Mumbai Monorail

MMRDA
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerMumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)
LocaleMumbai, Maharashtra, India
Termini
Stations18
Service
TypeStraddle-beam monorail
Depot(s)Wadala Depot
Rolling stockScomi (6)
Medha Servo (10)
Daily ridership19,000 (April 2017)[1]
Ridership13,072 (2014 weekdays)
16,699 (2014 weekends)[2]
History
Opened2 February 2014; 10 years ago (2014-02-02)
Technical
Line length19.54 km (12.14 mi)[3]
Number of tracks2
CharacterElevated
Track gaugeStraddle-beam monorail
Electrification750 V DC Third rail
Operating speed32 km/h (20 mph) (average)
80 km/h (50 mph) (top)
Route map

km
Chembur Harbour line
Chembur
Sion-Trombay Road
(VNP Marg)
VNP and RC Marg Junction
S G Barve Marg
Fertilizer Township
Bharat Petroleum
Eastern Freeway
Freight Rail (RCF)
Mysore Colony
Bhakti Park
Wadala Depot
Services Operational from (03 Mar 2019)
Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar
Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar Harbour line
Antop Hill
Acharya Atre Nagar
Wadala Bridge
Wadala Road Harbour line
Dadar (East)
Naigaon
Ambedkar Nagar
Mint Colony
Dr. Ambedkar Road/
Lalbaug Flyover
Lower Parel Western line
Lower Parel
Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk
Sources: Google Maps

The MMRDA Mumbai Monorail is a monorail line in the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, built as part of a major expansion of public transport in the city. The project is operated by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

The monorail runs from Chembur in the city's eastern suburbs to Sant Ghadge Maharaj Chowk at Mahalaxmi in south Mumbai, effectively connecting the city's harbour line, central line and western line.[4]

The monorail, as its name suggests, runs on a narrow, single track. A lightweight structure allows the trains to navigate sharp turns in congested urban areas.[5] The Mumbai monorail is the first in India since the Kundala Valley Railways and the Patiala State Monorail Trainways were closed in the 1920s.

The system began commercial operation in 2014, but has achieved only 10% of the estimated ridership. Over budget, with an "unnecessary" route poorly connected to other modes of transport and suffering from poor maintenance, the system has widely been described as a "failure".[6]

  1. ^ "Mumbai monorail: MMRDA to give contract to new operator, decides to cancel contract of Scomi Engineering".
  2. ^ "A look at the Mumbai Monorail as it completes a year". 2 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Water transport slips out of MMRDA's hands". Mumbai Mirror. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Mumbai monorail to run in two years". The Times of India. 27 September 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
  5. ^ Monorail: Mumbai's new travel option. Archived 24 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine Traffic Infra Tech Magazine. 10 September 2010.
  6. ^ "Failure of Mumbai's Monorail Holds Lessons for Urban Planners Everywhere".