Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Sunday flagged off the much-delayed 11.28 kilometre second phase of the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle monorail network.
With this, the entire 19.54 kilometre route of the country's first monorail system, being implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), is now functional.
The 8.26 kilometre first phase, built and operated by a consortium of Larsen & Toubro and Malaysian firm Scomi Engineering, was commissioned in February 2014.
Speaking at the event, Mr Fadnavis said the country's first ever monorail had faced many hurdles and delays in the past but was now finally seeing the light of day.
And that’s the #MonoRail which began it’s journey today to serve millions of Mumbaikars and bring ease in their day to day life...#FirEkBarModiSarkar pic.twitter.com/C6E9fIIUzl
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) March 3, 2019
"The first 8 km route which got commissioned in 2014 was used as a mere joyride because there was no last mile connectivity. But now, with the commissioning of the second phase, it will no longer remain a joyride but passengers can now use it for a hassle-free commute," he said.
The Chief Minister said the monorail's annual ridership will now increase from the current 4.5 lakh to 30 lakh.
"In the process of urbanisation, the most important element that needs to be addressed is mobility. It is necessary to develop an efficient and sustainable public transport system. In Mumbai we have a strong suburban railway system, and with the projects like monorail and metro network, we will be able to develop sustainable mobility," he said.
Yet another gift to Mumbaikars!
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) March 3, 2019
Dedicated to Mumbaikars the phase 2 of Monorail, Wadala to Sant Gadge Maharaj sq. with Hon @PiyushGoyal ji ! pic.twitter.com/8Xdblo1ZKT
The chief minister further said there was a need to integrate transport systems including railways, monorail, metro, BEST and the proposed waterways.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Sunday flagged off the much-delayed 11.28 kilometre second phase of the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle monorail network.
With this, the entire 19.54 kilometre route of the country's first monorail system, being implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), is now functional.
The 8.26 kilometre first phase, built and operated by a consortium of Larsen & Toubro and Malaysian firm Scomi Engineering, was commissioned in February 2014.
Speaking at the event, Mr Fadnavis said the country's first ever monorail had faced many hurdles and delays in the past but was now finally seeing the light of day.
And some beautiful clicks of #MonoRail in #Mumbai , the new member in ‘Mumbai’s lifeline league’ ! pic.twitter.com/38dcdoOMoq
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) March 3, 2019
"The first 8 km route which got commissioned in 2014 was used as a mere joyride because there was no last mile connectivity. But now, with the commissioning of the second phase, it will no longer remain a joyride but passengers can now use it for a hassle-free commute," he said.
The Chief Minister said the monorail's annual ridership will now increase from the current 4.5 lakh to 30 lakh.
"In the process of urbanisation, the most important element that needs to be addressed is mobility. It is necessary to develop an efficient and sustainable public transport system. In Mumbai we have a strong suburban railway system, and with the projects like monorail and metro network, we will be able to develop sustainable mobility," he said.
The chief minister further said there was a need to integrate transport systems including railways, monorail, metro, BEST and the proposed waterways.
Further, a fire in an empty monorail coach in November, 2017 had led to the network being shut till August last year.
Since taking over the monorail's operations, MMRDA has said it has reduced daily losses from Rs. 1.8 crore to Rs. 1 crore.
It plans to operate 120 services with a fleet of seven 4-coach trains between 6 am and 10 pm daily.
The fare for the entire 17-station route, which has been built at a cost of Rs. 3000 crore, has been fixed at Rs. 10, Rs. 20, Rs. 30 and Rs. 40.