Scomi bids for Chennai monorail job

CHENNAI: Scomi Group Bhd has submitted a proposal to take part in the proposed monorail project in Chennai, where the state government plans to build a total of 300km stretch to ease traffic flow.

"Monorail is the most ideal transportation system for a city like Chennai.

Scomi is keen to participate and implement monorail project in Chennai.

"We have submitted our proposal to the chief minister's office about three weeks ago," Selvaraja Chinnasamy, Mumbai-based Scomi International's Head of Business Development -- India, said.

The newly elected Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, has announced plans to introduce monorail transportation system in the traffic-choked city, home to about 4.6 million people.

It plans to raise public transportation system from the current 27 per cent share in the southern state to 46 per cent by 2026, and monorail has been tipped to be a new mode of transport for urban dwellers.

The government has earmarked the first phase of 111km stretch to be completed within two to three years in Chennai -- Tamil Nadu's capital and fifth most populace state in India.

"Scomi has decided to enter into major Indian metropolitan cities to implement monorail transportation system and after Mumbai, we are looking at Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai," added Selvaraja.

Scomi, along with its Indian consortium partner Larsen & Toubro, successfully won the bid to build the 19.5km monorail stretch in India's financial capital of Mumbai in 2008 and works are in progress in the city.

The Mumbai project, costing RM1.85 billion, is India's maiden monorail project. -- Bernama