Monorail back in contention

Monorail back in contention
It s cheaper: State Traffic Adviser
Vijay Times News

Bangalore: T raffic Adviser to the State go vernment M N Sreehari has submitted a report identifying monorail as the remedy for the traffic woes of the City . The report was submitted soon after his return from K uala Lumpur , which he had visited to study the pros and cons of the monorail system.

In a technical report submitted to the State go vernment, Sreehari said the City’s burning problems like delays, congestion and poor mass transportation could be effectively tackled with the implementation of a monorail feeder system. The system could also effectively and economically operate between the two planned M etro rail alignments .

Explaining the feasibility of the project, he stated that the supporting structure of the monorail system can come up along the central medians where a more than two-metre width is available. For other roads, the alignment could be taken over the footpaths without any problem.

He pointed out that the project could be completed within a short period of 18 to 24 months, as against the conventional underground Metro rail which could take over five to six years for completion.

Giving comparative financial figures for both projects, Sreehari said monorail was more beneficial for developing countries like India as its operational cost is around Rs 45 crore per km compared to around Rs 250 crore per km for the track-based Metro rail. The latter project is expected to come up before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

Sreehari, also the Chairman of T raffic Engineers and Safety T rainers ( TEST), inspected the Malaysian monorail system so as to obtain firsthand information about its planning, design, construction, maintenance and operations. The purpose of the visit was also to study the techno-economic feasibility of introducing the system in Bangalore. The visiting delegation included members of the Consortia of Infrastructure Engineers of Bangalore.

On his return, Sreehari held discussions with various agencies and briefed Government officials on the monorail technology .

Feasible routes

Peripheral road connecting T umkur Road to Hosur Road, built by BMIC (NICE) under a build-own-operate (BOO) scheme.
Another route could connect the new International Airport at Devanahalli with Bangalore City , with the terminus near Mekhri Circle or at P alace grounds
Bag and baggage processing can be completed at the terminus and the monorail system can take passengers straight to the airport