COMMENTS

What I meant was that I am not aware of the ridership levels & revenue generation or finances of the Hyderabad system vis-a-vis what I physically saw at Chennai a few week ago (running nearly empty).

If anyone has links to such information, please do post it here, thanks.

• thumb_up 51 Likes
• · login or register to post comments

Hi Clive,

We have discussed about Commuter Rail earlier. Please see the link below :

http://bangalore.praja.in/blog/naveen/2008/10/29/commuter-rail-will-it-really-help

There are many possible routes on existing tracks that have been proposed by study reports earlier. However, the South Western Railway does not appear keen to build & operate a city system as most such systems in the country have been financial burdens needing subsidies to keep them going. I do not know much about the Hyderabad system, but I recently saw the Chennai MRTS & they were running empty most of the time.

Mumbai is the only system that is operating well.

• thumb_up 39 Likes
• · login or register to post comments

I do not know much about the Hyderabad system

Here you go...

MMTS was built on an equal expenditure basis by Government of Andhra Pradesh and the South Central Railway and is operated by the latter.

GoK should put their money where their mouth is. CRS will not happen by leaving it to IR. I have mentioned this before, have a state authority which will buy the rolling stock and invest in signalling and let IR just control traffic.

• thumb_up 38 Likes
• · login or register to post comments

Possible options to pursue CRS

• SWR alone, GoK or MoUD subsidise some capital expenditure for them (track doubling, first set of rakes/EMUs).
• A Joint Venture betweek GoK, SWR, like MMTS of Hyderabad to operate the service. This JV will have to pay to use SWR's assets.
• A PPP (put this idea to Mr Ashok Kheny, or Capt Gopinath - such a thing may do more good to Bangalore than them running for elections) that will buy or lease SWR's assets, build new assets, and run Commuter Rail on them.

None of the above except #1, or even #1, is going to happen because I am sure BMRCL is going to object - this new thing will be seen as competition by them.

In that case, how about:

• Extend BMRCL's jurisdiction to SWR's assets in the city, and have them run Commuter Rails with cooperation from SWR.

We can talk a lot of options. And I bet the informed people from government or South Western Railway side would be laughing reading all this - look at the these crazy guys, they talk anything without knowing the details and complications.

But sorry, we don't care for these organizational and structural details. Anyone who reminds us of details is only telling us that he doesn't have the will or drive to take initiatives.

We know of a problem - transportation in the city, and see a solution because other cities have it - Commuter Rail. Period. Rest is all details, the "how" that I don't care about.

• thumb_up 40 Likes
• · login or register to post comments

SB, Vasanth - Noted your comments.

I feel that there is a good chance to make this work well if BMRC is to operate the services with some of SWR's infrastructure & land adjacent their tracks. Expecting SWR to operate an urban rail (they have no experience in this) maybe similar to asking a train driver used to long haul trains to suddenly start operating Metro trains also alternately !

Also, introduction of a new entity into urban transport & expecting all of them to co-ordinate based on customer needs & meet demands & well - you know how the various government bodies co-ordinate.

These are the same reasons why the Chennai MRTS is still running nearly empty - I was tempted to board a train at Annanagar in Chennai recently, but my sources advised me that bus was better as the train stations are too far from bus stops & that I might have to take an auto when I had to transfer to a bus ! We do not want these sort of mistakes here, for sure.

If we want to demand a system, the entire focus has to be on the users, as jennypinto very rightly points out. Unless most, if not all the stations are positioned in such a manner that it is easy for commuters to transfer to other modes without inconveniences or is an activity center by itself in some high density surroundings, the utility will be poor & it will effect the system's operation badly, as it has done in Chennai & other cities.

Based on the above, & looking at the rail map, I note that the only routes worthwhile for operating frequent urban metro services are as follows :

1) Kengeri to City Stn - 13 km

2) City Stn to Whitefield (via Cant R'ly Stn & Baiyyappanahalli) - 24 km

3) City Stn to Baiyyappanahalli (via Hebbal) - 23 km

4) Lottegollahalli to Yelahanka - 7 km

5) Banaswadi to Chandapura (via Bellandur) - 25 km appx

The other routes recommended in the CTTP could remain under SWR's domain as they are all from BMA boundary to nearby towns & would qualify as suburban services.

The five routes above add up to about 92 km, but construction costs would be much lesser than elevated routes. There will be some land acquisition (for trackage, stations & other rail infrastructure & for approach road improvements at stations), but there will not be any viaduct construction (No disruptions, too !).

If regular Metros operate along these routes, the possibility to create satellite inter-city rail stations increases, & decongestion of city centers would become a reality, too.

Thus, the problems that will need to be overcome are :

1) Metro tracks (including width) & also signalling are quite different & the trains will need separate infrastructure to be created at grade.

2) Station locations & approaches for roads will need to be identified since bus services have to reach the stations.

3) Metro (Ph-2) & also Monorail, if there is going to be one will need to be realigned to avoid duplication & to integrate with these new Metro routes.

• thumb_up 42 Likes
• · login or register to post comments