Monorail line test runs from November

Even as the Chembur-Wadala monorail will not be ready for public by January as promised by the development authority, its 8.3-km line is scheduled to start test runs by November. The line has been under construction for four years now. Rahul Asthana, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA said, work on the stations is lagging behind schedule but the corridor is about to complete.

An engineer working on the project said work on the viaduct is 95 per cent complete. "We have switched off the power supply and will re-start it from November 11. The test runs are most likely to start around Diwali," he said.

"The issues related to getting land for the link-ways of stations have now been sorted. We expect to complete the construction by December 15. Work at VN Purav Marg and Mysore Colony stations are lagging behind," he added.

The seven stations of the corridor are Wadala, Bhakti Park, Mysore Colony, VN Purav Marg, Fertilizer Colony, RC Marg and Chembur. The safety test and certification will take another three months after the completion of construction work. So effectively, the monorail is not likely to be commissioned before March next year, the engineer said.

The MMRDA had planned handing over the project to Singapore's SMRT for a safely audit, by November and open the line for the public in December.

The Chembur-Wadala monorail will be the first monorail corridor in the country. The line is the first phase of the 20-km Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle monorail corridor. The second phase, from Wadala to Jacob Circle, is likely to be commissioned one year after the first phase opens up to the public. The original deadline for the full 20-km corridor, costing Rs 2,460 crore excluding taxes, was April 2011.

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