Monorail — How it got its second life

Due to an accident, the monorail project was shut down. Post which, MMRDA took the decision of running monorail on its own instead of paying the contractor.

MMRDA was incurring losses due to the way the operator, Scomi, was running it. We realised that the operator was unable to run it efficiently. So, it was time to let them go.

We discussed it, started working on it. By the end of that year, MMRDA started running it. Not a single person was retrenched from services.

The only issue now is the frequency. We imported 10 trains — two trains were cannibalised by Scomi, one train got burnt — this left us with only seven trains for operations. Out of seven trains, six trains are running — two trains started after a considerable indigenisation of parts which Scomi failed to provide. The remaining one train will also be operational soon.

Soon after Scomi’s suspension, we called for bids and two Chinese companies showed interest. However, they tried to change the terms and conditions which were not very favourable. So, we appealed to Indian manufacturers to come forward and help us. Many Indian manufacturers have come forward. At present, the tender process is still on.

In two years’ time, we will get a sufficient number of trains. This will reduce the interval between two trains to four-five minutes.

Meanwhile, work is on to connect the monorail with different metro lines. Saat-Rasta (Jacob Circle) is definitely getting connected to Metro Line 3. At Wadala, the monorail will be connected to Line 4. At Chembur, it will be connected to Line 2B. By December 2022, Metro Line 2B will be operational.