From 300 km to 20 km: the Monorail project has been sized down to less than a quarter of its originally-proposed length.
When this stretch from Poonamallee to Kathipara, with a link from Porur to Vadapalani, takes off, it will be crucial for the government to integrate it with other existing modes of transport, especially Chennai Metro, if commuters are to benefit from yet another mass rapid transit network.
For instance, Metro and Monorail may be integrated at two junctions: Vadapalani and Kathipara.
Officials at Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) say they have received no intimation regarding the integration plan but admit such a move is very likely if the Monorail project takes off.
“We can create the necessary facilities to integrate our system with Monorail, depending on the placement of stations and design,” an official says.
Integration will help a great deal in improving commuter mobility at these two congested junctions.
Raj Cherubal of Chennai City Connect says, “Ideally, passengers should be able to simply cross over the platform and change modes of transport. If that is not possible, both stations should be well-connected with either a subway or a foot-overbridge, at the least, allowing passengers to switch over in minutes.”
But the government must go beyond just integrating the different modes of transport, says Arvind Mahajan, partner and head of infrastructure and government services at KPMG, India.
“The common ticketing system should be implemented soon after the transport networks become operational so travelling becomes seamless,” he says.
One major issue is inadequate spending on connecting different modes of transport, says Partha Mukhopadhyay, senior research fellow at the Centre for Policy Research.
“As compared to experimenting with new modes, it will be more useful to think about connecting existing modes of transport, both through infrastructure and initiatives like common ticketing. For instance, Delhi Metro may have been a success in terms of execution but it still has limited connectivity to other modes of transport,” he says.
Mr. Cherubal says MRTS has proven that a mass rapid transit may lose patronage if it does not connect with other modes of transport.
“It took a long time to construct a foot-overbridge near Tidel Park station which ideally should have been done immediately after the station was opened for public use,” he says.
