Mumbaikars can expect services of the Mumbai Monorail to improve soon as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is planning to press two rakes, which are under repairs, into service by the end of this month.
“With the two extra rakes, we may be able to increase the services, but our focus is on improving the existing services. At present, the punctuality is a little over 90%; it needs to be 100%,” an MMRDA official said. The official said with seven rakes, they will be able to improve their maintenance schedule, which would lead to fewer glitches.
The MMRDA has 10 monorail rakes, of which one was damaged in a fire in November 2017. After seven are made operational, two will continue to require critical spares. Sources said the authority is still taking a call on whether to make the two operational.
“The two are as good as a shell because their parts were used in other rakes to ensure operations were not affected during the time when we had an issue with spare parts,” an MMRDA official said. The lack of spare parts plagued Monorail operations for months and the first lot arrived in April.
The MMRDA is also procuring 10 new rakes for which it has already floated tenders. “The rakes will take over a year after the tender is finalised. The first one takes the longest to build and test. Once the first one is given the green light, the rest will follow soon after,” an MMRDA official said. Sources said companies like Hitachi, Bombardier, CRRC and BYD had expressed interest before the tender was floated.
The MMRDA is also looking at improving the seating facilities at stations, and constructing toilets. MMRDA officials said these should have been done by the contractor. In December 2018, the MMRDA terminated its contract with LTSE, a joint-venture of Larsen and Toubro and Scomi Engineering, owing to contractual failures. Scomi was also barred from bidding for the supply on the new rakes, an official confirmed.