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Mumbai Metro Rail Project plan gets mixed response
By Harish Rao
The Delhi Metro Railway Corporation Ltd has come out with a Rs 19,525 crore Mumbai Metro Master Plan network to improve the traffic and transportation scenario in the country's financial capital. The plan has become the talk of the town attracting mixed reactions from various quarters. Perhaps, the happiest person is Dr P.G. Patankar, Consulting Advisor, Tata Consultancy Services, who says, "I have been suggesting an underground railway system for Mumbai since 1964. In 1971, Dr Dalvi and myself again suggested the underground railway. Then no one was ready to listen to us."
The most vocal critic of the Mumbai Metro project is B. Rajaram, Managing Director, Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd: "Both elevated transport system and metro railway system are obsolete technologies. The future technology is sky bus technology," Rajaram claims. "I don't know how the cost of Rs 20,000 crore is arrived at. But a few years ago a similar study was prepared for Mumbai Metro Railway project where the cost was estimated at more than Rs 30,000 crore. Over the years if the cost has come down to Rs 20,000 crore it is interesting."
Giving further details on the project cost, Rajaram states, "I don't know much about the Mumbai Metro Railway project. But a sky bus project costs just Rs 5,000 crore for 100 km. And it can be completed in three-four years. The entire project can be completed in 1/4th of the cost envisaged and that too without any government support." Interestingly, a sky bus plan presented to the Maharashtra government by KRC a few years ago is still gathering dust.
The cost anomaly between the two plans is glaring. For example, as per the sky bus project plan, the distance of 20 km between Ghatkopar (a Central Railway suburb in Mumbai) and downtown Fort costs just Rs 1,200 crore. The same distance under the Metro Master Plan will cost not less than Rs 3,400 crore. Says Debi Goenka, Member-Activist, Bombay Environmental Action Group, "The government is dragging its feet on the sky bus project for trivial reasons. In case of sky bus it costs Rs 40 crore per km whereas in case of Metro project the cost is Rs 130 crore per km. That too we do not know what the final cost of Delhi Metro Railway project will be."
Another area where sky bus scores over metro railway is cargo transportation. Says Goenka, "Not much thought has gone into transportation of cargo. I think Delhi Metro people haven't been able to visualise the problem of cargo transportation. In case of sky bus there is a provision for cargo container transportation."
According to DMRC, a metro rail system will cost the passenger 1.5 times the bus fare. "It means that to travel from Andheri to Flora Fountain it will cost Rs 30 for a one-way trip. At this rate only those who travel by first class in suburban trains can afford this service," Goenka notes. Counters Dr Patankar, "If Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai can afford metro railway why not Mumbai? I don't think the cost is unaffordable."
According to Debi Goenka, there is no need for a metro railway system in Mumbai. Says he, "Mumbai's transport problem could be solved by revamping the existing system itself. Instead of going for MUTP-III and MUTP-IV, now an expensive metro railway project is being planned. There is scope for improving the existing services. For example, now the headway in suburban trains is 6 minutes on an average. Also, it is said that on an average 4,000 commuters travel in a train which has a capacity to transport only 1,500 commuters. If you reduce the headway of the existing trains from the current 6 minutes to 2 minutes all these 4,000 passengers can travel with comfort and without wasting time."
However, Dr P.G. Patankar differs on this point too: "By increasing the frequency of existing suburban trains the problem can be solved only to an extent. But then the signalling system will have to be overhauled. When two stations are close by the frequency of trains cannot be increased drastically."
Goenka concludes, "Delhi Metro has prepared the Master Plan without mentioning how much land is required, how they are going to acquire land, how the funding will be done, basis of traffic projection etc. I think the entire project is planned in an ad hoc manner. It appears to be an election stunt more than anything else."
Mumbai Metro Rail Project plan gets mixed response
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