Glitch on Metro 3 ahead of Oct 8 milestone

A technical glitch forced the evacuation of a Metro Line 3 train in Mumbai, while Lines 2A and 7 also faced issues, causing delays.

MUMBAI: Just days before the underground Metro Line 3, or the Aqua Line, is extended all the way up to Cuffe Parade, a technical glitch forced the evacuation of a train on this metro corridor on Friday afternoon. Trains on Lines 7 and 2A also encountered technical issues on Friday evening.

Glitch on Metro 3 ahead of Oct 8 milestone

Sources said smoke was seen when the underground metro train on Line 3 pulled into Santacruz station. This allegedly happened due to brake binding, which caused friction in the wheels.

Without offering a reason, a spokesperson for Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which operates this metro line, said in a statement: “Today, at 14:44 hrs, train moving towards Acharya Atre Chowk faced technical issue while approaching Santacruz station. As a precautionary measure, the train was safely evacuated at Santacruz platform.” Apart from the cancellation of the service, all other trains ran as scheduled.

The Aqua line, from Aarey to Acharya Atre Chowk stations, currently ferry 52,000 commuters daily. The authorities have projected 1.4 million passengers a day after the entire 33.5-km route is operational.

“Our teams are working to get the services back on schedule as quickly as possible. By 7.15 pm, the issue was resolved, and trains started moving on Lines 2A and 7,” said a spokesperson for MMMOCL. However, it took an hour for services to return to normal.

Meanwhile, the decks have been cleared for the first batch of trains for Line 5, or the Orange Line, from Thane to Bhiwandi to Kalyan. Although the metro corridor is still under construction, MMRDA has ordered 22 trains of six cars each, for about ₹2,500 crore.