Our fixation with metro rail projects

Our fixation with metro rail projects

News:

1. The article discusses about the viability metro rail system in India with regard to the economic viability and the transportation needs of cities.

Important Facts:

3. Metro projects in India:

• After the first metro project in Kolkata in 1984, India executed its second metro rail project in Delhi in 2002.
• But afterwards, there was a surge in metro rail projects across Indian cities.
• In the past decade, more than 13 cities in India have sanctioned for metro rail systems and many more States are still vying for metro rail.

4. Concerns about metro rail system in India:

• Metro systems cater only to the vision of Indian urban elites by its “ultra-modern” appeal infused with values of “discipline” and “cleanliness.”
• The mass of urban poor in India cannot afford to travel by metros. Even amongst the middle-class users of private vehicles in the country, the use of metro systems is not very encouraging.
• Implementing metro rail projects come with significant economic and administrative costs as they are among the most expensive forms of mass rapid transit systems, and involve extensive land use changes for their implementation.
• It drives out investments from other cheaper modes of public transport such as bus systems, which cater to the majority of lower middle and urban poor segments.
• Also, the bus systems can cover a much larger area for the same amount of expenditure.
• In public-private partnerships, corrupt practices pervade due to inefficiency of the State to regulate such partnerships.
• The current trends in implementation of metro systems, irrespective of the city size and population mark, depicts a hasty approach towards urban planning that lacks earnest assessment and consideration of public transportation needs of our cities.
• The government has substantially contributed to metro projects through subsidies and equities. Revenues have also been leveraged through loans from international donor agencies.
• For instance, for both Bengaluru and Kochi metro systems, the government has contributed through equities and loans, and additional financial assistance has been sought from agencies like Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
• The entitlement of huge subsidies to metro projects also comes at the cost of other welfare schemes such as affordable housing, education or healthcare systems.
• The debts incurred from external agencies often pile up as projects are delayed due to land acquisition or other legal issues.
• The most extensive and densely networked Delhi metro system even has not fully incorporated related measures of inter-transport integration. This has led to underutilisation of its capacity at least 20 per cent less than its available capacity.
• The Chennai metro, also run way below their carrying capacity, to an extent that certain stations are almost deserted.

4. Way Forward:

• The metro rail projects should be carefully implemented in integration with other public conveyance modes.
• The incorporation of assessment systems to gauge the need of metro systems,should be based on requirements of individual cities.
• It should be accompanied by a comprehensive follow-up system to ensure these assessments find a place in actual policy implementation.
• The urban planning schemes  should be developed based on holistic visions of transportation needs of cities through adoption and integration of different modes of conveyance within cities.
• Lastly, investments must be channelled to enhance the capacity and efficiency of low cost transport modes that can cater to the vast majority of urban residents, rather than to limited segments of the urban population by high-end infrastructure.