Sunday, June 12, 2011

It is no more a metro for Coimbatore, Luckly we will have monorail

The mention in the Governor's address to the state assembly on Friday that the government plans to explore the prospect of building a mono rail in Coimbatore has been welcomed by city residents. Majority of them claimed that the monorail would ease the traffic burden, besides considerably reducing pollution levels in the city.

"It is very heartening to know that the government has addressed our transport problems. Even Mumbai does not have monorail. This is an indication that Coimbatore is being recognised as one of the major cities in the country," said M Krishnan, President, Chamber of Commerce.


With Coimbatore all set to become a major IT hub in the coming years, the vehicle and resident population is expected to increase substantially. However, some residents were concerned that since monorail is a long term project, the government should ensure its completion as per schedule.

"The monorail will help a great deal to ease traffic congestion but then, the project implementation might prove tricky for the government," said R Hariharamoorthy, a city based businessman. A few residents believe that the monorail will help curb accidents. "Surface accidents will be reduced as there will be less vehicles on the roads," said R Kalaiarasu, advocate.

The former DMK government had announced a metro rail project for Coimbatore. Residents have for long demanded that the public transport infrastructure in the city needed to be improved by taking into account the economic potential of the region.

Coimbatore is the urban hub for people of western Tamil Nadu as well as Palakkad district in Kerala. As one of the fastest growing tier-II cities in the country, the city needs better rail connectivity with neighbouring towns, as well as more comfortable travelling options within the city. The attention now shifts from a metro for the city to a mono rail. The point is to build it fast so that the city doesn't get bogged down by a crumbling public transport system.

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