Mumbai Monorail Breakdown: Why a Rs 3,000-Crore Project Failed to Deliver

Just three days of heavy rain were enough to expose the shortcomings of Mumbai’s ambitious Monorail project. On Tuesday evening around 6:15 pm, a crowded monorail suddenly came to a halt between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park stations, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded mid-air on the elevated track.

Inside the coaches, panic quickly spread. With the AC and lights shutting down, suffocation and chaos followed. Some passengers fainted, while others screamed for help. Rescue teams worked for hours to evacuate everyone safely. But the incident has once again raised the big question: Why did a project built at the cost of Rs 3,000 crore collapse so miserably?

Why Did the Monorail Get Stuck?

According to the MMRDA, heavy rainfall had already disrupted Mumbai’s suburban train services, forcing many commuters to switch to the monorail. The unexpected rush led to overcrowding beyond the train’s capacity, which disrupted power supply and caused the breakdown.

Mumbai has been reeling under continuous rains for the last three days, with waterlogged roads and rail tracks, further worsening the situation.

The Story of Mumbai Monorail

• Inauguration: The project was inaugurated on 1 February 2014 by then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, and commercial services began on 2 February 2014.

• Objective: It was introduced to reduce traffic on Mumbai’s congested roads and to provide a feeder connection to the suburban railway and metro.

• Investment: Nearly Rs 3,000 crore was spent. The contract was awarded to Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Malaysia’s Scomi Engineering for Rs 2,460 crore, covering design, construction, and operations.

• Ridership Reality: While planners estimated lakhs of daily passengers, actual ridership has been only 15,000–20,000 per day.

Route Details

The 19.54 km monorail line connects Chembur to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (Mahalakshmi) with 17 stations.

• Phase 1: Wadala to Chembur (8.8 km)

• Phase 2: Wadala to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (11.2 km)
  Key stations include Chembur, Wadala, and Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk.

Government’s Response

On the breakdown, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said:
“Due to a technical reason, a monorail got stuck between Chembur and Bhakti Park. MMRDA, fire brigade, and BMC officials are on the spot. Passengers are being rescued safely. There is no need to panic. A detailed investigation will be conducted.”

The Bigger Question

The Mumbai Monorail was envisioned as a modern transport lifeline. But poor planning, technical glitches, low ridership, and now safety concerns have turned it into one of the city’s most expensive urban transport failures.