Title - Mono rail projects on
fast track in Kerala

After the launch of work on the metro rail in the commercial capital of Cochin, ground has been set for setting up elevated rapid transport system in the other two major cities of Trivandrum and Calicut in Kerala.The state government has appointed the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) as general consultant for building the metro rail systems in the two cities. An agreement in this regard was signed here on Wednesday. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Transport Minister Aryadan Mohammed were present on the occasion.The agreement makes DMRC responsible for the design, preparation of tender document, selection of contractors, supervision, and quality certification for the 22.2km monorail in Trivandrum and 14.2km in Calicut. The projects will be implemented by Kerala Mono Rail Corporation (KMRC), the special purpose vehicle floated by the government earlier. The DMRC will get 3.25 per cent of the estimated cost of Rs55.81 billion as consultancy fee. Of the total cost, Rs35.9 billion is expected to be incurred for the Trivandrum monorail project and Rs19.91 billion for the one in Calicut.

The elevated mass rapid transport system will run from Technocity to Karamana in the state capital and from Government Medical College to Meenchantha in the northern city of Calicut. The monorail in Trivandrum will have provisions for extension towards the south up to Neyyattinkara as well as towards north to Attingal.

There is another proposal to extend the network to the Trivandrum International Airport.

The total requirement of land for the first phase of the mono rail in Trivandrum is 17.170 hectares. Of this, 13.75 hectares is government land; 0.58 hectares with railways; and 2.820 hectares with private parties. Only 39 families and 65 shops would be affected as per the detailed project report. The government has already announced four-laning of the Kazhakuttom-Kesavadapuram road in the capital city for the mono rail under a Rs100-billion package cleared by the state government for the development of roads. Public Works Minister Dr Ibrahim Kunj said the government will soon acquire land for the project.

The government had earlier proposed a metro rail for Trivandrum but it was rejected as the city did not have enough ridership. Shortage of land for building the metro rail also prompted the government to go for mono rail.

Monorails can be built on the medians of existing roads, without affecting the road traffic or disrupting life.  The overall width of the cars is only three metres, while the guide way width is just 69to 80 cms. The reduced size of the support structures cuts down on costs.

Monorails can negotiate steeper grades and sharper curves, and being elevated, there is no danger of a collision with surface traffic. Since the cars straddle the guide way, there is little chance of derailment, which adds to the safety factor. — news@khaleejtimes.com