Monorail first route in 2 years, skywalks at 20 railway stations

So, while global tenders will be invited soon for a consultant to design the monorail project—the first route, to be executed expeditiously, will now run from Malabar Hill to Sion through Dharavi and then to Bandra-Kurla Complex—the MMRDA will also construct nearly 100 km of skywalks at various locations in the city. The first skywalk will ease pedestrian traffic at Bandra.

Apart from the Rs 300-crore proposal for the monorail’s first route and the Rs 600-crore skywalk plan, Deshmukh also okayed the MMRDA’s proposal to make grants totalling Rs 200 crore for construction of public toilets in slums in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region by various urban local bodies.

“The first monorail route will also meet some of the transportation demand expected in the redeveloped Dharavi,” said a senior official. The route: Malabar Hill with Sion and BKC via Gopalrao Deshmukh Marg, Haji Ali, Keshavrao Khade Marg, Jacob Circle, Sane Guruji Marg, S S Rao Marg, Dattaram Lad Marg, G D Ambekar Marg- Wadala Truck Terminal and Antop Hill, then running through Sion and Dharavi on to Bandra Kurla Complex. As part of phase I of the monorail project—the first in the country, the first route, stretching 25 km, would be functional in two years.

While 20 stations will soon be picked for the construction of skywalks to ease pedestrian and commuter movement, MMRDA officials said the first one will be ready at Bandra railway station in three months. “We have not yet identified the 20 suburban railways stations for the skywalks project, but we have decided to undertake a pilot project at Bandra railway station which will be completed within three months,” a senior official said. “The skywalk would connect the Bandra railway station (West) with Hill Road up to the Turner Road junction; and Bandra railway station (East) with the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). We are inviting tenders for the Bandra Skywalk.”

The monorail project would be executed in four phases, he said. Phase II would be 25 km long and would connect Thane with Bhiwandi via Kalyan. Officials estimate the cost of creating the monorail at Rs 60 crore to Rs 70 crore per km. Phase III would be 10 km long and would connect Lokhandwala Complex with Kanjurmarg via Oshiwara and Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road. Phase IV would be a 10-km long circular route: Chembur-Mahul-Gidwani Road-Govandi- Chembur. A feasibility study would be completed by March 2008.