Irrational metro rail mania in India wasting public funds, but roads congested, pollution remains?

How India is fooled by false promises and forced to part with thousands of crores of Public funds for metro rail projects! Most surprising even respected Dr Abdul kalam and Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, got brushed aside by the lobbies.

Why Sri Narendra Modi too should be following in the footsteps of UPA policy of compromising the public interest, is irrational.

At a glance : Existing metro rail design cannot do what India’s Skybus metro rail can do but Skybus can do what the metro ral can do very well.

Promoters of metro systems often claim that one of the benefits of the metro is reduced congestion, due to the users’ shift from road-based motorized modes to metro systems. This mode shift is then claimed to result in reduced air pollution and road accidents. However, the experience of metro rails in low and middle income counties around the world shows otherwise (Mohan, 2008). Due to the induced demand, the available road space fills up with motorized vehicles, and the modal shift to metro does not result in the reduction of congestion or air pollution. 

Source:

UNEP Report by IIT Delhi on Low Carbon transport

A study done by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on pollution levels in Delhi illustrates that in 2001 (Delhi Metro started in 2002) the annual average level of respiratory suspended particulate matter (RSPM, or PM10) in residential areas stood at 149 microgram per cubic metre. After registering a drop in 2005, the level rose to 209 microgram per cubic metre in 2008. The concentration is approximately three times higher than safe levels. Similarly, the eight-hourly maximum current level of carbon monoxide (CO) is touching 6,000 microgram per cubic metre – way above the safe level of 2,000 microgram per cubic metre – though the annual levels have registered a drop. Overall, these figures illustrate that the operation of the Delhi Metro has not led to a reduction in pollution levels in the city (Randhawa, 2012). Entire world knows even in 2003… no city solved the congestion problem with metro rail because the railway design feature cannot allow railway to follow only roads and be an alternative.

Whereas had Skybus metro which follows roads can decongest roads because all along the roads one gets rail based mass transit with capacity of 40,000 pphd. For details : click here. Skybus Metro initiative of Atal B. Vajpayee & Dr Abdul Kalam 

How can any rational person be so blind to what Sri Atal Ji and Dr Abdul Kalam gifted as Skybus Metro rail solution to decongest roads reduce pollution? 

But India has engineers and administrators highly acclaimed,  who can act so irrationally and blatantly to spend four times the cost of own proven Skybus Metro, on metro rail of legacy design , just because it is a matter of imported design and pretend they are doing a service to the nation while committing fraud on  the public. 

Both in terms of capital cost and revenues the nation is cheated. Metro rail costs FOUR times the Skybus metro rail and in terms of revenues for the same level of capital expenditure , SKybus earns four times the revenue and provides four times the route kilometers as compared to legacy metro rail. 

Worst is even after all the expenditure on metro rail. The pollution and congestion on roads get worsened with metro rail!!! 

But Skybus metro rail following the road network , absolutely provided without road connectivity issues direct access to commuters from the road wherever they are. The secret is flexibility of the Skybus metro rail, by eliminating the points and crossings with turntable and traverser systems, and very small footprint of stations along the footpath of road, 

Beauty of Skybus is there is no terminal concept- and works on the basis of clearing commuters as they arrive at the rate of 300 commuters per 15 seconds. 

To get a feel for the wasteful expenditure which does not serve the goal : It was stated by DMRC average cost of metro network was Rs 210 cr per route km . The Skybus metro on turn key basis with the most modern facilities including platform screen doors( missing in DMRC) was Rs 50 cr per 1.5 route km as verified by CAG , which means just around Rs 38 cr. per route km. 

TO err on the safer side let us say Skybus metro costs ¼ th that of DMRC for a city network. The saving in Skybus metro happens because of elimination of serious risks of derailments and capsizing by the re-engineering , the design eliminates the two serious risks. SO material usage saved in design. Further no tunnels or large accommodation works are needed, practically needing no habitat to be disturbed nor business to be uprooted. So costs saved.

SO for 600 km till now completed Govt spent 600x210= Rs126,000 cr!! But Skybus metro would have cost only Rs 31,500 cr! That means an avoidable expenditure of     Rs 94,500 cr occurred and congestion of Delhi remains! 

And like Mumbai Rs 19000 cr project and others on the anvil add up to another 600 km or so! WHich means another avoidable expenditure of as much funds. Even on rough estimates India is going to waste Rs 180,000 cr --- and further on a solution which does not pay for itself not solve the road congestion problem! 

What can one say about the over smart people who are driving the process who seem to have contempt for the IQ levels of the Indian Public ! 

The sad part is even Shri Narendra Modi is getting dragged into this grand open scam , by his advisors , who seem to have hidden the truth . 

If India under Sri Modi continues on this path , how history will judge is a matter , only time will tell.