Mumbai Monorail Stalled Due To Power Cut, 442 Passengers Trapped for an Hour | Watch

Mumbai: A Mumbai Monorail train carrying approximately 500 passengers was stalled near Mysore Colony station on Tuesday due to a minor power supply issue, trapping commuters inside for over an hour.

The alarming incident unfolded against a backdrop of severe monsoon chaos, which simultaneously crippled the city's entire local train network and caused widespread travel disruption across the metropolis. 

The monorail snag brought services to a complete halt, stranding commuters until operations and maintenance teams could reach the site to address the problem. The situation required a significant rescue operation, with several police officers arriving at the scene.

A small crane was deployed to evacuate the passengers who were stranded at a height on the train. Some reports indicated that passengers had been stuck for over an hour as rescue teams worked to open the carriages.
 

The incident was acknowledged by the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Ltd (MMMOCL), the organization responsible for operating and maintaining the upcoming extensive metro network of 225 stations spread across 337 kilometers within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

In a post on social media platform X, MMMOCL stated, "One Monorail train near Mysore Colony station has experienced a minor power supply issue. Our operations and maintenance teams are already on-site and working to resolve it quickly." 

The post further informed that services between Wadala and Chembur were temporarily running on a single line to manage operations during the repair. The corporation thanked passengers for their patience, emphasized that safety was their top priority, and assured that “normal services will be restored at the earliest.”

The rescue operation is currently underway for the trapped passengers, and approximately 100 passengers are assumed to be inside.

Responding to the incident, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said, "Due to a 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. 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," he added further.

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ekanth Shinde also highlighted the issue and said, “We will make sure that such an incident is not repeated. Passengers should not get stuck in the Monorail like this. We will investigate this incident... Since a Red Alert has been issued for today, I would appeal to the people not to leave their houses if it is not necessary. A public holiday was announced today, and the private organisations were asked to follow work from home for today...”

Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in a statement said, “Today, a monorail train (rst-4) stalled between Bhakti Park and Chembur, near Mysore Colony Station. 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. The overcrowding was triggered by the closure of the indian railways harbour line owing to heavy rainfall in Mumbai... Mmrda 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,” it added further.

Ravindra Ambulgekar, Chief Fire Officer, Mumbai Fire Brigade, said, “A total of 582 people have been rescued. We reached here after 10 minutes and assured all the passengers that they are safe and will be evacuated. All passengers are safe and rescue operations have been completed."

Mumbai is facing severe disruption due to relentless rainfall over the past two days. Mumbai has recorded over 300 mm of rain in 24 hours, leading to flooded roads, submerged local trains, and delayed flights.

Heavy Rains Halt Mumbai Local Train Services on CSMT-Thane and Harbour Lines

Compounding the city's transit woes, intense rainfall led to the complete suspension of mainline local train services between the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminal (CSMT) and Thane station until further notice. The Central Railway administration also suspended Harbour Line train services between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Chunabhatti (CLA) due to widespread waterlogging.

In an official post on X, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Mumbai Central Railway announced the suspensions, citing the severe weather conditions. To manage the crisis, shuttle services were operational on segments of the network between Thane, Karjat, Khopoli, and Kasara Station.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) responded to the extreme weather by recommending that all private offices permit employees to work from home, with exceptions only for those providing emergency or critical services. A holiday was declared for all government and semi-government offices in Mumbai. The travel disruptions were exacerbated by floods in several low-lying areas, which severely impacted road traffic as well.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert for Mumbai and its outskirts, warning of exceptionally heavy rainfall, which materialized and threw the city's infrastructure into disarray.

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