbai with major countries and cities including London, Seychelles, Mauritius, Dubai, Beijing, Tokyo, Bangkok, Hong-Kong, New York, etc.

See more about Mumbai Airport to City

2. Interstate Rail Network

Mumbai has five major terminal stations including Mubai Central, CSMT, Bandra Terminus, LTT, and Dadar. These stations are the right places if you want to catch an intercity or interstate train in India from Mumbai. These stations serve as the origin point for trains to other major Indian cities including New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Indore, Bengaluru, Ujjain, Bhopal, Gwalior, Chennai, Kanyakumari, Lucknow, etc.

Major Trains:

04091 - BDTS NZM Ac Superfast Express (Mumbai - Delhi)
12951 – Rajdhani Express (Mumbai – Delhi)
12903 – Golden Temple Mail (Mumbai – Amritsar)
12009 – Shatabdi Express (Mumbai – Ahmedabad)
12961 – Avantika Express (Mumbai – Ujjain – Indore)
22221 – Rajdhani Express (Mumbai – Agra - Delhi)
12137 – Punjab Mail (Mumbai - Agra)

3. Mumbai Local Trains

Known as the ‘lifeline’ of the city, local trains connect every nook and corner of Mumbai. The local trains are divided into three lines - Western line, Central line and Harbor line.

The Western line connects Churchgate from South Mumbai to Dahanu, which is on the margin of Maharashtra and Gujarat. There are very few direct trains from Dahanu to Churchgate. Virar is the intermediate spot in the Western Line. The Western Line also has A/C trains running at less frequent intervals as compared to the normal local trains.

The Central Line runs from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to different corners of and around the city such as Kalyan, Kasara, Karjat, and Khopoli.

The Harbor Line runs from CSMT to Panvel on one route, and in the other route, it extends back from Panvel to Andheri and further uptill Goregaon.

The basic fare starts from ₹5 and can extend around ₹60 for a single journey. The trains are operational from 4:00 AM to 01:00 AM in the night. There are special coaches for women, handicapped and cancer patients and also a first-class coach for women and in general.

The trains are converted into fast local and skip some stops to reach the main corners of the city faster. Some of the important stations are - Vasai, Virar, Borivali, Andheri, Bandra, Dadar, Bombay Central, and Churchgate in the Western Line. For the Central Line, the important stations are - CSMT, Dadar, Byculla, Ghatkopar, Mulund, Thane, Kalyan, Asangaon, Titwala, Karjat, Khopoli, and Kasara.

The main station for the Mumbai Local Trains is Dadar, which connects all the three lines.

4. Metro

Mumbai Metro is a local transit system built to aid for the congestion present on the road, as well as to resolve the overcrowding happening in the local trains. The first line is operational which runs from Ghatkopar in the Central suburbs of the city to Versova, in the Western suburb of the city.

The intermediate stops are Azad Nagar, Jagruti Nagar, Saki Naka, Asalpha, Airport Road, Marol Naka, JB Nagar, Andheri, Western Express Highway, and D N Nagar.

Ghatkopar and Andheri are connected to the railway lines, with Ghatkopar station in proximity to Central Railways and Andheri being connected majorly to the Western Line and the Harbour Line.

The basic fare for the metro starts from ₹10 and extends till ₹40.

5. Monorail

Mumbai Monorail, operational from February 2014, is the first Monorail in India. The Monorail runs from the two points - Chembur and Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk. The intermediate stations are Fertiliser Township, VNG Marg Junction, Mysore Colony, GTB Nagar, Bhakti Park, Antop Hill, Wadala, Bharat Petroleum, Wadala Bridge, Acharya Atre Nagar, Dadar East, Ambedkar Nagar, Naigaon, Mint Colony, and Lower Parel. The frequency of the monorail is from 15-20 minutes. The ticket prices are kept low considering millions of travelers who board these trains on a daily basis. For all the stations, the ticket price ranges between Rs. 10 and Rs. 50 depending on how much distance you travel.

6. Buses

Every nook and corner of the city is connected by a wide network of buses operating throughout the day. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) caters to the city transport by a number of single and double-decker buses. The other network of buses is Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT), Kalyan - Dombivli Municipal Transport (KDMT), Thane Municipal Transport (TMT), Mira - Bhayander Municipal Transport (MBMT) and Vasai - Virar Municipal Transport (VVMT).

NMMT provides both A/C and Non-A/C buses which run from Navi Mumbai to Bandra, Dadar, Borivali and Navi Mumbai to Mulund respectively. The KDMT initiates the buses from Dombivli and Kalyan to areas extending in Navi Mumbai which includes Nerul, Vashi, Panvel, Kharghar, and Belapur CBD. TMT provides air-conditioned and non-A/C buses running from Thane to Borivali, Mira Road, Mulund, Kurla, BKC, Navi Mumbai areas such as Panvel, and other areas such as Bhiwandi, Kalyan and Dombivli. MBMT connects this mode of public transport from the stations of Mira Road and Bhayander to Jogeshwari and Borivali. Finally, the VVMT provides buses from Vasai and Virar to Thane, Mulund, and Bhiwandi.

The prices of the bus ticket start from ₹5 for BEST buses. For A/C buses, the prices are a little higher on a kilometer basis.

7. Rickshaws

The auto-rickshaw is the most common form of transport and is easily accessible at any place. Usually, the auto-rickshaws have an in-built meter system for fare, which is according to the distance travelled. The basic meter fare is ₹18, which is for a distance till 1.5 kilometers. After 1.5 kilometers, the fare recording on the meter starts increasing as per the distance covered.

Also, in the night after 11:30 PM, the initial fare of the meter is increased to ₹22, in the rickshaws which have a meter for pricing.

A lot of rustic areas away from the city do not have the meter system and quote the fares as per the area. Also, in the suburban regions of the city, in the Western line, extending after Bandra, auto rickshaws are not allowed.

8. Taxis

Just like the auto-rickshaws, taxis are the most common and convenient form of transport in the city. Their operations began from Bandra and head towards Churchgate in the Western Line as auto-rickshaws are forbidden past Bandra. Also, in the Central Line, they are basic means of road transport from Sion to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

The taxis can travel backward from Bandra to Bhayandar and from Sion to Thane, where both taxis and auto-rickshaws are used for commutation.

These yellow and black colored vehicles have a basic fare of ₹22, in the day time for covering a distance of 1.5 kilometers. During the night time, the basic fare of the meter is elevated to ₹25 - ₹29.

9. Ferry

The most amusing form of transport in the city, the Ferry is the connection between two corners of the city via the sea. A number of routes are planned in the water transport system, such as from Vashi to Gateway of India, from Gateway of India to coastal places such as Alibaug, Elephanta Caves, Rewas and Mandwa, from Versova to Madh Island, Borivali to Gorai, and from Manori Creek to Malad. The ticket price for ferry starts from Rs. 80 and can go up to Rs. 800 depending on the places you travel and distance covered.

In Mumbai, you can also take ferries to nearby places such as Mandwa, Albaug, Manori, Punju Island, Madh Island, Arnala Fort, and Revas. A ferry ride to Mandwa and Alibaugh can cost you around Rs. 300 while for other places, you can take a ferry ride for around Rs. 50 to 100.

Extremely complicated but totally convenient and economical is the network of the transport system in Mumbai.