Capital to get 14 monorail corridors in next 10 years

Monorails may act as feeders for the Delhi Metro in the future, the Delhi government has hinted.

Chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday announced that about 14 corridors of the monorail will be constructed in Delhi in another eight to 10 years.

She also said that monorail would provide last mile connectivity to metro commuters.

According to government sources, the state government might plan to reduce the 115 km-length phase 4 of Delhi Metro, or even replace it with new corridors of monorails in the city to provide last-mile connectivity to residential colonies, said a Delhi government source.

The Union urban development ministry on Monday gave the go ahead to the 11-km-long proposed monorail network connecting Shastri Park with Laxmi Nagar via Trilokpuri and asked the Delhi government to provide all possible help for it.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will look after the construction and commissioning of the network.

The Delhi government plans to invite international tenders for the project after finalisation of a detailed project report in the next three months.

The chief minister, however, did not comment on whether DMRC would be given the task to construct and commission the new monorail corridors. The government is also considering extending the approved monorail network to Delhi University, Kashmere Gate and Chandni Chowk so that students and traders can commute between both sides of Yamuna river.

"The city needs better transportation facilities and after Metro, monorail will offer another smart mode of travel," Dikshit said.

The Delhi government will soon involve experts from Japan, Malaysia and Germany to conduct a feasibility study and prepare a comprehensive specialised report on the proposed monorail project, said Delhi government sources.

After completion of phase 3, Delhi Metro's network will be 392 km long.

The metro extension project is already facing problems related to availability of land.