The National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac) will soon conduct a feasibility study on the proposed monorail, a Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS), along the Kazhakuttom-Balaramapuram corridor of the capital.
The government had last week asked Natpac to carry out the feasibility study on introducing monorail on the 28-km corridor and to submit the report at the earliest. Sources in Natpac said the organisation was awaiting the government order to begin the feasibility study and the notification to this effect was expected in a day or two.
A strategic team would be constituted with experts from various fields to conduct the study, the official said.
A meeting of the heads of various wings of Natpac is scheduled for Tuesday. Among the various scientific divisions in Natpac, it is the Transportation Planning and Road Safety wing that normally undertakes studies on mass transport system, urban transport, goods transport, demand modelling and forecasting, road network planning, among other things.
Natpac, which has successfully completed 500 consultancy and research projects, has equipment such as Total Station, Theodolite and GPS at the centre for carrying out engineering surveys. “Preparations such as collection of traffic data has started,” the official said.
Although Natpac has been given the corridor for the proposed monorail, it would have to identify the route of the proposed MRTS. Natpac will decide on whether to have the monorail via Kariyavattom, Sreekariyam, Uloor, Kesavadasapuram, Pattom, PMG, M.G. Road, Overbridge, East Fort, Attakulangara, Karamana to Balaramapuram or to go in for Technopark-NH Bypass, Venpalvattom, Anamughom, Kumarapuram, Pottakuzhi to reach Pattom.
Monorail has been mooted for the State capital as part of a long-term and economical solution to transportation problems and to discourage personalised modes of transport.
The decreasing dependence on personalised mode of transport once monorail is introduced will result in bringing down road accidents also. It is estimated that 40 per cent of the present traffic can be taken off the road from the capital city once monorail comes.
The 28-km corridor is estimated to cost about Rs.1,500 crore and the Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) of the project is likely to be over 20 per cent.
The attempt is also aimed at improving mass transportation and increasing its present modal share of about 35 per cent in Thiruvananthapuram to about 60 per cent as recommended by the Ministry of Urban Development.
Among the mass rapid transit system (underground or elevated rail system), monorail and bus rapid transit system, monorail is the most suited system for the volume of passenger traffic and the conditions prevailing on the arterial roads in medium-sized cities such as Thiruvananthapuram.
In a State where land acquisition is the biggest hurdle to development projects, the primary advantage of monorail is that it requires minimal space, both horizontally and vertically.
Monorail vehicles are wider than the beam, thus requiring only a minimal footprint for support pillars.
