The French consulting and engineering group SYSTRA is preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for the construction of rail-based mass rapid transit systems (MRTS) in Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, and Jamnagar, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
These four cities will witness the development of two new kinds of MRTS, Metro Neo and Metro Lite, designed specifically for small and medium sized cities.
“The feasibility studies will lay the foundation for constructing either Metro Neo or Metro Lite projects in these four cities and it will be much cheaper than the conventional metro-rail projects. The DPR is expected to be ready by the end of 2022,” said a senior official of Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC).
SYSTRA will not only prepare a detailed project feasibility report for rail-based MRTS for all the four cities, it will also identify the possible corridors for operating the metros, conduct a traffic demand analysis and identify growth centres in each of these cities.
“High magnitude metro systems given its high capacities and high costs, do not make a case for an appropriate mode to serve the mobility needs of Tier-2 of Tier-3 cities. The Government of India has developed new systems named Metro Neo and Metro Lite which will fit into medium to smaller cities and are expected to be efficient,” the official further said.
“Considering long term development needs, the Gujarat government intends to develop such metro systems in four cities and GMRC has been entrusted with the task of implementing these projects,” the official added.
The Metro Neo or Metro Lite projects will be similar in experience for commuters.
The land requirement in Metro Lite and Metro Neo is less as stations are smaller in size. Secondly in some portions, the metros will not need an elevated corridor and will run parallel to the road.
“All these bring down the cost of constructing rail-based MRTS in smaller cities,” the official added.
GMRC is currently working on metro rail projects in Ahmedabad and Surat.