Reading and commenting on Dilip D'Souza's blog on the Peddar Road Flyover, coupled with Vishal's comment on my earlier blog, has prompted me to check out the Mumbai Metro Rail Project.
We all know the success story of the Delhi Metro. It's website made me frustrated as a Bombayite and proud to be an Indian. But I digress. Let's get back to Mumbai Metro.
This is what it is supposed to be
Proposed cost: Rs19,525crores
Phase 1:
- Colaba-Charkop - 36km [Cost: Rs7,432crores].
- Consists of an underground stretch of 11km between Colaba and Mahalakshmi.
- Of the 36 stations on this route, 11 will be underground.
- Line to be completed by 2010-11
Phase 2:
- Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar - 13km [Cost: Rs970crores]
- Entirely elevated
- This leg will have 13 stations.
- As I mention below, financial bids for this leg have come in.
- Mahim-Mankhurd - 12.8km
- Charkop-Dahisar - 7.5km
Phase 3:
- Bandra Kurla Complex-Andheri-Kanjur Marg - 19.5km
- Andher(East)-Dahisar(East) - 18km
- Hutatma Chowk-Ghatkopar - 21.8km
- Sewri-Prabhadevi - 3.5km
Implementation timeline - Till 2021
Total length: 146km, of which 111km will be elevated and 32km underground
Let's now look at the history
Past
This article informs us that the idea of the Mumbai Metro Project is more than thirty-years old. In 1974, the Indian Railways had proposed a 22km-long underground railway from Colaba to Kurla, which was shelved due to high costs. In 1999, the then-CM, Mr. Rane had met a "Mumbai Metro Planning Group" promising them that the Rs9,000crore project (in 1999) was "under consideration by the Cabinet sub-committee".
Five years later in Jan-2004, the MMRDA presented the masterplan for the Mumbai Metro Rail to the-then CM, Mr. Sushilkumar Shinde.
A year and three months later, in April-2005, the Delhi Metro Chief, Mr. E. Sreedharan presented phase I of the project to our current CM, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, who approved it.
Present
The Indian Urban Transportation Society's blog informs us that in early-March 2006, the Maharashtra Cabinet finally approved the Versova-Ghatkopar and Colaba-Charkop links of the project. As per this news clip, financial bids are in for the Versova-Ghatkopar leg and the shortlisted bidders are (a) the Reliance Energy -Connex combine with a bid of Rs1,254crores and (b) the IL&FS-Unity Infrastructure Projects combine with a Rs1,296crores bid. We await the winner.
For more details on the Versova-Ghatkopar leg, here is an Executive Summary from the MMRDA. This is an entirely elevated leg parallel to the Western Express Highway. That's the good news. The bad news? 3,000 structures, mostly in Asalpha village, will have to be demolished.
So, that is where we are. The Mumbai Metro Rail can single-handedly change the face of our city, and more importantly, public transportation as we know it. As always for anything good in Bombay, it's still on paper.
Future
This project will take another 15 years, i.e. by 2020 it should be functional. It's easy to be sceptical and rant about how this won't happen and/or can't happen. Yet - I hope it will. Things today are different from what they were 15 years back, in 1990. I'm sure that if I had crystal-gazed on Bombay in 1990, and seen Bombay as it is now in 2006, I'd have fled the city. I couldn't so I didn't.
We didn't have an option of blogging in 1990. Institutions like the MMRDA didn't have websites . The Right to Information Act didn't exist. Neither did the many newspapers and TV channels we have now. Yet, politicians were as corrupt then as they are now. And Bombayites were as frustrated then as they are now. And probably as indifferent now as they were then.
My point - we, as citizens of this city, should no longer play the indifference game. Form an informed view and hold the relevant authorities responsible for their actions and inactions. Ranting is easy (and cool?), but changing things isn't. How's this for a dream - a concerted effort on the part of Bombay bloggers (form a community?) to take up various issues on an organised scale ?
I'd hate to end on a note of depression. And hope is my latest addiction. Hope for the city. And I hope that the metro is up and running by 2020. So that when I look back at 2006 then, I feel good that I chose to hang around in this city - and more importantly hope for it.
Referenced links: Delhi Metro, MMRDA, The Indian Urban Transportation Society's blog. The news articles referred to above, and others, can be found on my del.icio.us Metro tag.
Technorati tags: India, Mumbai, Mumbai Metro Rail
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
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13 comments:
Thanks a bunch !
Yes, like you I am full of hope. Reasons:
1. MUTP after the government sorts out the World Bank mess would relieve some pressure on the current suburban rail system.
2. Sea-links (Worli-Bandra, Bandra - Nariman Point) coupled with improvements on the WEH and Eastern Expressway would clean up the road mess somewhat. I had earlier read a report saying that the Bombay-Pune expressway would be access controlled from Sion itself since the Eastern expressway carraige was wide enough to support it.
3. SEZ's coming up alongwith simultaneous implementation of the Nhava-Sewri link would provide a much needed additional outlet from the city.
4. The completed Metro rail would eventually force the revamping of the suburban-rail service (AC trains and possible access controlled platforms as well). These 2 would be complementary and cover most parts of the city. Am sure BEST would initiate feeder buses to service the newer stations thrown open by the metro.
Yes, these ideas would take time before fruition but for the first time I get the distinct feeling that things are moving in the right direction.
Recent impetus to converting Mumbai to a regional finance center would channel more money to the city (rightfully so).
Cheers,
Vishal
The metro rail will be a boon if it is actually built - but having heard of the metro from the time I was 6, pl. forgive me for being a little skeptical. And even the current schedule would complete the project only by the time I am 50!
Further, while building the metro, the govt. seems to have decided to use standard gauge - which implies that trains would not be interoperable with the current local train system. This is shortsighted -at some time in the future, one would hope for an integrated transport system, with existing tracks being used to connect areas that the new metro system would not cover.
But guess beggers can't be choosers - so lets hope for the best and take what we get.
I am a Mumbaite since 1965.
Year 1995 i wrote in my diary that the streets of mumbai will
be clogged to death and that Mumbai will be dead by 2005.
However today i am optimistic about mumbai,
Thanks to the Metro project
Sharad - thanks for coming over. Good to meet another optimist !
Hello,
Quite an interesting post. I am a Mumbaiite as well and the owner of the Mumbai Metro Discussion forum. You are most welcome to join us:
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Mumbai_Metro
- Vivek
nice blog man. I am a bombaite since 1993 studied there and worked there until 2001. I hope the public transport system of bombay becomes the best in the world.
Please Please Mumbaikars...look at the bigger picture and try to learn something from the mistake Delhi did. Well Delhi may be having a strong excuse for the mistake in form of Commonwealth Games, but why now Mumbai also??
I understand how the the people of Mumbai are excited about Metro. But I feel that they should look at the bigger picture and try to realize that Metro is not a very feasible option. The best they can do is to learn from the Delhi Metro.
All over the world metro rail,especially on elevated corridor, is considered as an outdated technology. Had the Metro been developed 20 years back when it was first planned, it would have been feasible. But now under the prsent scenario it just is a deceptive way of showing infrastructural development before the Commonwealth Games. The Metro is suffering losses for two years in a row, yet they are going ahead with this project. Soon when it will be time for changing the trains and maintainence DMRC will declare that it is broke. Then they will be running outdated trains and will go the Air India way. But no media will make this whole thing an issue till the Commonwealth Games. I personally did a lot of research and came up with some interesting facts and figures about DMRC. If you are interested you can read my article in Merinews. Here is the link: http://www.merinews.com/newsPortal/JSP/catFull.jsp?articleID=173&catID=8&category=Business
A strong public opinion can save Mumbai from going in the Delhi way.
Hi,
Holy cows it will take 15 years to make the metro. I think the goverment should really think again before starting this project. 15 years of traffic jams due to construction mixed with rains? Also why is the goverment not implementing the skybus technology which is newer and better-any reasons?
Thanks,
Varun
Elevated tracks are realy outdated. The world over evelvated tracks are used in metro rails only where urban planning is in followed in textbook precision. Mumbai is a case for non urban planning and adding elevated corridors to an already congested urban space is the wrong way to go. Not to forget the road congestion that Mumbaikars will face for the 15 year project phase (im being too optimistic in saying that the project will be completed in 15 years).
Thanks everyone for commenting.
@ Vishal - agree with you on your points. Let's keep hoping !
@ UI - The standard v/s broad gauge was a contentious issue. Indeed, beggars can't be choosers !
@ sharad - thanks for the comment
@ aditya - ah - hoping again. Yes, lets hope so. Thanks.
@ Vivz - thanks for that tip. It's great being part of the Metro Group. I'm not sure if you'll read this, but if you do I'd really appreciate insights on the metro v/s skybus issue.
@ Sudipta - These are public projects and hence losses in the initial phase are probably to be expected. Again, I don't know the DMC's targeted v/s actual details, so I'm not qualified to comment. However, while you have raised issues on the Metro, do you have an alternate solution ?
@ Varun and Urbanguru - Yaar, I'm not an urban planner. So I really wouldn't know the techno-economic aspects and differences between metro and skybus. I also have some questions here - do both of them have to be mutually exlusive ? Someone I was talking to also said that skybus can also be used for feeder routes (say till the airport?).
Any project of this size is bound to cause chaos. Delhi and Calcutta also went through their periods of pain, right? 15 years is a long time and we can only hope that MMRDA-Reliance (and whoever wins the contracts for the other legs) can work a way out to keep the pain minimal.
15 years are much more, Mumbai needs metro on this stage, why government have not planed for this before so that we can have metro rail now. There is long time for the completion of project till then will local will go on the same way as going on with triple the population as is now...?
Why politician do not travels from the train from which we people travels, we are using the same rail as the British have left and there is no any changes in railway stations. Well-developed stations in harbor line from vashi to belapur do not have maintained. We do still have the hawkers in trains as well as on stations. Beggars are still on the way of progress but government hasn’t seen them. Mumbai local is at saturation point we need changes now not in 15 years?
I am not sure if this is feasible as this sounds too simplistic to me. What about converting current local train into two-story trains?
What are the difficulties and cost involved?
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