60 per cent of the phase-1 of Miumbai monorail complete: MMRDA

26 Mar 2010

Faster connectivity between areas that are not linked by Mumbai's suburban trains is now turning into a reality.

In what it calls a "significant step towards providing a major fillip to the infrastructure" of Mumbai that it would benefit around 15-18 lakh residents  the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) today said that 60 per cent of the work on the monorail project has been completed on the 8.9-km stretch between Chembur and Wadala.

The Rs2,460-crore monorail project is the first of its kinds in India, and has been initiated by MMRDA. The monorail will cover the busy and congested 20-km stretch between Chembur to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk in approximately 40 minutes, which otherwise takes over an hour during peak hour traffic.

The monorail will operate from 5:00 am to midnight and will halt at 17 stations.

Ratnakar Gaikwad,  metropolitan commissioner said that phase-1 will be fully operational by December.

MMRDA hopes the monorail would induce private vehicle owners to use this public transport.