Vadodara : Allowing different private firms to construct and operate multiple Metro lines in Mumbai will create major prob standardised operations-right from sharing infrastructure, ticketing costs to rolling stock, warned E Sreedharan, considered the father of the Metro rail evolution in the country.
Staunchly against having Metro projects with equity from private firms, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief E. Sreedharan on Thursday said Mumbai would face grave problems by having multiple companies owning and operating different lines in the same city. Sreedharan, also consultant to the Mumbai Metro, said that much against his wish, Maharashtra's planning authorities had gone ahead with the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model involving a private operator.
"They gave the first line (Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar) to the Reliance-ADAG consortium on a BOT basis. Now, the second line from Charkop to Bandra to Mankhurd will also be given to a private consortium's," he said, adding that the Delhi model, involving state Centre partnership, is the best option. "Will the operator of one line allow trains from another line on his track? Will people be able to use the same ticket across all lines operated by different companies? The state will find it difficult to integrate everything," he said.
Explaining his opposition to the public-private-partnership (PPP) model, Sreedharan said only six cities out of 175 using Metro across the world have roped in private firms in the venture. "Of this, Bangkok, Manila and Kuala Lumpur failed with their experiments. The governments had to take charge of the operations later to save the day," he said after the inauguration of a new train plant in Vadodara by Canada-based Bombardier.
The Metro man said the state had wanted to execute the second line on its own. "However, they went ahead with the BOT. They told me that there was pressure from the Planning Commission, which wanted to take the PPP route and execute the project on a BOT basis," said Sreedharan.
About the first monorail project, Sreedharan said it was not an ideal transport solution for a congested city like Mumbai. "Monorail is good for small city or a nice entertainment park, not for Mumbai," he said. It will cost almost the same as Metro but its operational cost will be almost the double. "And it will ferry only a quarter of the Metro's load..."
Staunchly against having Metro projects with equity from private firms, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief E. Sreedharan on Thursday said Mumbai would face grave problems by having multiple companies owning and operating different lines in the same city. Sreedharan, also consultant to the Mumbai Metro, said that much against his wish, Maharashtra's planning authorities had gone ahead with the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model involving a private operator.
"They gave the first line (Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar) to the Reliance-ADAG consortium on a BOT basis. Now, the second line from Charkop to Bandra to Mankhurd will also be given to a private consortium's," he said, adding that the Delhi model, involving state Centre partnership, is the best option. "Will the operator of one line allow trains from another line on his track? Will people be able to use the same ticket across all lines operated by different companies? The state will find it difficult to integrate everything," he said.
Explaining his opposition to the public-private-partnership (PPP) model, Sreedharan said only six cities out of 175 using Metro across the world have roped in private firms in the venture. "Of this, Bangkok, Manila and Kuala Lumpur failed with their experiments. The governments had to take charge of the operations later to save the day," he said after the inauguration of a new train plant in Vadodara by Canada-based Bombardier.
The Metro man said the state had wanted to execute the second line on its own. "However, they went ahead with the BOT. They told me that there was pressure from the Planning Commission, which wanted to take the PPP route and execute the project on a BOT basis," said Sreedharan.
About the first monorail project, Sreedharan said it was not an ideal transport solution for a congested city like Mumbai. "Monorail is good for small city or a nice entertainment park, not for Mumbai," he said. It will cost almost the same as Metro but its operational cost will be almost the double. "And it will ferry only a quarter of the Metro's load..."
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