[7] On 11 November 2008, Larsen and Toubro partnered with the Malaysian company Scomi Engineering Bhd, and the joint venture (JV) company was awarded a ₹24.6 billion (US$280 million) contract by the MMRDA to build, operate, and maintain the project of around eight monorail routes in Mumbai by the year 2029.

In mid-2018, a dispute arose between the MMRDA and the Malaysian company LTSE, with both parties attempting to end the contract with each other.

[14] Then Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan laid the foundation stone in a ceremony at the Acres Club, Chembur on 9 February 2009.

[22] A one-kilometer test run from Wadala to the Bhakti Park monorail station was undertaken on 18 February 2012.

[17] In late December 2013, the MMRDA announced that it had submitted an application to Safety Certification Authority (Engineer) for the Chembur-Wadala stretch.

The Safety Certification Authority goes through the documents, and physically inspects the corridor, and commercial operations can commence only after receiving its approval.

[28] Line 1 was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on 1 February 2014 at the Wadala Depot monorail station.

[29][30][31][32] The party then proceeded to Gandhi Maidan, 15th Road, Chembur (East), where the Chavan declared the monorail "open".

[36] The first train from the opposite side, departed Chembur at 7:10 am[37] Services had been scheduled to operate until 3:00 p.m., however, station doors were closed by 2:30 p.m. due to larger than expected ridership.

Sixty-six services were operated on the first day,[39] netting a revenue of ₹2.2 lakh (US$2,500) through the sale of tickets and smart cards.

[35][40][41] In the first week of operations (2–8 February 2014), the monorail transported 1,36,865 passengers in about 512 trips, earning a total revenue of ₹1,424,810.

[46] Years of delays later, Phase 2 was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 3 March 2019.

[55] The first phase, built at a cost of ₹1,100 crore (US$130 million),[50] consists of 7 stations from Chembur to Wadala Depot, and was opened to the public on 2 February 2014.

An extension for Line 1 consisting of 11 stations from Wadala Depot to Jacob Circle was built at a cost of ₹1,900 crore (US$220 million).

Foreign consultants have suggested a Metro or LRT system over a monorail for many Indian cities, e.g.

[67] Monorail trains are royal pink, apple green, and ice blue in colour,[68] with black and white stripes.

[78] MMRDA Commissioner UPS Madan said, "Nowhere in the world are there public toilets at monorail stations.

The monorail journey is a short one, so the provision of public toilets was not made when the plan for stations was chalked out.

The MMRDA believes that the current location of the stand just next the stations results in traffic congestion and restricts movement of pedestrians.

Smith Bros & Webb designs and manufactures its own wash equipment under the brand name of Britannia.

[84] Every station on the line is equipped with metal detectors,[85] X-ray baggage scanners, and CCTV cameras[86] in compliance with national standards.

Officers in plainclothes are present inside trains, and real-time checks are conducted to curb criminal activities.

[88] The MMRDA terminated the Scomi and L&T consortium's contract to operate the monorail on 14 December 2018 citing failure to meet contractual obligations despite several deadline extensions.

[89][90] The Mumbai Monorail uses an automated fare collection system,[7] where tickets are sold in the form of electronically programmed journey tokens.

[101][102] Operating hours were further extended to 10 pm starting 15 August 2014,[103] increasing the number of daily services to 131.

Sixty-six services were operated on the first day,[39] netting a revenue of ₹2.2 lakh (US$2,500) through the sale of tickets and smart cards.

[106] In the first week of operations (2–8 February 2014), the monorail transported 1,36,865 passengers in about 512 trips, earning a total revenue of ₹14,24,810.

[107][108][109] Between 8–15 February 142,410 commuters travelled across the corridor in over 521 trips, earning the monorail a total revenue of ₹27,95,115.

Services began operating for 14-hours daily, beginning 15 April 2014,[116] carrying 15,016 commuters for revenue of ₹1.32 lakh.

[122] There have been calls among several experts to extend the Mumbai Monorail Line 1, but there are no specific plans to expand the system.