Mumbai, Aug 19: Panic gripped commuters on Tuesday evening after a Mumbai Monorail train stalled between Chembur and Bhakti Park near Mysore Colony station due to a power supply failure. Around 200 passengers were stranded before being rescued in a joint operation by the Mumbai Fire Brigade and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
According to BMC officials, the incident occurred around 6:15 p.m. when the service was halted owing to a technical glitch. Stranded passengers contacted the civic body’s helpline 1916 for urgent assistance. Responding swiftly, the Mumbai Fire Brigade deployed three snorkel (ladder) vehicles to carry out rescue operations. Under the supervision of Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, ambulances and a municipal medical team reached the spot, while nearby civic hospitals were instructed to remain on alert. BEST also deployed four to five buses to ferry rescued commuters.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a post on X, reassured passengers and their families. “All agencies including MMRDA, the fire brigade, and BMC are on site. The highest priority is the safety of passengers. Nobody should panic; all will be safely evacuated. I am in constant touch with officials, and an inquiry will be conducted into the cause of this incident,” he said.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which operates the Monorail, confirmed the disruption was caused by a minor power supply issue. “Our operations and maintenance teams are working to resolve the glitch. Services between Wadala and Chembur are operating on a single line for now. Passenger safety remains our top priority and normal services will be restored soon,” MMRDA said in a statement.
The swift response from multiple agencies ensured the safe evacuation of all passengers, though the incident has raised fresh concerns about the reliability of Mumbai’s Monorail service.
