AFTER GIVING more than 20 deadlines a skip, work on Mumbai Monorail Phase II is expected to start by February. The phase II of the project will connect Wadala to Jacob Circle. The monorail services will connect the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle corridor. Advertising A Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) official, without wishing to be named, told The Indian Express that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to inaugurate the monorail phase II on February 27 or 28. “There are two tentative dates as the code of conduct for the 2019 (general) election is expected to be implemented from March 4 and no projects can be inaugurated thereafter,” the official said. In February 2014, India’s first monorail service was launched between Wadala and Chembur. However, in its first phase, the monorail failed to attract a large number of commuters and the project ran into losses for years — daily losses were pegged at Rs 6.40 lakh. A senior MMRDA officer told The Indian Express that refitting work for four non-functional rakes in phase II was almost complete. “We are also planning to purchase 10 new rakes so that the monorail corridor will have at least 18 monorail rakes,” the officer added. The trial runs for phase II of the project have already begun. “Since only three rakes are running on phase 1 and the remaining rakes are in a car shed, lying unused for want of repair, at night, these three trains are used for trial runs,” the officer said. Advertising For the monorail corridor connecting Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle line, the MMRDA will purchase five new trains. A tender will soon be floated for the same, the officer added.

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