Suspension of monorail forces commuters to opt for alternate transport

Hindustan Times spoke to five monorail passengers to understand how the suspension would affect them and the alternate travel plans they had lined up

Mumbai: Starting Saturday, monorail services on the 19.54-km route from Chembur to Saat Rasta will remain suspended for at least two months to upgrade the system and ensure long-term reliability, following a string of disruptions over the last month due to technical snags.

On September 15, a monorail train stalled on a curve between two stations amid heavy rain, necessitating the rescue of 17 passengers (Raju Shinde/ HT Photo)

At least seven cases of disruption occurred over the past month alone. The most severe was on August 19, when heavy rains paralysed Mumbai and two monorail trains stalled at Mysore Colony and Antop Hill, necessitating the rescue of 1,148 passengers. On September 15, a monorail train stalled on a curve between two stations amid heavy rain, necessitating the rescue of 17 passengers.

Officials from Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL), an arm of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) that operates the monorail and metro rail, said suspension of monorail operations was essential to induct new rakes, deploy an advanced signalling system, and refurbish the existing fleet. Once upgraded, services are expected to become more frequent, at every 8-10 minutes compared to the current 20-25 minutes, the officials added.

Hindustan Times spoke to five monorail passengers to understand how the suspension would affect them and the alternate travel plans they had lined up, especially in light of closure of the Elphinstone Road bridge.

‘I may opt for local trains’: Manas Satpati

Manas Satpati, 42, had been driving from his home in Chembur to his office in Lower Parel for nearly two years before he changed his job recently and switched to commuting via monorail. He also opted for the monorail in anticipation of traffic snarls at Currey Road owing to closure of the Elphinstone Road bridge.

Now, with monorail services suspended, he has two options – travelling by taxi or heading to Vidyavihar railway station and changing trains at Kurla to reach Currey Road.

“Since travelling by taxi is expensive and the traffic situation is unlikely to improve, I may opt for suburban locals,” he said.

‘I’ll have to take my bike’: Mritunjay Kumar

Antop Hill resident Mritunjay Kumar, 46, is deeply disappointed by the suspension of monorail services. The monorail was a boon for people residing in Wadala and Antop Hill areas, he said, even though monorail services would be cancelled during evening peak hours, leading to crowding in subsequent trains.

“I used to travel daily via monorail between Mint Colony and Antop Hill. But now, I will have to take the bike even if it rains and the road conditions aren’t any good,” he said.

‘Share taxi is my only option’: Arnav Deshmukh

Eighteen-year-old Arnav Deshmukh, a resident of GTB Nagar, used to travel via monorail to Acharya Atre Nagar on a daily basis. But now, he is unsure which transport alternative would be better, bus or sharing taxi.

“As frequency of the BEST bus service is unreliable, my only option is to take a share taxi from Raoli Camp area, which will be 50% more expensive than the ₹10 monorail fare,” he said, hoping services would be resumed soon and he would again have a cheap and comfortable commuting experience.

‘Not sure how I’ll reach work’: Rahil Shaikh

28-year-old Rahil Shaikh, who works in the construction industry, commutes daily from Bandra to Wadala Truck Terminus, where his workplace is located. Since the truck terminus is not well connected via public transport, he would hop on to the monorail to travel to Wadala Bridge, then switch over to a suburban local on the harbour line.

Shaikh learnt about the suspension of monorail services from Saturday onwards only on Friday. “I am not sure how I will reach my workplace now,” he said.

‘My commute will be much longer’: Pooja Bhilari

28-year-old Pooja Bhilari had been travelling via monorail from her home in Parel to Wadala RTO for nearly two years. Unaware of the suspension of monorail services from Saturday, she said she would now have to spend a longer time on the commute, no matter whichever mode of transport she opts for.

“There are two BEST buses from Parel, but they go up to Pratiksha Nagar Depot, which is approximately a kilometre away from my workplace. Frequency of these buses are also erratic,” said Bhilari.