| Kolkata Monorail | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Locale | Kolkata Metropolitan Area |
| Transit type | Straddle-beamMonorail |
Kolkata Monorail was a rail-based transit project planned for the city ofKolkata,West Bengal,India. This was the first proposed monorail in the country.[1][2][3][4]
The initial plan regarding the monorail was floated in 2004.[5][6] In November that 2008, the first corridor (Budge Budge toTaratala) was finalised and the project was awarded to Andromeda Technologies, at a total cost of Rs. 1,200 crore, along with a German company, Derap AG & Helbling Technik AG and Fernmeldewerk Munchen Aubing, as technology and signalling partners, respectively.[7] It was abuild-own-operatepublic-private partnership model betweenGovernment of West Bengal and Andromeda Technologies Pvt. Ltd. The coaches were supposed to be initially imported from Germany, and later locally produced atTitagarh Wagons,Jessop and Texmaco.[1] It was targeted that the phase 1 corridor would be operational by the next 4–5 years. The 2nd phase was a 52 km long route fromTaratala toRajarhat.[7] But, the project was put on hold, due to lack of support from financial institution and unfavourable conditions, and Andromeda Technologies pulled out from it. The sanction ofOrange Line in 2010-11 Railway Budget, led to the end of the monorail corridor, since both had almost the same alignment.[8][3]
Scomi Engineering, expressed its intention to develop monorail system in the city, especially inNew Town, with a budget of Rs. 2000-2500 crore.[9]
In 2016, the plan was revived. A 70 km corridor from Budge Budge to Ruby on EM Bypass, via Budge Budge Trunk Road, New Alipore and Prince Anwar Shah Road, was proposed, to connect partsSouth 24 Parganas with theOrange Line.[10] The state industry promotion and development board approved the proposal submitted by Burn Standard. Thus, Burn Standard was the implementation agency of the project in PPP model withGovernment of West Bengal, at a cost of Rs. 4,216 crore. The Physical construction was planned to begin by March 2017 with a 3-year deadline.[6][4][11] The project again came to a halt after few years.
West Bengal Housing & Infrastructure Development Corporation in October 2018 proposed monorail forNew Town, the fast-growing planned satellite city of Kolkata andSalt Lake, another planned city adjacent to New Town. The feasibility study was conducted and cost evaluation of the project was done. The line would start at Ultandanga, and pass via Salt Lake Sector I & III and would end at New Town, thus connectingGreen Line andOrange Line. The total cost of project was estimated at Rs. 4500 crore.[12][13][14]
Again in 2020,Braithwaite & Co., started talks withGovernment of West Bengal to set up monorail in the state. It is planned to run betweenSealdah andTitagarh. The corridor is still in planning stage.[15] In February 2020, New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) shelved the monorail proposal in and around New Town, and preferred to opt for a cheaper ropeway system.[16]
| Year | 2006 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Corridor | Budge Budge –Taratala | Taratala –Rajarhat | NewTown | Budge Budge –Ruby | Ultadanga –New Town | Sealdah –Titagarh |
| Length | 20 kilometres (12 mi) | 52 kilometres (32 mi) | 00 kilometres (0 mi) | 70 kilometres (43 mi) | 13 kilometres (8.1 mi)^ | 20 kilometres (12 mi)^ |
| Status | Proposed | Scrapped | Scrapped | Proposed | Scrapped | Proposed |
^ : Approximate Length
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Suburban rail |
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| Rapid transit |
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| Monorail |
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| Metrolite |
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| Tram |
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