IDUKKI: The monorail service in Munnar, a British engineering marvel connecting the hill station with Mattupetty, was washed away in the devastating flood in 1924. Now, almost a century later, the authorities have moved one step closer towards restoring the service, with an aim to attract more tourists. Trains will take only 20 minutes to cover the 5.5km stretch.
After Tata, the owner of the private land through which the monorail will pass through mostly, gave its nod to conduct a feasibility study for the proposed project, officials of the Tourism Department, Railways and Tata together with Devikulam MLA S Rajendran visited Munnar on Wednesday.
At the meeting, the officials decided to prepare a detailed project report and submit it to the government. “We need to get the approval first and then receive funds. Once they are ready, we would implement the project without any delay,” Rajendran said. A preliminary study was conducted on June 21, 2019. In the first phase, the rail will cover the stretch from Tea Bazar junction till Mattuppetty with one stop on the route.