Multi-modal transport facility to airport is not necessary’

Multi-modal transport facility to airport is not necessary’

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Traffic expert and member of the Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development (ABIDe) M.N. Sreehari has questioned the necessity of having multi-modal transport options to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) when a well-laid six-lane road with four-lane service roads are available.

The existing rail route to Chickballapur should be patronised and passenger trains should be operated on high frequency to connect BIA with the city as an alternative, Mr. Sreehari said.

Questioning the rationale behind a high-speed rail link and elevated expressway to one destination, Mr. Sreehari termed the proposed projects as uneconomical. Even after completion of the proposed projects, most of the trips would obviously be shared by road-based vehicles as they operate from pick-up point to destination, he told The Hindu.

Mono rail was a better option, Mr. Sreehari said it will cost Rs. 85 crore a km when compared with over Rs. 135 crore a km of HSRL.

Mono Rail could be considered only if an alternative mode is felt absolutely essential, he added. Even having Metro connectivity to BIA is unfeasible and uneconomic, he added. The Mono Rail will take just 30 minutes to BIA and it runs on a small column and beam.

If the State Government succumbs to the powerful HSRL lobby, it is bound to repent later, Mr. Sreehari warned, and urged the Government to utilise the money for other good causes.
Bellary Road

The present volume by capacity ratio on Bellary Road is just 0.37, which is highly desirable. Even if it goes up to 0.6 or 0.7 in the next years, he insisted the Bellary Road was capable of handling the load. He said the Delhi model need not be emulated in Bangalore as there the link extended till Gurgaon, a densely populated area. Beyond Yelahanka till BIA the locality is not developed and it does not require a mass transit system.