Monorail may miss December 2012 deadline

Mumbaikars have to wait longer to take a Monorail ride in the city. Officials of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is implementing the project, said it was likely that the operationalisation of the 8.26km-long first phase of the Monorail from Wadala to Chembur may now happen between December 2012 and  April 2013.

“We had estimated that the civil work systems will be ready by September end. If we consider issues (which crop up) related to civil works… this date may go forward as there is a likelihood that the work may stretch on from September to a maximum of December,” said the official, adding that in such a scenario, the actual commissioning would also be pushed forward.

“However, it is tough to predict any time limit or deadline due to the complexities involved in the project and the high degree of accuracy needed,” the official said, adding that the first phase would be commissioned in December only if the civil work was completed by September.

The official added that the testing and safety audit would be completed only after these works were over. The official added that the alignment on the around 4.5 kilometre long stretch from Wadala to Mysore Colony was complete and the electric systems were being tested. The official said that the testing of other systems like communication and signal systems had to be done on the full track.

The platform and roof level work had been done at three stations. The first phase will have seven stations—Chembur, VN Purav Marg, Fertiliser Colony, Bharat Petroleum, Mysore Colony, Bhakti Park and Wadala Depot.