Metro: Doomed to fail?

Dr. Badari A.R. writes that going ahead with an implementation of the proposed Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit system (Metro) based on the current plan means failure as it fails to link key parts of the city and integrate with existing transit infrastructure.

There are several reasons why the grand metro plan for Bangalore needs a rethink.

1. Even cash rich cities like Los Angeles are having intense debates about the viability of cost intensive projects like a metro-there are only 3 lines in operation ,that too incomplete ;invariably these services have to be heavily subsidised and user charges are almost impossible to levy,causing immense fiscal strain on capital scarce entities like state governments in India

2.Comparison is readily offered with Delhi metro;But Delhi metro was funded by a long term soft loan from Japanese Government ,which significantly reduces the interest burden on Delhiites;and it was a 3 way funding ,with the Central Govt. generously dipping into its coffers to bank roll the project,where as no such luxury is available to Bangalore.

3.The proposed route --a perpendicularly intersecting east-west/north-south scheme is eminently debatable; The western terminus is proposed to be situated somewhere in Vijayanagar (in all likelyhood along the boulevard).But few people are aware that the Bangalore -Mysore railway line cuts right through Vijayanagar (RPC Layout incidentally is railway parallel colony--also called Vijayanagar East);So it makes a lot of sense to double the existing line and use it from Vijayanagar to Majestic, where this line is supposed to intersect the north -south line. Again if we compare with Delhi metro it offers ample scope to extend the presently planned lines to newer residential localities like Dwaraka and even Gurgoan and Noida. No such future plan is evident for Bangalore ;Now even Gurgoan and Noida authorities have come forward to part -fund the line's construction into their territory;So why not propose a line along Hosur Road and involve Tamilnadu to fund the construction and extend it to areas where its needed the most--Electronics city/Anekal/Jigani/Hosur?

3.Everywhere in the world any new public transport utility is synchronised with the existing infrstructure;Chennai has seamlessly integrated the overhead MRTS with the existing surface rail lines ;Mumbai is planning the same with the proposed Mumbai mass rapid transport system;

But in Bangalore there are no plans to integrate the existing rail infrastructure in the west,north and eastern parts of the city with the proposed metro; Malleswaram,Rajajinagar 2nd stg,Yeswantpur,Yelahanka can all be included in the suburban surface rail;Another line can be constructed towards Peenya and Nelamangala;

An old metre guage line linking Yelahanka-Banaswadi --currently unused---cuts right through some densely populated areas of East Bangalore like Pottery town and Lingarajapuram;That can act as a vital link in connecting the north-western areas with eastern areas like Baiyappanahalli(where the proposed eastern terminal of the metro is supposed to come up),Banaswadi and Cantonment.

There is also another line (I dont know how frequently its used now) near Jeevan Beema nagar (used by HAL and BEML to transport rakes) which can also be considered for the network;

4.Most importantly,the existing HAL airport or the proposed Devanahalli airport and also the current and future hot work spots like ITPL,Whitefield,Electronics city,Bellary road nowhere figure in the metro scheme of things;

Across the world the city metro is connected to the airport,railway stations,ports and areas with very high workers; Churchgate or VT came to be the hubs because of the very high worker density in south mumbai;Even there the airports were totally left out ,which is being corrected now in the new plan; Only Chennai has all these linked;the central station,the surface rail network,the overhead rail network,the airport,the harbour,IT hotspots like TIDEL park........anywonder if it becomes the future numero uno leaving us behind?

Bangalore is no longer vidhana soudha centric;if the IT and BT hubs are not connected ,the whole project--which incidentally will destroy some of Bangalore's greenest areas and parks (Lakshman Rao and Vijaynagar Boulevards,Cubbon Park ,amongst others) --is an exercise in futility only serving the interests of the builder-politician lobby,taking all of us literally for a great ride.