Coimbatore city may be the first city in the State to have a Metrolite system that will cover 45.87 km with 40 stations, making a halt at several important landmarks of the city, including Coimbatore Airport.
The detailed project report says there will be a total of three phases for Coimbatore. In the first phase, two corridors have been planned, with the first one connecting Vellalore Bus Terminal with PSG Foundry through Ukkadam Bus Stand and also providing airport line connectivity from Park Plaza (totally covering 31.73 km). The second corridor will link the Collectorate Metro with Valliyampalayam Pirivu (length: 14.13 km). The Collectorate Metro will be the common station for these corridors and the station is likely to be built in the eastern end of the Collectorate.
Based on the traffic projections, it has been proposed to have a Metrolite system for Coimbatore city unlike the regular Metro. “We are proposing Metrolite system, but the final decision on this will be taken by the State government,“ a source said.
In the first corridor that will run from Vellalore Bus Terminal to PSG Foundry, with airport connectivity, there will be 26 stations: Vellalore Bus Terminal, Mettur, Rail Kalyana Mandapam, Podanur Junction, Thiruvalar Nagar, Kurichi Pirivu, Karumbukkadai, Ukkadam Bus Stand, Town Hall, Coimbatore Junction Station, Collectorate Metro, GKNM Hospital, Lakshmi Mills, Nava India, Peelamedu Pudur, Fun Republic Mall, Hopes College, Coimbatore Medical College, SITRA Circle, MGR Nagar, PLS Nagar, Venkitapuram, Park Plaza, Neelambur, PSG Foundry and Coimbatore Airport.
The stations in the second corridor from the Collectorate Metro to Valiyampalayam Pirivu include the Collectorate Metro, Ram Nagar, Gandhipuram Bus Stand, Omni Bus Stand, Moor Market, Ganapathy Pudur, Athipalayam Junction, Ramakrishna Mill, Vinayagapuram, Chitra Nagar, Saravanampatti, Viswasapuram, VGP Nagar and Valiyampalayam Pirivu.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), some of the differences between the regular Metro Rail system and a Metrolite is that the stations and trains will be compact in size and there is no concept of concourse, except in interchange station like the Collectorate Metro. “The idea is to keep the cost as minimum as possible. The stations will be built elevated, mostly on the main road, unless there is not enough road width. In Chennai Metro Rail system, security checks are done and tickets are issued at the concourse level. But in Metrolite, a passenger who enters the station will first reach foot-overbridge level to purchase a ticket and then head to the platform to take the train,” a source said.
One of the key aspects planned in this system, much like Chennai Metro, is to provide connectivity to all transport hubs like Coimbatore and Podanur Railway junctions, Ukkadam and Gandhipuram Bus Stands, Vellalore Bus Terminal and Coimbatore Airport. “This will not only help passengers change modes of transportation with ease, but also bring more footfall for the system. In Chennai, Chennai Central and Chennai airport have a very high patronage when compared to the remaining stations,” he added.
While a Chennai Metro Rail train with four coaches has the ability to transport 1,200 passengers, in Metrolite, each train will have three coaches and the total capacity will be 300 passengers.
After the feasibility report was completed, Chennai Metro Rail’s consultant began preparing the detailed project report (DPR) which is almost completed. Sources said Chennai Metro Rail would soon submit the DPR to the State government and on its approval, the next step would be to chalk out a plan to look for funding for the phase I project.
This mass rapid transit system will be built according to the National Building Code, 2016 and the Metrolite guidelines that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs issued in 2019.
