MUMBAI: Changing between the Metro, Monorail and suburban railway at Mahalaxmi will soon become significantly easier, with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) completing nearly 90% of a first-of-its-kind multimodal skywalk equipped with travelators.

City to get India’s first travelator skywalk linking Metro, Monorail and local trains

The elevated pedestrian corridor, the first in India to feature moving walkways as part of a public transport interchange, will connect the Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk Monorail station, Mahalaxmi Metro station on the Aqua Line and Mahalaxmi station on Western Railway’s suburban network. (SEE BOX)

Once operational, the facility is expected to cut transfer time between the three transport systems by almost 20 minutes by allowing commuters to switch modes without stepping onto busy roads or navigating multiple staircases.

The project comes at a time when Mumbai’s Metro network is expanding rapidly, but seamless last-mile connectivity between Metro stations, suburban railways and the Monorail continues to remain one of the city’s biggest challenges. At several interchange points, commuters are still forced to walk long distances or depend on autorickshaws and taxis to complete their journey.

The new interchange aims to address that gap through a 283-metre-long elevated skywalk fitted with six travelators spanning a combined length of 176 metres. The 11-metre-wide bridge has been designed to accommodate heavy commuter movement and will also have two passenger lifts to improve accessibility for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and travellers carrying luggage.

According to MMRDA officials, the facility will be capable of handling around 4,500 passengers every hour and is expected to particularly benefit commuters travelling between south Mumbai, Worli and the city’s central suburbs.

Officials said constructing the project was among the authority’s most complex urban infrastructure assignments because of the maze of underground utilities beneath the site. Before work could begin, engineers had to relocate an 1,800-mm-diameter storm-water drain while ensuring that nearby water supply and sewer pipelines remained fully operational. Construction was also carried out in close coordination with the Mumbai Traffic Police to minimise disruptions on the busy Sane Guruji Marg corridor.

Urban transport planners have long argued that integrated interchange facilities are critical to making public transport more convenient and encouraging commuters to shift away from private vehicles.