By the end of the year, it is expected that the commuters of Mumbai will be able to travel comfortably at high speed by monorail. The project has already been delayed by more than a year.
The first line of the monorail will soon be inaugurated by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The first line will connect Chembur in the eastern suburbs to Wadala in Central Mumbai with an 8.26 elevated track.
Rahul Asthana, the Commissioner of MMRDA on May 18 said that the construction work on the elevated lines, stations and monorail depots will be completed by the month of October, while the safety audit will be carried out by the consultants after the construction. Asthana assured that by the end of December the line would be open for public.
Asthana said, “In one train having four compartments, 562 passengers would be able to travel in comfort and cover the distance in less than 15 minutes. Today, it takes about 40 minutes to travel the same distance by car. The peak passenger load is expected to be about 15,000 passengers”. While talking about the second line, the Commissioner said that the work is in progress and is expected to be completed by December 2013.
