After approving the Delhi monorail project last week, the Union Urban Development Ministry has asked the Delhi government to “think bigger” and plan a network of at least 14 monorail projects within the next decade. The monorail network is aimed at facilitating public transport in areas inaccessible by Metro and provide an alternative to the existing bus transport network.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday said UD Minister Kamal Nath, during a meeting with her on Monday, had approved the monorail projects.
“The minister asked us why we were thinking of just one monorail project and that we should plan for at least 12 to 16 monorails,” Dikshit said.
She added that a network of monorails in the national Capital would support the existing Metro and ease congestion. “With the right kind of support, the monorail system could be put in place within the next eight to ten years,” she said.
Dikshit maintained that the Metro network, which has covered 392 km so far, had entered its third phase. “We believe it would not be easy to extend the Metro beyond this and so an alternative is necessary. Also, there are several streets in Delhi, which cannot be covered by the Metro,” the CM said. She said in such smaller, crowded streets, a monorail would prove successful.
According to the CM, the monorail network would offer an alternative to buses. “Presently, most commuters use the bus network in areas not covered by the Metro, which the monorail could replace. The monorails would connect and support the Metro system,” Dikshit explained.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been tasked with constructing the first monorail network — a 11.5 km long stretch between Shastri Park and Laxmi Nagar. Delhi government officials said the DMRC has also been asked to submit a detailed report about the possible methods of implementing a monorail network project.
“We may ask the DMRC to run the whole project, but nothing has been decided for now. We have also received reports from specialists in Japan, Germany and Malaysia, which boast of the best monorail projects in the world,” Dikshit said.
In May this year, the CM had announced that the DMRC would construct and run the first monorail network in east Delhi. The Rs 1,600 crore project will include a 11.5-km-long elevated monorail corridor between Shastri Park and Trilokpuri, with 12 stations on its route map.
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