Mumbai: Locals cancelled, short-terminated, underground Metro station flooded; commuters face a harrowing time as rainfall hits public transportation
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Mumbai: Locals cancelled, short-terminated, underground Metro station flooded; commuters face a harrowing time as rainfall hits public transportation
Heavy showers, spurred by early monsoon onset, hit public transportation in Mumbai. Local trains on the Central and Harbour railway lines were severely impacted while the incessant rains also affected services of the city’s first underground Metro. At least 20 train services were short-terminated at Dadar and Parel while nearly eight mail trains got delayed by around two hours. Passengers reported water cascading down the steps into the Acharya Atre Chowk station like a waterfall. Metro officials maintained that the water ingress was caused by the collapse of an RCC (reinforced cement concrete) wall. The second phase of Mumbai’s first fully underground metro corridor, the aqua line (Line 3), was inaugurated on May 9 and includes both Worli and Acharya. At 1.30 pm, Mumbai Metro partially suspended services on the affected route. However, train services from Aarey JVLR to Worli are unaffected and running regularly.
According to senior officials from the Central Railways, at least 30 trains were cancelled on the Harbour line between 10.30am and 11.30am as nearly 7 inches of water accumulated on the railway tracks at and around the Masjid Bandar railway station. Furthermore, at least twenty train services were short-terminated at Dadar and Parel while nearly eight mail trains got delayed by around two hours.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Central Railways officials attributed the accumulation of water on the tracks to the delayed operations of the two pumping stations — near CSMT and Byculla stations — with the Mahalaxmi pumping station being operationalised only around 11.30am.
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“With the high tide peaking at 11.24am at 4.75 metres, the flood gates had to be closed, hindering the reduction of water levels,” said the official.
Due to the inclement weather and subsequent waterlogging, trains on the Central as well as Harbour railway line were running with an average delay of at least 20 – 25 minutes, even during the evening hours.
Even as no cancellations were reported along the Western Railway line, train services were briefly delayed for at least 20 minutes on the down line between Churchgate and Virar. The train services were impeded owing to two minor incidents of branch collapses — with the first incident reported at 11.30am and the other at 2pm.
“Barring these minor incidents, which induced some delays, the tracks remained perfectly safe. All of the services were running timely and no major impact of heavy showers was felt on the Western railway line,” said an official from the Western Railways.
Underground Metro services hit
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Meanwhile, just 17 days after its inauguration, services on the city’s first underground Metro were hit as flood water gushed into the Metro stations. Passengers reported water cascading down the steps into the Acharya Atre Chowk station like a waterfall.
Videos showed that a significant amount of water had accumulated at the Worli underground Metro station. As a result, the Metro doors remained closed for some time and passengers were not allowed to disembark.
Passengers complained on social media that the Worli Metro station was inundated. When the Metro doors finally opened, water from the station even entered the train. They also said the escalators at the station had stopped functioning.
Around 1.30 pm, Mumbai Metro partially suspended services on the affected route.
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“Due to an unforeseen technical issue, train services on Metro Line 3 are temporarily curtailed and will operate only up to Worli Station instead of Acharya Atre Chowk,” a public notice stated. Metro officials maintained that the water ingress was caused by the collapse of an RCC (reinforced cement concrete) wall.
“We would like to clarify that the portion of the entry/exit where water seepage was observed is still under construction and not accessible to the public. As a precautionary measure, and to ensure passenger safety, train services between Worli and Acharya Atre Chowk have been temporarily suspended. However, train services from Aarey JVLR to Worli are unaffected and running regularly,” the statement added.
The second phase of Mumbai’s first fully underground metro corridor, the aqua line (Line 3), which includes both Worli and Acharya Atre Chowk stations, was inaugurated on May 9.
Amid Metro and train services hit, commuters had a harrowing time commuting amid incessant rain with many pointing to the frequent delays on the railway services during monsoons.
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Renu Pillai, 43, a Dadar resident who travels to CST daily, said the railway services between the two destinations was facing delay daily ever since the rains commenced last week. “This year, the rains are behaving like it’s mid-June already. It’s frustrating because the administration’s still acting like it has time to prepare. The season has already begun.”