State govt gives nod to resume monorail services

Mumbai's monorail services will resume soon after a nine-month halt, following a government approval for safety improvements and fare hikes.

Mumbai: Monorail services are set to resume soon after a gap of nine months, with the Maharashtra government giving its approval to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to restart operations.

Services on the 19.54-km monorail corridor between Chembur and Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (Jacob Circle) were halted in September 2025 following a series of technical failures during last year’s monsoon, which put lives at risk. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

The Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL), a subsidiary of MMRDA, received the approval on Monday evening, according to officials familiar with the matter. “The date to restart passenger operations is yet to be decided,” an MMMOCL official said, requesting anonymity.

Services on the 19.54-km monorail corridor between Chembur and Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk (Jacob Circle) were halted in September 2025 following a series of technical failures during last year’s monsoon, which put lives at risk.

Since then, the network has undergone a major overhaul, including a fleet upgrade, modern Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling, and track repairs. After the final round of safety inspections by retired commissioner of metro railway safety PS Baghel, MMMOCL received the certification required to operate monorail services under the new CBTC system earlier this month. A proposal to start services with CBTC technology was then submitted to the Maharashtra government for approval.

MMRDA wanted to restart services in the first half of June, but the plan did not materialise, officials said. The authorities are now considering inviting political leaders for a formal relaunch ceremony. Before services were suspended, the monorail carried around 18,000 passengers daily, with ridership climbing to nearly 20,000 during the monsoon season.

MMRDA has also proposed higher ticket prices to offset the cost of procuring new trains and higher maintenance costs. Under the proposal, the new minimum fare is likely to be ₹10 for travel up to 3 km, up from ₹5. For 3-6 km, the fare proposed is ₹20, followed by ₹30 for 6-9 km, ₹40 for 9-12 km, ₹50 for 12-15 km, ₹60 for 15-18 km, and ₹70 for 18 km and above. If approved by the Maharashtra government, this would mark the second fare revision since the Mumbai Monorail’s launch in 2014.

Along with Mumbai Monorail, MMRDA is also extending Metro line 2B by one station from Diamond Garden to Chembur Naka, where it will intersect with the monorail. Current daily ridership on the operational 5.39-km Metro 2B route between Mandale and Diamond Garden in Chembur is around 4,000 passengers, the lowest among all metro corridors.