31 January,2014 07:44 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
CM Prithviraj Chavan to inaugurate Monorail on Saturday; services to open for public from Sunday between 7 am and 3 pm for a month, and will be extended later
After a series of hiccups and delays, the country's first Monorail service is all set to open for public use from Sunday. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will be inaugurating the first phase Wadala-Chembur tomorrow at 3.30 pm.
MMRDA Commissioner UPS Madan said, "Initially, the Monorail will remain operational between 7 am and 3 pm. This schedule will continue for a month, following which number of services will be increased and divided into shifts. For starters, there will be a Monorail every 15 minutes. When the timings of the operation are increased later, the frequency of trains will be every nine minutes."
High-tech
The MMRDA has pulled out all the stops to ensure that the Monorail is at its innovative best. They are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and various features like the advanced passenger driver communication, CCTV cameras, etc. The entire project is comparatively eco-friendly, because none of the trains run on any kind of fossil fuel. On the operational front, trains will use regenerative braking system that will enable them to consume 25 per cent less electricity.
Starting Sunday, commuters can travel using Monorail between Wadala and Chembur; mediapersons, along with Monorail authorities, were taken for a ride yesterday, two days prior to its inauguration. Pics/Shadab Khan
Moreover, the 6.5-hectare Wadala car depot provides parking facility for 21 trains with an operation control centre, a training centre, a power station, a receiving traction substation and a full-fledged administrative facility. The authorities will be able to monitor the Monorail's speed, signals, brakes, communication and safety from the control centre.
The downside
Unlike local trains, where a commuter is allowed to commence the journey within an hour's time of purchasing a ticket, it is mandatory for a passenger to start the journey within 20 minutes of purchasing a ticket for the Monorail. Any delay will cost commuters an additional Rs 10 per hour. This information is displayed on signboards installed at Monorail stations.
They read: "Permission limit for staying inside the stations after entry is 20 minutes for same station and 120 minutes for other stations. Overstaying beyond above limits will be charged at the rates of Rs 10 per hour, subject to maximum of Rs 100." Also, even though the Monorail is a multi-crore project, its platforms lack seating arrangement for commuters.
