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Pune Metro coach water leakage caused by AC snag, not rain: officials
Overcondensation and an issue with the drain pipe in one of the AC units caused water to drip into the coach during the journey.
Pune Metro has assured commuters that steps are being taken to ensure such incidents do not recur. (Express File Photo)
A video showing water dripping inside a Pune Metro coach went viral on social media on Saturday, sparking concern among commuters about the safety and upkeep of the metro network. However, Pune Metro officials have clarified that the incident had nothing to do with Friday’s heavy rainfall – and that it had, in fact, occurred the previous day due to an issue in the drain pipe in the air-conditioning system.
The incident took place at around 6.40 pm on Thursday, shortly after a train departed from Ramwadi towards Vanaz on the elevated corridor. Overcondensation and an issue with the drain pipe in one of the AC units caused water to drip into the coach during the journey. The train operator detected the seepage and halted the train at the next station, where staff promptly fixed the AC snag and cleaned the coach floor – all while the metro remained in service.
The video, however, only began circulating widely on Friday evening and Saturday, after heavy rain lashed Pune. “This timing led many social media users to wrongly link the leakage to the downpour,” triggering a wave of concern and criticism online.
Pune Metro clarified about the incident. Chandrashekhar Tambhavekar, Additional General Manager (Public Relations and Administration), Pune Metro, said, “A video which has been circulating on social media after heavy rains on Friday evening, with water dripping into the coach with the claim that there was seepage in the Metro coach amid the rain, is misleading.”
“The actual incident was reported at around 6.40 pm on Thursday, after the train departed from Ramwadi for Vanaz through the AC unit into the coach when travelling through the elevated corridor. There was seepage in a metro coach due to overcondensation after it departed from Ramwadi. The train was stopped at the next station after the seepage was detected by the train operator, and the metro staff solved the AC snag and cleaned the floor in the running metro. However, that previous day’s video was shared amid the rain,” he explained.
He further added that a directive has since been issued to inspect the AC systems of the affected rake as well as all other rakes in the fleet.
The incident, though resolved swiftly, reignited reactions about routine maintenance of public transport systems. K Shantanu, a regular commuter on the Ramwadi-Vanaz route, said the experience would have been troubling for commuters. “When you are standing in a packed metro coach during evening rush hour, and water starts dripping on you, it is not just uncomfortable – it shakes your confidence in the system. People are gradually starting to rely on the metro now, and such issues could have been paid attention to before. Preventive maintenance must be a priority.”
Moreover, Pune Metro has assured commuters that steps are being taken to ensure such incidents do not recur.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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