[sustran] Re: Mumbai Metro Proposal

[Kisan Mehta]

  Dear Colleagues,

  Awfully grateful to Eric, Dina and Craig for qick response and some really
valuable comments,
  We are still busy extracting info and preparing
  our response. so this is a quick thanks

  Tric Bruun contentions:
  It is a fact that underground metro is the only solution for linking
points that cannot connected in any other way.   Costs, observed from actual
working in Kolkata and now Delhi, are terribly high beyond the affordability
level of the common man/ In Kolkata, the service cannot used by the poor
while the rich are not  ready to discard their car in favour of the metro.

  Luckily the underground component is low in relation
  to elevated in the Mumbai Metro. Elevated alignment however is along the
narrow, overcorded roads.  The claim is that the pylons will occupy only 1.5
sq m of road space is falsified by the experience we now have of the
elevated roads. The authorities hire the entire width of the elevated road
(on the ground below) for `pay and park' to earn some money (and to attract
vehicles to crowded areas where stopping of vehicle was even forbidden).
Financial resources are already scarce. Authorities have no desire to
control personal vehicles hence the users of gound roads are put to severe
hardship.    A cost of Ind Rs 200 billion has
  (Rs 47 make one US $) been indicated which by
  all considerations is a gross underestimate.
  We accept that some links are beyond any other solution except underground
tube but there can be
  no justification to create metro where commuter rail
  already exists and can be augmented.

   Gina Manzo's contentions

  Yes! All decisions taken on political grounds and that too by politicians
who are unable to see beyond politics.   This has to be countereed and
faced. More importantly, decisions have to tow up with the conditionalities
of the World Bank and financial institutions.  In the case of the Mumbai
Urban Transport Project the Bank extended substantial
  loan with bank sharing 80% in road subprojects as against 46% for commuter
railway. Transport
  agencies work in league with the Bank officers in evolving the propoject
proposal.

  Encroachment of roads and public places is a serious issue.  Now that the
state has developed a sound resettlement and rehabilotation policy many
hurdles are overcome. Sheela Patel's SPARC is one NGO cooperating with the
authorities in R&R.

  But what can you do with slums? 65% of population
  is slum dweller. Authorites allow parking on roads, pavements and even on
pavementless narrow streets to earn parking charges.   Slums and hawkers are
a really vexing issue that demands integrated social
  and cultural approach.

  Creatring public awareness is important. The authorites are doing
everything to encourage and
  promote craving for motor cars. Already 30 global
  auto mfrrs are doing everything to sell more. Banks give loan at rates
lower than loans to citizens for housing, personal expenses etc. Consumerism
at its best.

  The state helps by building highways and elevated roads at public cost and
ptovide ample parking to
  earn revenue ythough `pay and parking' having sandwiched rares- meaning
longer the parking,
  lower the parking rate.  This is the tragedy.

  Fina, you would be happy to learn that many hutments just touching
suburban railway tracks are shifted about 10 metres away and elsewhere. The
railways have not added many more trains because of financical crunch and in
the case of the MUTP, the Bank's insistance to procure terribly expnsive
stainless steel rakes from the only mfrr in the world.   It is now possible
to run standard 12 rake trains in place of 9, yet the authorites have
refused to comply. Result the death rate on tracks has not come down.

  As explained on phone when you called yesterday, we try to remain in touch
with other NGOs. The issues are quite often too complcated politically,
technically hence NGOs do not go beyond statement in press.  Sheela Pater is
a good friend and extended full support when we organised meeting with the
World Bank President. Your advice to coordinate with other NGOs is well
taken.

  I have lost touch with the Tri-State working for 30 years so also with
other good work in the area.  We shall try to revive in due course of time.
Please gelp.

  Craig Townsend contentions

  Craig's contentions are very valid. Rents for built space are frozen by
the govt in urban areas to 1950 level, again political reasons.  There is no
likelihood
  of getting benefit accruing from the developort of mobility facilities.
Municipalities suffer because the built up space cannot be taxed on
realistic basis.

  Resource crunch overall is a real issue so public-private partmership is a
remote possiblity. Our authorites have tried to put up proposals for Build,
Operate and Operate basis but response is poor.

  This has however created a feeling of cynicim. World Bank and ohers are
ready to finance. Present generation, existing politicians and bureaucrats
do not have to pay back the loan in their life time so why not borrow at any
cosrt. India has become the biggest World Bank borrower. About 30% of
revenues go to servicing of loans so you can see what devleopment can take
place.   Maharashtra State of which Mumbai is the capital, has a public debt
of Rs 900 billion. quite high for Indians (trifling before Bush
extravaganza).

  We are grateful to our Sustran family and particularly to Eric, Gina and
Craig for valuable guidance.  We have to take into consideration urban
development issues as well as the fact that transport after all is a tool in
the hands of planners to set and improve (and deterioate as well) qualirty
of life.  We hope to contact6 again on the issue.  Best wishes.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: "Craig Townsend" <townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au>
  To: "Asia and the Pacific sustainable transport"
<sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>
  Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 10:40 AM
  Subject: [sustran] Re: Mumbai Metro Proposal


  > Kisan,
  >
   In addition to the suggestions of Eric and Regina,
  there is a need to consider land use changes and public
transport/non-motorized system integration in
  assessing and shaping the proposed metro. The
  metro will increase accessibility around stations and the value of
land/rents will go up. It is important that t
  he Mumbai government (or other government authority)  captures some of
this added value for
  public benefits. I assume that there is a lack of accurate property
valuation and taxation of land
  based on assessed value in Mumbai. If there were
  property taxes based on accurately assessed market values, some of the
additional land values/rents
  would be captured by the government. However, in
  the absence of those mechanisms, there would be possibilities for the
public sector to engage in p artnerships with the private sector to develop
land
  in ways that maximize the public benefits accruing rom the metro. In
addition to land development opportunities, there should be consideration of
how
  the metro will be integrated (in terms of physical connections, fares)
with the other modes of transport. These are issues that have been addressed
in other places in the  past. Recommended reading includes: Derrick, Peter.
2001. "Tunneling to the future : the story of the great subway expansion
that saved New York". New York : New York University Press.
  >
  > Craig Townsend
  >
  >
  > Quoting Regina_Therese_MANZO at ura.gov.sg:
  >
   Probably all of the transport suggestions for Mumbai have been assessed
at some point for the issue in their implementation, or not, is political
will (not
  peculiar to Mumbai).
  > >
   Upgrading the commuter rail service - increasing train speed, reducing
headways, extending the number of bogies per train - is hampered by
dwellings constructed very close to tracks preventing higher speeds, and by
  difficulties in extending station length (due to land acquisition
problems, slum dwellings, etc.) to accommodate longer trains.  The issue of
slum  dwellers and their living options is intimately tied
  up with transport improvements in Mumbai.
  > >
   Similarly, for BRT or other bus-related improvements, road space is often
taken up by hawker stalls and other unauthorised uses, so the equity issue
also comes up in considering their removal.
  > >
  None of the blocks to the transport improvements is impossible to solve;
but there are significant equity issues associated with all possible
solutions, and
  lack of movement on the part of the government
  to address them.
  > >
   Besides technical assistance, it seems the Mumbai sustainable transport
issue really needs assistance
  in terms of the soft aspects; educating public
  decision-makers, educating and gaining support
  from the public especially the growing middle-class
  that is buying more Marutis and Hondas and now
  the SUV-type vehicles, etc.
  > >
   Kisan, you must be in touch with Sheela Patel of SPARC; I've cc'd her on
this.
  > >
   Is anyone involved with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign or the
Straphangers Campaign in New York? Or other similar efforts?  Perhaps these
  organizations could offer some synergies:   http://www.tstc.org/ ,
  > > http://www.straphangers.org/
  > >
  It is a pity to see how the transportation system is evolving in Mumbai.
Mere koh bahut dukh lagte hai.
  > >
   Sadly,
  Gina Manzo
  > >
  > >       "Eric Bruun"   ericbruun at earthlink.net>
  Sent by:
   sustran-discuss-bounces+regina_therese_manzo=ura.gov.sg at list.|
         jca.apc.org


   11/02/2004 02:38
   Please respond to Asia and the Pacific sustainable
  transport

   To:"Asia and the Pacific sustainable transport"
  <sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>, "sustran discuss"
  <sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>  cc:      kush at kward.org, Ajit Shenoy
<ajitshenoy at now-india.net.in>, Sudhir B Badami      <badami at vsnl.com>

   Kisan
   >
   Underground Metro is the solution to reserve for the very densest parts
of the city where it is unrealistic to try to take right-of-way above
ground. It is, of course, expensive and takes lots of time.
  > >
   In the meantime, look at BRT where the roadways
  are wide enough and queue bypasses where they
  are not. Also, look at upgrading the commuter rail
  service. It might be adaptable to higher levels of
  safety and performance, providing rapid transit at a fraction of the cost.
  > >
  > > Eric Bruun
  >  ----- Original Message -----
  > >  From: Kisan Mehta
   Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2004 7:32 AM
   Subject: [sustran] Mumbai Metro Proposal
  > >
  > >  Dear Colleagues,
  > >
   Mumbai (area 434 sq km and population 11.91 million-Census of India 2001)
has highly overstrained transport facilities. Sealocked on three sides,
Mumbai presents a unique geographical entity with average
  population density of 27,000 persons per sq km, unheard of anywhere elsein
the world.
  > >
   Though suburban railway services started in the the Nineteenthirties and
road transport are publicly owned, there has been little development on the
demand management pricniple.  Trains running  at about five timesand buses
at three times the normal carrying capacity look fater 88% of roral
journeys. Personal cars receive higher priotity causing serious bottelnecks
for public transport .
  With average 20 and 10 residents dieing daily on the railway tracks and
roads, Mumbai ranks amongst human centres having high accident rate in the
world.  The World Bank report says that pedestrians form 95% of accidents on
Mumbai roads.  Paradoxically
  the Bank loan has 85% for construction of highways while suburban railways
43%. The amount to public road services forms 2.5% of the total  project
cost.
  > >
  Mumbai does not have metro railway service. The government owned Mumbai
Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has put up a proposal for
Mumbai Metro comprising of  32.5 lm of underground and 114 km length of
elevated railway
  facility to be completed in stages by early twenties.
  > >
   You are closely associatred with public transport and especially metro
services as well as in urban planning and development.
  We are trying to work out a citizen susbtainableal ternative that can meet
citizen expectations and is affordable to the less fortunate of our
citizens.   We appeal to you to take interest in the umbai Metro proposals
and make valuable suggestions so that Mumbai has the most preferred system.
We hope
  to get complete info from the authorites in a couple
  of days which we can share with those of you interested in the proposal.
Best wishes.
  > >
  > >  Kisan Mehta
  > >  Save Bombay Committee
  > >  620 Jame Jamshed Road, Dadar East,
  > >  Mumbai 400014
  > >  Tel: 00 91 22 2414 9688