The Tamil Nadu Government is considering setting up a monorail project for public transport in Coimbatore.

This is the second such project in the State with the first one planned in Chennai. This 43.5-km monorail project is structured as two projects with two lines.

The Transport Department also plans to commercially exploit its real estate to enhance revenue. Smart travel cards will be introduced in ticketing for passenger comfort.

According to the Transport Department policy note for 2014-15 tabled in the Assembly today, the Government is in the process of identifying a consultant to carry out a feasibility study for the Coimbatore project. In Chennai, the project will be implemented in public-private-partnership mode. To attract private bidders, the monorail infrastructure will come up in two projects with the first one linking Poonamallee about 25 km west of Chennai with Kathipara on the outskirts of the city. This 21-km-line will have a link from Vadapalani to Porur. The second project will be a 22-km line from Vandalur, near Tambaram, to Velachery. The State Transport Undertakings that operate the bus fleet have identified 11 locations where they will jointly develop with private partners commercial complexes.

These include the T Nagar and Thiruvanmiyur bus depots in Chennai and other locations cross the State.

Smart Cards

Commuters in Chennai will benefit from the introduction of smart travel cards – prepaid tickets that can be topped up. This will make fare payment and collection easy for commuters and transport personnel. The bid process is on for the system to be first introduced in the city.

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