Mumbai Monorail halts at Wadala due to glitch; 17 rescued, services resume after 2 hours

Mumbai Monorail services were disrupted on Monday morning when a train suddenly stopped near Wadala, close to Antop Hill, leaving 17 passengers stranded for a short while.

According to officials, the incident occurred at around 7.15 am between Antop Hill Bus Depot and GTBN stations, and it was caused by a power supply failure.

A spokesperson from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) informed that the 17 passengers were safely evacuated. “The evacuation was completed by 7.45 am. The stranded commuters were moved to another train that had arrived from Chembur. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. By 9.30 am, normal services across the line were restored,” he was quoyed by The Indian Express as saying.

The city’s Fire Brigade also reached the site as a precaution while the technical team worked on detaching and towing the affected train. Authorities further confirmed that the train rake would undergo a detailed inspection to find the exact cause of the power supply failure.

During the disruption, monorail services between Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk and Wadala were operated on a single line, which caused minor delays. However, the Wadala-Chembur stretch continued to run normally.

Services towards Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk resumed shortly, and by 9.30 am, full operations across the entire 20 km Chembur-Wadala-Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk corridor were back to normal.

Since starting operations in phases in 2014, the Mumbai Monorail, the country’s only monorail service, has faced frequent disruptions, especially during heavy rains.

Last month, during heavy rains, two monorail trains got stuck at different locations in the city, leading to the rescue of hundreds of passengers from them

Meanwhile, Mumbai faced heavy rainfall, with over 100 mm of rain recorded since Sunday morning, causing waterlogging in several areas and slowing traffic. At Dadar TT Circle, water levels ranged from half a foot to one foot, leading to slow movement of vehicles.

Similar conditions were reported at Khar Subway (Vakola), with around half a foot of water, and at the Panbai School north-bound slip road, where water levels reached one foot.

Traffic at Andheri Subway (Andheri West) was temporarily closed in the morning due to accumulated rainwater of one to one-and-a-half feet, and vehicles were diverted via Gokhale Bridge.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red nowcast warning for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region at 8.30 am, cautioning about intense to very intense spells of rain and thunderstorms over the next three hours.

The warning also mentioned the likelihood of lightning, gusty winds, and heavy to very heavy rainfall. Strong winds of 30 to 40 km per hour were also expected, making travel and outdoor activities potentially hazardous during this period.