Technical snag disrupts underground metro services in Mumbai twice; commuters face ordeal in tunnel

Mumbai's Metro Line 3 services were disrupted twice on Friday due to technical issues, leaving commuters stranded and complaining of overcrowding and poor communication from authorities.

Services on Mumbai's underground Metro Line 3, also known as the Aqua Line, were disrupted twice on Friday due to ''technical'' issues, leaving commuters stranded inside trains and stations complaining of confusion, overcrowding and lack of communication from authorities.

The first disruption occurred during morning peak hours around 8.30 am and lasted for 40-50 minutes, affecting office-goers as train movement came to a halt and crowds swelled on station platforms and concourse areas.

Earlier in the morning, MMRC had said train services on both downline and upline routes experienced delays due to a technical issue and that the fault had later been rectified and normal services restored.

Though MMRC did not disclose the cause of the technical snag, sources claimed there was some issue in the signalling system of the underground line, which recurred in the afternoon.

Services were hit again after 12.30 pm, with some passengers alleging they remained stranded inside trains in underground tunnels for nearly 30 minutes to over an hour.

Several commuters took to social media to vent their anger, alleging no clear announcements were made on the cause of the disruption or the expected time for resumption of operations.

Deepak Kaitike, a commuter travelling from Dharavi station to Churchgate, claimed passengers remained stuck inside a tunnel for a prolonged period in suffocating conditions.

''It felt like we were packed inside a cage. We started from Dharavi around 12.45 pm and it took nearly two hours to reach Churchgate, with the metro remaining halted inside the tunnel for a long time,'' he said.

Kaitike also alleged there was poor communication from metro rail authorities, adding that some passengers faced difficulty due to lack of mobile network connectivity in the underground section.

In a fresh statement issued in the evening, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRC) said it regretted the inconvenience caused to commuters due to the temporary train halt inside the tunnel following a technical snag.

''MMRC prioritised passenger safety and ensured the situation was attended to promptly by technical and operations teams. Train services were restored after necessary corrective measures were undertaken,'' the statement said.

The MMRC said ticket fare refunds had been initiated.

Passengers who purchased physical tickets were refunded directly, while those who booked tickets online were requested to register grievances through designated customer support channels to facilitate refunds, it added.