Monorail or Lightrail

 Will it be monorail or Light Rail System in Bangalore? The state government is yet to make up its mind. The deciding factor will be the two corridors __ JP Nagar to Hebbal and Peripheral Ring Road near Kengeri to Toll Gate, Magadi Road.

The government has appointed a consultant to help them decide on a feasible rail system for the two corridors. The consultant Capital Symonds Ltd and Consulting Engineering, appointed to prepare a detailed project on the systems, would provide which option would be the best for commuters in Bangalore.

Bangalore Air Rail Link (BARL) officials told TOI that the consultants have submitted the traffic report on these corridors which states that nearly 50,000 passengers travel every day, with 36% travelling on two-wheelers, 25% in cars and 9% taking bus as their mode of transport.

The consultants will provide DPR (detailed project report) for both the LRS and monorail system and provide details on which will be a feasible option. "Later, the government will decide,'' officials said.

THE ROUTE

The first corridor will be from JP Nagar to Hebbal. This corridor starts from Ganapathy Temple on Bannerghatta Road, runs along Outer Ring Road, crosses Kanakapura Road and enters Mysore Road via Kathriguppe. After crossing Mysore Road, it will enter Jnanabharathi Campus, cross Magadi Road and enter Peenya, pass through BEL Circle, Lottegollahalli and terminate at Hebbal.

The other corridor will be from Peripheral Ring Road to Toll Gate on Magadi Road. This will start from Toll Gate and will run along Magadi Road for a distance of 9km till it touches Peripheral Ring Road.

What is monorail?

A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles travelling on such a beam or track.

What is Light Rail?

In a light-rail public transport system, trams run on main-line train tracks. This rail system can be run as a connector service to the metro. It can run at grade on medians of broad roads like ORR, IRR and Bellary Road. It can also run on elevated tracks or go underground where necessary. It can share metro infrastructure (power lines, signalling systems, rails, low platforms) and because it is low floor it is disabled-, stroller- and luggage-friendly and can also double up as connections to airport.