Empty monorail train goes off track, hits beam during test run in Mumbai; 3 staffers injured

Mumbai, Nov 5 (PTI) An empty coach of a newly-procured monorail train derailed and hit a beam during a test run at Wadala depot in Mumbai on Wednesday morning, leaving three staffers, including the train captain, injured and causing severe damage to the carriage, officials said.

There were no passengers on board the train when the incident took place, they said.

While Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Ltd (MMMOCL), which operates the monorail, called it a "minor incident" and maintained nobody was injured, a civic official said three monorail employees suffered injuries and were treated at a hospital.

Regular monorail operations in the metropolis had been suspended on September 20 until further notice for system upgradation work in the wake of recurring technical glitches.

In photos and videos shared on social media, the train appeared slightly tilted. The first coach of the train hit the track beam and its nose tossed in the air and the rear portion of the coach tilted, which was removed from the track with the help of a heavy-duty crane in the evening, they said.

The accident was reported around 9 am. Two crew members were safely rescued from the monorail, a fire brigade official said.

The officials said the accident occurred on a track crossover point right outside the Wadala depot, when the white colour monorail rake was being taken out for signalling trials.

An engineer of the company involved in the trial was accompanying the train captain and some other staffers, who were travelling to nearest stations after signing off their duties, they said.

The first coach's undergears, coupling and bogies suffered major damage, along with the covers on the wheels, the officials said. From beneath the corridor, the train appeared stuck between two beams, with one side hanging in the air.

In a monorail system, the bogie or carriage sits below the elevated beam, carrying the wheels and suspension that guide and support the train along the beam.

MMMOCL has procured 10 four-coach monorail trains from Medha SMH Rail Pvt Ltd at Rs 55 crore each.

"During one of these routine signalling trials this morning, a minor incident occurred. The situation was immediately brought under control, and no injuries were reported to any staff or personnel," the operator said.

The operator said the communication-based train control signalling technology is being tested on the monorail system, which is being implemented by Medha SMH, the designated contractor for the project.

The exercise was carried out in a fully-protected environment, strictly adhering to all safety protocols, the MMMOCL said.

"These trials are designed to simulate extreme or worst-case scenarios to evaluate system responses and ensure complete preparedness before actual deployment. Hence, such controlled situations are a part of the standard testing process," said the statement, adding regular trials on the mass-transit system will remain unaffected.

Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had set up a committee to conduct a detailed inquiry into the technical glitches that affected monorail services multiple times in the recent past, including the major disruption that occurred on August 19, when hundreds of passengers were stranded in two monorail trains at different locations.

On September 15, a monorail train came to an abrupt halt in the Wadala area due to a technical snag.

As per monorail staff union members, six persons, including some off duty staff heading home were onboard the monorail at the time of the accident on Wednesday. Of them, the train captain, an engineer and another staffer were injured.

The train captain suffered an internal injury, while another staffer and an engineer of Medha SMH sustained an internal hand injury and scratch to head, respectively. The trio was rushed to a nearby hospital in a private car, said the civic official.

According to BMC-run Sion Hospital, the injured were identified as Sohail Patel (27), Budhaji Parab (26) and V Jagdish (28).

According to sources, the affected train was out for the monorail corridor's routine daily inspection. It departed from Wadala depot at 8.30 am and came out on the platform of the station outside it.

It was first scheduled to go to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (SGMC) station at Satrasta as "a swift train" for track inspection purposes.

Therefore, the monorail guide beam switch, a mechanism that diverts a monorail vehicle from one track to another, was set for SGMC station. The incident occurred immediately after the captain started the train from the platform after exchanging details with the control room.

The guide beam switch, which was set for the SGMC route, suddenly moved towards the depot line as soon as the train departed from the platform. As a result, the first coach of the train derailed and hit the track beam and its nose tossed in the air before it came to rest, a monorail employee said, requesting anonymity.

"It just happened within a few 10 seconds after the train departed from the platform," the staffer said.

After the incident, Shiv Sena (UBT) workers staged a protest outside the monorail depot and demanded complete stoppage of monorail services in Mumbai.

Transport activist AV Shenoy said the new monorail trains are equipped with Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) system. Therefore, the train should have automatically stopped sensing malfunctioning of the switch beam.

"As trains will be operated without drivers under (CBTC) system, the safety mechanism should be very strong," Shenoy emphasised. PTI KK VT GK NR NP RSY