Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Mumbai Skywalks
The Mumbai Skywalks are about 36 open-sided elevated walkways, roughly 17 km in total, built by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) from 2008 to carry commuters from suburban railway stations over congested streets. MMRDA handed the 24 skywalks inside Mumbai to the city corporation (BMC) in 2014–2015, and the BMC's bridges department now maintains them. Most have seen low use, and several have been shortened or demolished for Metro construction or after structural audits.
Governance
Who owns it, who runs it, what the rules are.
- Owner
- All skywalks were built with public money by MMRDA, a state regional planning authority, and stand over public streets. The 24 inside Greater Mumbai were transferred to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 2014–2015; the other 12 lie in neighbouring municipalities.
- Operator
- BMC bridges department, with local ward offices handling cleaning, lighting and minor repairs, for skywalks inside Mumbai.
- Hours
- No published hours policy found; the skywalks are open public structures over streets.
- Public right
- The skywalks are public infrastructure built by a state authority over public roads, so they function as public rights-of-way. No specific access rule or ordinance was found.
- Who pays
- MMRDA spent about Rs 50,000 a month per skywalk and offset costs through advertising. The BMC took over maintenance together with advertising rights, which were expected to earn about Rs 100 crore a year. Major repairs are funded from the BMC budget.
Legal instruments
- MMRDA–BMC skywalk transfer (2014–2015) ↗Administrative handover of 24 skywalks with full advertising and leasing rights, so that BMC funds upkeep from advertising revenue.[04]
Governing bodies
Open issues
- Most skywalks are underused; an IIT Bombay survey cited dirt, poorly placed entry points and hawkers as the main deterrents.
- Residents and activists report drug use and other anti-social activity on quiet stretches, such as at Dahisar, Bandra (West) and Santacruz.
- Several skywalks have been shortened or demolished for Metro Line 2B, and the Bandra skywalks have been rebuilt or removed.
- Critics argue that money for new skywalks would be better spent on street-level footpaths.
Timeline
- The first skywalk, 1.3 km from Bandra (East) station to Kalanagar junction, opens on 24 June.[01]
- The planned Mahim (East) skywalk is cancelled in June because its route conflicts with the Dharavi redevelopment project.[01]
- The 864 m Bandra (West) skywalk is completed in July.[05]
- A count in August records about 565,000 daily users across 23 skywalks.[01]
- In December, MMRDA agrees to hand 24 skywalks inside Mumbai to the BMC, with full advertising rights, citing poor maintenance.[04]
- The handover of the Mumbai skywalks to the BMC is completed in April.[02]
- MMRDA decides in June to dismantle part of the Bandra (West) skywalk to make way for Metro Line 2B.[05]
- Structural audits recommend repairs to most skywalks and closure of the Bandra (East) skywalk.[02]
- The BMC allocates Rs 21 crore to repair five skywalks.[02]
- The BMC proposes adding escalators to five skywalks as a pilot, after one was fitted at Jogeshwari (East).[03]
What it cost · who pays
- Programme total (as reported 2022) · 2022
- Rs 897 croreCost of about 36 skywalks totalling 17 km.[02]
- Programme total (as reported 2014) · 2014
- Rs 700 croreEarlier figure for the same 36 skywalks; the two totals have not been reconciled.[04]
- Phase 1 estimate
- Rs 6.07 billion (about US$60 million)Estimate for the original 50-skywalk phase 1.[01]
- Bandra (East) skywalk · 2008
- Rs 13 croreOriginal construction cost.[02]
- Bandra (West) skywalk · 2010
- Rs 28.74 crore
- MMRDA maintenance · 2014
- Rs 50,000 per skywalk per monthBefore the handover to the BMC.[04]
- Repairs to five skywalks · 2021
- Rs 21 crore
The story
Mumbai's skywalks were conceived in the mid-2000s to get commuters off the crowded streets around suburban railway stations. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority planned about 50 in a first phase, with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation to build some. The first, a 1.3 km walkway from Bandra (East) station to Kalanagar, opened on 24 June 2008. Unlike Gulf or North American systems, they are open-sided decks rather than enclosed, climate-controlled corridors.
Construction moved quickly. By August 2010 about 565,000 people a day used 23 skywalks, and roughly 36 were eventually built across the region, about 17 km in all. Reported costs vary from Rs 700 crore to Rs 897 crore. The Bandra (West) skywalk alone, completed in 2010, was 864 m long. Several planned routes, including Mahim (East), Kandivali (West) and Malad (East), were cancelled after opposition or conflicts with other projects.
Governance shifted from the regional authority to the city. MMRDA spent about Rs 50,000 a month on each skywalk and still struggled to keep them clean. In December 2014 it agreed to transfer the 24 skywalks inside Mumbai to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, with full advertising rights to fund upkeep, and the handover was complete by April 2015. The BMC's bridges department and ward offices now handle maintenance, while the remaining 12 lie in neighbouring municipalities.
Apart from busy links at Bandra, Santacruz (West) and Borivali (West), most skywalks have drawn few users. Surveys point to dirt, awkward entry points and hawkers, and residents report drug use on quiet stretches. Structural audits around 2019 recommended repairs to most skywalks and closure of the Bandra (East) skywalk, and the BMC set aside Rs 21 crore in 2021 to repair five.
The network is now being reshaped by Metro construction. In 2017 MMRDA removed part of the Bandra (West) skywalk for Metro Line 2B, and others at Vile Parle and Santacruz are being shortened. The BMC has proposed escalators on several skywalks and has rebuilt the Bandra (East) link as a 680 m walkway with escalators. Critics continue to argue that the money would be better spent on street-level footpaths.
Questions people ask
How many skywalks are there in Mumbai?
Who maintains Mumbai's skywalks?
How much did the Mumbai skywalks cost?
Why are Mumbai's skywalks unused?
Was the Bandra skywalk demolished?
Sources
- Mumbai Skywalk Project — Wikipedia (2026)
- Mumbai skywalks: Worries to address before city spends crores on more — Citizen Matters (2022)
- After 15 years of existence, skywalks may get escalators. But will they get more users? — Citizen Matters (2022)
- BMC set to take over maintenance of 24 skywalks from MMRDA — Media4Growth (2014)
- Bandra Skywalk to Be Dismantled For Metro Line; Residents Unhappy — The Quint (2017)
- Skywalk with Two Escalators Opens in Mumbai, India — Elevator World
About this record
Confidence medium · reviewed 2026-10-19. No primary MMRDA or BMC documents were fetched; facts rely on Citizen Matters, The Quint, a trade outlet and Wikipedia. Programme cost differs between sources (Rs 700 crore in 2014, Rs 897 crore in 2022) and skywalk counts differ (36 vs 37). The rebuilt 680 m Bandra (East) skywalk comes from an Elevator World search summary; the page returned 403 and its date is unknown (likely 2024–2026). Wikipedia states both original Bandra skywalks had been demolished by 2024. A Bombay High Court matter in which the BMC reported the Bandra (East) closure was seen in search results but not fetched. No hours rule, legal instrument beyond the administrative handover, or MSRDC skywalk details were found. Center and bbox are approximate and cover Mumbai plus the neighbouring municipalities with skywalks. Not found: Hours. Map geometry: only OSM ways named as skywalks within ~3 km of Bandra/Santacruz are drawn; the programme spans the whole city and airport jet bridges in the same box are excluded.
Map geometry: 22 corridor features, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), as of 2026-10-20. Levels come from OpenStreetMap tags and can be incomplete.
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