The crisis that has engulfed Rapid Metro could have a much larger impact on the city than the immediate question of the corridor’s survival. It will make planners more circumspect about the layout of all proposed metro corridors that are now on the drawing board and prompt a closer look at ridership and revenue projections.
Planning was never taken seriously in Gurugram; a comprehensive mobility plan, which ought to be a prerequisite before a city is built, is being only made now when the population of Gurugram is already 25 lakh or more. Raghav Chandra, a former National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) chief, says projects such as Rapid Metro should be planned while drafting the master plan. “If a metro project is planned in time, land use of the property around the line can be done in the most beneficial way by the government in association with local authorities. This wasn’t done in case of the Rapid Metro,” Chandra says.
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A study, titled ‘Critical issues related to metro rail projects in India’ by the Central Road and Research Institute, headed by director Neeraj Sharma, talks about how financial viability of any transportation project greatly depends upon the accuracy of traffic demand forecasts and ridership estimates. “However, most of these forecasting exercises for transportation projects rarely provide a true picture, often leading to inaccurate or even a misleading picture, forcing policymakers to take a wrong or flawed decision,” states the report.1
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- 1. D Suresh, chief of Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation, agrees there are viability concerns. “Metro projects across the world are not very profitable, but it is our responsibility to ensure we make it viable. In the same regard, we are working on several fronts. Having said that, I would reiterate that financial viability is not our primary objective,” said Suresh.