Mumbaikars will finally be able to commute in comfort and at high speed by monorail by this year-end. The project was delayed by more than a year.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will inaugurate the first line, which will connect Chembur in the eastern suburbs to Wadala in Central Mumbai with a 8.26-km elevated track, said Mr Rahul Asthana, Commissioner of MMRDA, on Friday.

Mr Asthana said construction work on the elevated lines, stations and monorail depot, would be completed by October and safety audit would be carried out by the consultants thereafter. By end of December, the line would be open for public, he said. “In one train having four compartments, 562 passengers would be able to travel in comfort and cover the distance in less than 15 minutes. Today, it takes about 40 minutes to travel the same distance by car. The peak passenger load is expected to be about 15,000 passengers,” he said.

Mr Asthana said the work on the second line (11.28 km) is also in progress and it is expected to be completed by December 2013. This line will connect Jacob Circle in South Mumbai to Wadala. On the issue of project delay of more than 12 months affecting both lines, Mr Asthana said the lines pass through very congested areas of the city. Therefore, getting the right of way consumed a lot of time.

In some areas, the monorail line passes over the suburban Railway line, therefore the rail administration had sought new safety features which had to be complied with.

In congested areas, construction work had to done sequentially and not simultaneously, which took more time to complete, he said. Mr Asthana said depending on the commuting distance, the fare would be between Rs 7-20. It would be revised every four years, he said. rahulw@thehindu.co.in

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