A total of 582 passengers stranded on the Mumbai Monorail between Mysore Colony (Chembur) and Bhakti Park were safely evacuated on Tuesday. The rescue was carried out by the Mumbai Fire Brigade of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) with the help of snorkel ladder vehicles.
According to BMC, the monorail service between Chembur and Bhakti Park came to a halt at around 6:15 pm due to a technical fault. The stranded passengers contacted the municipal corporation’s 1916 helpline for help. A medical team, along with an ambulance, was rushed to the spot, where six passengers who felt unwell were immediately treated on the spot in the ambulance and later sent home.
“Buses from BEST (Bombay Electric Supply and Transport) were deployed for the service of the rescued passengers. These passengers were transported via these buses. As per the instructions of Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr Ashwini Joshi and Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) Dr Amit Saini were present at the scene, overseeing the relief operations and expediting the process,” said BMC in a post on X.
MMRDA’s Statement on Incident
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in a release said that a Monorail train (RST-4) stalled between Bhakti Park and Chembur, near Mysore Colony station. MMRDA said overcrowding pushed the train’s weight beyond its 104-tonne limit, breaking the power rail connection and cutting electricity supply.
“Preliminary checks revealed that due to overcrowding, the total weight of the train rose to around 109 metric tonnes, which exceeded its designed capacity of 104 metric tonnes. This excess weight caused a break in the mechanical contact between the power rail and the current collector, cutting off the electricity supply required to run the train,” it added.
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MMRDA said it immediately dispatched a team of technicians to the site and, as per the SOP, deployed another monorail to tow the stalled train. Normally, in such situations, the stalled train is towed to the nearest station. However, because of the excess weight, it could not be towed and therefore, a rescue operation had to be carried out with the help of the Fire Brigade.
“The overcrowding was triggered by the closure of the Indian Railways Harbour Line owing to heavy rainfall in Mumbai. Despite repeated efforts by security personnel to regulate boarding and prevent excessive crowding, the surge in commuter demand overwhelmed the system,” said MMRDA.
MMRDA further stated, “ It is important to note that the Mumbai Monorail is a low-capacity transit system, intended to serve specific corridors and not designed for sudden high-volume loads akin to suburban railways or metro systems. MMRDA is committed to a safe and secure journey by its Metro and Monorail systems. Today’s incident happened primarily due to overcrowding. MMRDA requests all commuters to kindly follow the instructions of the security and technical teams deployed to ensure smooth operations during emergency situations like today.”
Detailed Technical Review Being Conducted
According to MMRDA, it is actively coordinating with BMC and emergency services to provide passenger assistance, deboard affected commuters safely, and restore power and operations at the earliest. Immediate corrective actions are underway, and a detailed technical review is being conducted to prevent recurrence.
CM Devendra Fadnavis Reacts
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that an inquiry will be conducted to determine the cause of the incident.
“Due to some technical reason, a monorail is stuck between Chembur and Bhakti Park. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the fire brigade, and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), 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. All passengers will be safely evacuated. I request everyone to remain patient. I am in contact with the MMRDA Commissioner, the Municipal Commissioner, the police, and all relevant agencies. An inquiry will also be conducted into why this incident occurred,” CM Fadnavis said in a post on X.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and MMRDA chairman Eknath Shinde spoke to the passengers stuck in the Monorail and urged them not to panic. He also instructed the BMC, the Mumbai fire brigade and MMRDA to conduct a rescue operation.
(With IANS Inputs)
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