Mumbai Monorail rake that caught fire was on test run for six hours the previous night: Report

Test run had been undertaken for long-pending phase 2 of the project

The monorail rake that caught fire on November 9 was on a test run the previous night for about six hours. Officials said the test run was being undertaken for the long pending phase-II of the monorail project, and it led to the rake getting ‘heated up’. An interim report submitted to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Monday states that on November 9, the fire ignited in a tyre of one of the two coaches that were completely gutted.

Two coaches of a monorail train caught fire on November 9.

The planning authority was conducting test runs for the Wadala-Jacob Circle corridor, which is to be commissioned by December, but is now likely to face delays after the incident. The Chembur-Wadala corridor was commissioned in 2014 and caters to an average 18,000 passengers daily.

A fire broke out in an empty coach before the services began at 5.30am around 12 days ago at the Mysore Colony station in Mahul.

MMRDA then had suspended services and also ordered a probe by an independent committee headed by former commissioner of railway safety PS Baghel. UPS Madan, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA said, “An interim report has been submitted. However, we will wait for the final report before starting services again.” The final report is expected in another eight days, Madan said.

“We will also conduct some forensic tests before arriving at a final conclusion,” Baghel told HT.

A source privy to the report said the sparks started from the tyre of the rake, but the smoke was not noticed immediately by the staff.

This is not the first time the monorail has faced disruptions in the past three years. Experts have now started questioning the safety aspects once the entire corridor is made operational. Ketan Garodia, a transport expert, said the safety provisions of the monorail need a rejig to avoid such accidents in the future. “The motors can be attached to thermostats that have an alarm system. If the temperature exceeds a certain limit, the staff will be immediately alerted. These small changes can help avoid such disasters.”

Already a loss-making corridor, the monorail is further losing almost Rs5 lakh a day with no ticket revenue owing to the suspended services.