Passengers evacuated after snag hits Mumbai monorail

Eleven people were evacuated by fire brigade from Mumbai monorail, the first and only in India, came to a halt following a technical snag on Sunday.

The first-of-its-kind incident raised questions about safety and efficiency of disaster management system.

The Monorail train services experienced a power disruption between Bhakti Park and Mysore Colony at about 7:58 am as the trains were not receiving the 750 vdc electricity. Due to this, two trains, RST 5 and RST 9, were stranded between Bhakti Park station and Mysore Colony station.

RST 9 was headed towards Bhakti Park station and RST 5 had just left the Bhakti Park station.

The power could be restored for a short while at about 8:20 am by which RST 9 reached the Bhakti Park station. However, RST 5 was again stranded between Bhakti Park and Mysore Colony station.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, taking the issue seriously, has ordered a probe, which would go into the details and fix responsibilities. “Power supply failed, then back-up power supply failed, how did it happen, I have asked the principal secretary of urban development department to probe the incident,” Fadnavis said in Wardha.