Overloading led to snag in Mumbai Monorail train: MMRDA

Mumbai, Aug 19 (PTI) The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Tuesday claimed that a Monorail train in Mumbai came to a halt between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park stations due to a technical snag caused by "overcrowding".

About 500 passengers were rescued from the train by the fire brigade using snorkel cranes. Another train, which was stuck near the Wadala bridge, was towed to the nearest station, and some 200 passenger onboard were evacuated.

"Preliminary checks found that overcrowding increased the train's total weight to about 109 metric tonnes against its designed capacity of 104 tonnes," the MMRDA, the executing agency of the Monorail project, said, referring to the train stuck between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park.

It further said that the excess load broke the mechanical contact between the power rail and the current collector, disrupting the power supply essential for running the train.

Technicians were rushed to the spot and another Monorail train was deployed as per the standard operating procedure to tow the stalled train. However, the effort failed.

"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," MMRDA stated.

"The Harbour Line of the suburban railway was shut owing to heavy rains, leading to an unusual rush at Monorail stations. Despite repeated appeals by security staff, the crowding could not be controlled," MMRDA statement further claimed.

The incident occurred primarily due to overcrowding, the agency said, adding that Mumbai Monorail is a limited-capacity system not designed to handle sudden surges in commuter demand like suburban trains or metro corridors.

"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," the statement claimed.

"A detailed technical review is being conducted to prevent recurrence," the statement read. PTI KK KRK