The Hindu Business Line : Sreedharan for national policy on metro rail

INDIA needs to have a national policy for the development of metro rail transport, said Mr E. Sreedharan, Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

In a paper on `environment and mass urban transport' presented at seminar held recently in the city, he said that a national policy on this mode of transport is required if cities such as Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Pune and Kochi are to get a metro rail system that covers the entire urban area.

For cities with a population exceeding three million, high capacity, rail-based mass transport systems are inescapable, the paper emphasised.

One advantage of such a rail-based system is that it requires 1/5th the energy per passenger kilometre when compared to a road-based system.

An underground rail system occupies no road space, while an elevated rail system requires a width of about two metres, the paper pointed out.

Similarly, a metro rail system results in low levels of noise and air pollution, the paper said. For instance, a study by the International Union of Public Transport found that a light railway stems generates 46 times less noise than cars and 11 times less noise than buses, the paper added.

A heavy rail system carries the same amount of traffic as nine lanes of bus traffic or the equivalent of 33 lanes of private cars, Mr Sreedharan said in the paper.

The paper also pointed out that an urban rail system will substantially reduce journey times, and also offers travellers a safer and more comfortable journey.

With the growing demand for energy accompanied by increased air pollution in most large cities, a shift to alternative fuels along with a move to rail-based urban transport is vital for India's environmental future, the paper said.

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Sreedharan for national policy on metro rail