HP govt moots monorail project for Shimla

To decongest Shimla’s traffic, the Himachal Pradesh government has come up with an ambitious monorail project proposal for the hill station.

Himachal’s Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma said he, along with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, met the Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath over the issue.

“Kamal Nath has asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to carry out a survey and prepare a feasibility report in six months,” Sharma said on Sunday.

“The Shimla monorail project will cost Rs 5,000 crore and could be funded entirely by the Centre. It will connect downtown Shimla to the suburbs and reduce congestion and help maintain the green cover,” Sharma said.

If approved, this would be the first monorail project in the hill state. Shimla being a round-the-year tourist destination and the steep terrain, narrow roads offer very little space for parking, as a result of which traffic snarls are frequent.

The state government also proposed monorail projects in other popular tourist destinations of Manali and Dharamsala.