An official said a consultant will be appointed to suggest measures to ensure safe evacuation of all passengers within 30 minutes of an accident. (File) The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) is planning to set up an emergency passenger evacuation system on the Mumbai Monorail, which runs between Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk and Chembur, covering a distance of 19.5 km.
An official said a consultant will be appointed to suggest measures to ensure safe evacuation of all passengers within 30 minutes of an accident. “The consultant will suggest measures… for example, if a walkway can be constructed along the track… for carrying out safe evacuation.”
According to MMRDA officials, the Monorail route passes through congested and residential areas like Mahul bay, Wadala bridge road and Curry Road railway station. “The Monorail runs on a single middle unit guideway beam and there is no room for passengers to get out without stopping at the station in case of a fire or any breakdown in power supply,” said an official said. Further, a Monorail rolling stock stuck between stations due to a breakdown cannot be pulled and released by another RST.
“As Monorail runs on the a single middle track, if a train stops between two stations, there is no space for the passengers to get down. The route covers risky sites like Wadala, Curry Road, Anik Panjarpol link road and the Lalbagh flyover. If a train stops at these place, it is difficult to get the commuters out. There are difficulties in rescue operations in such areas and hence, an emergency system will be set up to ensure the safety of passengers in the event of an accident,” the official added.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
