Piyush Goyal and Devendra Fadnavis inaugurate Mumbai Monorail’s second leg

The opening of phase 2 operationalises the entire 19.5-km stretch after a delay of eight years.

Railway minister Piyush Goyal and chief minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday inaugurated phase-2 of the Monorail — extending from Wadala to Jacob Circle — operationalising the entire 19.5-km (Chembur to Jacob Circle) stretch after a delay of eight years.

Phase-2 – from Wadala to Jacob Circle – was inaugurated on Sunday at Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk station. (HT Photo)

“The Monorail will no longer be a joyride, as now the ridership will increase,” said Fadnavis, flagging off the train at Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk station in Saat Rasta. “The ridership for phase-1 was around 4.5 lakh a month. With phase-2, we expect it to go up to 30 lakh a month.”

“Mumbai will become the first city in the country to have a Monorail, Metro and suburban rail services,” said Goyal.

“We have also asked Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to connect Monorail and railway stations through subways and skywalks. The planning process will begin soon,” he added.

The first phase of the Monorail, from Chembur to Wadala, became operational in 2014 but has faced several roadblocks, including temporary closures, since then. Mumbaiites can now take the Monorail from Chembur to Jacob Circle, starting Monday. Four trains will be operated at a frequency of 22 minutes from 6am to 10pm. RA Rajeev, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, said it was a “historic day for Mumbaiites” and the Monorail would help ease traffic on roads.

Additionally, MMRDA plans to add two more rakes by the end of April, said additional metropolitan commissioner Sanjay Khandare.