Mumbai, June 9 (IANS) Ahead of the monsoon season, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has activated a comprehensive, technology-driven preparedness plan across the Maha Mumbai Metro network on Lines 2A, 2B, 7, and 9, aiming to ensure safe, reliable, and uninterrupted passenger services during heavy rainfall and adverse weather conditions.

This year is particularly significant as Metro Lines 2B and 9 will be navigating their first operational monsoon season, a government statement said on Tuesday.

Against this backdrop, MMRDA Commissioner & Chairman Maha Mumbai Metro has instructed to strengthen operational readiness, passenger safety, flood mitigation, infrastructure protection, emergency response, and inter-agency coordination across stations, depots, viaducts, and associated metro infrastructure.

A key initiative is the AI-enabled Automated Pantograph Condition Monitoring System, deployed across Metro Lines 2A & 7. The system uses high-speed cameras and Artificial Intelligence to monitor train pantographs in real time. It enables early fault detection and predictive maintenance, reducing dependency on manual inspection. The inspection time has been reduced from nearly 30 minutes to just a few seconds per train, thereby improving fleet availability, operational reliability, and passenger safety, especially during adverse weather conditions.

As part of the monsoon action plan, 64 CCTV cameras have been deployed at each of the 39 operational metro stations, creating a surveillance network of 2,496 CCTV cameras across Metro Lines 2A, 2B, 7, and 9. These cameras will support round-the-clock monitoring of passenger movement, station premises, platforms, concourses, and critical operational areas, said the release.

To address waterlogging risks, 30 emergency pumps have been deployed at vulnerable and waterlogging-prone areas. Stormwater drains at stations, depots, and viaducts have been cleaned to remove silt, vegetation, and obstructions for smooth rainwater discharge. Viaduct cleaning has also been completed across operational sections to prevent rainwater accumulation.

MMRDA has also completed preventive maintenance of 1,070 insulators across the metro network. Inspection and maintenance of 25 KV cables, current transformers, potential transformers, transformer bushings, and lightning arresters have been undertaken across operational corridors. Flood protection measures for Traction Sub-Stations have also been strengthened.

On the operations side, standby trains have been kept ready for deployment during unforeseen situations. Three backup trains on the main line and two trains in depots have been positioned, taking the total standby train availability to five. Backup systems have also been kept ready to minimise disruptions during power outages and extreme weather conditions, said the government statement.

A dedicated 24×7 Disaster Control Room has been activated from May 25 to October 15. It will function as the central command hub for emergency coordination, complaint registration and inter-agency communication with MCGM, Police and State Government departments.

During orange and red alerts, the control room will be fully manned by strategic nodal teams. All rainfall-related incidents will be reported within one hour under the prescribed incident reporting protocol. Dedicated metro coaches have also been earmarked to support emergency resource transfer for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Disaster Management Team during critical situations, said the government statement.

In addition to conventional monsoon preparedness, MMRDA has integrated advanced technology and AI-driven systems across metro operations to improve safety, predictive maintenance, operational efficiency, revenue management and passenger experience.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that “Through AI-enabled systems, 24×7 surveillance, flood mitigation measures and coordinated emergency response, we are strengthening Mumbai’s metro network to deliver reliable services, rain or shine.”

According to Deputy Chief Minister and MMRDA Chairman Eknath Shinde, with AI-based Automated Pantograph Condition Monitoring, technical faults can now be detected within seconds, improving reliability and train availability during heavy rainfall.

MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee noted that the integration of technology, data analytics, and on-ground engineering allows detection of risks. The focus is to ensure that the vision of ‘Mumbai in Minutes’ continues to move safely and seamlessly, rain or shine.

–IANS

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