Hundreds Evacuated After Mumbai Monorail Suffers Two Breakdowns During Severe Weather

Heavy rains in Mumbai caused disruptions to the monorail service on Tuesday evening, resulting in two train breakdowns and the stranding of nearly 800 passengers. All 782 passengers were safely evacuated. The initial incident involved a monorail train carrying 582 people, which halted between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park in Chembur, central Mumbai, at 6:38 PM. The MMRDA cited a power supply disruption as the cause, attributing it to overcrowding. An hour later, another monorail train, carrying 200 passengers, experienced a breakdown between Acharya Atre and Wadala MonoRail Station around 7:33 PM. These passengers were rescued after the train was towed back to Wadala station. The MMRDA, the operator of the monorail, reported that the first train’s weight surpassed its original design capacity due to the large passenger load, causing the power failure. Preliminary investigations revealed that the weight increased to approximately 109 metric tons, exceeding the 104-ton capacity, which led to a mechanical failure and power disruption. Mumbai’s monorail system operates at 65 kph. Each coach can accommodate 18 seated and 124 standing passengers. The MMRDA further reported that a rescue train was sent to tow the disabled train, but due to the excessive weight, it could not. Therefore, the fire brigade conducted the rescue operation. The rescue operation took three hours. Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that the train tilted because of overcrowding and power failure. The MMRDA acknowledged that high passenger numbers made crowd control difficult. The monorail system is not designed for large crowds like suburban trains or the metro. Images circulated showed passengers trying to open windows before rescue services arrived. Many passengers reported a panic situation inside the train as the cooling system failed.