Mumbai: Crash During Monorail Trial on Chembur–Jacob Circle Route; Inquiry Ordered

A monorail accident occurred on Wednesday, November 5, during the trial run of newly built trains on the Chembur–Jacob Circle corridor, causing major damage to the train. Following the incident, the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL) directed Medha SMH Rail Pvt. Ltd. the contractor responsible for the monorail’s design, manufacturing, and implementation of the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) signaling system to submit a technical report on the cause of the crash. Action will be taken against those found responsible.

Monorail services have remained suspended since September due to a series of earlier mishaps, while modernisation work and trials of newly manufactured Indian-built trains are underway. Around 9 AM on Wednesday, one such test run reportedly went wrong because of a faulty signaling system, leading to a severe accident.

While the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) stated that there were no serious injuries, reports suggest two people suffered minor ones. Officials have yet to disclose the exact cause of the accident. Observers noted that had passengers been onboard, the consequences could have been far worse.

According to MMMOCL Managing Director Rubal Agrawal, both the project consultant and Medha SMH Rail have been instructed to submit a detailed technical report. The accident took place as a new train was leaving the Wadala car shed during testing.

Earlier, on August 19, another incident occurred when an overloaded monorail tilted and got stuck, prompting firefighters to rescue 588 passengers by breaking open the doors. Following that mishap, two senior MMMOCL officials were suspended, and a four-member inquiry committee was formed  whose report is still awaited.

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