A day after a technical issue caused a trip cancellation at the Azad Nagar station at 8.30 am, Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), the operator of the 11-km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar metro corridor, announced on Tuesday that it has applied to lenders to purchase six-car trains as a long-term solution to handle increasing passenger numbers. Nearly 500 commuters were stuck at the Ghatkopar station as a result of a train that couldn't reach the necessary speed being taken to the depot. Entry into the metro grounds was prohibited during Monday morning's peak hours, and the delay lasted for around forty-five minutes.
The official press release stated that in order to acquire more coaches, Mumbai Metro One has submitted a long-term plan to its lenders, National Asset Reconstruction Construction Company Limited (NARCL), through India Debt Resolution Company Limited (IDRCL). The metro trains will be upgraded from four to six cars, according to the proposal.During peak hours, Metro One operates 36 trips with an average frequency of 3 minutes and 20 seconds, using 16 four-car rakes. About 65,000 passengers can be carried during peak hours. However, the system loses roughly 1,750 people in its carrying capacity each time a journey is cancelled due to service outages. A rolling stock is used to bring in additional services to make up for these shortages.
Additionally, MMOPL wants to bring back mixed loop services, which are short-loop routes that connect Andheri and Ghatkopar during rush hour and serve 88% of Metro One commuters. In order to increase frequency on the high-demand stretch, these were implemented between April and June 2025. However, they were discontinued on June 16 after passengers at the Versova, DN Nagar, and Azad Nagar stations—the remaining 12%—experienced a decline in service quality."Despite the suspension of mixed-loop services, Metro One maximised service efficiency by making additional trips totalling 452 trips," an MMOPL representative stated in the statement.