A test run of a newly acquired Mumbai Monorail train turned chaotic on Wednesday morning when one of its coaches derailed and struck a beam near the Wadala depot, leaving three staff members injured and causing extensive damage to the carriage. Officials confirmed that no passengers were on board at the time of the mishap.

Test Run Turns Scary

The incident occurred around 9 am, just outside the Wadala depot at a track crossover point, where engineers were conducting signalling and switching trials. Witnesses said the first coach lifted off the beam, its nose pointing upward after hitting the track, while the rear portion hung precariously. Rescue teams later removed the coach using a heavy-duty crane.

According to civic authorities, the injured were identified as Sohail Patel (27), Budhaji Parab (26), and V Jagdish (28). The trio including the train captain and an engineer from Medha SMH Rail Pvt Ltd, the firm handling the trials sustained minor internal injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital in a private car.

Sources within the monorail operations team said that six people, including some off-duty employees, were aboard the train for routine inspection. The rake, which left the depot at 8:30 am, was heading towards Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (SGMC) for a scheduled track inspection when the guide-beam switch a mechanism that directs the train between tracks unexpectedly shifted toward the depot line. This sudden movement caused the first coach to derail.

“It just happened within a few 10 seconds after the train departed from the platform,” said a staff member who requested anonymity.

‘Minor Incident,’ Says Monorail Operator

The Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Ltd (MMMOCL), which operates the monorail, described the mishap as a “minor incident” and claimed that all safety procedures were followed. “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,” the operator stated.

It added that the exercise was part of testing the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) system being implemented by Medha SMH, under “fully protected conditions and strict safety protocols.”

However, civic officials and hospital records confirmed that three employees sustained injuries during the event. Photos and videos circulated online showed visible structural damage to the train, including bent bogies, couplings, and wheel covers, with one side of the coach hanging off the elevated track.

The derailment comes at a time when monorail services in Mumbai have already been suspended since September 20 for system-upgradation work due to repeated technical failures. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has since established a committee to investigate the underlying causes of such malfunctions, including the August 19 breakdown that stranded hundreds of commuters and another snag reported on September 15 near Wadala.

Rs 55-Crore Monorail Trains Fitted with Driverless Tech

Each of the 10 new four-coach monorail trains priced at Rs 55 crore was procured from Medha SMH Rail Pvt Ltd. These are equipped with the CBTC technology, which allows automated train operations without drivers.

Transport expert A.V. Shenoy voiced serious concerns about the system’s reliability. “The train should have automatically stopped sensing malfunctioning of the switch beam. As trains will be operated without drivers under (CBTC) system, the safety mechanism should be very strong,” he warned.

Following the incident, members of the Shiv Sena (UBT) staged a demonstration outside the Wadala depot, demanding that all monorail services be halted until safety standards are thoroughly reviewed.