14 August,2014 08:13 PM IST | | A Correspondent
The MMRDA will extend the services of the Wadala-Chembur monorail line till 10:00 pm from the present 8:00 pm with effect from Friday to recover the losses it has been facing since its inauguration
In order to recover the loss that the Wadala-Chembur monorail line has been facing after its inauguration, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to extend the Mumbai Monorail train services time till 10:00pm from the present 8:00pm with effect from Friday.
Also read: Operating hours extended, yet Mumbai Monorail fails to get passengers
The Monorail will continue to begin its operations from 6:00am as before and the frequency of train services will remain at 15 minutes' interval.
The Monorail commuters will also now be required to pay a deposit of Rs.50/- instead of Rs.100 for all new purchases of Smart Cards. The recharge value remains the same - minimum at Rs.50 and maximum at Rs.1, 000.
"The operation hours of ticketing counters at all stations will be from 5:50hours (5:50am) till 22:00 hours (10:00pm). All stations will be closed to passengers at 22:00 hours (10:00pm).All other operations of the Mumbai Monorail train services will remain as current." An MMRDA official said.
It should be noted that mid day had also done a story (Mumbai Monorail is running a loss of Rs 1.5 crore every month) in which it was stated that MRDA data show that rail's daily cost of operation is exceeding its earnings via ticket sales; a major sum goes in paying salaries of MSSC security guards manning stations.
In the month of June, mid day had also done a story (Operating hours extended, yet Mumbai Monorail fails to get passengers.) in which it was stated that while the MMRDA had expected the Monorail to ferry at least 18,000 passengers a day, the recently inaugurated public transport is only getting around 15,000.
