Why CNG supply in Mumbai collapsed?

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A major CNG supply crisis has crippled public transport and led to long queues at gas stations across Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai since Sunday, after a vital GAIL pipeline was damaged near the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) plant in Wadala.

The disruption to Mahanagar Gas Limited's (MGL) main City Gate Station at Wadala has forced many of the region's  CNG stations to shut down or operate with low pressure, severely impacting thousands of auto-rickshaws, taxis, and public buses. While MGL has prioritized uninterrupted Piped Natural Gas (PNG) supply to domestic households, industrial and commercial consumers have been advised to switch to alternate fuels.

Currently, out of MGL's total 389 CNG stations, 225 CNG stations are operating, MGL said.

"MGL is ensuring supply to its domestic PNG consumers to be maintained on priority without interruption. However, CNG stations across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai including the dedicated CNG stations for public transport undertakings may not operate, due to stoppage of gas supply in CGS Wadala and there by MGL pipeline network. Industrial & Commercial customers in the affected areas have been advised to switch to alternate fuel," the company said in a statement.

During Q2FY26, MGL added 14 CNG stations and has a total of 485 stations as on September 30, 2025. The company targets to add 80 stations in FY26 as compared to 66 stations in FY25.

Gas supplies across MGL’s network is expected to normalize once the damage is rectified and supply is restored to CGS Wadala, the company said adding that the restoration of gas supply is expected by tomorrow, i.e. by 18th November 2025 noon.

The incident may not have a material impact to MGL and we keep our annual guidance on the production unchanged, said Axis analyst Aditya Welekar.

Impact to autos

Most auto rickshaws across suburbs stayed off roads on Monday morning, with some lining up at CNG filling stations, while others completely stayed away. A significant portion of the rickshaws in both the eastern and western suburbs, as well as Thane, are driven by non-owners, who generally fill fuel for the day, which directly impacted the number of rickshaws on roads on Monday.

"I own my rickshaw and drive it myself everyday, so I make it a point to fill enough in advance for two-three days. I know many other rickshaw drivers who are lined up at CNG pumps, and are unlikely to get fuel today. I am driving shorter routes today and will be driving a shorter shift," said a rickshaw driver in Goregaon (West).

BEST buses had a more limited impact, due to ongoing electrification of routes, and with the last batch of CNG buses owned and run by the utility expected to go completely off the roads in 2026.

Due to auto-rickshaws being largely off the roads, some BEST bus routes were overcrowded, with long queues, especially in emerging office districts like Bandra Kurla Complex, Goregaon, and Malad.