Monorail phase-2 to be completed by April 2016

After missing two deadlines, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has said, yet again, that the 10.24-km-long phase-2 of the monorail — from Wadala to Jacob Circle — would be opened to the general public from April 2016. The 8.93-km-long first phase of the project — from Wadala to Chembur — was opened to the public in February 2014. Now, MMRDA claims it will start the second phase of the multi-modal integration. The total length of both lines is 20 km from Jacob Circle-Wadala-Chembur corridor.

The cost of the project, according to MMRDA is '2,460 crore and the work on it was started around six years ago. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Scoomi from Malaysia with MMRDA are carrying the work for the monorail.

Dilip Kawathkar, deputy metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, said, “We have completed 90 per cent of the work on phase-2 of the monorail and we are confident about starting it for the use of general public by April 2016. There is some pending electrification work which is currently being carried out and we are planning to start the trail runs for the same from next month and they might take us another month or two (to complete).”

There will be 17 stations in all after the completion of the second phase. On the Wadala- Jacob Circle line, there 12 stations: Wadala Depot, GTB Nagar, Antop Hill, Acharya Atre Nagar, Wadala Bridge, Dadar east, Naigaon, Ambedkar Nagar, Mint colony, Chinchpokli and Lower Parel, from where Currey Road station is nearby, and Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (Jacob Circle).

A senior MMRDA official said, “In September this year, MMRDA, with L&T’s help, launched a 450-tonne girder bridge over the railway tracks at Currey Road. The entire operation was conducted in the nighttime with the help of Central Railways which conducted mega-blocks, diverting trains between Dadar and CST station of Central Railways.”

The commuters, after phase-2 of the monorail is completed, will have an option of taking a local train from Mahalaxmi station on the western side by getting down at the Mahalaxmi station of monorail. In the future, commuters can opt for the proposed Metro from Mahalaxmi metro station, which will run between Colaba-Bandra-Seepz. At Chembur and Wadala monorail stations, commuters have an option of opting for the Harbour line, which runs between CST and Panvel. The monorail station at Lower Parel will also give commuters an option to take a CR train from Currey Road station.

Meanwhile, the project’s deadline has been revised repeatedly. Earlier, it was scheduled to be completed by November 2010 and then May 2011.