Mumbai: Following a technical glitch that led to severe overcrowding during peak hours on Metro Line 1, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) announced the formation of a high-level committee to address recurring service disruptions and improve commuter experience on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor.
The decision comes a day after a train bound for Ghatkopar was halted at Azad Nagar station due to a failure to pick up speed, forcing its evacuation and removal from service. The incident occurred around 8:30 am on Monday and led to the cancellation of a scheduled trip, triggering delays of over 45 minutes and massive crowding at Ghatkopar and Andheri stations.
In a public statement, the MMRDA acknowledged operational issues on the 11-year-old Metro 1 line, which is run by Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), a joint venture in which MMRDA holds a 26 per cent stake and Reliance Infrastructure owns the remaining 74 per cent.
“As a responsible stakeholder, MMRDA is taking the matter seriously,” the statement read. “A high-level committee under the leadership of a former chief secretary will be constituted immediately to investigate the issue and suggest corrective measures,” it added.
Details On Committee & Its Agenda
According to a Hindustan Times report quoting sources, the committee will be headed by former chief secretary Johny Joseph, who had previously overseen the valuation process of Metro 1 during discussions of state acquisition. The panel’s mandate includes reviewing repeated service interruptions, particularly at high-traffic stations like Ghatkopar, and exploring both short- and long-term solutions to prevent overcrowding.
MMOPL, meanwhile, has deployed standby rakes to manage service gaps and is working on upgrading the four-coach trains to six-coach formations. However, this proposal awaits approval from its lender, the National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited.
The operator is also reconsidering the reintroduction of short-loop services between Ghatkopar and Andheri during peak hours. These mixed-loop trains, which served 88% of the corridor’s daily riders, were halted on June 16 after reports of reduced footfall at western stations such as Versova and DN Nagar.
Metro Line 1, Mumbai’s first metro route inaugurated in July 2014, serves over 500,000 commuters daily across 11 km. It currently operates 36 trips during peak hours at intervals of 3 minutes and 20 seconds, with each four-coach rake carrying about 1,800 passengers during peak time. Commuters have long demanded a capacity upgrade to alleviate chronic overcrowding, but efforts so far have been hampered by technical and financial hurdles.
