Metro
•Download as DOCX, PDF•
0 likes•76 views
India is developing world-class metro rail systems to address growing cities, populations, and traffic. While India's first metro started 25 years ago in Kolkata, development has lagged other countries due to funding and planning challenges. However, India is now expanding existing metros and building new ones in many cities. Metros can carry large numbers of passengers quickly and efficiently but require extensive planning and have high capital costs. Public-private partnerships are increasingly used to fund metro projects in India. Metros offer environmental and transportation benefits but must be integrated with other public transportation systems to maximize their effectiveness.
Report
Share
Metro
- 1. India is well on its way to create a world-class MRT system as an integral part of community infrastructure development in the country,. Growing cities, growing population and growing traffic has invariably called for a shift from private modes of conveyance to public transport. A glance at the world's developing nations indicates that well planned Mass Rapid Transit Systems (MRTS) exist successfully. India (like many other developing countries) however has lagged behind though its first metro, the Kolkata Metro, started working almost 25 years ago. The reasons could be attributed to lack of funds planning as is known that such projects require huge capital investments, a long gestation period and complex technology. Other reasons could include the lack of integration between various systems of mass transportation and the absence of comprehensive traffic and transportation planning. While researches show that the ideal modal share of public transport should be around 70%, however it is in tune to only 35%–40% in India's metro cities. India is looking to create a world class infrastructure with its existent Kolkata and Delhi Metros with the addition of Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, and Kochi metros in the next few years while proposals for MRTS for Pune, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Ludhiana, Bhopal, Indore and Faridabad are being chalked out. Key Considerations for MRTS A metro model for a county would have to depend on its logistics, financial resources and should avoid aping a western modern blindly, rather should concentrate on learning from its shortcomings. Ar. Jit Kumar Gupta, renowned urban planner states that the planning, construction, designing and management of metros require extensive data, detailed surveys, study of economic structure, profile of settlement topography, travel preference, major traffic corridors etc. He recommends the use of technology that is available within the country or that can be developed since ultimately the system needs to be made self - reliant and self-contained to minimise O&M (operations & maintenance) cost. He advises that technology with low initial cost but with high O & M cost should be avoided. M Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, General Manager, Hyderabad Metro Rail adds that during construction time technicalities like proper hoarding, guided traffic signs and safety barriers are also kept in mind. Cost Factors Metro projects are meant to cater to cities with more than four million population and the costs in these cases are related to areas which are proposed to serve underground, elevated or at grade alignment. Larger the underground and elevated proposal, larger shall be the cost involved. Funding process is done through the PPP model (Public -Private Partnership) as in Hyderabad and Mumbaior byDMRC model by the state or the central government as in Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata. Mr Reddy is of the opinion that the correct funding process is the PPP model since otherwise if the government has to take up the funding, it would involve additional taxes on people and a lot of subsidies from other organisations which would become a huge burden on the government. He adds, "Generally PPP model is also not financially viable because we can't get all the money from fair box collection. Hence in 1991, the concept of LPG (Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation) was introduced which is an encouragement for private investors like infrastructure developers. Under this, the viability gap funding scheme caters to 60% cost borne by the private investor and upto 40% borne by the government in terms of grants. The Hyderabad Metro is the first metro to be on PPP mode. Though Mumbai is also on the PPP mode but they haven't taken the viability gap fund."
- 2. Ar Gupta feels that the high cost justification of metros has its genesis in its very high carrying capacity of passengers at a very high speed with minimum pollution. He states, "Metros are known to serve the old, congested and thickly built up areas where normal traffic poses greatest challenges due to location of major commercial markets, traffic nodes and residential areas. They are known to provide travel at a very affordable cost." He also recommends the need of a SPV to realise the project due to the huge capital costs involved and adds, "Government could participate through equity or meeting one time viability gap financing after detailed evaluation. For funding metros the government should provide infrastructure but the operating cost and cost of rolling stock must be met by users and beneficiaries. Where private players of repute are involved, the project could be sealed with private participation based on detailed conditions and period of concession specified. Land will be a major issue in realising the project for which the involvement of parastatal agencies will be critical. Sale of air space, advertisement rights, contribution of major commercial whole sale markets which generate huge volume of traffic, levying of external development charges on builders and promoters and a dedicated fund for MRTS can aid in the funding." The Advantages And Disadvantages A cheap mode of transport, the MRTS helps in low energy consumption, is eco-friendly (runs on electricity, thus minimising air and sound pollution), averts the number of accidents, is efficient in terms of space occupancy and provides comfort with ultra modern coaches and modern systems like automatic ticketing, advanced signalling systems, automatic train protection system and integrated security systems. Services like ATMs, food outlets, cafés and convenience stores at these stations make the journey more fruitful. Also such stations lead to nearby economic development. The international standard for MRTS with a maximum speed of 80kmph and average speed of around 34kmph helps in saving of time. Adds Ar Gupta, "With proper designing, the peak hour capacity could be rated at 3-4 lakhs passengers per hour." Mr Reddy points out that the only disadvantage of metros is the slight congestion on roads at the time of construction which has to be taken care of while Ar Gupta indicates the cost factor as the disadvantage, the solution for which is to integrate metros with others systems considering the volume, structure, availability of space and resources for traffic and transportation.
- 3. The travel time for the metro rail is 45 minutes for Corridor I, 22 minutes for Corridor II and 39 minutes for Corridor III. The metro stations are being designed keeping the local architecture in mind. The Metro that will rest on massive concrete pillars along the central median of the roads will prove a boon for the city's MMTS (Multi-modal Transport System) which is collapsing under the burgeoning population and has slower speed. It is also being hoped that the enormous material requirement of the metro will result in establishment of many ancillary industries and machinery manufacturing and servicing units. The Future MRTS is the best way to decongest traffic. However, a number of considerations should be kept in mind in order to run a successful MRTS. "Viability of metro projects depend upon correct defining of traffic corridors, technology adapted, availability of land, volume of traffic carried, capacity utilisation and acceptance of the mode by the commuters," Ar Gupta maintains. Conclusively, transport needs to be made an integral part of urban design/master plan of the city as it cannot be delineated to a separate entity. A multi-modal transportation system would ensure the use of MRTS to its best potential. The uncertainty about MRTS, which has plagued the importance of such systems in India seems to be resolving. Though the Kolkata metro was designed without a rule book and the Delhi Metro was designed on international norms but now India has a set of rules being adopted for metro constructions. The National Mass Transit and Training Research Institute (NMTTRI) in Mumbai (established by MMRDA), is one of its kinds in Asia imparting training and research on mass transit systems. The annual training courses cater to key issues like Public Transport Security, Safety and Emergency/Disaster Management, Noise Pollution & Abatement Measures for Urban Transportation, Integrated Ticketing, seamless Travel across Modes and Intelligent Transportation System. The MetroRail Asia – Asia's premier rail event (with a special focus on India) proves to be a high-value networking and knowledge-sharing of key metro authorities and operators with discussions over India's extensive metro growth. In its third year now, this year it is being organised in Delhi from 8-10 November.