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BIAL Discussions - II
Written By tsubba - 19 April, 2008
New thread for BIAL discussions.
please use for further discussions on BIAL.
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Thanks madhu for that information the reason i asked for that
information was because I have some concerns about the plans that are
in offing for trumpet exchange.
The basic flow at the trumpet exchange is according the diagram 1. There
are 3 destinations, and the 6 flows between them are grade separated.
NS North to South (Grade Separated)
SN South to North (Grade Separated)
SB South to BIAL (Grade Separated)
BS BIAL to South (Grade Separated)
NB North to BIAL (Grade Separated)
BN BIAL to North (Grade Separated)
But KSRTC is planning to set up a transit area
within
But all this means that at the trumpet exchange, an additional destination Transit area(T), and 8 more flows will be added taking the total number of flows at trumpet to 8+6=14 flows. See diagram 2. This assumes the actual transit center (orange blocks) is on the west side of NH.
What the problem is:
My basic concern is all the u-turns on NH. Which, as traffic grows, will get progressively dangerous and slow traffic down. If traffic under the trumpet exchange backs up, it will block the arms of trumpet and inturn block airport traffic.
As of today, most troublesome flows are NT, TS and TB
NT: KSRTC/APSRTC buses from north have to cut across the highway to enter transit area.
TS: BMTC buses, autos and taxis from south will exit from left on the NH into the transit area. but on their way back to bangalore, they have to take a u-turn across the highway at some point. Once the airport opens, this traffic from south to trumpet and back to south will only increase.
TB: perhaps, BIAL shuttles from BIAL to trumpet can get down the BN ramp on the trumpet exchange and get into the transit area, but on the way back to the terminal, the shuttles have to cross the NH at some point. remember, there are only two legal ways to get to the terminal, the NB arm and SB arm on the trumpet exchange. for these shuttles, SB is useless, from the transit area, they have merge into SN, head north and go beyond the mouth of NB and then take a u-turn and then exit the NH via NB.
Now, till the KSRTC opens shop, we need not bother about NT, but TS and TB will be an issue from the day BIAL opens shop. so this is all an immediate problem.
A slightly better solution would be to have two transit areas, one on the west side and another on the east of the highway and connect these by atleast two underpasses for the moment. one for vehicles and another for passengers.
in this design, the airport shuttle drops of its passengers on the west side and picks up passengers to bial on the east side.
vehicles from south drop off their airport passengers on the west side, who then cross over to the east side, for a pick up by the airport shuttle on the east side.
vehicles from north drop off their airport passengers on the east side, who stay in the east side for a pick up by the airport shuttle.
folks dropped off on the west side by the shuttle will be picked up by vehicles waiting to take them to north or south. after pick up, vehicles headed north can conveniently merge onto SN. vehicles headed south will cross over to the east side using the vehicle underpass and then merge into NS.
A part of this solution is that shuttles from the terminal to the transit area(BT) take the BN ramp on the trumpet and merge safely into transit area on the west side. Airport shuttles from the east side of the transit are can pass under the clearence of trumpet exchange and somehow merge into NB from the right side. (slightly undesirable, but ok)
The issue with this design is that bcoz the space within the trumpet exchange is limited, it will quickly get overwhelmed as traffic grows. also for the vehicle underpass, they will need space for ramp. i dunno if there is space for that.
And finally, this is just flows, imagine if they have to partition space according to mode taxis, autos, buses. it will be very interesting to see how they manage this and who will manage this. meanwhile expect some chaos just below the trumpet.
The optimal solution to this problem is to have a transit area within the BIAL compound. preferably just before the first roundabout. an appropriately sized area on the north side of the airport access road should take care of the issue long term. all that would be required is a small (one lane) loop to allow bial shuttles to from the terminal access to the transit area.
and this just flows, then consider if they have to partition space according to mode taxis, autos, buses. it will be very interesting to see how they manage this and who will manage this. meanwhile expect some chaos just below the trumpet.
COMMENTS
santsub - 19 April, 2008 - 03:44
I was wondering if BIAL is working on the second phase and if so can they revisit their old master plan and make some changes to accomodate a larger airport with more facilities... how about an Atrium with visitor center or village and classy facilities with emphasis on great interiors?? then the existing North Terminal will expand and South terminal will come up as a mirror on the other side. Now in my diagram I have added 2 concourses A and B which are separated from the Main Terminals which act like satellite terminals and are connected with people mover systems (Ofcourse Underground)
How about expanding the capacity with concourses from 50 mi PAX to 100 Mi Pax - I am dreaming too much but its a possibility with the present plan - all that is shown can compliment the existing design...
Comments?? Is anyone in BIAL reading??
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21318792@N07/2424694444/in/photostream/
tsubba - 19 April, 2008 - 03:55
And meanwhile crude oil hits $117/barrel
s_yajaman - 19 April, 2008 - 04:32
If crude oil continues on its upward march, BIAL as it stands today might be enough for the next 20 years.
NorthWest and Delta merged (awaiting clearance). The global airline industry was forecast to make a profit of $4.5B this year, but that was on a crude oil price of $85/barrel. If crude remains where it is, they will make a loss of $30B.
Not sure if you also read this - but American had to ground it's entire fleet for a maintenance related reason. I also read that in the US, planes are flying with less fuel vs. 5 years back to lower costs.
Given how competitive the airline industry is, no one can raise fares unilaterally and it will become a game of "the last man standing". Mergers are one way of making things less competitive and thereby enabling airlines to raise fares.
There is every possibility of air travel becoming the elite form of transport that it was not so long back.
Srivathsa
tsubba - 19 April, 2008 - 03:34
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