Nod for Light Metro project for Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode

Alignment fixed for monorail to be retained

October 25, 2014 04:47 am | Updated November 16, 2021 07:16 pm IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the elevated Light Metro proposed for the cities of Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode was approved by the director board of Kerala Monorail Corporation Ltd (KMCL) chaired by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on Friday.

The DPR, prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for Light Metro in place of scrapped monorail, a Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS), for 35.12 km in both the cities, now needs Cabinet clearance.

The board also gave its nod to rename KMCL, the special purpose vehicle, as the Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation (KRT) as suggested in the DPR in view of the migration to Light Metro.

A fresh agreement is to be signed with DMRC and the terms of consultancy are to be worked out. Managing Director, KMCL, has been entrusted with this task.

The same alignment fixed for the scrapped MRTS and locations for the 19 stations in the 28.82 km Technocity-Karamana stretch in the capital and 14 in the 13.30 km Medical College-Meenchanda section in Kozhikode have been retained. A total of 17.47 hectares of government land and 4.62 hectares of private land is to be acquired in both the cities.

Three cars that can accommodate 600 commuters have been proposed. The fare recommended ranges from Rs.13 for two km to Rs.38 for 18 km.

Civil works

Briefing the media, Public Works Minister V.K. Ebrahim Kunju said civil works can be kicked off within four months after Cabinet gives its clearance.

The estimated cost of Light Metro is Rs.5,510 crore for both the cities and Rs.6,728 crore on completion in 2021. The average cost per km is Rs.156 crore.

The project is to be implemented as a government initiative on the DMRC model with viability gap funding by the Centre and the State. The remaining funds will be found through borrowing internally and externally, he said. The project is to be executed on a turnkey basis on the lines of the Kochi Metro by a competent agency.

Principal Adviser to DMRC, E. Sreedharan, who also attended the board meeting, said a meeting of the rolling stock suppliers Hitachi, Alstom, Rotem, CAF & Talgo and Bombardier who had evinced interest will be held in next 20 days to work out the specifications.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.