Travel within BKC on a tram or Monorail

The Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) is all set to have an internal transport system. A feeder service — either a tram or a monorail, will ply in the complex and connect with the nearby railway stations, metro and proposed monorail, reports Sayli Udas Mankikar.

The Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) is all set to have an internal transport system.

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A feeder service — either a tram or a monorail, will ply in the complex and connect with the nearby railway stations, metro and proposed monorail.

The project has been conceptualised on the lines of European feeder systems in Vienna, Paris and Munich that encourage use of public transport.

A feasibility study conducted by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd (DIMTS) — a joint venture between the Government of Delhi and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) — is expected to be ready by January-end.

The scheme is part of a larger ‘traffic management master plan’ for Mumbai.

If this plan is successful at BKC, it will be replicated in other business districts in Andheri and Malad.

“With FSI at BKC set to increase, we expect the number of people working here will be 4 lakh, compared with the 2 lakh projection made when this district was conceptualised. We want that a system for transport is ready before the number of people working in BKC increases,” said P.R.K. Murthy, Transport & Communication chief, MMRDA.

The BKC vicinity is also set for redevelopment, adding to the population further, he added.

Number of stations on the route have been fixed and MMRDA will decide between the tram service and monorail after the feasibility study. Cost of building the tram service is Rs 50 crore per km, while a Monorail cost Rs 100 crore per km.

There will be 14 stations on the track from Bandra station, Kalanagar, Government Colony, BKC central area. It will cover the area on LBS road towards Sion. The service will connect Bandra station, Bandra Terminus, Sion station, BKC Central station and GTB station.

Mumbai Transport Expert Ashok Datar said: “It is a good practice to have feeder systems in a business district like BKC to discourage people from using private vehicles. I’m not sure about the need to spend huge funds on Monorail or trams on the basis of future projections instead of a simple bus service.”