The much-awaited Mumbai monorail will be inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar today. It will open to the public on Sunday, making Mumbai the first city in India to use a monorail.The part that opens on Sunday is 8.93 km long. It will run between Wadala and Chembur in the eastern fringes of Mumbai. (Watch: A journey on Mumbai's monorail - your first look)
As per Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials, the monorail service will begin (first phase) with four coaches, which will ferry about 2,500 passengers at a regular interval of 15 minutes.
Working on the same lines as the Delhi metro, monorail will also have a smart card facility available. There will be no monthly pass provision available here as in the local trains of Mumbai.
Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were scheduled to inaugurate the monorail project but in wake of their busy schedule Maharashtra CM Chavan will launch the project.
Once the operations begin, Wadala-Chembur section will be extended and Jacob Circle will be added to the route.