Monorail set to miss its 15th deadline

Despite all assurances, Mumbai Monorail continues to remain a bagful of woes. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has yet again failed to meet deadlines.

Last year, authorities had said that the second phase between Wadala Depot to Jacob Circle will be commissioned in May 2017. With just three days of April left, the balance five monorail trains are no where in sight. The safety trials too for the second phase have not yet taken off. The new deadline is now October, which is the 16th deadline for the second phase.

"Safety trials on the entire corridor will commence only in July," said a source. At the moment, series of initial level tests are being conducted. Of the 14 monorail trains, five are yet to arrive in Mumbai. Senior MMRDA officials are tight-lipped on the delivery of these remaining five trains. The another major problem that needs to be tackled is making the existing fleet of 10 monorail trains fit for passenger operations. The second phase stretches just over 10 km. The 18 stations, combine both the phases of the entire 19.17 km long monorail route.