[Assam] Expert for Monorail system

[muktikam phukan]

Expert for Monorail system
By A City Correspondent
 GUWAHATI, June 10 – To address the greatest menace of the capital city, the chaotic traffic problems, reputed consultant engineer JN Khataniar, who has to his credit of concept designing the Welcome Gate-cum-Footbridge over MG Road and illumination of trees at Sankardev Udyan inspired by King’s Park, Perth, Australia, has come up with a dream project—of introducing Sydney’s Monorail system in Guwahati. Khataniar is going to present his project before the minister of DoNER, Mani Shankar Aiyar on June 18 at Kolkata.

Revealing the details of the project to The Assam Tribune, Khataniar said that the elevated Monorail system was the best suitable option for managing Guwahati’s traffic congestion as there was no scope of widening the existing road network, neither enough wide roads for placing massive sky rail tracks like in New Delhi.

“Underground railway network is also not advisable for the city due to presence of high ground water level, poor drainage system and perennial water logging, poor soil conditions and being seismic sensitive,” said Khataniar.

The unique feature of the Monorail system is that it is environment friendly, noiseless in operation, electrically operated with low energy consumption without any visible hanging wires. The entire system requires light structure in less space and can be accommodated by the side of congested roads or even over the road dividers without necessitating much dismantling and clearing works. Sydney’s Monorail network has the technical sophistication of using 7 cars of total length of 32.12 m, carrying 170 passengers at a speed of 33 kmph on a sleek steel box girder rail track of size 832x700mm supported on thin steel columns of size 690x250mm.

“The building structures in Guwahati are very close. Only a system like the Monorail can pass by the side of the existing structures without creating any disturbance as the vehicle width and height are only 2.06 m and 2.6m.” said Khataniar.

What is the other significant feature of this system is that the Monorail track can also pass over the flyovers easily, and run quite as easily on power back-up during electricity failure.

It may be mentioned here that during a recent visit to Australia as part of a delegation led by the DoNER minister and initiated by the Indian Chambers of Commerce (ICC), Khataniar was highly impressed by the Monorail Network Sydney and on returning back to India he got in touch with Warwick Horsely, General Manager of Veolia Transport Sydney Pvt Ltd, the operator of the Monorail network. Horsely has assured all technical assistance to Khataniar.

Khataniar has also developed four loops or circles for the monorail tracks covering the important locations within the city.

He has apprised Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and the Guwahati Development Department (GDD) minister Himanta Biswa Sarma about his project.










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