Metro, train & bus
Since October 2024 both terminals have their own underground metro station. It has changed airport travel in Mumbai completely.
Metro Line 3
Stations at both terminals. Aarey to Cuffe Parade, entirely underground.
Suburban rail
Vile Parle for T1, Andheri for T2. Cheap, but not with luggage.
BEST AC buses
Airport express routes to Cuffe Parade, Kharghar and Thane, 24 hours a day.
Chalo app
Official BEST ticketing and live bus tracking. Install it before you land.
Metro Line 3 — the Aqua Line
Mumbai's first fully underground metro: 33.5 km and 27 stations from Aarey JVLR to Cuffe Parade. Three of those stations sit in the airport complex, and two of them serve the passenger terminals directly.
| Station | Serves | Opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSMI Airport T2 | Terminal 2 | 7 Oct 2024 | Exit 1A connects to the terminal. Concourse on L1, platforms on L2. |
| CSMI Airport T1 | Terminal 1 | 7 Oct 2024 | Two entry/exit gates. |
| Sahar Road | Sahar cargo area | 7 Oct 2024 | Between the two airport stations — not the station for either terminal. |
Getting from the T2 station to the terminal
When the line opened in October 2024, the T2 station sat around 500 metres from the terminal along poorly signposted public roads — a genuine complaint in the first months. A direct connecting bridge from Exit 1A opened in August 2025 and cut the walk to roughly 100 metres.
Whether trolleys can be taken the full length of that link is not clearly documented, so if you are travelling with several heavy cases, factor that in.
Hours and frequency
Published sources differ. Station data shows first trains around 05:51 on weekdays and around 06:21 on Sundays, with last trains close to 23:40. Frequency is roughly every 3.5–4 minutes at peak and 8–12 minutes off-peak.
Metro fares and journey times from the airport
From CSMI Airport T2
| To | Distance | Fare | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marol Naka | 3.6 km | ₹20 | ~14 min |
| Aarey JVLR | 6.0 km | ₹20 | ~15 min |
| Bandra Kurla Complex | 7.2 km | ₹20 | ~18 min |
| Worli | 13.2 km | ₹30 | ~33 min |
| Cuffe Parade | 27.6 km | ₹50 | ~69 min |
Fare bands across the line
| Distance | Fare |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 km | ₹10 |
| 3–12 km | ₹20 |
| 12–18 km | ₹30 |
| 18–24 km | ₹40 |
| 24–30 km | ₹50 |
| 30–36 km | ₹60 |
| Beyond 42 km | ₹80 |
Line 1 is no longer the answer
Before October 2024, the closest metro stations to CSMIA were Airport Road and Marol Naka on Line 1, the elevated Versova–Andheri–Ghatkopar route. Despite its name, Airport Road adjoins neither terminal — it is roughly 2 km from T1 and 3 km from T2, needing a cab or auto at the end.
Marol Naka is now an interchange with Line 3, but the two lines are not physically connected: there are no lifts or escalators between them, so you must exit one system and buy a separate ticket to enter the other.
If you are heading to or from the airport, take Line 3 from the terminal stations and ignore Line 1 entirely.
Line 7A — coming
A 3.4 km extension of the Red Line from Andheri East into CSMIA, with two stations: Airport Colony (elevated) and an underground CSMIA station built parallel to Line 3's.
Both tunnels broke through by July 2025 and the line was reported 61% complete. The projected opening is December 2026 — a projection, not a promise. It would bring Dahisar East to the airport down from about 90 minutes to 50, without changing trains.
Not yet open
The local trains
Mumbai's suburban network is astonishingly cheap and astonishingly crowded. Neither terminal has a station of its own.
| Terminal | Nearest station | Line | Distance | Connecting bus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Vile Parle (East) | Western | ~1.7 km | BEST route 312 |
| T2 | Andheri (East) | Western + Harbour | ~6 km | BEST routes 321, 308 |
BEST airport routes
Air-conditioned express services run around the clock from both terminals. They are slower than the metro but they take luggage without complaint and cost a fraction of a taxi.
| Route | From | To | Fare | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 881 (A-1) | T2, Level 1 West (P4) | Cuffe Parade | ₹125–175 | Hourly, 24 hrs |
| 882 (A-2) | T2, Level 1 West (P4) | Jalvayu Vihar / Kharghar | ₹100–250 | Every 90 min |
| 884 (A-4) | T1 City Bus Stop | Cadbury Junction, Thane | ₹50–125 | Hourly, 24 hrs |
| Vashi service | T1 and T2 | Vashi Depot, Navi Mumbai | ₹150 | Hourly, 24 hrs |
| 312 | T1 | Vile Parle & Andheri stations | ₹6–25 | Local service |
| 321 / 308 | T2 | Vile Parle / Andheri stations | ₹6–25 | Local service |
Chalo
BEST's official ticketing and live-tracking app. Buy tickets in-app, scan to travel, and see where your bus actually is. Android and iOS.
Navi Mumbai & Thane
The Vashi service runs hourly around the clock for ₹150 — against ₹600–1,000 by cab. The Kharghar route calls at Belapur, Nerul, Juinagar and Turbhe.
Going to Pune?
There is no MSRTC or Shivneri departure point at the airport. Take Line 3 to Dadar and pick up a Shivneri coach there, or book a private outstation cab.