Mumbai Metro fast-tracks coach extension as snag leads to disruption during peak hours
After the 45-minute delay at the Ghatkopar station on Monday morning, Mumbai Metro says it intends to upgrade four-car trains into six-car ones to handle growing passenger numbers.
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Metro Line 7A is a part of an extension of Metro Line 9, also called Red Line (Express photo)Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), which runs the 11-km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor of the metro, has applied to lenders to buy six-car trains as a long-term solution to handle growing passenger numbers, the operator said on Tuesday, a day after a technical snag led to a trip cancellation at 8.30 am at the Azad Nagar station.
A train unable to achieve the required speed was taken to the depot, and the disruption caused a congestion of almost 500 commuters at the Ghatkopar station. The delay continued for around 45 minutes and restricted entry into the metro premises during peak hours on Monday morning.
“As a long-term measure, Mumbai Metro One has tendered a plan to its lenders–National Asset Reconstruction Construction Company Limited (NARCL) via India Debt Resolution Company Limited (IDRCL) for the acquisition of additional coaches,” said the operator in an official release.
The proposal intends to upgrade the metro trains from four to six cars.
Metro One has 16 four-car rakes and carries out 36 trips during peak hours with an average frequency of 3 minutes and 20 seconds. Peak-hour carrying capacity is approximately 65,000 passengers. But in case of service failures, whenever a trip is cancelled, the system loses about 1,750 passengers in its carrying capacity. To compensate for such shortages, extra services are brought in through a rolling stock.
MMOPL is also looking to revive mixed loop services–short-loop operations between Andheri and Ghatkopar during peak hours–that serve 88 per cent of Metro One commuters. These were introduced between April and June 2025 to enhance frequency on the high-demand segment but stopped on June 16 after service quality dipped for commuters at the Versova, DN Nagar, and Azad Nagar stations–the remaining 12 per cent.
An MMOPL spokesperson said in the statement, “Although the mixed-loop services were suspended, Metro One maximised efficiency of service by making extra trips amounting to 452 trips.”
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