Mumbai: MMRDA To Receive 10 Monorail Rakes, To Increase Frequency To 10 Minutes

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is all set to procure 10 more rakes for its monorail project on a 20 km stretch between Chembur and Jacob Circle. 

Hyderabad based, Medha Servo Drives Ltd, will deliver the first of 10 monorail rakes in February 2023.

The new rakes will increase the frequency of the Mumbai Monorail from 20-25 minutes to 10 minutes.

"We have decided to appoint an independent agency to ensure that the rakes are world class," a senior official said. Trials will be conducted after the arrival of the first rake, and after that, three rakes will arrive once every three months.

According to MMRDA, the new rakes would be more spacious and have improved safety measures.

Currently, seven rakes are operating the monorail, of which two are kept on standby. 

The MMRDA had previously stated that an Indian firm would provide 10 rakes with four cars each for this corridor.

Before supplying the rakes to MMRDA, Medha Servo Drives Ltd will need to design them. The new rakes will have cutting-edge technology, increased strength, and excellent fire resistance.

MMRDA stated that thanks to the Make in India programme, the maintenance cost will be lower than that for previous trains. 

The current weight of each coach is 13.5 tonnes. The new rakes will be a few tonnes lighter, reducing the load on the guideway and piers.

According to an official, spare maintenance components will be readily available. Also, stainless steel will be used for the new bogies, just like the metro.

According to an Economic Times report, the new coaches would have at least 10 per cent higher capacity than the current vehicles, which can roughly carry 568 passengers per train.

In 2007, the MMRDA decided to launch the 20 km-long monorail track Chembur-Wadala-Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk as a feeder service to other transit systems to accommodate crowded and congested locations. 

Mumbai Monorail Project

Monorail has a daily capacity of 1.5 to 2 lakh commuters and can handle 7,500 commuters per hour in each direction.

The monorail would connect several areas of the city that are not served by the suburban rail system or the Metro rail.

Apart from that, Wadala, Curry Road, and Chembur will serve as monorail's connections to the suburban rail network.

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