MUMBAI: India's first monorail will be opened to the public in the next six months in Mumbai.
Built at a cost of half a billion US dollars, it will be the world's second longest monorail which aims to improve the city's rapid transport systems.
India is undergoing an infrastructure building boom.
The government recently approved a budget of one trillion US dollars on infrastructure development over the next five years.
After the successful launch of Metro trains in India, Mumbai is all set to be the country's first city to have a monorail.
An official test run of the monorail was recently conducted and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is hopeful the service will be operational by August.
Rahul Asthana, Chief of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, said: ''Although the commissioning of the Mumbai monorail project has been delayed, we are confident that the Mumbai monorail will get commissioned by the end of August for commercial operations.''
The first phase of the monorail is 8.8 kilometres long and during the test run, it took just over 15 minutes to cover that distance.
The monorail is expected to complement the local railway services and offer faster connectivity, which is good news for residents.
Surendra Vishwakarma, a resident, said: ''For the common Mumbaikars... you see too much crowd in local (trains) and every suburb in Mumbai. But this Mumbai monorail would be very effective, compared to safety (standards) and all... comparing the prices also. It'll be very effective for common men."
The coaches of the monorail are sleek and have an ultra modern design.
Each train will have four coaches with a total carrying capacity of 560 passengers.
MMRDA officials said that special provisions have been made so that women can travel safely and comfortably.
The Mumbai monorail has been commissioned under the Indian Tramways Act.
It will cost around 1.5 times the amount it takes to travel by a local bus.
Most stations will have staircases instead of escalators, which could prove to be a problem for senior citizens and children.
It remains to be seen whether more monorail projects will be commissioned in the future. That will depend on the success of this one.
- CNA/de
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India's first monorail in Mumbai to open by August
