The newly inaugurated Acharya Atre Chowk underground metro station in Mumbai faced an unexpected setback on Monday after heavy rainfall led to water-logging in its under-construction access area, prompting a temporary shutdown. On Tuesday, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) Managing Director Ashwini Bhide addressed the issue, clarifying that over 11 lakh litres of water had entered the station premises due to flooding from a nearby stormwater drain.

According to Bhide, the incident was triggered by an intense 90 mm downpour within just 90 minutes, which coincided with a high tide, causing the city’s drainage system to back-charge instead of expelling water into the sea. This rare combination led to soil erosion near one of the unfinished entry-exits, breaching the station's temporary flood protection.

“The main station structure is completely safe. No water entered the tunnels or track areas. Trains between Aarey JVLR and Worli continued to run on Monday, and 40,000 passengers still used Metro Line 3 that day,” said Bhide.

Metro services resumed as normal from 6:30 am Tuesday, except at Acharya Atre Chowk station, which remains temporarily closed. Of the six planned entry-exits, two are operational while four are still under construction. It was one of these incomplete points that allowed rainwater to breach the site. A temporary bund wall had been set up for protection but proved insufficient for what Bhide described as an “unprecedented event.”

Following public concern after images of the flooded station went viral on social media, MMRC announced the construction of a permanent flood protection wall at the affected site. “We are building a more robust flood-resilient structure. Once all six entry-exits are completed in the next 2–3 months, such incidents will not recur,” Bhide assured.