Title - Project report for monorail submitted

The proposed monorail project in Kozhikode received a shot in the arm on Tuesday with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) submitting the detailed project report to the State government and expressing willingness to take it up from September.The first phase of the monorail, a mass rapid transit system, covering 14.2 km with 15 stations starting from the Government Medical College hostel area to Meenchanda, can be executed in 36 months at a cost of Rs. 1,991 crore. The entire alignment is elevated, carried on single pillars generally along the median of the road.

Monorail stations:The route suggested is through Mavoor Road, via National Highway 66.The monorail stations will be in the medical college hostel and medical college areas and at Chevayoor, Thondayad, Kottuli, New Bus Stand, KSRTC bus stand, Mananchira, Palayam, railway station, Pushpa, Kallayi, Panniyankara, Vattakkinar and Meenchanda. Two types of stations have been proposed. Three-car trains, each able to carry 400 to 525 passengers, have been proposed. The car body will be in aluminium to reduce the weight on the rubber tyres. The air-conditioned coaches will have two doors on each side. The trains will be driverless, but manual override will be possible. Initially, trains will start every 5.5 minutes during peak hours. The headway can be reduced even to two minutes.

A depot and an operation central centre have been proposed on 5.2 hectares of government land in the medical college area. The total land requirement for the project is 10.6 hectares.

Fare

A most advanced communication-based train control system has been proposed. A computer-based automatic fare collection system has been proposed, and the fares will be Rs. 6 (0-2 km) going up to Rs.22 for 12-15 km.

E. Sreedharan, Principal Adviser to the DMRC, said public-private partnership and build, operate, transfer concepts would not work out as the financial rate of return of the project was 1.42 per cent. Hence, government funds were needed. The monorail could be extended to Ramanattukara in the second phase. Accepting the report, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the Cabinet would take up approval of the detailed project report, handing over of the work to the DMRC, formation of a special purpose vehicle and empowered committees of secretaries to expedite land acquisition. The Centre would be requested to grant 20 per cent of the project cost.