Systra commences feasibility study of Light Rail 'Metrolite' project in Chennai

Chennai, India (Urban Transport News): French consultancy firm Systra MVA has commenced the feasibility study for the Light Metro Rail project (Metrolite) between Tambaram and Velachery. The firm will complete the study in five months, according to the officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL). Chennai Metro has decided to run Metrolite, a Light Urban Rail System along the Tambaram-Velachery corridor as the surrounding area is densely populated with not much road space.

Metrolite can take sharp curves and the period of construction will be less than what it takes to build a conventional metro rail system. “The study will analyse and recommend the possible routes that can be taken to connect Tambaram with Velachery. It will give an estimate of how much the project is likely to cost, the period of construction and how far it may benefit people”, a CMRL official said, reported by The Hindu.

The state government has recently asked CMRL to complete the feasibility study of this stretch by July so that the project can be taken up at the earliest. After completing feasibility study, the consultancy firm will brief about the various options and how much it will cost if the stretch is built at-grade level, elevated and underground.

Sources said that this Metrolite corridor is most likely to be built at-grade and will cost about Rs 100 crore per kilometre. Once the state cabinet approves the feasibility report, the detailed project report will be prepared. “The DPR will be voluminous and elaborate, covering all aspects of the project, the estimated traffic and other details.

If it gets approved by the State government, then the construction will begin”, said a CMRL official. In last year November, the CMRL had first time proposed the Metrolite system for the Tambaram-Velachery corridor in a meeting called by the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs in New Delhi.