Mumbai: Monorail snag leaves 17 passengers stranded near Wadala

The Mumbai Monorail experienced a technical snag yet again on Monday morning leaving 17 passengers briefly stranded in a train between Antop Hill bus depot and GTB Nagar station in WadalaldquoThe incident was reported at 716 am by the Central Police Control According to officials swift action was taken by the monorail operations team in coordination with the Mumbai Fire Brigade MFB to ensure passenger safety and all the passengers were safely evacuated by 740 amrdquo an official saidldquoThe rescue operation was carried out as the Mumbai Fire Brigade personnel arrived to assist the monorail staff No injuries were reportedrdquo the official added ldquoBy 850 am the fault was rectified and monorail operations resumed Officials ensured that passenger safety was not compromised during the incident and emergency protocols were followedrdquo he addedThe monorail train that briefly experienced a technical snag on Monday morning PICPTIThe Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited MMMOCL issued a statement ldquoToday a technical snag occurred in one of the mono trains As per safety protocols all 17 passengers onboard were swiftly and safely transferred to another train and taken to the next station by 740 am The affected train was being towed away Passenger safety remains our top priorityrdquoNew SoPs in placePassenger load regulationMonorail coaches are designed for a maximum load of 104 tonnes To avoid exceeding this capacity station staff have been instructed to strictly regulate passenger entry If overcrowding is observed trains are now halted and passengers safely deboarded before resuming operationsEmergency windowsEvery monorail train has eight ventilation windows two in each of the four coaches These have been labelled for guidance in emergenciesAdditional staff deploymentEach train now carries a dedicated security personnel to monitor incoach crowding Alongside the monorail pilot a trained technician also travels in it to handle any technical issues promptlyEnhanced signageClear visible signboards have been installed inside trains instructing passengers on safety protocols and emergency exitsIntroduction of new rakesMMRDA has already procured 10 new monorail rakes Seven of these have reached the depot and are undergoing detailed trials and certification Once cleared they will be added to passenger service increasing capacity and reducing strain on the existing fleetWhat went wrongThe affected green monorail train was on its way to Wadala when a power supply issue brought it to a halt on a curve The 17 passengers trapped inside received assistance from the monorail staff inside the trainThe rescue operationThe staff reached out to the control rooms and expedited the evacuation by halting a monorail train heading for Chembur that was coming from the opposite direction The stranded passengers were then shifted into the latter even before the fire brigade could arriveCitizens speakShyam Kamble commuterlsquoPeople reluctantly use the monorail to avoid crowded trains If there are frequent breakdowns those who need to reach their destination on time will avoid using the monorail Commuters are waiting to see when the new trains will startrsquoBharat Soni activistlsquoThe mistake must be accepted When we write off bad debts worth crores and pardon the corrupt why canrsquot we pardon the monorailrsquoKhurshed Lawyer commuterlsquoIs there a conspiracy here The monorail was a Congress project and perhaps this is why it is being allowed to rot and ply with ageold rakes despite new rakes worth crores in the stablesrsquo