It took eight years and Rs 4,321 crore (about $720 million) to build the Mumbai Metro. But less than a month after starting operations, the newest mass transit system in India’s financial capital—built by a consortium led by billionaire Anil Ambani’s Reliance Infrastructure—has spectacularly failed in the face of Mumbai’s legendary monsoon rains.
It all started yesterday as some photographs, including the ones below, began circulating on Twitter.
The in-coach waterfall, as it were, wasn’t quite as steady as the photos suggest. This YouTube video offers another view.
Although the photos were unverified, the Mumbai Metro quickly confirmed the incident.
The absurdity of the situation was further heightened when the operator then tried mounting a defence.
No one is quite sure what the folks at Mumbai Metro were thinking, but new, pricey public transport systems aren’t supposed to spring leaks.
In countries like Singapore, which Indians typically holds as a model for urban services, 20-minute delays are enough to merit newspaper headlines.
Thankfully, though, better sense prevailed and Mumbai Metro finally issued a proper apology.
And the monsoons have only just arrived.