News Brief
Rainwater Seepage At Acharya Atre Chowk Metro Station Due To ‘Unprecedented' Event, No Safety Issue With The Corridor, Says MMRC
(representative image)
The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) has stated that water seepage at the Acharya Atre Chowk station on the underground Aqua Line occurred due to an unprecedented weather event, insisting there is absolutely no safety issue with the system, PTI reported.
In a video message issued late Tuesday (27 May), MMRC Managing Director Ashwini Bhide said, “This was a once-in-a-while kind of event,” noting that more than 90 mm of rain fell in just one-and-a-half hours on Monday morning, leading to water seepage at the concourse and platform levels of the station.
The incident took place during a heavy downpour in central Mumbai, sparking safety concerns and political criticism.
However, Bhide clarified that the rest of the operational corridor between Aarey (JVLR) and Worli remained unaffected and functional.
“The entire corridor, except Acharya Atre Chowk, was absolutely safe and functioning normally,” she said, adding that over 40,000 passengers used the Metro that day.
Following standard protocols, passengers at the affected station were evacuated and services at Acharya Atre Chowk were temporarily suspended.
Bhide explained that a pit near one of the under-construction station exits filled with approximately 11 lakh litres of stormwater, leading to water entering the station.
The existing bund wall, designed as part of the flood protection system, was overwhelmed due to the unusual combination of intense rainfall and high tide.
“It was not designed for such an unprecedented event,” Bhide noted.
A permanent protection wall is now being constructed to prevent recurrence.
MMRC spokesperson Vaidehi More said, “An exact date can't be stated, but we are trying hard to restore it as soon as possible.”
The 12.69 km first phase between Aarey and BKC was inaugurated in October 2024, and the second phase from BKC to Acharya Atre Chowk opened to the public on 10 May.
