Mumbai: Mumbai’s newly inaugurated Metro Line 3, the city’s first fully underground metro corridor, ran into a technical snag on its very first day of public operations on Thursday, October 9. A brief malfunction in the entry-exit flap barriers at Churchgate station during the evening rush hour caused chaos among commuters, leading to temporary crowding and confusion.
Viral Video Shows Massive Rush At Chruchgate Due To Technical Snag
A video of the incident, which quickly went viral, was shared on Instagram by journalist Faizaan Khan. The clip showed large crowds stuck at the station as the automated flap barriers jammed. Metro staff were seen assisting passengers manually, opening the barriers one by one to allow people to pass.
“Massive crowd at Churchgate metro station on day one. Commuters faced serious inconvenience as only a few entry–exit flap barriers were open. During evening peak hours, the crowd was so huge that metro officials had to manually open barriers to let people through,” Khan wrote in his post.
Mumbai Metro Line 3 Records Over 1.56 Lakh Ridership After Phase 2B Launch
Despite the technical hiccup, the newly opened Phase 2B of the Aqua Line, stretching from Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade, witnessed an overwhelming response from Mumbai residents. According to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the metro recorded an impressive ridership of 1,56,456 commuters on its first day on the entire stretch from Cuffe Parade to Aarey (JVLR).
Passenger numbers rose rapidly through the day, from 97,846 by 6 pm, to 1,18,286 by 7 pm and 1,46,087 by 9 pm, reflecting strong enthusiasm for the long-awaited underground service.
MMRC officials said Vidhan Bhavan station also experienced unusually high footfall during peak evening hours. To manage the crowd, one of the station’s seven entry gates was temporarily closed for about 10 minutes. “The situation was efficiently handled by our on-ground staff and security teams to ensure passenger safety,” an official said.
The Mumbai Metro Line 3 phase 2B from Worli to Cuffe Parade, inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, October 8, completes the Metro network connecting Aarey JVLR in the north to Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai, covering 33.5 km with 27 stations, 26 underground and one at grade. Trains operate daily between 5:55 am and 10:30 pm, with end-to-end travel taking under an hour.
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