Empty monorail train hits beam during test run in Mumbai; 3 staffers injured, its coach damaged
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Mumbai (PTI): A coach of a newly-procured monorail train suffered severe damages and three of its staffers, including the train captain, were injured after it hit a beam during a test run at Wadala depot in Mumbai on Wednesday morning when there were no passengers on board, officials said.
While the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL), which operates the monorail, called it a "minor incident" and maintained that nobody was injured, a civic official said three monorail employees suffered injuries and were treated at a hospital.
Regular monorail operations in the metropolis had been suspended on September 20 until further notice for system upgradation work in the wake of recurring technical glitches.
In the photos and videos shared on social media, the train appeared slightly tilted. The first coach of the train hit the track beam and its nose tossed in the air and the rear portion of the coach tilted, which was removed from the track with the help of a heavy-duty crane in the evening, they said.
The accident was reported around 9 am. Two crew members were safely rescued from the monorail, a fire brigade official said.
The officials said the accident occurred on a track crossover point right outside the Wadala depot, when the white colour monorail rake was being taken out for signalling trials.
An engineer of the company involved in the trial was accompanying the train captain and some other staffers, who were travelling to nearest stations after signing off their duties, they said.
The first coach's undergears, coupling and bogies suffered major damage, along with the covers on the wheels, the officials said. From beneath the corridor, the train appeared stuck between two beams, with one side hanging in the air.
In a monorail system, the bogie or carriage sits below the elevated beam, carrying the wheels and suspension that guide and support the train along the beam.
Later, the MMMOCL claimed in a statement that it was "a minor incident" and no one was injured.
The corporation has procured 10 four-coach monorail trains from Medha SMH Rail Pvt Limited at Rs 55 crore each.
"During one of these routine signalling trials this morning, a minor incident occurred. The situation was immediately brought under control, and no injuries were reported to any staff or personnel," it said.
The operator said that the communication-based train control signalling technology is being tested on the monorail system, which is being implemented by Medha SMH, the designated contractor for the project.
The exercise was carried out in a fully-protected environment, strictly adhering to all safety protocols, the MMMOCL said.
"These trials are designed to simulate extreme or worst-case scenarios to evaluate system responses and ensure complete preparedness before actual deployment. Hence, such controlled situations are a part of the standard testing process," said the statement, adding that regular trials on the mass-transit system will remain unaffected.
Monorail passenger services were suspended from September 20 in the wake of technical glitches.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had set up a committee to conduct a detailed inquiry into the technical glitches that affected monorail services multiple times in the recent past, including the major disruption that occurred on August 19, when hundreds of passengers were stranded in two monorail trains at different locations. On September 15, a monorail train came to an abrupt halt in the Wadala area due to a technical snag.
As per the monorail staff union members, six persons, including some off duty staff heading home w,ere onboard the monorail at the time of the accident. Of them, the train captain, an engineer and another staffer were injured.
The train captain suffered an internal injury, while another staffer and an engineer of Medha SMH sustained an internal hand injury and scratch to head respectively. The trio was rushed to a nearby hospital in a private car.
According to BMC-run Sion Hospital, they were identified as Sohail Patel (27), Budhaji Parab (26) and V Jagdish (28).
The MMMOCL, in its statement, however, claimed that no one was injured in the incident.
According to sources, the affected monorail train was out for the monorail corridor's routine daily inspection. It departed from Wadala depot at around 8.30 am and came out on the platform of the station outside it.
It was first scheduled to go to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (SGMC) station at Satrasta as "a swift train" for track inspection purposes.
Therefore, the monorail guide beam switch, a mechanism that diverts a monorail vehicle from one track to another, was set for SGMC station. The incident occurred immediately after the train captain started the train from the platform after exchanging details with the control room.
The guide beam switch, which was set for the SGMC route, suddenly moved towards the depot line as soon as the train departed from the platform. As a result, the first coach of the train hit the track beam and its nose tossed in the air before it came to rest.
"It just happened within a few 10 seconds after the train departed from the platform," a monorail staffer said, requesting anonymity.
He added that the everyday inspection train operated at a speed of 20 kmph, before starting train operation to ensure that tracks are safe.
After the incident, some local Shiv Sena (UBT) workers staged a protest outside the monorail depot and demanded to stop the monorail services.
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Businessman lured by FB friend, attacked for extortion in K'taka; 4 held
Madikeri (Karnataka) (PTI): Four people were arrested for allegedly assaulting, illegally confining and attempting to extort money from a 39-year-old businessman who was lured through a honeytrap set up on social media, police said on Monday.
The accused have been identified as Rachana, Malati, Darshan and Ravi.
Police said efforts are underway to nab the remaining suspects involved in the incident, which occurred on December 12 in Madikeri, the district headquarters of Kodagu.
According to the complaint, the victim, a resident of Maddur taluk in Mandya district, was befriended by a woman identified as Rachana through Facebook, who later sought financial assistance and received Rs 5,000 from him via PhonePe on November 28.
When he asked her to return the money, the woman allegedly asked him to travel to Mysuru or Kushalnagar, promising to meet him.
The police said the woman later called the victim to Madikeri on December 12 and took him to a house near the market area, where they spent some time and consumed alcohol in the evening.
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Later that night, citing an emergency, the woman left the house. After her departure, three men allegedly broke into the house and attacked the victim, assaulting him with a stick and the handle of a sword, causing injuries to his face, mouth, chest and leg, the FIR stated.
The complainant alleged that he was forcibly confined, stripped and a nude video of him was recorded. The accused also allegedly threatened him with a toy gun, demanding Rs 50 lakh and warning that the video would be uploaded on social media if the money was not paid.
Police said the victim was held captive and somehow managed to escape in the early hours of December 13. However, after he escaped, the accused allegedly attempted to kidnap him in an autorickshaw, an incident that was captured on CCTV cameras.
Based on his complaint at the Madikeri Town police station, a case was registered under Sections 310(2) (dacoity), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, a senior police officer said.
“Four accused, including two women, have been arrested. Efforts are on to nab two more absconding accused. Further investigation is on,” he added.
