Mumbai rains: Underground metro station inundated; rail body suspends services to Worli

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 suspend the operation after flooding was reported at the underground Acharya Atre Chowk station.

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.

The MMRC, in a statement, 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 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.

Viral videos showed waterlogging inside the station premises, including platforms, ticketing bay and surrounding areas.

One of the videos shows rainwater leaking along the escalators, while the false ceiling inside the station lay collapsed, and some machinery is seen scattered.

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