Mumbai Monorail to get 10 more rakes

The Mumbai Monorail -- the first Monorail service in India -- is set to get 10 additional rakes.

The first rake is coming by January 2023 and the second one in January 2024.

Telangana-based Medha Servo Drives Pvt. Ltd has been awarded the tender by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for the work and the cost of the project is Rs 590 crore.

MMRDA had implemented Monorail between Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk to Chembur via Wadala.

The length of the corridor is about 20 kms and is planned as a feeder service to the Metro rail system.

The Monorail system can carry 7,500 passengers per hour per direction and has the capacity to carry 1.5-2 lakh commuters daily.

The DPR prepared by RITES in 2008 estimated a ridership of 1.5 lakh in 2031 and 3 lakh in 2041.

However, due to the absence of connectivity to the major public transportation system, it is not fulfilling the desired role of the feeder system and the present ridership is an indication of the above fact.

Hence, MMRDA is exploring the possibility of the impact of connecting the Monorail system on both ends to the suburban/metro systems so that the ridership can be improved.

Metropolitan Commissioner SVR Srinivas said: “Monorail plays a significant role in terms of interconnectivity within the city. These new rakes will help solve traffic issues at major points in the routes. MMRDA has always been at the forefront in providing maximum facilities to the people of Mumbai. These new rakes of Monorail are another step taken towards achieving this.”

The new trains are with various features as these are lighter and faster as compared to the previous ones, thereby decreasing the load on the guideway and the piers and they are stronger as well. It will increase the capacity of the train which is currently 560 passengers per train.

The trains are made under the Make in India programme, thereby the maintenance cost will lower, and it will give better lifecycle and maintainability. These bogies are made of stainless steel like metro trains so they will have longer durability. Most importantly they will increase the frequency of the trains.

With the introduction of 10 more RSTs, a headway of five mins can be achieved instead of the current 18 minutes. With this headway, there will be a substantial increase in ridership and revenue; and benefits to Mumbaikars in terms of comfort, convenience, and reliability.