TN urged to go in for second and third phase of metro rail project

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu government has been urged to conduct study for second and third phase of metro rail project so that there will not be a gap between phase I completion and the start for second phase of work for metro rail, according to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation principal advisor E Sreedharan.

Sreedharan, the brain behind metro rail in India who was honoured by Rotary Club of Madras with ‘For the Sake of Honour Award’ on Tuesday, also said that monorail, whose capacity is only one third or one fourth of the normal metro rail, could act as a feeder service while metro rail remains as the backbone of mass transport system.

When queried whether he will be meeting authorities in Tamil Nadu to take up Phases II and III, he said, “I will take up this issue, because they must think of taking up phases II and III now itself.”

He highlighted the need to start studies for phase II and Phase III and said the studies could take 12-18 months and the least time to start a metro would take anything from two to three years. “If the state government fails to start now there will be a big gap between phase I completion and phase II and it is not viable for the project,” he added.

Stating that monorail’s capacity is only one third or one fourth of the normal metro and the cost of operation is almost 50 per cent more, he said that state government has yet to complete a detailed study besides providing estimation of the project as well as environmental cost.

To a query on whether the Union government is running short of finance as it has mooted dedicated urban transport fund to finance metro rail project, he said for the government, it is not a big job to get Rs 6,000 or Rs 7,000. Because most of the funds is being borrowed from either Japan or World Bank or Asian Development Bank so it will not be difficult for the government to find money required for phases II and III.

On monorail in Mumbai, he said, “The project will cost around Rs 170 crore per km which is quite high. Why should one go in for mono when metro gives three times capacity.”

 He was also skeptical of Bus Rapid Transit System in Chennai and said it is possible only if there are wide roads, where one lane could be exclusively for buses. Such roads are not available in Chennai, he added.