Thursday, February 21, 2008

New Bangalore Train Metro - A Good thing?

If it's one thing Bangalore needs is a public transportation system that does not involve buses. The new Bangalore Metro promises to deliver at least in part on the need but there are few glaring holes that need to be thought out. First, why is the train only designed for a maximum speed of 80 km per hour (50 mph)? Even trains in the US can reach 100 mph while trains in parts of Asia reach over 250 mph (402 km per hour). I recognize the distances are smaller, but designing a train for 80 km per hour seems antiquated.

My second issue with the metro is the length of time needed to make the Metro a reality. Comparing it to the Delhi Metro, the completion time line here is far too long.

The Bangalore Metro construction work on the first elevated section from Byappanahalli to Cricket Stadium (7 km.) began on December, 2006 while The foundation stone was laid by PM Manmohan Singh on June 24, 2006. The full network in Phase I is expected to be commissioned by December 2011.

The frequency of the Metro trains will be every four minutes initially. This would increase to three minutes by 2021. The travel time from end to end on the east-west corridor will be 33 minutes, and on the north-south corridor 28 minutes. The system is designed for a maximum train speed of 80 kmph.

Train Station at Old Madras Road

Proposed Metro Lines

Project Details

Project Start Date: March 2005, June 2005, July 2005, August 2005
Going Live: Mid-2007, October 2008, October 2009, December 2011 (Phase I)

Number Of Commuters Per Day: 820,000
Proposed Fare: 1.33-1.66 times the bus fares. Annual escalation fares at 4%
Cost/Km Underground: Rs 250 crore
Cost/Km Elevated: Rs 80 crore
Total Cost: Rs 4998 crore, Rs 5606 crore, Rs 6207 crore, Rs 6400 crore
Fund Formula:

  • State: Rs 1807 cr
  • Centre/Federal: Rs 1447 cr
  • Financial Institutions: Rs 2953 cr

Suggested Reading

New Chennai International Airport (Pictures)

Updated Picture of the New Chennai International Airport Terminal

New Kolkata International Airport High Resolution Pictures

Video: New Delhi International Airport Terminal 3

Updated Pictures of the New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport

PICTURES: GMR Rajiv Ghandi Hyderabad Airport Latest Update

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