Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan inaugurates the country's much awaited first Monorail on Saturday at Chembur in Mumbai and will be available for the public from Sunday. All coaches are air-conditioned and there is the smart-card ticket facility alongwith the token system. Each train can carry 560 passengers.
The Monorail will operate between 7 am and 3 pm in the beginning, running every 15 minutes from Wadala to Chembur, an 8.8-km route. The timing will be extended gradually. There are seven stations and the minimum
fare is Rs 5 and the maximum Rs 11. The Monorail will have a maximum speed of 80 kmph. The average speed is set at 65 kmph.
According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) commissioner UPS Madan, the Monorail service will be extended to a 20-km corridor later, extending to Jacob Circle, by March 2015.
There will be connectivity at each Monorail station by feeder service and taxi stands.
Meanwhile, it is alleged in a section of the press that the contractor company for the Monorail, the Malaysian company Scomi, which manufactures monorail systems, buses, special purpose vehicles, rail wagons and defence vehicles, has not provided spares and therefore some of the 10 rakes are being dismantled for use as spares.The warranty clause is not being adhered to.
