The Hindu Business Line : Kolkata metro must change track

The Kolkata metro should be de-linked from the Indian Railways and reconstituted into a separate company with accent on the way it is run in other parts of the world. It should, preferably, be integrated with the new east-west underground system being planned for the city.

THE KOLKATA metro should be de-linked from the Indian Railways and reconstituted into a separate company.

Should Kolkata's metro rail — the country's first underground rapid transit system — continue in its present form, as part of the Indian Railways? The question is important for several reasons.

First, in no other corner of the world is the underground transportation system part of the main rail system; it is usually integrated with the local urban transportation system. The same is true of the newly-commissioned Delhi metro rail. The underground transport systems, due to be launched in other cities (Bangalore has already got the approval; in Mumbai, Reliance is likely to tie up with Bombardier for launching the project) too, will not be part of the Railways.

On different lines

Second, although the Kolkata metro is treated as just another zonal arm of the Indian Railways, there is hardly any similarity between the two, functionally or otherwise. In terms of passenger profile, length (16.45 km), the number of stations (17), the ticketing system or the signalling, facilities, the Kolkata metro is markedly different from other zonal railways.

Finally, being part of the Indian Railways, the Kolkata metro has inherited from it the several not-so-good features — surplus manpower (150 per km compared to 45 or so in Delhi metro) and limited property development (only Rs 7 crore from advertising whereas a property developer has to invest more than Rs 200 crore in the Delhi metro).

The Kolkata metro is run by those transferred from the Indian Railways, with limited exposure to the modern transportation systems. For example, most of those working on the Tollygugaj-Garia extension project of the Kolkata metro do not seem to have any idea of how the Delhi metro looks like, let alone its functioning. While the Kolkata metro is a mere transportation system, the other metros coming up will provide, in addition to transportation, commercially successful models.

Objective of Kolkata metro

The work on the Kolkata metro began in 1972 and the service was launched in 1984. It is, thus, close to completing quarter of a century and the signs of ageing are evident. The technology is old: The doors do not function properly and the air-conditioning is ineffective. The ticketing system is obsolete and the fare structure different. It was conceived and implemented at a time when the objective was to create a low-cost rapid transport system to benefit common people. The cumulative effect of all this is, when other zonal railways are trying hard, mostly with success, to post good financial results, the Kolkata's metro continues to be in the red, with little prospects of it turning the corner in near future.

The next move

What, then, should be done? According to experts, the Kolkata metro should be de-linked from the Indian Railways and reconstituted into a separate company with accent on the way it is run in other parts of the world. It should, preferably, be integrated with the new east-west underground system being planned for the city. This is not something ambitious and only the local government must take the initiative. Fortunately, the West Bengal Government does not lack such an initiative. It is the prime mover behind the proposed underground system in the East-West direction — from Rajarhat in the eastern fringe, where a new township is being developed, to Dasnagar across the Hooghly river in the Howrah district in the west, via Salt Lake. The proposed system will not be part of the Indian Railways. The total length of the proposed line will be a little more than 22 km and there will be 22 stations and the total cost is estimated at more than Rs 4,000 crore.

GenNext Metro

The West Bengal Government commissioned the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to prepare a detailed feasibility report on the project which has since been submitted. By all indications, it will be a GenNext Metro of the 21st century. It will have standard-gauge tracks, modern facilities for passengers, station amenities will be state-of-the art, signalling will be different and, naturally, the fare structure will be higher because of increased investment.

Thus, if the present Kolkata metro is not integrated with the proposed underground system , the city will face a peculiar situation. In one part, there will be a sleek modern system ideally suited for those prepared to pay for speed and comfort and, in the other, an old creaking one for those who cannot afford it.

Integrating systems

True, the integration of the two systems will not be easy. For example, the present Kolkata metro is a broad-gauge system while the proposed one will be of standard gauge. There will be other problems too, but none of them, it is felt, is unsurmountable. Most important, the integration of the two systems can bring down the cost of the proposed new system. For example, the Central station under the existing system has already had a tunnel built under it to facilitate movement in the east-west direction. The proposed east-west system will spare the Central of the additional cost of excavating a tunnel.

Next, the present Kolkata metro has a huge coach repair and maintenance depot spread over 140 acres virtually in the heart of the city, in Dum Dum. The facility is grossly under-utilised.

The proposed east-west system, by way of the process of integration, can take control of the facility, without incurring any extra cost. After all, creating a coach maintenance and repair facility constitutes a sizeable portion of the total cost of any underground rapid transport project.

More Stories on : Railways | On the move

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Nagpur to emerge as key logistics hub

Promise of world-class experience

`Enhance capacity of airports to handle foreign trade'

Shipyards: Building on the boom

GAC expands network

All at sea

Campaign on lifeboats

Kolkata metro must change track

21 in race for 4 budget hotels of Railways

Chennai-Kochi trains to have `Raksha Kavach'

Overhauling the road sector