Considerations and recommendations for upcoming mass transit projects in Mumbai
Mumbai, the largest city in India, has a population of 20 million with a population density of nearly 26,000/km2. It is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. By 2050, an additional 2.5 billion people will be living in cities; and India, China and Nigeria will account for 35% of the projected growth of the world’s urban population between 2018 and 2050. To match this spurt in population, the public mass transit apparatus in India’s large cities have to scale-up its capacity to meet this requirement. This piece focuses on the public transport successes in other countries and lays out certain aspirations and learnings for the upcoming metro projects in the Indian city of Mumbai.
Mumbai: a situation report
The city marked a significant increase in the number of registered automobiles, with the total number of vehicles on the road as on January 1, 2019 at 3.5 million. The economic survey of the state in 2018–19 revealed that the maximum increase in automobiles was reported amongst auto rickshaws, seeing a spike of 19.7%, an 8.7% increase in two-wheelers and a 7.5% increase in light motor vehicles. On the other hand, this rakes in more tax revenue levied on vehicles, which has increased from 5027 crores in 2012–13 to 7999 crores in 2018–19. As a result, Indian roads suffer from chronic traffic congestion with the average vehicle speed of 15km/h on its major roads, which is a lamentable situation. The suburban railway network meets most suburban travel demand but doesn’t lead to easing of congestion on the roads. During peak hours, slowest movement of traffic in Mumbai is at a speed of 5 km/h.
Public transportation still plays a primary role in commuting by ferrying 11 million people a day, 52% of which is by train, and 26% by bus. The case for building transport options plying on rail is rather strong with its enormous efficiency and reduced pollutant load (if powered by clean energy). The Mumbai Metro 1 has a capacity of 1500 passengers in a 4 coach train (and up to 2250 in a 6 coach train) as opposed to 5 passengers in a normal sized car. Rail based transit has other advantages too — it can transport large groups of people with a higher reliability factor in terms of travel times; and because rail is physically separate from other transport modes, it is unaffected by congestion and is typically faster, particularly during rush hour.
The Mumbai Metro 1 project has a rather stellar record in terms of revenue generation which has come at the cost of a pricier travel (INR 3/km as opposed to Delhi Metro with average fare of nearly INR 1.09/km); with the right incentives to take public transportation, citizens can be motivated to take mass transit more often.
Case study I: Singapore
Singapore has a population density of 8100 people/km2. It has one of the best public transport infrastructures with the safest and most sustainable systems in the world.
It is also affordable, with a 15% discount on adult fares for low-wage workers, free travel for children, and discounts on using cashless modes of ticket purchase. The efficient mode of ticketing is also a lesson that Mumbai metro can learn from its Singaporean counterpart. The Singaporean ticketing system encompasses convenience and speed, rendering it easy to use. They introduced an ‘EZ-link’ card in 2002 which acts as a single contact-less card with store value. It allows speedy boarding, can be topped-up via a mobile app ‘EZ-Link’, and even allows accrual and redemption of reward points for all transactions (transport & non-transport related) made with the card. Furthermore, the EZ-link ticketing kiosks also accept some credit cards via the tap feature such that patrons can pay directly for their transport. Enhancing ticketing modes is an effective solution for faster commuter movement while embarking (reducing waiting time at the ticketing booth/kiosk and disembarking (by skipping the wait time for dropping coupons or metro coins in turnstiles once the journey is complete).
The country’s urban transport planning has accounted for the growth in population to more than six million people by 2030. They are not just improving the public transport infrastructure within its borders, i.e. the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, installing more cycling paths, bolstering its taxi fleet but is also working on enhancing the travel experience to & fro the country by building a new terminal and runway at its Changi International Airport. The Singaporean public transport is extremely efficient — the country’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) is now working on developing a system of predictive maintenance — the Rail Enterprise Asset Management System (REAMS), which would harness its superior data management capabilities to collect, sort, and integrate information collected from all train lines into central one database. REAMS would predict potential faults, enhance prevention, and help design an optimal maintenance scheme and essentially reduce downtime and increase efficiency.
Case study II: Paris
Paris, with a population density of 9200 people/km2 boasts of one of the most efficient and developed urban public transport systems and is among the best cities for public transportation. It has a robust suburban train transport system established as early as 1900. It is supplemented by a well-connected public bus and tram system. The development plan for Paris lays out a desire to create many more car free zones within the city, boost the ridership on public transport and increase road access to pedestrians and cyclists. The city also plans to invest EUR 38 billion into laying nearly 200 kilometers of new railroad track to connect the city’s expansive metropolitan area with its centre, and projections estimate that as a result, nearly 150,000 cars will go off the Parisian roads. This project also plans for four new automated metro lines around Paris and extension of two existing lines. Paris also ranks high on its public transport passenger safety –it has lower rates of public transit fatalities and comparably higher patronage of public transport in the EU, with more than 60 percent of people using it.
The Parisian public transport enjoys excellent interlinking and integration of its various services enabled by ÎDF Mobilités which efficiently manages all of the planning, organization and financing of the various transport companies operating in Paris and its surrounds. The train network run by the state controlled company, RATP and consists of the Métro, Tram, RER suburban express train and bus (which plies at night too). The metro network is one of the densest and well connected metro systems in the world with 245 stations. The Parisian transport system has been included here for its excellent safety and passenger friendly service. Passenger safety is ensured by the numerous safety initiatives including timely rail track maintenance and nearly 40,000 CCTV cameras to reduce instances of mishaps, ensuring passenger safety control on board and at stations. The numerous transport services are seamlessly interlinked for commuter transfer via a complex & sophisticated electronic services accessible via app or on its strategically placed 2,500 real-time information screens.
Recommendations for Mumbai
The following considerations for evaluating the efficacy of new urban transport services are recommended:
1. Economic:
· Cost of building new infrastructure as opposed to upgrading existing infrastructure
The investment into building new transport infrastructure should add to the ease of travel and improve the average commuting citizen’s life
· Pricing model for tickets including concession structure
Cost of the ticket drives ridership of any public transport entity, especially in a growing economy like India
· Comparative cost per km for rickshaws/buses/taxi
The planned transport mode should ideally be affordable enough for the commuter to choose a certain mode of transport over the other
2. Accessibility:
· Percentage of population living with 2 kms of a station
· Last mile connectivity
· Access for differently-abled
· Travel time reliability
Will the transport medium be reliable in terms of travel times? Any rail based transit system has a higher reliability as opposed to transport plying on roads
· Operating hours and real-time travel information
Mumbai Metro I current plies only until 2330hrs. Extending the operating hours while maintaining safety and operational integrity will be beneficial to commuters .
· Private vehicle parking and interlink with other public transport options along the metro/transport routes
3. Safety and environmental impact
· One of the most important factors to be considered is the safety of commuters. 417 commuters died due to non-metro rail related accidents in 2019. The impact of building and operating the new metro rail such as source of electricity, water procurement and usage also should be considered.
Further, it is recommended that future large scale infrastructure projects be designed while considering the following caveats:
· Robust feasibility and end-user research culminating in clear and achievable desired outcome(s) for the project
· Ease complex stakeholder engagement and awareness processes, and streamline approval/dismissal processes
· Establish transparent and integrated decision-making
· Enable interlinking of different kinds of transport entities by technologies such as intelligent traffic systems and advanced signalling
Need of the hour
While local governments mull over which new infrastructure projects to implement, in the short term, maintaining the current road and rail infrastructure would ensure easy & quicker travel times. Arterial roads in the city lack proper lane marking and a few junctions have broken or unclear signals. Enforcing driving discipline on smoother & better, pothole-free roads to ease traffic congestion, focusing on improving & upgrading the existing train and bus network, and adhering to pollution control norms should be made an immediate priority.
An intelligent traffic management system will help in managing traffic flow more efficiently through a robust grid of real-time message signs, cameras, smart signals and wireless connections throughout the city’s infrastructure.
Stakeholders, city municipalities, activists and citizens must work together to meet common community goals and outline achievable goals for infrastructure projects such as reduced travel times, increased accessibility to affordable public transport, better air quality, and generally a better livability index.
The author is an experienced environmental scientist. He has worked in academia, industry and governmental departments across 3 continents.
