The Mumbai Monorail failed by design as it was never meant to carry officegoers or heavy rush, experts said on Wednesday, calling for scrapping India’s only such transport mode and replacing it with a more viable option like bus lanes or a Metro. They also suggested that stranded commuters should seek compensation. Local residents said the sharp curve at the incident site has long been notorious, with monorail trainsets having failed there multiple times.

“Commuters must demand compensation. In Japan, even if a train is late by one minute, the train pilot personally apologises to each passenger, and the rail authority compensates for any loss. Monorail passengers must demand compensation from MMRDA,” commuter activist Musbtaq Ansari said. Officials confirmed the stalled train was carrying 109 tonnes, against its capacity of 104 tonnes. This excess load broke the current collector, led to a power cut, and left over 500 commuters trapped mid-air in suffocating conditions. Another train brought in to tow it also failed to move it.

“It has been admitted by the MMRDA that the monorail is a low-capacity system, not designed for sudden high-volume loads like the suburban rail or Metro. Crowds rushed there only because the suburban system was shut. MMRDA now blames ‘overcrowding’, but in reality, this happened because the Harbour line was closed due to rains, leaving commuters with no alternative. The monorail is not failing by accident. It is failing by design. It was never meant for Mumbaikars rushing to work,” said Chetan Kamble of Chakachak Dadar.