Mumbai's iconic monorail is facing yet another setback, with a suspected glitch in its signaling and switching system causing a coach to derail during a system trial near Wadala. This marks the fifth mishap in just three months, prompting questions about the monorail's reliability and the effectiveness of its new Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) system.
The incident occurred around 9 am on the Wadala-GTB Nagar section, where engineers were testing the CBTC system, a cutting-edge technology designed to enhance real-time train detection and operational control. The rake was empty, carrying only two technical staff, but the consequences were still significant.
Preliminary reports suggest that the guideway beam, the elevated concrete track, may have moved while the train was still on it. The automated switching mechanism, which is supposed to operate only when the track section is clear, may have been triggered prematurely due to a communication failure. This could have caused the train to tilt, resulting in scrape marks beneath the coach.
Experts attribute the incident to a system-recognition error rather than a human mistake. They explain that if the control system momentarily failed to detect
