Mumbai: At Chembur station, where the city’s monorail meets the promise of a new metro connection, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is pinning its hopes on a long-awaited revival.
The beleaguered monorail system – once heralded as a modern public transport solution – has been running nearly empty, incurring losses of close to Rs 150 crore annually. But a lifeline may be on the horizon, in the form of Metro Line 2B. Metro Line 2B will be operational partially this year, along with underground Metro Line 3, which is scheduled for opening by August; however, the Metro Line 4 trial run is yet to begin.
The 23.6 km-long elevated Metro Line 2B, currently under trial, is expected to connect Mandale in Mankhurd with Diamond Garden in Chembur and eventually extend to DN Nagar in the western suburbs. Once operational, the line promises seamless integration with Mumbai’s extensive transport grid – linking with Metro Lines 2A, 3, and 4, as well as the suburban rail and road networks. Crucially, it will also connect with the monorail at Chembur, a potential game-changer for the struggling corridor.
Spanning 17km from Chembur to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk near Mumbai Central, the monorail currently operates 118 trips daily at 18-minute intervals. Despite the service coverage, weekday ridership hovers around a modest 16,000, dropping to just 10,000 on weekends. However, MMRDA officials believe those numbers could dramatically improve. “We are looking at the integration with Metro Line 2B as a critical move. It could finally bring in the kind of footfall the monorail was built for,” said a senior MMRDA official, requesting anonymity.
“Yes, there is some distance between the systems, but there will be functional end-to-end connectivity once Metro 2B becomes operational.” To prepare for the anticipated uptick, MMRDA has ordered 10 new rakes from Medha Servo Rail Pvt Ltd, at a cost of Rs 58.9 crore per unit. A prototype is already undergoing trials. However, there’s a catch – until ridership improves, the addition of new rakes may only inflate operational costs.
“Deploying these rakes now, without a clear increase in users, would mean higher costs without any revenue gain,” the official noted. “Each new rake delivery triggers payment milestones to the supplier, which could potentially push our losses up by another Rs30 crore annually.” This is the reason MMRDA is treading cautiously, timing the addition of new rakes with the expected commencement of Metro Line 2B.
The idea is not just to enhance frequency, from the current 18-minute interval to just 5 minutes, but to do so when it can deliver meaningful benefits. As of April 16, trial runs have been underway on the 5.4km stretch between Diamond Garden and Mandale. Once fully launched, Metro Line 2B will include 20 stations, offering connections to major highways and rail corridors.
