Delhi Monorail snippets

With Mumbai about to get its first monorail, the focus is back on the three monorail lines planned in the capital before Commonwealth Games which are still at the feasibility study stage. The proposals have not been junked but there is no certainty on when Delhiites can zip through congested lanes of the Walled City on a sleek monorail link. According to the transportation masterplan prepared by Delhi government, the capital was supposed to get three monorail lines before Commonwealth Games this year which would have served as effective feeders to main transport modes like Metro and buses. The monorail links have been planned for congested areas in Walled City, east and north Delhi with lines between Delhi University and Pul Bangash (via Shakti Nagar, Anand Parbat, Ajmeri Gate, Delhi Gate, Red Fort, SPM Marg), Daryaganj and Kondli (via Yamuna river crossing, Geeta Colony, Scope Tower, Vikas Marg, Patparganj, Kondli Road) and Budh Vihar to Shakti Nagar. The networks will stretch over 41.5 km in total. Transport department’s Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit Limited) was entrusted with the task of carrying out a feasibility study of the proposed corridors. ‘‘The formal report was submitted about one year ago in which monorail was found to be highly feasible on all the proposed corridors. There are some minor technical problems which can easily be overcome but there has been no movement on this ever since. The government needs to give a final go-ahead now,’’ said a senior DIMTS official. It is understood that after the BRT fiasco, the government wanted to initiate the new project only after elections. But with the other Commonwealth projects running behind schedule, the plans for monorail and light rail transit (LRT) lines have been put on hold for now. The projects will eventually come up as monorail is being planned on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, which doesn’t need too much investment from the government. Also, reducing congestion levels in the Walled City is a priority. According to officials, construction of a monorail link typically takes about two years from the time the routes have been decided. The project here would have a ridership of about 5 lakh persons daily and would come up at a cost of about Rs 7,000 crore. The biggest advantage of monorail is that it can be constructed on roads with Right of Way (ROW) as little as 18 metres and a turning radius of 50-70 metres, making it ideal for congested city roads. The corridors, senior DIMTS officials said, have been identified by consultants, including RITES, based on transport demand, population and projected employment distribution.