Underground Mumbai metro station inundated; MMRC suspends services to Worli

Mumbai: Operations on the Metro Line 3 between Acharya Atre Chowk and Worli were suspended on Monday after heavy rains inundated an underground station, officials said.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) was forced to halt operations after flooding was reported at the underground Acharya Atre Chowk station.

Viral videos showed waterlogging inside the station, including platforms, ticketing bays, and surrounding areas. In one such video, rainwater can be seen leaking along the escalators, while the false ceiling inside the station lies collapsed, and some machinery is scattered.

The inundation inside the metro station has raised concerns about construction quality and monsoon preparedness of the underground metro station on the 33-km-long Colaba-BKC-Aarey JVLR underground metro corridor.

In a statement, the MMRC said, "Due to the sudden and intense rainfall today, water seepage was reported at the under-construction entry/exit structure of Acharya Atrey Chowk station along Dr Annie Besant Road. The incident occurred when the RCC water-retaining wall constructed at the entry/exit collapsed due to a sudden ingress of water from an adjoining utility." As a precautionary measure and to ensure passenger safety, train services between Worli and Acharya Atrey Chowk have been temporarily suspended, the agency said.

However, the services from Aarey JVLR to Worli are not affected and are running regularly, it stated.

On May 9, the MMRC extended the underground metro services between the Bandra-Kurla Complex and Aacharya Atre Chowk stations.

Metro Line 3 is Mumbai's first fully underground metro line and is currently under phased construction.

Even after several hours, the metro services from Acharya Atre Chowk were not restored till 7 pm. MMRC did not share any details about when the services would resume from the inundated station.

“We will update once the services resume,” said Vaidehi More, a spokesperson for MMRC.

Citizens shared several videos showing platforms, tracks, and circulating areas at the Acharya Atre Chowk station filled with muddy water. Some clips captured water cascading down staircases and seeping from escalators. The access control system of the station was also surrounded by gushing water.

Slamming the state government, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray jibed that the line had been aptly named “Aqua” since it “is under water today”.

“The Metro station was inaugurated two weeks ago. Apparently, things are falling from the top (ceiling). We see that debris has fallen down. Were safety measures followed when it was being inaugurated,” Thackeray asked.

Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad said people do not want “hyped inaugurations, but basic safety and functionality”.

“Does the corrupt alliance government even care how dangerous a submerged underground metro is? Why were these checks and balances not done? Why wasn't enough precaution taken? How can people trust underground metro travel on heavy rain days? The government must answer, it must fix responsibility,” she said.

State Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan said a temporary wall was being built to stop water ingress because it would take three months for the entire work at the station to be completed.

Due to heavy rains, the wall collapsed and water entered the metro station. The work was going on, and it was to be completed by June 10, he said.

Responding to criticism over why the station was inaugurated when work was yet to be finished, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the work on the metro line had been completed.

“If you don't start it, you will say why metro was not inaugurated when it is complete," Shinde added.

Activists and citizens demanded that the accountability of officials and contractors be fixed.

“The planning failed to account for the impact of heavy monsoon rains, resulting in inadequate drainage systems. The fact that rainwater entered the station premises proves that waterproofing measures were ineffective.

The suspension of services just days after inauguration reflects poor maintenance and lack of preparedness,” said RTI activist Anil Galgali.

Another activist, Zoru Bhathena, shared a video grab of an interview with MMRC managing director Ashwini Bhinde, who had claimed that underground metro tunnels were rainproof.

“My Metro 3. Built with 3 steps to prevent flooding,” Bathena quipped.

Several netizens also slammed MMRC over the flooding at the station.

“Mumbai Metro ki aqua line toh sach me aqua ho gayi,” wrote Mubasshir Patel on X.

Another X user said, “Only in India the underground railway station get flooded. And people are ok with it. Media too will sit on it, fearing those in power.” Even VIP areas are getting waterlogged, said X user Sunil Gerg, adding that one can imagine the plight of the common man.