Scomi and Geodesic join hands for monorail project
Friday, 06 Nov 2009
Scomi Engineering Bhd, a subsidiary of Malaysia based Scomi Group Bhd, has entered into a Joint Bidding Agreement with Geodesic Techniques Pvt. Ltd, a leading engineering, design & structural company based in India for a proposal to build a 59 kilometer Monorail in Bangalore.
This agreement facilitates Scomi and Geodesic’s joint proposal to the Government of Karnataka to design, build, own, operate and transfer of three monorail lines. Estimated at a total cost of USD 2.4 billion for the first phase, the proposal is being taken up under the Swiss Challenge approach.
The proposed Bangalore project will have a total of 54 elevated stations along the three lines with three to four interchange stations. For each of the three lines, corresponding depots are being planned. To ensure connectivity with other modes of transport, ancillary structures comprising link ways and skywalks have been planned. Work on the first line is slated to begin in mid 2010 with the last line completed in 2013.
Under the terms of the agreement, Scomi will be the technology partner and systems integrator for the Monorail system.
Mr Kanesan Veluppillai president of Scomi International said that “Our collaboration and joint bid activity for this monorail project reflects Scomi’s success in consolidating its position as one of the leading monorail solution providers in India. Joining forces with Geodesic is part of ongoing strategic efforts to continue our expansion plans in India to bid for more monorail projects in major cities such as Kolkata, Chennai, New Delhi and Calicut.”
Ms Sumitra Iyengar director of Geodesic said that “Bangalore is one of the most developed cities in India and its vast growth has resulted in the need for multimodal systems of transport, making Monorail an important component in the transportation master plan of the city. Our partnership with Scomi is an endeavor to scale up the city’s infrastructure.”
Speaking further on the development, Suhaimi Tan Sri Yaacob, Scomi’s Country President for India added that “Scomi is proud to have entered into this key agreement to build the Monorail in Bangalore. We are positive that our experience and technical expertise in monorail systems will help contribute significantly to the progress and development of the city.”
This will be the first Monorail System in Bangalore and is expected to ease the congestion in the highly crowded inner city of Bengaluru. The Monorail will also serve as a feeder system to the Bangalore Metro and create additional transit capacity. On being commissioned, the Monorail will benefit the residents of Bangalore by reducing journey time and commuting cost.
