Bihar mulls proposal to run monorail service

The Bihar urban development department is mulling a proposal to run monorail service in the state capital. Tenders would soon be invited for preparing a detailed project report (DPR) in the next couple of months.

Official sources said the government has asked the RITES to submit report of the survey conducted to assess the viability of the project last year. Bihar minister for urban development Prem Kumar said a decision to invite tenders to prepare a DPR of the project would be taken after studying the survey reports, prepared by RITES.

The monorail is an urban transport system where elevated tracks are raised to run small trains to ferry commuters from one part of the city to another. Construction cost of this mode of transportation is less than metro rail, as it runs on a single line and consumes less space.

The proposal to run a monorail in Patna was mooted during Lalu Prasad's tenure as railway minister as the latter was impressed by the urban transport system during his visits to various countries.

Meanwhile, officials in the East Central Railway maintained, that the project could take off only when the state government takes necessary decisions to acquire land for elevated tracks.