The demand for public transport is growing at a rapid pace in spite of the substantial increase of intermediate-public (autorickshaws and cabs) and personalised transport modes in the State. Kozhikode city, which accounts for more than 40 per cent of the urban population in Kozhikode district, has been showing a steady growth in number of motor vehicles.
The city, governed by the only Corporation in north Kerala, has to make room for the rise in population and the number of motor vehicles in the next decade. Unfortunately, efforts to improve the traffic situation have not borne fruit for quite some time. It was in this context that the State government came up with the idea of introducing a mass rapid transit system.
The Bangalore-based Wilbur Smith Associates has prepared a feasibility report for a mass rapid transit system for the city, giving connectivity to the Karipur airport, with public-private participation. The Kerala Road Fund Board, a statutory board of the State government, had entrusted the company with the study, sensing the need to reduce vehicular traffic on the roads and improve infrastructure.
With the company having prepared the feasibility report, the government has decided to seek the assistance of the Germany-based company TUV Rheinland to prepare a detailed project report by April 2012. The company is expected to provide supervision and quality certification for the project to be carried out in two phases.
The monorail has been proposed from the Government Medical College to Meenchanda (13 km), via the mofussil bus station, in the first phase and from Meenchanda to Ramanattukara in the second phase.
It will be a 23.5-km stretch. A dedicated bus service line will come up from Meenchanda to Ramanattukara and to the airport.
There will be terminals at medical college and Meenchanda and 14 intermediate depots. The proposed corridor passes through major areas of the city, such as Mavoor Road, Mananchira, Palayam, and Kallai, and gives access to the mofussil bus station and the railway station.
Officials say the urban transport model has been formulated based on demand after conducting various traffic and household surveys. The model is used to predict the transport demand for the city for 2015, 2021, 2031, and 2041 based on the population and employment forecast for the areas. It is used to identify potential corridors suitable for developing a mass transit system. The consultant has pointed out that the capital cost involved in developing the monorail is very high compared to the revenue potential. But it performs a social function of providing affordable public transport.
The year-wise investments requirement for the project from 2011 to 2014 has been determined. The estimated cost for 2011-12 is Rs.276.28 crore; 2012-13: Rs.276.28 crore; and 2013-14: Rs.368.37 crore.
The total cost is pegged at Rs.920.93 crore and the escalated completion cost at Rs.1,021.13 crore. The consultant has mooted the formation of a special purpose vehicle with public-private participation for implementing the project.
The feasibility report has been worked out considering several aspects, such as estimating the ridership for a dedicated mass transit system from the city to the airport and the road geometrics of the city.
There was also an idea for developing a bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor from the medical college to Ramanattukara and constructing an elevated two-lane road from Ramanattukara to the airport. But the BRT option was dropped after a study.
The city, governed by the only Corporation in north Kerala, has to make room for the rise in population and the number of motor vehicles in the next decade. Unfortunately, efforts to improve the traffic situation have not borne fruit for quite some time. It was in this context that the State government came up with the idea of introducing a mass rapid transit system.
The Bangalore-based Wilbur Smith Associates has prepared a feasibility report for a mass rapid transit system for the city, giving connectivity to the Karipur airport, with public-private participation. The Kerala Road Fund Board, a statutory board of the State government, had entrusted the company with the study, sensing the need to reduce vehicular traffic on the roads and improve infrastructure.
With the company having prepared the feasibility report, the government has decided to seek the assistance of the Germany-based company TUV Rheinland to prepare a detailed project report by April 2012. The company is expected to provide supervision and quality certification for the project to be carried out in two phases.
The monorail has been proposed from the Government Medical College to Meenchanda (13 km), via the mofussil bus station, in the first phase and from Meenchanda to Ramanattukara in the second phase.
It will be a 23.5-km stretch. A dedicated bus service line will come up from Meenchanda to Ramanattukara and to the airport.
There will be terminals at medical college and Meenchanda and 14 intermediate depots. The proposed corridor passes through major areas of the city, such as Mavoor Road, Mananchira, Palayam, and Kallai, and gives access to the mofussil bus station and the railway station.
Officials say the urban transport model has been formulated based on demand after conducting various traffic and household surveys. The model is used to predict the transport demand for the city for 2015, 2021, 2031, and 2041 based on the population and employment forecast for the areas. It is used to identify potential corridors suitable for developing a mass transit system. The consultant has pointed out that the capital cost involved in developing the monorail is very high compared to the revenue potential. But it performs a social function of providing affordable public transport.
The year-wise investments requirement for the project from 2011 to 2014 has been determined. The estimated cost for 2011-12 is Rs.276.28 crore; 2012-13: Rs.276.28 crore; and 2013-14: Rs.368.37 crore.
The total cost is pegged at Rs.920.93 crore and the escalated completion cost at Rs.1,021.13 crore. The consultant has mooted the formation of a special purpose vehicle with public-private participation for implementing the project.
The feasibility report has been worked out considering several aspects, such as estimating the ridership for a dedicated mass transit system from the city to the airport and the road geometrics of the city.
There was also an idea for developing a bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor from the medical college to Ramanattukara and constructing an elevated two-lane road from Ramanattukara to the airport. But the BRT option was dropped after a study.
