COMMENTS

As per a business standard report earlier this week, Indian Railays was thinking of hiving off suburban railway operations. I don't think this has happened in this budget, but nevertheless, copying snippets of that report from Sharmistha Mukherjee:

"Suburban operations are highly subsidised. Though lakhs travel on the network, our earnings from these operations are significantly lower than that from non-suburban traffic," ... Data with the railway ministry substantiate this. Though passengers travelling on the suburban network account for 52 per cent of the total, they contribute just 7 per cent to the railways' passenger earnings.

Like Srivathsa Naveen etc have been saying here, Railways may not see business case for building new suburban rail systems. One reason could be the fact that you need a different operating mindset for sub-urban rails compared to running inter city services. Integration with the city and state's plans and systems make or break suburban rail systems.

Here is the business-standard report in question, BS sites seems down right now, check a bit later:

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/railway-ministry-may-hive-off-suburban-traffic-operations/386430/

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However, I do not agree with this :

On the same line they should have done this for other cities like Mumbai & Kolkata long ago.

Mumbai & Kolkata have had extensive suburban rail networks from a long time.

To make the point clear, it was not just about suburban systems. It was about the larger plan to decongest the mega city, that is what the holistic NCR planning is all about and the extended CRS covering an area of 9000 Square Kilometers is just one part of it. Where is such a plan for cities like Mumbai & Kolkata which are already bigger than Delhi?

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As per Dec 2009 reports, there are plans to create a new suburban rail system around Delih

Refer: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/delhi-ncr-cities-to-be-linked-by-dedicated-suburban-rail/23/53/380368/

The Union government will be forming a shell company with the state governments of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan to take the National Capital Region to the next stage of inter-city transportation. A memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed shortly, to be followed by registration of the company.

Read further

The shell company will be installing dedicated rail links between Delhi and NCR cities for fast movement, at an estimated cost of Rs 5,000 crore (excluding rolling stock) on the lines of the Mumbai suburban rail system. The project will include laying of dedicated tracks, property development to part-fund the cost and connectivity with other modes of transport.

Here is the more interesting part

Explaining the concept, the secretary said since it was not cost-effective to extend metro systems to cities that are far from Delhi, dedicated railway lines would be laid parallel to the existing rail links which currently serve both the long-distance and inter-city trains. The railway tracks will be dedicated and the Railways will decide whether the existing DMUs and EMUs that run between Delhi and these cities will operate on the existing tracks or the new ones.

So then, why can't this apply to Bangalore as well? In slightly different way though. Keep your long distance trains to the edge stations, and use the tracks inside for local trains. Beyond the edge stations, increase capacity to run local trains alongside long distance trains till places like Tumkur, Kolar, Kengeri, Chandapura etc. That is Bangalore 2020 for you. Spread the city around on the back of combination of Commuter Rail and Metro.

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N,

Section 8 Development of new Bus Shelters :
The construction of balance bus shelters (654 in nos.) proposed by BMTC and not taken up by BBMP, to be decided by PS, UDD.
If agreed, the development of bus Shelters would be taken up by BMTC on all the places suggested by them.

Thus bus shelters will be developed by BMTC (not BBMP).

IDD to undertake Feasibility Study for taking up Commuter Rails Service
connecting all peripheral metro stations within 60 days.

Why is it necessary for IDD to do a "feasibility study" (within sixty days) when CTTP has already done all the study that is necessary & has recommended a CRS network ?

6/7: Development of Monorail project for Bangalore under ‘Swiss Challenge’ as proposed by M/s. Scomi Geodesic

CTTP for Bangalore had proposed 60 Kms alignment of Monorail, out of that 29 Kms is being considered for Metro Phase II. IDD to prepare DPR for remaining 31 kms.
Authority accorded approval for preparing Feasibility Study for development of Monorail from Majestic to Agaram (14.2 Kms), on the basis of the recommendation of the Sub-Committee on Monorail. Principal Secretary, IDD will speedup the progress in this regard.

On the one hand the title quotes Scomi & then they quote CTTP & DPR required for remaining route & then again talk of one of the routes proposed by Scomi.

These meeting briefs appear meaningless. Wonder where they are headed !

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No provision for suburban railways in the budget. Sanjeev mentioned it; link and article reproduced.
"

The much-hyped local trains from Yeshwantpur to Anekal and Bangalore city to Devanahalli may not be introduced within this month as announced by Union Minister of State for Railways KH Muniappa, as the Railways are yet to obtain the necessary technical clearances.
South Western Railways General Manager Kuldeep Chatruvedi said, “These trains were not announced in the budget. Hence, we cannot introduce them without getting the necessary approval from the Railway Board. We are in the process of requesting the Railway Board to sanction these trains and it may take some time to get it.” It may be recalled that Muniyappa had announced, just a few days before the railway budget, that the Railways will introduce these trains by the end of March.Even the state government is very keen on getting these trains introduced at the earliest as they are expected to reduce the travelling time in between the destinations and vehicular traffic in these areas.
The state government had held a series of meetings with Muniyappa on the issue before he announced these trains.The state government had also come forward to bear the cost of both the rakes that would be run on these routes. It has allocated Rs 8 crore for the same in this budget.According to official sources, Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa could not meet Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on March 9 when he went to Delhi to convince her to sanction these trains, as she was busy with the Women’s Reservation Bill issue. The Chief Minister is planning to go to Delhi again to request the Railway Minister to sanction these trains at the earliest.

"
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Wait+a+little+longer+for+Bangalores+local+train&artid=ggiVMJ1lVpI=&SectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&MainSectionID=wIcBMLGbUJI=&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==&SEO

Extract from highlights of railway budget (bottom of pp. 6):
"

New Suburban services
 
· 101 new suburban services to be introduced in Mumbai area.
· More services to start in Chennai and Kolkata areas. 

"
So, seems to a election gimmick; ground reality is it will take a awhile (years?) or may never happen. Biggest question: what are the chances of suburban trains getting introduced? Only a meeting between CM and RM (Railways Minister not MoS for Railways) can answer that.

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