Mumbai, Feb 20 (IANS) The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will soon restart Monorail services in both directions between Chembur and Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk as it secured mandatory safety certification.
The services were suspended from September 20 last year for system upgradation and future-ready operations.
This planned block aimed to allow faster integration of new Rolling Stock, advanced Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling upgrades, and refurbishment of the existing fleet – ensuring safer, smoother, and more reliable operations for Mumbaikars.
The MMRDA in its post on X released on Friday said, “Mumbai, the wait is almost over. A brand-new, safer, smarter, and smoother Monorail will soon be at your service.We’re proud to share that the Monorail has secured the mandatory safety certification for its new rolling stock and the CBTC-based signalling system from the Independent Safety Assessor, Bureau Veritas, a global leader in testing, inspection, and certification. This is a massive milestone and brings us one step closer to opening the upgraded Monorail for public use.”
MMRDA further said that the next step will be the appointment of a retired Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety official to carry out a comprehensive inspection of the entire 19.54 km Monorail corridor and to grant the final statutory clearance to resume passenger operations.
It added that this process is also expected to be completed soon, after which the new, improved Monorail will be back in action for Mumbai.
The MMRDA pointed out that the ISA certification was granted after the successful completion of several critical milestones, including detailed inspection of the new rolling stock at the manufacturing facility, rigorous testing across sections of the Monorail corridor over two months to assess operational readiness, extensive static and dynamic testing to ensure full compliance with design specifications and the highest safety standards, completion of oscillation trials and installation and interface-level testing of the advanced CBTC-based signalling system.
It added that the new ‘Made In India’ Monorail rakes come with 21 modern upgrades, including CCTV cameras inside every train, Divyang-friendly seats, mobile and laptop charging points, dynamic route maps, improved suspension for smoother rides, fire-safety compliant design, modern metro-style interiors, and real-time monitoring and surveillance systems.
“We remain committed to delivering a safer, smarter, and more reliable Monorail service to Mumbaikars very soon,” said MMRDA.
–IANS
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