As Mumbai witnessed unprecedented rainfall in a day triggering deluge and collapse of connectivity on all fronts, its monorail train took the worst turn when it broke down this evening amid heavy rain, stranding hundreds of passengers for nearly three hours. All 442 passengers have been rescued.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered probe after hundreds of passengers had a narrow escape after a major breakdown of the Mumbai Monorail due to heavy rains today. Services were disrupted when a monorail running between Bhakti Park and Chembur stopped abruptly near Mysore Colony station, leaving passengers stranded inside for hours. There are reports that there were around 400 passengers inside the monorail when the incident occurred. Rescue operation were initiated swiftly to save the passengers stranded in the monorail.
Fadnavis took to his official social media account and said, "Due to some technical reason, a monorail is stuck between Chembur and Bhakti Park. MMRDA, the fire brigade, and the municipal corporation, all agencies have reached the spot. The highest priority is being given to the safety of all passengers. Therefore, no one should worry or panic."
The monorail rake, which runs on an elevated track, got stuck between Chembur and Bhakti Park in central Mumbai at 6.38 pm after a power supply issue due to "overcrowding", said the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).The MMRDA, which operates the monorail, said the train "exceeded its original design capacity of 104 tons" due to overcrowding, which led to disruption of the power supply.
"A preliminary investigation revealed that due to overcrowding, the total weight of the monorail had risen to about 109 metric tons, which exceeded its original design capacity of 104 tons. This excess weight caused a mechanical disconnection between the power rail and the current collector, leading to disruption of the power supply essential for the monorail's operation. As a result, the monorail came to a halt," it said in a statement.
Mumbai is the only city to operate a Monorail System that runs at an average speed of 65 km per hour. Each coach has a capacity of 18 sitting passengers and 124 standing passengers.The MMRDA said another monorail was also sent to tow the stalled one to the nearest station. "However, because the stalled monorail was overloaded, it could not be pulled. Therefore, the fire brigade had to carry out the rescue operation," it said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that due to overcrowding, a section of the train got tilted. "Due to the closure of the Harbour line, many passengers were diverted towards the monorail. Due to the overcrowding, it tilted and there was also a power failure," he said.The MMRDA said the "uncontrolled crowding could not be prevented because of the unusually high passenger numbers".
It emphasised that the Mumbai Monorail is a limited-capacity public transport system designed for specific routes, and is not built to handle the sudden surge of heavy crowds like traditional suburban trains or the metro system.Several visuals showed scared passengers trying to break open the windows of the train before the fire brigade officials began the rescue operation. The passengers were rescued in batches in a three-hour-long operation.
The rescued passengers said panic prevailed inside the train, with several complaining of suffocation as the AC system shut down.
Authorities said 14 "suffocated passengers" were treated in an on-site ambulance and discharged. One 20-year-old woman passenger was sent to Sion Hospital. She is in stable condition, officials said.
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