A fire broke out at the Mysore Colony monorail station in Chembur on Thursday morning, damaging two coaches and parts of the station. Authorities were forced to suspend operations till further notice.
Fortunately, as the fire broke out at 5 a.m., there were no casualties reported. The empty rake was being taken to Wadala to begin the day’s service from Chembur, and hence had no passengers no board.
A statement issued by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said the train’s motorman noticed smoke coming out from the last coach when the train reached Mysore Colony station, and alerted the fire brigade. Three fire engines and two water tankers extinguished the blaze by 6 a.m.
“One coach was completely gutted, while another was partially burnt,” said a monorail employee. MMRDA officials said it was too early too estimate the full extent of damage.
“Prima facie the cause of the fire seems to be a short circuit,” said a fire brigade official. Chief Fire Officer P.S. Rahangdale said they are investigating the matter.
The MMRDA has appointed an independent committee to conduct an enquiry to determine the cause of fire. The committee will be headed by P.S. Baghel, retired Commissioner of Railway Safety, Western Circle. The Metropolitan Commissioner also ordered a full check up of all trains.
All monorail services were suspended for the day. “We are working to ensure that services are resumed as soon as possible,” an MMRDA official said. He said services will be suspended for at least another 24 hours.
Mysore Colony is the third of the seven monorail stations while going from Wadala to Chembur and lies next to the HPCL refinery.
Trials to continue
Trials are being conducted on the second phase of the project between Wadala and Jacob Circle. “Today’s fire will not affect the trials; the project will continue as scheduled,” MMRDA Joint Project Director (public relations) Dilip Kawathkar said.
