Monorail in IT Corridor

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After the prestigious Hyderabad Metro Rail, the ‘City of Jewel’s, Hyderabad will be home to Monorail project. Wait! What is Monorail in the first place? What is the difference between Metro Trail and Monorail? Will the commuters be troubled because of its construction? What is its route map? To know about these and many more, continue reading.

Need for Monorail

After Ivanka Trump praised Hyderabad for its biryani and culture, many have expressed their anguish that the US President’s daughter is lucky not to get caught in Hyderabad traffic. With the ever-increasing population in Hyderabad, the chaotic traffic situation is getting worse day by day. In 2011 the number of vehicles was 228, and in 2016 it jumped to 364 per thousand people.

It should be noted that Hyderabad has reached the ‘Grid Lock’ situation a few years back. Gridlock is a type of traffic jam condition, where all the vehicles block an entire networking of transportation system in a given geographical region. Traffic entering the main roads through intersecting streets and lanes become stand still. This is pretty common in metro cities around the world.

To overcome this problem of severe traffic congestion, many governments improve the transportation infrastructure. Similarly, the Telangana State transport authority has taken measures to overcome the traffic woes of the citizens. The government has carried out road-extension works, construction of flyovers and recently completed Hyderabad Metro Rail project. Soon, the Monorail will also be the party of cities Transportation network, with an aim to reduce the traffic woes.

What is a Monorail?

Though the term ‘Monorail’ describes various rail systems through the 19^th and 20^th century and into the 21^st century, the current definition says; Monorail is an elevated railway system. There wouldn’t be any tracks. Instead, the locomotive (or the train) straddles through the reinforced concrete beam which is usually 2 to 3 feet wide.

Each wagon of the Monorail has 4 major rubber tyres and 12-15 smaller tyres that help the locomotive to straddle smoothly with less friction. Given that the Monorail can be constructed on a single pillar and concrete beams, it is highly cost-effective and also requires less area for construction.

Modern Monorails are usually powered by electric motors or electrified channels attached to the beams.

Monorail v/s Metro Rail

Though they aren’t many stark differences between Monorail and Metro Rail, few critical differences need to be understood before proceeding further.

1. Monorails run on a single beam, while Metro Rails run more like a conventional ‘train’ on a specially designed railway track.
2. Monorails are less complex in terms of technology and feature when compared to Metro
3. Monorails operate at lower speed, as they straddle (except Maglev Trains).
4. Monorails are usually operated between end-to-end point, or in a loop. While Metro Trains do involve in complex interchanges.
5. Monorail carries less number of people per hour, meaning small stations can accommodate the flow of commuters.
6. Length of a Monorail is shorter than metro rail.
7. Monorails are usually meant for shorter distances and work in sections.
8. Monorails can be constructed in minimal space, in contrast to Metro Trains which require large spaces.
9. Construction of Monorails is faster and cheaper in comparison to Metro
10. Monorails can pass through crowded streets, unlike Metro Trains.

Will it trouble the daily commuters?

Of course. Construction of any transportation system comes at the expense of commuter’s comfort. Though the construction of monorail is much faster, requiring minimal space, it is understood that the commuters will be facing increasing traffic delays, especially in the construction zones.

Given Monorail’s design of ‘One Pillar’ with reinforced concrete beams over them, the GHMC is hopeful that the traffic delays wouldn’t be as severe as it was in the case of Metro construction. Moreover, given the width of the pillar (less than 3 feet), the roads will more or less remain the same. The monorail is likely to be constructed in the IT corridor where we find spacious roads without any general groceries shops and other mid-range shopping entities. This not only gives the authorities to work at a full swing, but also greatly reduces the project time.

Given monorail’s ability to pass even through narrow lanes and streets, the construction shouldn’t be a problem even in densely populated residential areas.

Hyderabad Monorail Route Map

The Monorail project would comprise of three phases. Given the high density of Multinational and National companies in the IT corridor, the government stated that the first phase of the proposed Monorail project will be between Hitech City IT corridor and Miyapur, covering a distance of about 15 km. The proposed route is; Miyapur – Shilparamam – Gachibowli.

Given the traffic chaos in this region, the government authorities felt that monorail can serve as the best alternative in this region. Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao has agreed to the proposal of the authorities.

The Telangana State Government has chosen TSIIC (Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation) as the nodal agency for the Monorail project. Soon, a consulting firm will be set up to carry out a comprehensive study of the viability, challenges and other factors involved with the project. A report will be submitted to the TSIIC.

How will the government proceed with the project?

Initially, a thorough study will be carried out by a consulting firm set up exclusively for the project. Various technical issues, logistics, traffic density for 2021, 2031, and 2041, transportation pathway, architecture, project management authority, and other factors will be a part of the comprehensive study by the consulting firm.

Post the comprehensive study, the state government will decide whether to fund the project by the Government or carry out under the Private – Public Partnership model. The government is looking for a reputed national or international company in the construction field for the monorail project. Regarding the consulting firm, the TSIIC already issued a notification inviting consultancies for carrying out a comprehensive study on the project. Consultancy firms with an average turnover of Rs. 50 Crores annually are only eligible for bidding. The last for bidding is 4^th of January 2018.

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