A Mumbai Monorail rake broke down at around 6:38 pm near Mysore Colony station on Tuesday evening after overcrowding pushed its load beyond the system’s designed capacity, leaving passengers stranded and triggering an emergency rescue operation.
Passengers Rescued
As per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation 300 passengers were rescued and six commuters underwent medical treatment for suffocation.
Breakdown Near Mysore Colony
As per the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said the incident involved the RST-4 rake running between Bhakti Park and Chembur. Preliminary checks revealed the total weight of the train had climbed to 109 metric tonnes, exceeding its 104-tonne limit. The overload snapped the mechanical contact between the power rail and the current collector, cutting off electricity supply and halting the service.
Following protocol, MMRDA rushed its technical team to the site and dispatched another monorail to tow the stranded rake. However, the excess load made towing impossible, forcing the Mumbai Fire Brigade to step in with snorkel vehicles to evacuate passengers.
Safety Concerns
Officials said the disruption came amid heavy rains that paralysed the Harbour Line of Central Railway, pushing thousands of commuters towards the monorail. Security appeals to control the rush proved ineffective as crowding surged beyond capacity.
MMRDA cautioned that the monorail is a limited-capacity transit system meant for specific corridors and cannot handle sudden, large-scale passenger volumes like suburban locals or metro rail.
Alternate Transport
In coordination with the BMC and emergency services, authorities arranged BEST buses to ferry affected passengers while working to restore services. A technical inquiry has been initiated and corrective measures are being put in place to prevent such failures in the future.
