[sustran] Architects’ team points out anomalies in Metro report- Chandigarh

[Asija, Navdeep]

The members of Indian Institute of Architects have submitted a
representation to the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Shivraj Patil
highlighting the anomalies present in the report for the Metro Rail. A team
of architects headed by architect Archana Chaudhary studied the report that
was prepared by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and made observations about
the project.

According to the report, the expected transport demand for the year 2018 on
Mass Transit Corridors is estimated to be between 7007 PHPDT (Peak hour
peak direction traffic) on the north-south corridor and 6711 PHPDT on the
east-west corridor. This demand is expected to go up to 31,407 PHPDT to
13,303 PHPDT by year 2041. The architects contend that the Metro is most
economically feasible if PHPDT is between 40,000 and 70,000.

The representation states that for the Chandigarh Metro Project, the cross
system of network being proposed by the DMRC report is not suitable for the
region of Chandigarh. This type of network has hardly been used in any
major cities of the world. According to the study of RITES, the major
inflow of traffic is from neighbouring areas. Over 4 lakh daily commuters
enter Chandigarh from Panchkula, Mohali, Zirakpur, Kharar, Pinjore, Rajpura
etc. Therefore, there is a need to integrate these areas by an efficient
transport system so that they are well connected with the city also.

The architects state that the most preferred network for the region of
Chandigarh shall be Circle Radial System which is considered to be the
world’s most efficient MRTS system. This shall work best in combination
with Bus Rapid Transport System. It is further stated that the technology
being proposed for Chandigarh Metro will be outdated by the time the
project is commissioned. It will be about 45 years old. The technology is
changing very fast and the public money will not have been put to optimum
use. It is proposed that Automated Driverless Trains will be used for the
Metro, keeping in view the technology advancement as well as the beauty and
heritage of the city.

The architects point out that the frequency of trains during peak hours
when the metro project will be commissioned in 2018 is 16 minutes which is
very high. According to the study, all well-designed public transport
systems have a waiting time of a maximum of six minutes.

There is already a parking problem in the city. In the coming six to eight
years before the start of the Metro it will worsen. Parking facilities are
not provided at the proposed Metro stations. The already existing parking
areas are being proposed which are already overcrowded. This will over
burden the system.