In a major infrastructural development that will make train travel more comfortable for Mumbaikars, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will throw open to traffic the much-awaited first phase of the 8.93-km stretch of monorail network from Wadala to Chembur in north central-eastern Mumbai on Saturday.
To be inaugurated by Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday and thrown open to public on Sunday, the country’s first monorail service will reduce the burden on the main and harbor services on the suburban Central Railway network.
There will in all be seven stations on the 8.93-km long Phase-I route of the Monorail corridor. The seven stations are: Chembur, VN Purav/RC Marg Junction, Fertiliser Township, Bharat Petroleum, Mysore Colony, Bhakti Park and Wadala Depot.
To begin with, the monorail services will run for eight hours between 7 am and 3 pm. One train has 4 coaches and can carry 560 passengers. From March onwards, mono rail services will be in operation for a total of 19 hours in a day.
All coaches of the monorail trains are air-conditioned. The monorail trains will run at 80 km per hour while the average speed would be 65 km per hour. The trains would cover the 8.93 km distance in flat 15 minutes. Peak passenger capacity will be 20,000 per hour initially in one direction.
The authorities plan to increase the number of coaches in a monorail from the current four to six in the coming months. The authorities have fixed the fares between Rs 6 and Rs 11 for the first phase route – which are quite competitive compared with existing fares of the suburban railway network and BEST bus service.
Unlike in the suburban networks of the Central Railway- Main and harbour and western railway where there is monthly season pass facility, commuters will be offered a system of smart cards in the monorail.
The to-be inaugurated 8.93 km first phase stretch of the Mono rail project between Wadala and Chembur, is part of a total 19.54 km Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle corridor. The second phase from Wadala to Jacob Circle would be commissioned later this year.
There will be in 17 stations in the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle corridor. When fully commissioned, it would be world's second largest corridor, after Japan's Osaka Monorail Corridor. The Monorail World Map marks Osaka Monorail corridor (23.8. km) as the longest in world, followed by Tokyo Monorail (16.9 km), Tama Monorail (16 km) and Star lRT in Kuala lumpur (8.6 km).
The 6.5 hectare Wadala Car Depot provides parking facility for 21 trains with Operation Control Centre, a Training Center and a Power Station, a Receiving Traction substation and a full-fledged administrative facility.
In initiative undertaken in conformity with the objectives of National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), the monorail will act as a feeder to high capacity Mass Rapid Transit Systems like suburban and metro services and will add to the public transportation network in the metropolis. It will also come in handy in easing the major parking woes of vehicle owners in the city.