CMRL Invites Proposals for Coimbatore Metro’s Feasibility Study & DPR
After being appointed as the Project Executing Agency (PEA) for Coimbatore’s Metro system in July 2017, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. today published a notice inviting proposals from consulting and technical services firms for the preparation of a feasibility study followed by a detailed project report (DPR). Both these services will be funded by the German government through the KfW development bank.
Invitation for Expression of Interest
CMRL invites Project Qualification proposals from reputed Consultancy firms regarding preparation of Feasibility study cum Detailed Project Report for Coimbatore Mass Transit System. Interested consultancy firms / organisations may forward their proposal as per guidelines in the PQ document published on our website to the undersigned, within four weeks from date of issue of this advertisement.Project Objective
The objective of the study is to identify the potential corridors for Mass Transit operations and finalize the one most feasible and appropriate option for which detailed project report needs to be prepared. The feasibility study cum Detailed Project Report is designed to be open to different options of Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) Systems for Coimbatore. Including implementation plan, detailed system specifications, block cost, economic and financial viability analysis for the most suitable option for Coimbatore. The outcome of the assignment is an Alternative Analysis Report and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Project.
– link to notice
Once assigned, the chosen firm will have to complete the assignment in two stages –
• Stage 1 – Feasibility Stage (Assessment and selection of an integrated Mass Rapid Transit system solution for Coimbatore)
• Stage 2 – Detailed Project Report (Verify the alignment options and suggest the suitable alignment with respect to local condition and primary survey data; Detailed planning for proposed MRT corridors, stations, depot, land acquisition, operation plan, etc.; Detailed planning for various system components; Assess environmental and social issues; Prepare a detailed plan for multi-modal integration; Legal and institutional arrangements, Estimate costs)
For a more detailed scope, see the document linked above. The last date for submitting interest is January 6, 2018 at 3 pm.
As mentioned earlier, the city’s municipal corporation in October 2015 submitted a ‘City-wide Concept Plan for Coimbatore’ to the Government of India’s Smart Cities Challenge and that gives an idea of some of the routes on which a metro system could possibly be explored and developed –
Line-1: Kaniyur to Ukkadam Bus Stand (along Avinashi Road) – 26 km
Line-2: Bilichi to Ukkadam Bus Stand (along Mettupalayam Road) – 24 km
Line-3: Karanampettai to Thannerpanthal (along Trichy Road and Thadagam Road) – 42 km
Line-4: Ganeshapuram to Karunyanagar (along Sathyamangalam Road and Perur Road) – 44 km
All four have been mapped out below –
Mass transit routes proposed by Coimbatore’s Municipal Corporation
For more updates, check out the Coimbatore section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
Good.. is there any possibility of metro services in Madurai (TN).. there was a talks earlier but no updates on that until now…
Haven’t heard of any recent proposals. Probably a good idea if Madurai and other towns first strengthen/augment their bus system and then look into heavy rail based transit solutions.
Even the metro man sreedharan is strongly in favour of a metro for tier 2 cities like coimbatore, madurai and a lighter metro in trichy…As a second largest GDP contributor, TN is lagging in urban transportation comparing to other emerging states…increasing buses will again lead to air pollution and cause traffic woes..
A 130 km metro network for a city with only 1.6 million population. Does it financially make sense since the capital cost would be easily north of 70,000 crore. You could easily buy 15,000 best in class city transport buses with that amount of money. FYI, Chennai’s MTC runs 4,000 buses and serves 5 million people on a daily basis.
Wouldn’t the govt be better off by investing in bus transport infrastructure or maybe BRT system. I hope that the feasibility team gives adequate focus on cost-benefit analysis.
Exactly my thoughts. This local fad of having a metro system is like last decade’s fad of having an international airport, and needs to stop.
If that is the case, why metro rail is chosen in Nagpur, Pune, kozhikode, trivandrum and other small cities..any Mass rapid system is planned for future benefits down the line in 20 or 25 years….the suburban system in chennai is 100 years old and when they started, the patronage was very less…but now it is crowded and benefitting everyone…you need to plan for the future growth of the city and population and about the current population
Nagpur and Pune are much larger cities as compared to Coimbatore. Even Mr. Sreedharan had recommended to the planning commission in 2012 that cities with above 5 million population should immediately have a metro and cities with population above 2 million should plan for a metro. All other cities should focus on bus transport networks.
Kozhikode Metro project has not started and is currently in a state of limbo. Trivandrum Metro doesn’t make much financial sense to me. The metro construction costs in the city on a per km basis is around 280 crores per km (its phase 1 will cost 4,200 crores for 15 km). The total system length is expected to be 22 km so it would cost around 6,200 crores.
The metro is expected to have a ridership of 2.5 lakh per day, which is 15% of total city population of 16 lakh (fair enough). Assuming Rs 30 average ticket price, you generate an annual revenue of 270 crores. Assuming 30% operating margin (same as DMRC), you generate a profit of 82 crores per annum.
Now from this 82 crores, you have cover your interest costs and the principal amount. Assuming 5% interest rate and 25 year repayment (being very generous), the annual repayment cost will be around 440 crores. The gap between annual loan repayment and profit is incredibly high (more than 5:1 ratio).
If I assume 2% growth in ridership (Kerala population growth rate is actually below 1% and declining) and further 8% growth in fare prices each year, the operating profit will exceed 440 crores after a long wait of 19 years. At that time, annual revenues will be 1,600 crores (490% increase), ridership will be 3.5 lakh per day (40% increase) and ticket price will be 120 rupees (300% increase).
Therefore, unless the govt gives huge subsides for the next 15-20 years through higher taxation, the project doesn’t seem viable.
Any public transportation is for the benefit of the people and in majority of the countries govt gives subsidy…As you have mentioned 15-20 years is ok for the metro rail to reach the peak of ridership and revenue…london metro rail is 100 years old and still benefits the people…
The routes proposed are not like metro rails for a city but like a suburban project. It is not like this is an industrial corridor which requires such a mass rapid transit. Even in big cities metro projects within cities are not making money (example Chennai) and this is bound to fail.
Is Mass Rapid Transit = Metro Rail?
The notice still says Stage 1 as assessment and selection of feasible MRT. And as far as i know kfw was reluctant in funding metro rails, rather it shown interest on BRT. As you rightly pointed out Coimbatore still have good number of buses state run and private operators. Rationalising some of the routes, providing dedicated corridors on high ridership routes.
Hope the stage 1 assessment will deliver a timeline on when and where exactly metro rail is required if at all city transport needs demand for it.
Hi TMRG, How can I find and view KIADB(Land acquisition) notifications for Bangalore Metro?
Hi, you’ll have to scan through the Karnataka Gazette’s weekly editions –
http://gazette.kar.nic.in
No simple way to filter by project
looks very good. All four different lines, sectors distance >24KM so there may be chances of creating min 20 stations. If possible single track monorail cost effective solutions because mono auto track change will take advantage of bi-directional traffic in addition to both the directions trains can meet at stations and start in their respective directions. If study is feasible to have single track broad gauges nothing like that.
Honestly, the city already has a well established bus network. I feel a string BRT system will provide the push for more people to take public transport, and be sufficient enough. That being said, given our bureaucracy, i think it will still be a decade before any metro becomes operational. So by the time it opens there will be sufficient ridership
You people also need to focus on ukkadam to pollachi else upto kinatukadavu because in coimbatore to pollachi route we have more industries also 50% education institution are there u people need to consider this..
when you compare western countries, local transport system like this, in places like this is viable….but what about water supply for such a planned population with extended areas? one thing is sure, there is so much land unused and development can be expected provided economic housing is taken up in the new areas proposed….we have all outdated buses /drivers/conductors. new sysem will cater to new gen population….what about the plan of government giving two wheelers to women…..whether distribution network for power is adequate to cater to this new plan for coimbatore…. big projects welcome…employment potential and generation ? actual german government supporting water supply, santation, hygiene, solar power generation – are they in conjunction with this metro biz? it will be an interesting proposition….
Hi,
Any update regarding the progress of Coimbatore metro project?
Geotechnical investigation is underway. I hear topographic survey is as well.
when u start the tendering for construction work
When u start the metro construction work in Coimbatore