Dear MEL Topic Readers,
India has splurged billions on metro trains. But where are the
commuters?
Ground transportation in India’s urban areas is quite stressful and
unsafe due to heavy congestion, life-threatening air pollution, and overcrowded
buses and trains. To provide sustainable mobility and decongest urban areas, India
expanded the metro network from under 300 km to more than 1,000 km in the last
decade. It is now the world’s third-longest metro operation, serving more than
11 million passengers daily. However, the estimated overall ridership is only around
one-third of the projections. Why is the new public transportation unpopular in
a country where other means of public transportation are over-congested or
unavailable? First, just like any other government projections, the forecasts
were too high because they were based on the capacity and services that were never
realized. Also, people aren’t riding the metro because ticket prices are too
high, transit times between lines are too long, or the network isn’t well-connected.
In addition, congestion and safety concerns remain unsolved on the ground before
and after a metro ride. No single means seems to solve urban transportation
problems.
Read the article and learn about India’s metro systems.
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