CHAPTER 3 NEED FOR METRO SYSTEM

3.1

WHY A METRO? Public Transport System is an efficient user of space and energy, with reduced level of air and noise pollution. As the population of a city grows, share of public transport, road or rail-based, should increase. For a city with population of 1.0 million, the share of public transport should be about 40% - 45%. The percentage share of public transport should progressively increase with further growth in the city population, reaching a value of about 75% when the population of the city touches 5 million mark. Whether public transport system on a corridor in the city should be road-based or rail-based will depend primarily on the traffic density during peak hours on the corridor. Experience has shown that in mixed traffic conditions, comprising slow and fast moving traffic prevailing in most of our cities, road buses can optimally carry 8,000 persons per hour per direction (phpdt). When traffic density on a corridor exceeds 8,000 phpdt, average speed of buses comes down, journey time increases, air pollution goes up, and commuters are put to increased level of inconvenience. Thus when on a corridor, traffic density during peak hours crosses this figure, provision of rail-based mass transport, i.e. Metro system should be considered. In any case, Metro system may become inescapable if the traffic density on a corridor reaches 15,000 phpdt. Pune is one of the largest cities of Maharastra State. Pune has grown manifolds over the last two decades in terms of area, population and habitation. The city limits have increased a lot and areas like Aundh, Kothrud stand as one of fastest growing suburbs. In Pune District, there are two Municipal Corporations viz., Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and the district is spread over an area of 15642 sq.km.

DETAILED PROJECT REPORT FOR PUNE METRO

March 2009

1/4

CHAPTER 3 - NEED FOR METRO SYSTEM

In the last census(2001), the population of the district was 72.33 lakhs out of which the urban population of Pune city was estimated as 58.08%. Population projections suggest that in 2021, there might be 68.97 lakhs people in Pune and the population size of the city may cross 77 lakhs by 2031. With growing population and industrial and commercial development plans coming up for the City, the travel demand is expected to grow steeply. With the growing economy and inadequate public transport services, the passengers shall shift to private modes, which is already evident from the high vehicle ownership trends in the region. This would not only aggravate the congestion on streets but also increase the pollution. Hence, it is essential to plan and provide for a Metro System in Pune Metropolitan area. A study carried out by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has shown that the breakeven point between bus transport and rail-based metro system is 8,000 phpdt considering only Operation and Maintenance (O&M) cost and depreciation. If, however, along with O&M cost and depreciation the cost of capital at 10% interest rate is also taken into account, the break-even point is about 15,000 phpdt. However, it may not be technically feasible to operate bus transport beyond 10,000 phpdt in the mixed transport scenario obtaining on Pune city roads. The most likely peak traffic demand on PCMC - Swargate corridor has been assessed as 18110 PHPDT for 2011 and this is likely to increase to 20035 PHPDT by the year 2031. Similarly, on Vanaz - Ramvadi corridor the optimistic peak traffic demand has been assessed as 10048 PHPDT for 2011 and this is likely to increase to 22414 PHPDT by the year 2031. However, the most likely PHPDT values for the VanaZ- Ramvadi corridor in 2011 and 2031are 5817 and 10982 respectively. Pollution in the city has already crossed the acceptable limit. Therefore, road based public transport will not serve the purpose and there is an urgent need to introduce a Metro system in the city to provide fast, safe and economic and environment friendly mode for mass movement of passengers.

DETAILED PROJECT REPORT FOR PUNE METRO

December 2008

2/4

CHAPTER 3 - NEED FOR METRO SYSTEM

3.2

TYPES OF METROS AND THEIR CAPACITY Rail based mass transport in cities can be brought mainly under three categories:Mode Light Capacity Metro System i.e. Light Rail Capacity System (LRTS) Medium Capacity Metro System Heavy Capacity Metro System Carrying capacity (passengers/hour) phpdt Up to 30,000 30,000-50,000 50,000-80,000

a) b) c)

Since, the number of commuters to be dealt is relatively less in Light Capacity Metro System, its trains consist of 3 to 4 Coaches (which can be increased to 6 Coaches in future) and other related infrastructure is also of a smaller size. For medium capacity Metro system, the train generally comprises 3 to 6 coaches with ultimate train headway of about 3 minutes. The other related infrastructure, e.g. civil works; stations, passenger-handling equipment etc. are also planned accordingly. Heavy capacity metro systems have to deal with large traffic densities ranging from 50,000 to 80,000 phpdt. Accordingly, the trains have 6 to 8 coaches and other related infrastructure is also of larger size. Beyond the traffic level of 80,000 phpdt, additional parallel lines are normally planned. The metro system being planned for Delhi is heavy capacity system. In view of the present and projected phpdt on the proposed corridors of Pune city, a medium capacity Metro system is considered adequate to meet the traffic demand. 3.3 ADVANTAGES OF A METRO SYSTEM Metro systems are superior to other modes because they provide higher carrying capacity, faster, smoother and safer travel, occupy less space, are non-polluting and energy-efficient. To summarise, a Metro system: (i) (ii) (iii) Requires 1/5th energy per passenger km compared to road-based system Causes no air pollution in the city Causes lesser noise level

DETAILED PROJECT REPORT FOR PUNE METRO

December 2008

3/4

CHAPTER 3 - NEED FOR METRO SYSTEM

(iv) (v) (vi) (vii)

Occupies no road space if underground and only about 2 metres width of the road if elevated Carries same amount of traffic as 5 lanes of bus traffic or 12 lanes of private motor cars (either way), if it is a medium capacity system. Is more reliable, comfortable and safer than road based system Reduces journey time by anything between 50% and 75% depending on road conditions.

DETAILED PROJECT REPORT FOR PUNE METRO

December 2008

4/4