Will 'speed' station slow down traffic?

Will 'speed' station slow down traffic?
P M Raghunandan
Will the city station for the high-speed elevated train for the new international airport, proposed at the Police Parade Grounds, choke traffic on the surrounding major roads?


No, according to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The DMRC, which has prepared a detailed project report, has told the government traffic on MG Road, Cubbon Road and Residency Road will ease considerably once the new airport becomes operational in March 2008.

“There is no need for re-thinking on the location of the city station at the Police Parade Grounds. It is an ideal location and there won’t be any increase in traffic on surrounding roads,” a top official in DMRC told Deccan Herald.

How will the traffic ease? “Nearly 20 per cent of present traffic flow on these roads is towards HAL airport. With the new airport at Devanahalli becoming functional, this traffic will get diverted to Bellary Road. Once the Bangalore Metro Rail is commissioned, the traffic flow on roads surrounding Parade Grounds will come down further,” the official said quoting a DMRC’s traffic survey.

Though DMRC had proposed the Parade Grounds for setting up the station, the State Executive Committee, comprising the Governor and his three advisors, had raised doubts over its feasibility. It was feared locating the station there would increase traffic on surrounding roads. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation too had expressed similar apprehensions and recommended Byappanahalli.

Lung space

The Executive Committee, therefore, had summoned DMRC Chief Sreedharan to explain the pros and cons of the proposal. “In fact, the Executive Committee had come up with a new location, at LRD Park, but the government was advised against it, as the Park is one of the prominent lung spaces of the City,” the DMRC official said.

The train project is estimated to cost around Rs 4,000 crore, and people can travel to the new the airport within 25 minutes. Besides one of the stations located in the centre of the city, there will be two other stations -- at Hebbal and Yelahanka -- before reaching the airport.

Walkways

The DMRC has also suggested some short-term and long-term measures to ensure smooth traffic in this area, like - converting walk path between Chinnaswamy Stadium and the Parade Grounds into a six-lane road, constructing road over bridge and road under bridge at key traffic junctions, introducing one-ways, etc.