Kolkata firm proposes monorail project for City

Kolkata firm proposes monorail project for City

Deccan Herald

While the much-discussed Bangalore Metro Rail project is yet to chug off, a Kolkota-based firm, Metrail India Limited, has come forward with a monorail system, which claims to be a supplement to the proposed Metro Rail.

Addressing mediapersons in Bangalore on Thursday, the Metrail India Chairman Zafar Saifullah said that the alignment for the system has been carefully selected so that it acts as a feeder system to the main Metro Rail alignment. The monorail is proposed mainly to cater to IT corridors of Electronic City and ITPL.

Estimated to cost Rs 4,045 crore, the monorail is proposed to be implemented in two phases, mostly covering areas where Metro Rail fails to cover. This project, if approved by the government, would be implemented in 18 to 24 months, Mr Saifullah added. He claimed that this electric monorail can be built in the shortest time span by erecting pre-cast fabricated columns and beams, over which the monorail is operated. The implementation of the project causes very less inconvenience to citizens, he pointed out.

Mr Saifullah also said that the company had submitted a Detailed Project Report to Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, besides giving a presentation on it.

The company has also offered to bear the project cost on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis for 30 years, with just Rs 115 crore equity participation from the State government. The Government, in turn, would have to offer land for construction free of cost.