If there was a silver lining on Wednesday, it was the Mumbai Monorail. Otherwise in the news for its lack of frequency and breakdowns, the Monorail turned into a refuge for thousands of stranded passengers, though there was one case of a breakdown.
Monorail services were packed through the day with serpentine queues at ticket counters. According to officials of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Wadala and Lower Parel saw the maximum number of passengers.
The sudden surge, led the MMRDA to control the number of tickets issued per train. Around 8.04 p.m. a Monorail full of passengers got stuck near Bhakti Park station. “The stoppage happened due to the current not being collected from power rail, possibly due to overcrowding. The train returned to Bhakti Park station and all commuters were safe,” an official said.
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Several passengers took to social media to praise the service, highlighting its need. Priya Srinivas, tweeted, “With trains being slow and stopped, Monorail has come to the rescue. It is working fine and on time! Would recommend for everyone if it covers even half your distance. Stay safe Mumbaikars!”
Another commuter, Chandan Jha tweeted, “Monorail is running exceptionally, even in heavy rains! Looks like we can depend on them in the heavy Mumbai rains.”