 |
| A highspeed train in Italy. The plan for Patna’s monorail is on track. Reuters |
Patna, Dec. 23: The proposed monorail plan for the state capital has picked up pace.
RITES, the technical consultant appointed for conducting the techno-economic feasibility study for the proposed monorail under the Patna Integrated Mass Rapid Transport System, has completed the ground survey and soil inspection at the four identified corridors for the project. It is likely to furnish the draft final report by the end of January next year.
The report would outline details of the assessment of the field survey, proposed alignments, requirement of land and location of monorail stations in the city. The estimated cost factors would also be included.
Piyush Bansal, general manager, urban traffic, RITES, told The Telegraph over phone from New Delhi: “We have completed the ground survey and soil inspection along the four identified corridors of Patna monorail. Based on the findings of our survey, we are in the process of finalising the draft for the techno-economic feasibility report. It will be submitted to our client — Indian Railways — by the end of January next year.”
The railways would pass on the report to the state government for approval.
A senior official of Indian Railways associated with the feasibility study said: “After RITES submits the draft report to us, we will present it to the state department concerned to seek its comments and recommendations.”
|
RITES would present the final techno-economic feasibility report within two weeks of receiving comments and recommendations of the state government on the draft report.
The consultant had conducted the survey along the four proposed monorail corridors in the city covering around 32km, between October and November this year. During the survey, 30m-deep borings were made on either side of the selected roads at an interval of 500m and soil samples were collected.
“The collected soil samples are now being tested on various parameters that would assist in the alignment planning. The ongoing monorail alignment planning and designing process would help in assessing whether the specially constructed elevated rails would go along right, left or centre of the existing roads. The field survey, on the other hand, will assist us in determining whether and how much land will have to be acquired along the existing roads for construction of pillars and stations,” said Bansal.
He added: “Apart from the technical aspects, our report would also have a cost assessment for the Patna monorail project. The assessment in the report will include initial estimated cost and operational or maintenance cost after the start of operation. The report would also prescribe various alternative options for generation of funds and the modus operandi for the overall implementation of the project.”
The total length of the proposed monorail corridors in Patna in the first phase would be between 20km and 25km.
“As the per km cost of construction is Rs 100 crore, the total cost for developing the monorail system in Patna in the first phase would be around Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 2,500 crore,” said Bansal.
