The State Government has selected Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) as project consultants for the monorail project for Thiruvananthapuram city.
The 41.8-km elevated rail-based mass rapid transit system would come up along the Mangalapuram-Ulloor-Overbridge-Killipalam-Neyyattinkara corridor.
Earlier, National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac), an autonomous body under the government, had found the project to be ‘feasible.'
FOURTH PROJECT
This is the fourth major infrastructure project that the State Government has entrusted with the DMRC.
It is already providing project consultancy for the other monorail project in the state proposed for Kozhikode. Survey works for this have commenced.
DMRC is also associated with the Kochi Metro as also the Rs 1.2 lakh-crore, high-speed rail corridor project that would link the north of the State with the south.
Natpac has suggested that the monorail in the capital can be implemented on a design, build, finance, operate, and transfer mode.
The first phase of 22.2 km from Pallippuram to Thampanoor is expected to be commissioned by 2016 if construction commences as planned by 2013.
The second phase of 19.6 km from Thampanoor to Neyyattinkara would be ready by January 2018. The first phase will cost Rs 2,775 crore and the second Rs 2,324 crore.
Cost works out to Rs 125 crore a km in the first phase and Rs 118.7 crore a km in the second phase.
The Natpac study found that only minimum land acquisition costing around Rs 479 crore would be required.
Setting up the alignment would cost Rs 1,168 crore and each monorail station building, Rs 8.26 crore.