Mumbai Monorail, the feeder system to the Mumbai Metro will soon have 10 new rakes at its disposal, which will prove beneficial in increasing the frequency of the trains.
With the introduction of 10 more rakes, a headway of 5 minutes can be achieved, as opposed to the current 18 minutes.
The first rake will arrive by January 2023 and the second one by January 2024.
Medha Servo Drives Pvt. Ltd has been awarded the tender by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for this work and the cost of the project is Rs 590 crores.
The new trains are equipped with various features. They are lighter and faster compared to the previous ones, thereby decreasing the load on the guideway and the piers. They are also comparatively stronger.
The rakes will also augment 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 be lower, and it will give better lifecycle and maintainability. The new bogies are made of stainless steel, similar to metro trains and will have longer durability.
FPJ had reported first about the cancellation of tendering process with the Chinese based agencies by the MMRDA. Thereafter, it floated fresh tenders calling Indian companies to participate. MMRDA had implemented Monorail between Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk to Chembur via Wadala. The length of the corridor is about 20 km 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 of transporting 1.5-2 lakh commuters daily. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by RITES in 2008 estimated ridership of 1.5 lakhs in 2031 and 3 lakhs 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.
