MUMBAI, Sept. 25 -- For thousands of commuters rushing to work on Wednesday morning, the daily metro ride turned into an ordeal. A technical snag during a trial run on the yet-to-be-opened Metro 9 line (Dahisar East-Bhayandar) spilled over to Metro Line 7 (Dahisar East-Gundavali), crippling services for nearly five hours and stranding office-goers in the middle of rush hour. The disruption began around 7.15 am when an operational issue cropped up between Dahisar East and Aarey. By 7.30am, the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Ltd (MMMOCL) posted on X about a "temporary modification in operation," but for many commuters already queuing up at stations, clarity was hard to come by. While trains between Andheri West and Dahisar East continued with delays, the stretch between Gundavali and Aarey struggled to maintain frequency. Between Ovaripada and Aarey, only a single line was functional, forcing trains to run in both directions on the same track. At several stations, including Dindoshi and Ovaripada, passengers were stopped from entering without being told why. It was not until noon that services gradually returned to normalcy. For commuters, however, the damage had already been done. Frustrated passengers flooded social media with complaints. "I am at Dindoshi metro station and the staff don't have any clue or knowledge about what is happening or when the trains will start. Everybody, including security and station management staff, is clueless," wrote commuter Farhan Amrohi on X. Another passenger, Tejas Masurkar, posted, "Looks like some issue at the yellow line metro. Metro is stuck between Ovaripada and Dahisar stations. No metros have passed since the last 30 minutes." The official explanation came later in the day. In a statement, MMMOCL admitted, "During today's trial run on Metro Line 9, while the train was transitioning towards Line 7, a minor technical issue was encountered near the point section at Dahisar East. The train briefly halted, but services were swiftly managed to ensure smooth passenger movement." But for office-goers who were late to work, "swift" wasn't how it felt. Many had to scramble for autos, buses and even carpooling options at the last minute. "The whole point of the metro is a reliable commute. If glitches keep happening, we'll be forced back to the road," said a Dahisar resident waiting for a delayed train at Aarey. The timing of the glitch only sharpened commuter anger-it came less than 12 hours after another breakdown on Metro 1 (Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar) on Tuesday evening, when a door malfunction led to delays during peak rush hour. Ridership on the metro network has been steadily climbing. Lines 2A and 7, fully operational since January 2023, have seen monthly ridership grow 4-5% this year, with over 3 lakh commuters using them in July and August. For regulars, however, the recent back-to-back disruptions have raised questions about reliability. "Metro was supposed to be a stress-free ride. Instead, it's becoming another uncertainty in our daily grind," said a commuter from Malad, echoing the mood of many stranded on Wednesday....