Phase-2 awaits rakes from Malaysia to get rolling

The trial runs for the 10.24-km-long phase-2 of the monorail from Wadala to Jacob Circle will begin in April after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) receives five additional monorail rakes (rolling stock). These are expected to reach the city from Malaysia by the month of March.

Currently, there are 10 rolling stock operational for the phase-1 and five more are to be added for phase-2. However, the first rolling stock arrived in India from Malaysia back in 2010. Each rolling stock consists of four cars with carrying capacity of 564 seats. The total length of the four-car rolling stock is 54.4 metres.

“We have completed 90 per cent of the civil work and the trial runs for the phase-2 will begin from April after we receive the five additional monorail rakes in March. The trial runs are expected to go on for two months and later in July we expect to apply for a safety certificate from the railways, which will take another two months to complete. Once we have safety clearances in hand, there is no need to stop. We are sure about opening phase-2 by September 2016,” said Sanjay Khandare, additional metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA.

“There are stretches at NM Joshi Marg which are yet to be connected and we are in the process of completing all the remaining electrical and civil work,” said an MMRDA official.

Meanwhile, at the construction site it was observed that there were no contractors at various stretches of the phase-2 site and also that of NM Joshi Marg. However, it was also observed that internal work was being carried out at monorail stations Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (Jacob Circle), Currey Road and Mint colony.

“We have been assigned to complete the interior work inside the monorail stations. The interior works are not related to the work on bridges,” said a labourer at the construction site of Mint Colony monorail station, who did not wish to be named.

The project was to be implemented in phases and actually was supposed to be completed in 30 months from the date of execution in November 2008. The project was awarded to a consortium of Larsen and Toubro and Scomi Engineering of Malaysia on Design, Built, Operate and Maintain model at a total cost of '2,716 crore.

The 8.93-km-long first phase of the project from Wadala to Chembur was opened to the public in February 2014. In September this year, the MMRDA, with L&T’s help, launched a 450-tonne girder bridge over the railway tracks at Currey Road. The entire operation was conducted at 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 the 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 the 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 the Currey Road station.

Major projects in 2016 MTHL Work on the 22-km-long Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) connecting Sewri with Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai, is expected to take off in October 2016. MTHL is a 22-km-long cable stayed bridge and it will be the second longest sealink in the world after the 42-km link between Qingdao to Huandao in China.

Metro booster Work on Andheri-East to Dahisar-East Metro-7 corridor and DN Nagar to Dahisar Metro-2 corridor is expected to start in 2016. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will act as an interim consultant for Metro-7 and it is the executing agency for Metro-7.

Navi mumbai airport The pre-development work on the most awaited Navi Mumbai Airport project will start by February 2016. The project recently got an in-principle approval for tendering from the Union aviation ministry. The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 15,000 crore and the project is to be completed by 2019.

Bullet train India and Japan in the second week of December signed an agreement on India’s first elevated bullet train network, which will come up between Mumbai and Ahmedabad at a cost of Rs 98,000 crore. The maximum speed of the train is expected to be 320 kmph and is expected to reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad from eight hours to two. The construction is expected to begin in 2017 and the completion is slated for 2023.

Coastal road

The Centre cleared the final notification for the Coastal Road project in the city. The 33.2 km project coastal road will start from Nariman Point and will end at Kandivali in the western suburbs. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is very keen on the project and the total cost of the project is expected to be Rs12,000 crore and will be initiated by the BMC.