The rapidly growing population, expanding cities, and heavy rush, as a result of rapid industrialization and urbanization has led to the need for the cheap and convenient modes of conveyance for the public transport, especially in the metro cities. A well planned Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) such as the Metro Rail forms the lifeline of the cosmopolitan cities which have a population in thousands of Lakhs.
The government must decide the metro model for a population region depending on the basis of the region's logistics, financial resources, population. It should avoid aping metro models of the other countries. The fact that the metro projects are meant to serve the cities with more than four million population needs to be kept in mind. The costs associated with these projects are decided on the basis of the metro project being underground, elevated or at ground level. Larger the underground and elevated proposal, larger shall be the cost involved. The funding of the metro project is done through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. The private sector brings in the required expertise, technical knowledge and the funds.
Metro Rail Projects in India.
At present, India has eight operational metro systems. The Kolkata Metro was the first mass rapid transit system of India which became a reality in 1984. It was the rising transport problem in Kolkata which resulted in the building of the first underground metro in the country. Currently, it has just one functional line and five other lines are under construction. It is the only metro service in the country which is functioning directly under the Indian Railways.
The Delhi Metro has been successful in ushering a new era in the sphere of mass urban transportation in India. The swanky and modern Metro System introduced comfortable, pocket - friendly, air conditioned and eco-friendly services for the first time in India. It has completely revolutionized the mass transportation scenario not only in the National Capital Region (NCR) but the entire country. The network has now crossed the boundaries of Delhi to reach Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttarpradesh, Gurugram and Faridabad in Haryana. The Airport Express Link between the Indira Gandhi International Airport and New Delhi has now brought Delhi to the league of Global cities which have high speed rail connectivity between the city and the airport. The Delhi Metro has also contributed tremendously to the environment, by becoming the first ever railway project in the world to claim the carbon credits by the United Nations.
It has helped to reduce pollution levels in the city by 6.3 Lakh tons every year, thus contributing significantly to reducing the global warming. The Delhi Metro uses regenerative brakes in the trains which lead to reduced carbon emissions. The Delhi Metro Rail Co-operation (DMRC) has partnered with Google India to provide train schedule and route information to Mobile devices with Google maps. It has also set up roof top solar power plants at many of its stations. All stations of the presently under construction are being constructed as green buildings. The Rapid Metro Rail Gurugram is an underground rapid transit system in Gurugram which is linked with the Delhi Metro.
The Chennai Metro Rail project is a joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Tamil Nadu. The project aims at providing the people of Chennai a fast, reliable, convenient, efficient, modern and economical mode of public transport, which is properly integrated with other forms of public and private transport including buses and sub-urban trains. It is the first elevated railway line in India.
The Mumbai's Metro is Asia's first Green Metro and carries lakhs of the population every day. Bengaluru Metro also known as Namma Metro is the transit rail system in the Bengaluru city. It has both elevated and underground metro stations which enhance the connectivity of its capital of the country. The Jaipur Metro has a double storey elevated road and metro track which has been used for the first time in the country. Besides, a number of metro systems are being planned for Agra, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Pune to name a few.
Most of the metro projects in the country are built under the public private partnership (PPP) model. This because the private sector can bring in the required expertise, technical knowledge and funds required for the successful building and execution of these projects.
Benefits of Metro Projects.
The Metro Rails which are used as a mass transit are environmental friendly than the other public transport facilities, private vehicles emit about twice as much harmful to the environment. The Metro has been successful in reducing the number of cars on the road which in turn reduces the pollution caused by Individual cars. Besides, it has helped in reducing the congestion and traffic problems in different metro cities significantly. The Metro has led to the commercial and economic development of the country by generating a number of jobs. Besides, the metro stations and corridors offer a business opportunity for different players. A large number of metro stations provide the site for advertisements. The Metro stations offers a large number of food joints, shopping outlets and other such recreational spots. Most of the business houses prefer setting up their offices near to the metro. This increases the connectivity and reduces the effective travel time for their employees; indirectly leading to improved productivity. The capacity of metro rail is much more than the other public transport.
This help in saving the resources such as fuel and energy which are spent on the transportation of the public from one end to the other. Metro has high speed, halts at specific stations and thus saves the time to a large extent. Besides it is pocket friendly and doesn't compromise on the comfort factor. All members of the society irrespective of their financial status, religion or caste are able to travel which enhances the social integrity of the country. It is a blessing for those individuals who are unable to drive.
The availability of the limited infrastructure for the public transport calls for the government to invest in the metro rail projects. The government needs to provide incentives and special benefits to attract the private sector players and the multi nationals to invest in our country. Besides, the attention should be on promoting the use of sustainable and renewable sources of energy in the construction of these projects. A rapid and efficient metro system in India will significantly contribute to the overall economic development of the country.
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