After metro, monorail for Bangalore

After metro, monorail for Bangalore


Hemanth CS & Johnlee Abraham Express News ServiceFirst Published : 19 Aug 2010 03:27:24 AM ISTLast Updated : 19 Aug 2010 09:42:24 AM IST
BANGALORE: The plan to give Bangalore its first monorail corridor has been given a nod by the state government.
Work on the proposed 15.7 km-long line, between Majestic and Agaram Lake, is expected to start in January 2011.
And if things go right, the corridor should be ready for ride in 2012.
The government accepted the proposal and the detailed project report of the consortium led by Bangalore-based Geodesic Techniques Pvt Ltd and Scomi Group of Malaysia to construct the monorail network after floating a global tender.
It took into account the technical and financial parameters proposed by the consortium.
Sumitra Iyenger, director of Geodesic Techniques Pvt Ltd, said the
proposal has been accepted by the government.
“In next three weeks, the tendering process for implementing the project will be over,” she said.
The corridor will pass through some of the most densely populated and residential areas of the inner city and the Central Business District.
It will cover Majestic, High Grounds, Cubbonpet, Wilson Garden, Adugodi, Koramangala, Madivala, HSR Layout, Sarjapur and Agaram with 16 stations along the corridor.
Each station will be about 1 km apart on the line.
The promoters of the monorail said the service would cater to the public as a feeder for the metro and other modes of mass transport.
It will not overlap with the Namma Metro lines.
Iyenger said work on the project is scheduled to start in January next year.
“The route has been selected in a way to help the traffic of the most high traffic density areas,” she said. “For implementing the 15.7 km rail link, `140 crore will be spent per km.” The corridor will start from Majestic and will go to Hudson Circle via Ananda Rao Circle, Race Course Road, Basava Circle, SJ Polytechnic College and Nrupathunga Road.
From Hudson Circle, the alignment will continue through Lalbagh
Road and KH Circle to enter Wilson Garden.
From Wilson Garden, the monorail alignment will go to Koramangala Ist block via Marigowda Road and lead to NIMHANS, Christ College, Forum Mall, St. Johns Hospital and Silk Board Junction.
The last station on the corridor will be near Agaram lake.