August 5, 2025: The 19.54-km monorail corridor stretching from Chembur to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (Jacob Circle) is set for a significant overhaul, following years of technical issues and inconsistent services since its commercial launch on February 2, 2014.
After terminating its agreement with the original operator—a consortium of Scomi Engineering and Larsen & Toubro—in December 2018, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has relied on short-term contracts with various private firms.
This fragmented approach has led to poor coordination. “Each time there’s a breakdown or delay, the blame game begins between the operators and the maintenance team,” said an official from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s operations arm, MMMOCL. A single-operator, long-term contract model is now being adopted to improve accountability and service quality.
Despite the recent addition of new rakes, the monorail’s performance remains lacklustre. On July 28, only one train ran the entire route—even though eight older rakes and seven new ones were available. An eighth new train is due later this month, with two more expected by November. These rakes, supplied by Hyderabad-based Medha Servo Drives, are still awaiting safety approvals for full deployment.
MMMOCL’s Rs 300 crore tender covers operations and maintenance of the entire system, including 17 stations and the Wadala depot. Crucially, joint ventures are excluded—only single-entity bidders will qualify.
The agency’s revival plan for 2024 proposes running 12 trains daily, comprising eight refurbished and ten new rakes, with others reserved for standby and maintenance. Originally, Scomi Engineering was to deliver 15 rakes, but only 10 were supplied before the partnership was terminated. Although 142 weekday services are scheduled, covering around 350 km per train, regular service shortfalls continue due to breakdowns and limited rolling stock.
Source: Hindustan Times
