17 evacuated safely after Mumbai monorail service halted due to technical fault

New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) A technical glitch caused a temporary suspension of the Mumbai Monorail service early Monday morning in the Wadala area, leaving several passengers stranded mid-journey, who were evacuated safely.

The incident occurred between the Antophill Bus Depot and GTBN Monorail Station, around 07.16 a.m., according to an official update from the BMC.

The affected monorail was carrying passengers at the time. Out of these, 17 passengers were stranded on the halted coach but were safely evacuated by 7.45 a.m. Authorities confirmed that no injuries were reported during the incident.

BMC later issued an update on the Monorail stoppage issue.

"All 17 passengers were safely rescued by 7.45 a.m. The monorail that was stuck on the track is now being towed by another monorail to clear the line."

A quick emergency response was initiated after the train came to a standstill due to an unspecified technical fault. The Mumbai Fire Brigade was also alerted, which assisted in the safe transfer of passengers to another monorail that was brought to the scene for evacuation.

Officials from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and local police reached the site promptly to manage the situation and initiate an inspection of the faulty coach.

Though services were partially affected during the morning rush hour, monorail operations are expected to resume in full once the affected coach is removed and the technical fault is addressed. MMRDA has stated that a detailed examination of the cause of the disruption will be undertaken, and appropriate maintenance protocols will be reviewed.

Commuters expressed relief over the swift rescue efforts but urged the authorities to ensure smoother and more reliable monorail operations, especially during peak hours.

Earlier on August 19, a total of 582 passengers were stuck in the Mumbai Monorail near Mysore Colony between Chembur and Bhakti Park, and were rescued by the Mumbai Fire Brigade of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) with the help of snorkel (ladder) vehicles. The rescue operation was completed by the Mumbai Fire Brigade.

--IANS

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