Two Mumbai monorail trains experienced breakdowns on Tuesday evening amidst heavy rainfall, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. A total of 782 individuals were successfully evacuated. The first incident involved a monorail train carrying 582 passengers, which stalled between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park in Chembur, central Mumbai, at 6:38 PM. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) attributed the breakdown to a power supply issue stemming from “overcrowding.” Approximately an hour later, a second monorail train with 200 passengers stopped abruptly between Acharya Atre and Wadala MonoRail Station around 7:33 PM. Passengers were rescued after the train was towed to the nearby Wadala station. The MMRDA, which manages the monorail, indicated that the first train exceeded its design capacity due to an excessive number of passengers, leading to the power failure. According to the MMRDA, the train’s weight had risen above its original design capacity of 104 tonnes to about 109 metric tons. This excess weight caused a mechanical disconnection, disrupting the power supply. The Mumbai Monorail operates at an average speed of 65 kph, with each coach accommodating 18 seated and 124 standing passengers. The MMRDA also stated that another monorail was dispatched to tow the stalled train, but it couldn’t due to the overload. Consequently, the fire brigade undertook the rescue operation. The evacuation of passengers took approximately three hours. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde cited overcrowding and power failure. The MMRDA noted that “uncontrolled crowding could not be prevented because of the unusually high passenger numbers.” The Mumbai Monorail is designed for limited capacity on set routes, unlike conventional suburban trains or the metro system. Onlookers shared images depicting passengers attempting to open train windows before the fire brigade’s arrival. Many rescued passengers reported a panic in the train due to difficulty breathing after the cooling system failed.
