[sustran] Re: Mumbai monorail project looks to reduce CO2 emissions ???

[bruun at seas.upenn.edu]

Walter raises an important issue. There is indeed a payback time. But it
isn't necessarily 20 years for systems that have frequent service and  
carry large numbers
of people all day. And even when it is 20 years, keep in mind that  
metros and railways
are around for a century or more. The tunnel for the first line in  
London. the Metropolitan
Railway, was opened in 1863 and is still in service today. That is  
true sustainability.

If the point is that BRT avoids this problem, we have been over this  
before. Points to consider:

1) Sometimes a tunnel is the only way to get both decent capacity and  
high performance to the places
that need it. Once a tunnel is needed anyway, the case for rail strengthens.

2) I heard the presentation at WRI about Ahmedabad two weeks ago where  
the speaker said "build BRT,study Metro" which got laughs from the  
audience. I point out that just the opposite also happens. "Build  
Metro, study BRT" was the case in Delhi. This difference in incubation  
time must be taken into consideration when evaluating the carbon  
reduction. How much extra would have been emitted waiting for the  
go-ahead for the first BRT line?

3) What are the real options on the table? If the choice is between  
building a Metro and building a highway, I will take the Metro. If the  
choice is between BRT and Metro, then it needs to be studied closer. I  
don't automatically pick either one.

Eric Bruun

Quoting Walter Hook <whook at itdp.org>:

> sudhir from CAI Asia just ran some numbers for metro projects and CO2.  If
> you include all the construction related CO2, they come out negative for a
> large number of years, and to get positive co2 impact you need to push the
> project time line out something like 20 years or more. i imagine monorails
> would not be quite as concrete intensive but may be close.   Interesting to
> note the mention of Lanzhou.
>
> w
>
> On Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 6:20 AM, Eric Britton  
> <eric.britton at ecoplan.org>wrote:
>
>> Mumbai monorail project looks to reduce CO2 emissions
>>
>> By Lisa Sibley
>> Published 2010-01-27 09:22
>> Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based Scomi Group, a global service provider mainly
>> in the oil and gas industry, said today its trial run of India's first
>> monorail car for a project in Mumbai has been a success.
>> The Malaysia-listed company also specializes in urban transit systems, with
>> an emphasis on India, China, the Gulf states, and Brazil. The trial run
>> occurred yesterday, also a national holiday, the Republic Day of India.
>> The monorail is expected to prevent 200 tons of carbon dioxide emissions
>> daily. The proposed structure is also considered environmentally friendly
>> because it won't obstruct sunlight or trap excessive emissions. In
>> addition,
>> it's expected to be quieter than other modes of transportation.
>> Scomi India's Country President Suhaimi Yaacob said in a news release the
>> project's focus is on sustainable mobility, reduced urban congestion,
>> improved reliability, and comfortable travel.
>> Other cities looking to reduce mass transport emissions include China's
>> Lanzhou, which is working on a comprehensive urban development plan linking
>> a new city center with a rapid bus transport system, expected to result in
>> a
>> cleaner, more economical mass transportation system (see China's Lanzhou
>> makes plans to reduce mass transport emissions
>> <http://cleantech.com/news/5429/lanzhou-mass-transport-system>  [1]).
>> Scomi's engineering division and partner Larsen & Toubro, India's largest
>> engineering and construction conglomerate, secured $545 million for the
>> Mumbai Monorail Project in November 2008, and are expected to complete the
>> project by 2011.
>> Scomi is tasked with delivering 60 cars, making up 15 sets of four-car
>> trains. Each four-coach monorail is expected to be able to accommodate
>> about
>> 600 passengers, carrying a total of nearly 300,000 daily commuters.
>> The monorail project is expected to have a 20-kilometer (12.4 mile)
>> proposed
>> route between Jacob Circle and Chembur, a suburban neighborhood in eastern
>> Mumbai, with one central depot and about 18 user-friendly stations. Chembur
>> is located about 22 kilometers from downtown Mumbai and considered a
>> transit
>> point for travelers to Pune.
>>
>> Source URL:
>> http://cleantech.com/news/5567/mumbai-monorail-project-looks-reduc
>>
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