Metro rail sweeping transport in India
Urban India seems to be running in a single direction when it comes to urban transportation – metro rail. Metro rail is becoming the defining feature in urban planning of Indian cities and the whole nation seems to be infatuated with metro networks, projecting them as the infallible and at times the only solution for easing the traffic congestion.
Kolkata was the first Indian city to have its own metro rail which became operational in 1984. Delhi metro became operational in 2002 and Namma metro is partially operational in Bangalore since 2011. Metro projects are being undertaken in other major cities across the nation as well.
Metro rails in India
Metro rail in India comprises rapid transit, monorail being the other component. Metro is fully operational in the cities of Delhi and Kolkata, while Namma Metro in Bangalore has one operational phase till now. Construction of metro line is going on in cities like Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Jaipur and Gurgaon. Metro networks are in the planning phase in other cities like Surat, Ahmedabad, Pune, Lucknow, Ludhiana and Chandigarh.
Kolkata metro is the oldest metro networks in India; and it also happens to be the cheapest one in the entire world. The primary lines are Metro line 1 and 2. Other lines connect areas like New Goriya, Airport, Barrackpore, Barasat, etc.
Delhi metro is operated by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Total metro network has 142 stations of which 35 are underground. It connects Delhi with other cities of Natinal Capital Region (NCR) like Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, etc. Current routes are Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Violet lines along with the Airport Express.
Namma Metro in Bangalore is developed by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL). The first stretch between Baiyyappanahalli and MG Road has been operational since 2011. Currently, construction of first Phase is underway and a total of 4 ‘reaches’ and 2 undergrounds will be covered under the Phase.
Feasibility of Metro
As per an estimation, out of 5400 cities and towns of India, about 100 of them require modern urban rapid transit system. While deciding whether a city merits a metro, the general norm has been that the city has to have a population of at least 5 lakh. However, other factors like population density, traffic and cost of living of residents also count as deciding factors.
The urbanisation process in a city also comes into the perspective as we need to know whether the city is expanding and developing in a concentric model or along a straight line of corridor. Some cities may have satellite cities around them where development spreads. Metro rail may not be suitable for all of them.
As metro projects are capital intensive, the decision to go for a metro in a city has huge future impacts. The financing of such large scale project is also a tricky question. While the Indian railways undertook the construction of Kolkata Metro; cost of Delhi Metro was equally divided between the Central and State government. In case of Hyderabad Metro, government has decided to go for a public private partnership (PPP) model as the burden on the government is reduced under PP model. We must also look at other elevated alternatives like Monorail, as some of the Tier II cities may be suitable for Monorail as their choice for rapid transit.
Advantages of Metro rail
1. Metro rail helps to ease of the traffic congestion. Cities like Mumbai and Delhi where number of vehicles are so high that the roads often suffer from traffic jam, metros are the obvious choice.
2. Metro rails are cheap modes of commuting and in the present era of escalating fuel prices, it offers a good choice for people.
3. Metro rails decrease the time consumed in commutation and working professionals prefer it as it saves them time to reach work place and to come back home.
4. Real estate develops along Metro lines. Property prices rise along the existing and proposed metro lines and commercial as well as demand for residential properties in areas adjoining the metro stations. For example, in case of Bangalore metro property prices have appreciated by 15-20 per cent in localities near metro line like MG Road, Trinity Circle, Indiranagar, Ulsoor and Baiyyappanahalli. Commercial real estate has also benefitted from metro as leasing values in those areas have also witnessed an increase of 10%-12%.
