MMRDA says that new rakes – expected to arrive this month – may not make it on time
The MMRDA had carried out a 9-km trial run from Wadala Depot to Lower Parel in September last year. File Pic
Mumbai's monorail doesn’t seem to be enjoying a smooth ride. While services on the Wadala and Jacob Circle Phase 2 corridor were slated to kick-start by April, sources said that the fleet of five monorails rakes, which were expected to arrive in February, might not make it on time.
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The trial runs were to begin by the third week of February, but the fleet will only arrive in March or April, a source said. The Phase 2 corridor has already missed 14 deadlines in the past.
According to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the transportation of the fleet has been delayed due to issues related to spare parts, and assembling and integration of the trains. "The fleet of five monorail rakes that are going to come to Mumbai will have to be integrated and assembled as per the technology. There were issues regarding spare parts and hence, there has been a delay in getting the monorails," said an MMRDA official, on condition of anonymity.
Incidentally, the MMRDA took the call after it observed problems with its existing fleet. While the MMRDA has 10 monorails for its Chembur and Wadala corridor, all of them are not in use due to technical glitches.
Bearing these issues in mind, the MMRDA had asked the company to make sure that the remaining fleet, being brought to Mumbai, comes with improvements so that the same problem does not recur.
A team of senior officials from MMRDA also visited the monorail rakes manufacturing company in Malaysia to inspect the trains.
When contacted, additional metropolitan commissioner Sanjay Khandare said that the new corridor wouldn’t miss its deadline.
"The civil construction, electrification and signalling work are almost done and we will start some important tests by the end of February. We are hopeful that the services of monorail Phase two will be thrown open to the public by April-May," he said.
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