Mumbai Monorail: MMRDA Conduct Trials For New Rakes; Services To Commence Before Monsoon

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has started trials for new monorail rake that was delivered last month.

The trials, which began last week, test the monorail's performance under various conditions.

The primary objectives are to identify and resolve any issues, ensure compliance with safety standards, and optimise its functionality.

Currently, the testing of the brake system of the new mono train is going on at the night. Based on the trial results, production for more rakes will commence.

According to a senior MMRDA official, the trial process of the new mono rakes will be completed in the by next week.

Each 4-car train costs around INR 59 crore. Currently, seven rakes are operating the monorail, of which two are kept on standby.

These new monorails will be available to the commuters before the arrival of monsoon. Under the Make in India campaign, the country's first mono rail has been constructed in Hyderabad.

Once the trials are approved by safety authorities, including the Commissioner of Railway Safety, the new trains will be deployed for passenger service.

Relief during peak hours

The introduction of 10 new monorail trains could significantly increase service frequency, potentially exceeding 250 trips per day, depending on the train operation plan (TOP).

They also have a 10% higher passenger capacity, accommodating around 625 passengers per train compared to the current 568.

Currently, monorail service is available every 15 minutes. After joining the new rake service, the mono rail service will be available in about 10-12 minutes.

Monorail runs between Chembur to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (Sat Marg). About 142 ferries ply daily on the 20 km route. About 16 thousand passengers travel by mono every day.

At the beginning of the mono rail project, all the trains were imported from abroad. After some time, the foreign company stopped the maintenance work of the mono rakes and the supply of new trains. As a result, not a single new train has joined Mono's fleet in the last 10 years.