What made the crowds swell at Magalwar Peth Metro Station?

Passengers were seen struggling in the long queues, with many waiting for their turn at the only functioning vending machine.

A woman passenger, frustrated after failing to get a ticket from the vending machine, complained: “At least there should be more machines, or the staff should assist during such moments. I need to reach Garware near Deccan Metro station urgently, but now I have to either stand in a long queue with no separate queue for women or ask someone to buy me a ticket through the machine.”

Umabai Wadekar (75), who was waiting in queue to travel to Shambhaji Nagar from Mangalwar Peth, said she had been standing for a long time without any assistance from Metro staff. When asked how she planned to get a ticket in such a long queue, she replied, “At my age, what else can I do but struggle? I don’t have enough money for an auto, and the buses are too crowded and not stopping.”

Several passengers, who left the Metro station in search of alternative transportation, complained that no auto-rickshaws were available in the heavy rain.

Manjeet Kaur, who spent 45 minutes in the queue, expressed her frustration with the Metro authorities. “I need to travel to Vanaz, but the auto drivers are taking advantage of the situation by overcharging. This is really frustrating as I’m in a rush and have no other option but to pay whatever the driver demands. No ride-hailing platforms are accepting bookings,” she said.

When contacted, Hemant Sonawane, a Metro official, attributed the congestion to the rain and asked passengers to be patient. “This is inconvenient for passengers, but they need to manage just as they do in shops and food courts,” he said.