DMRC may steer monorail; says East Delhi project can act as feeder service to metro

NEW DELHI: After objecting to the monorail system, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is now planning to build one it seems. Government sources said there were discussions between Delhi Metro and the Delhi government earlier last month about handing over the Shastri Park-Trilokpuri monorail project to DMRC. Delhi Metro will have a meeting with Bombardier in a few days to discuss monorail technology and, specifically, the 10.8km project set to come up in east Delhi, said a source.

Till now, Delhi Metro had been opposing the project. It had maintained that the monorail system could not be an alternative to the Metro system as its carrying capacity was far lower than that of the Metro. However, in a meeting on January 30, Delhi Metro had admitted that monorail could be taken up as a feeder service to the Metro. During the meeting, which was chaired by CM Sheila Dikshit, a case had been made for the 10.8km project that will start from Shastri Park and terminate at the Trilokpuri Metro station, with 12 stations on the way. The project was initially proposed to be undertaken by DSIIDC, another Delhi government agency.

DMRC had earlier pointed out that two Metro stations-one at Nirman Vihar on the Yamuna Bank-Vaishali corridor, and the other at Mother Dairy-Patparganj intersection, set to come up in Phase III-were clashing with the Shastri Park-Trilokpuri monorail alignment. Said a senior government official, "After the meeting, there were discussions with DMRC regarding the alignment. It was suggested that Delhi Metro could also take up the project, as it had the expertise." Incidentally, Delhi Metro is preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for a 15km monorail project in Kozhikode. It is also doing the field survey for the 526km high-speed rail corridor in Kerala, from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargode.

If the monorail project is taken up by Delhi Metro, it will be the first infrastructure project besides the Metro that the agency has executed in the city. Sources said Delhi Metro was "keen" on taking up the project, not least because it would feed the Metro system as well. Said the official, "The argument for handing over the project to Delhi Metro is its successful track record. DMRC also has the expertise, which works in its favour."