Monorail sees surge in riders on Diwali, Bhai Dooj

Diwali and Bhai Dooj brought some good cheer for the Mumbai Monorail which saw an increase in ridership and revenue on Tuesday. According to data released by the

Diwali and Bhai Dooj brought some good cheer for the Mumbai Monorail which saw an increase in ridership and revenue on Tuesday. According to data released by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), 11,639 Mumbaiites travelled via the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle corridor on Tuesday, generating revenue of ₹2.42 lakh. Compared to this, 7,612 Mumbaiites travelled via the Monorail on October 26, a regular working day, generating ₹1.3 lakh in revenue.

HT Image

“I congratulate Team Monorail for performing relentlessly even when there are less coaches and longer headway times. I am sure after procurement of new coaches, the same team will do wonders,” said A Rajeev, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA.

The numbers are still short of the expected ridership of 1 lakh per day. Transport experts, however, said these figures prove that the Monorail continues to be a joyride, especially during festivals. “If the ridership increased during a normal working day, then it is a reason to cheer. The fact that it increased during Diwali, shows that people are using it for joyrides,” said AV Shenoy, transport expert, Mumbai Mobility Forum. He said unless more rakes are added, the services will not improve. “Nobody wants to wait for 40 minutes for a train,” Shenoy said.