The World Bank seems reluctant to renew a contract for backing the first phase of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP). Commissioned in November 2002, the project has been mired in delays. Its nodal agency, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), admitted as much in a progress report sent last year to the bank, which was partially funding the project. Among the incomplete projects are the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR), the procurement of new railway coaches and the creation of a railway car shed in Virar.
The MUTP's benefits are clearly visible. Rail capacity has significantly increased by more than 30 per cent with the introduction of more than 400 new services.
Additionally, the new rakes are saving energy consumption by more than 30 per cent. In road transport, service in terms of quality and comfort is visible as a result of the replacement of 644 old buses.
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