Mumbai Metro train skips Malad, commuters puzzled

The Metro train on the Yellow Line 2A kept running at a high speed as it skipped Malad station. Pic/Satej Shinde

Passengers on a Mumbai Metro train on the Yellow Line 2A were surprised and inconvenienced last week when the speeding train skipped a station, without any notice or announcement. Metro officials said that the halt at Malad station was skipped due to an emergency on the road below where a car caught fire. The station was evacuated due to the fire.

"I was travelling from Andheri West to Malad. As I stood near the door waiting to alight at Malad, I was surprised as the train never slowed down. I realised that the train was travelling at quite a high speed. It skipped Malad and halted at the next station, Mith Chowky. This happened around 7.40 pm on Saturday," commuter Soumit Naik said.

"There was no announcement or notice on the train, no information was given before we boarded or when we alighted. All passengers kept looking at each other, wondering what happened," Naik said.

"The security staff on the road informed the station controller about a car that had caught fire near the fire pump room. The station controller and the Maharashtra Security Force (MSF) staff quickly responded by rushing to the location with fire extinguishers. Despite their efforts, they were unable to control the fire, leading the station controller to call for assistance from the fire brigade. The fire caused panic among the passengers, resulting in the suspension of frisking and ticketing operations for around 10 minutes for passengers' safety. The station controller noticed a significant amount of smoke accumulating at the concourse level and the Up platform, prompting the evacuation of the station. The station staff were instructed to announce the evacuation, and the Operations Control Centre (OCC) was informed to skip halts on both platforms. The fire brigade arrived at the road and immediately began extinguishing the fire, while also updating the OCC about the situation," said a senior MMRDA official.

Commuters said there should be some arrangement to convey such emergencies to commuters inside moving trains too.

7.40 pm
Approx. time the Metro train skipped Malad