Traffic in congested Chembur a challenge for monorail

Even as Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh would lay the foundation stone of the nation8217;s first monorail system on November 29...

Even as Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh would lay the foundation stone of the nation8217;s first monorail system on November 29, there are steep challenges ahead of contractors for the project to see the light of the day within the deadline. Dr Singh will launch the work on the project at Chembur.

This will be the second major transport project for Mumbai to be launched by Dr Singh. In June 2006, he had set in motion Phase I of the Rs 20,000-crore Mumbai Metro project. Implementation of the 19.3-km monorail system is being done by a consortium of Larsen 038; Toubro L038;T and Scomi Engineering, a Malaysian monorail firm. The monorail will run from Jacob Circle to Chembur via Wadala.

According to S N Roy, the vice-president of Larsen 038; Toubro, the prime challenge before them and Scomi Engineering is traffic management and a study of underground utilities along the route. Roy said they have already initiated traffic management and utilities studies. 8220;The biggest challenge for the project is traffic management and utilities, as the project runs through a congested area,8221; Roy said.

Another test for contractors would be to gather permission from various authorities to carry out civil construction. 8220;Help of various authorities to allow smooth flow of work would be essential. A lot of coordination between the authorities is needed including managing traffic, as construction would not be allowed 24/7,8221; Roy said. The deadline for the project, divided in two phases, is 30 months. 8220;We should start work on the first test pile on December 1,8221; he added.

The monorail will have 18 stations. As part of the multi-modal transport system, the monorail is expected to provide direct connectivity to the three existing suburban railways. In monorail, considered one of the modern urban transport systems, the cars move on a single beam in an elevated corridor.

The design makes it possible to execute the project on a fast-track as it requires a small footprint and facilitates implementation with minimal demolition of structures. Other advantages include greater reliability, high manoeuvrability, low cost and an eco-friendly design. Air-conditioned cars add to its attraction along with sleek design.