Mumbaikars recently experienced India’s first mono rail ride. In the first phase, commercial operation started from Wadala to Chembur, which is 8.80 km long. The construction work for the second phase is in full swing and expected to complete by next year.
Mono rail, one of the dream projects of the Government of Maharashtra, flagged off its commercial operation in Mumbai on 01 February, 2014. In the first phase, the mono rail travelled from Wadala to Chembur, an 8.80 km stretch. India’s first mono rail is set to earn yet another moniker. The 19.54 km Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle mono rail corridor will be world’s second longest mono rail corridor – the longest being Japan’s Osaka mono rail corridor which is 23.8 km. While there are 19 stations on the Osaka mono rail corridor, the Mumbai mono rail corridor will boast of 17 stations.
According to MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority), India’s first mono rail tested on the entire 8.80 km stretch from Wadala to Chembur for the last few months was very successfully. The metro and mono rails will share the burden of suburban rails and help provide more comfortable journey within the city. The East-West connectivity offered by the metro rail and the availability of a mono rail in areas that are not connected with the rail based transport will surely be welcomed by the city.
Commenting on the necessity of mono rail project, Dilip Kawathkar, Joint Project Director (PR), MMRDA, says, “The mono rail network will be a feeder service to the mass transit systems such as suburban railways and metro network. The mono rail will service areas that are not connected by metro rail or the suburban railways. The mono rail corridors will cater to areas that are narrow and offer little scope to widen the roads. It can take sharp turns and climb steep ramps.”
Naturally, MMRDA is happy to showcase the progress achieved so far. The construction of the switch-deck at Chembur, in particular, was an accomplishment in itself as the area is too congested coupled with bustling traffic and pedestrian activity. The construction on RC Marg was yet another challenge. But, the support from the local residents, local representatives and cooperation from the MCGM and traffic police made the task easy.
The tests on the first phase held regularly, has secured a Safety Certificate which was necessary to commission the mono rail for Mumbaikars.
In their endeavour to make the project absolutely flawless, the MMRDA has already appointed Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Authority as consultants. Besides this, a proposal by the State Government to appoint a Safety Certification Engineer for issuing the Safety Certificate – as required by the Tramway Act – was also put in place. The procedure that began in June and the certification is expected soon. The Safety Certification, per se, is necessary for the commissioning of Monorail.
Implementation
The mono rail project is being implemented in two phases – Chembur to Wadala and Wadala to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk. The seven stations on the 8.80-km long Phase-I are – Chembur, V.N.Purav/RC Marg Junction, Fertilizer Township, Bharat Petroleum, Mysore Colony, Bhakti Park and Wadala Depot. The construction of all the stations has already been completed. And the work on the 6.5 hectare Wadala car depot is in progress on a war footing measure. It will provide parking facility for 21 trains with Operation Control Centre (OCC), a training center and a power station, a receiving traction substation and a full-fledged administrative facility.
According to MMRDA, as far as OCC is concerned, it could easily be mistaken for a space center because the centre is equipped with all the colourful gadgets sparkling in that huge room. This is the centre from where mono rail’s speed, signals, brakes, communication, safety etc., will be controlled. However, everything is not smooth for monorail. The delay in implementing the project has already escalated the cost. The Mumbai mono rail was constructed and put into operations at a cost of approximately `3,000 crore.
Admits Kawathkar, “Yes, the delays can cause cost escalation.” However, the fact remains that any and every organisation that is implementing infrastructure projects will face a few unforeseen hurdles; what with no map for the underground utilities available especially in the suburbs of the city. Shifting or relaying underground utilities, resettlement and rehabilitation of the project affected families, acquisition of private lands; number of festivities when large gatherings stop work, city’s traffic and consequential restriction on man-hours are hurdles enough to delay projects. No doubt, monsoon also adds to their woes. Frankly, none of the factor is avoidable.
“But, it is also true that the MMRDA has, in fact, anticipated few issues in good time to answer them efficiently. Mind you, the projects that the authority has been implementing are all huge in nature and cannot be hastened. All these are public interest projects and involve critical bread and butter of the city-folks,” points out Kawathkar.
Safety aspects
In order to provide safety to the commuters the MMRDA has installed sophisticated technology, for example it has installed advanced passenger driver communication, CCTV cameras etc. It is also important to mention here that both metro and mono projects are green projects as none uses any fossil fuel.
On the operational front, metro and mono rails will use regenerative braking system which will enable to save power consumption around 25%. “Passenger safety will be the top priority for MMRDA be it the metro or mono rail,” informs Kawathkar.
MMRDA has been conducting trials on the corridor very successfully on both – metro and mono rails. The Authority has also conducted mock-drills on the mono rail corridor at various spots such as Wadala, Mysore Colony etc.
“These mock-drills were conducted with the help of local police, fire brigade and the mono rail officials. Evacuating passengers from a parked mono on the beams, evacuating passengers from one train to another are few of the mock-drills that have been conducted so far,” states Kawathkar.
For instance, a successful mock safety drill was conducted at Anik Wadala Road for safe evacuation of passengers from a monorail parked on the guide-way beam to ground level by the Fire Brigade with assistance from Antop Hill Fire Station, Wadala Truck Terminal Police Station and the Matunga Traffic Division, who actively participated in the mock drill’s rescue operations. The mock drill involved a stationary train with “passengers” on board, an emergency call to the Fire Department, the response time of the Fire Department and the use of a snorkel unit to rescue the “passengers” from the train. The 2-hour long drill involved only the relevant authorities and operations personnel.
Besides this, there are CCTVs, communications systems and security that will take good care of the passengers once the mono rail is commissioned,” he adds.
Will ease commuting traffic?
Many believe that mono rail can’t ease commuting traffic significantly. Dispelling the doubt, Kawathkar, categorically states that monorail will help ease commuting in select areas in Mumbai. “The monorail will certainly ease commuting from Chembur to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk.” The entire stretch is 20-km long and dubbed as mono corridor.
As far as easing the commute on the corridor is concerned, today it takes about 45-50 minutes to cross this stretch. “The travel time will be reduced to a mere 20 minutes once the mono rail is commissioned,” he points out.
Besides reducing the travel time, the introduction of mono rail will also reduce pollution level and save fuel. With the comfortable and air-conditioned travel easily available at hand, the motorists will also be discouraged from using private vehicles reducing parking problems.
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