Mumbai, Mar 5 (NIE): A day after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the second phase of the 19.48-km-long Mumbai Monorail, connecting Wadala to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk, its services were stopped for at least an hour following a glitch.

As many as 400 to 500 commuters, who were inside the Monorail, had to be evacuated as the train was sent to the Wadala depot for repair. Commuters said they had to wait for at least 45 minutes for the next Monorail to arrive. According to officials, a cable that was used to thread garlands — a part of the decoration for the Monorail’s inaugural run — got en-tangled near the Wadala depot, bringing the Monorail to a halt. The train was sent to the depot for technical assistance, an official said. “It was put back into service in 10 minutes,” the official claimed.

On Sunday, a total of 16,100 commuters had taken the Mono-rail phase 2 between 6 am and 5.30 pm, generating Rs 3,01,739 revenue, MMRDA officials said. Shailesh Nadkar, a passenger who took a Monorail from Dadar (east) station on Monday, said while the extension of the Monorail service was a good step, it lacked basic facilities, like absence of announcement on the timings and status of trains.

Another passenger, Ram Chandra Gawli, who took the train from Mint colony station, said the frequency of the trains should be increased. “There is almost 20-minute gap between two trains,” he said. The Monorail service is expected to benefit doctors, patients and nurses working at three major hospitals – Tata Memorial, Wadia and KEM – with stations located near the hospitals. The track connects eastern and central parts of Mumbai, which, so far, had no rail connectivity.

Wadala resident and head of the forensic department in KEM hospital, Dr Harish Pathak said he has started using the Monorail to travel to work in Parel. “With the roads dug up everywhere, it takes me over |20 minutes by car to travel till KEM Hospital. The Monorail ride will take only 5-7 minutes,” Pathak said.