Life in the fast lane

With new-age trains already here, the first Metro line scheduled to open by December and the Monorail to start within a year, Mumbai's transport makeover is well and truly on

Mumbai's transport scenario is in the midst of a complete makeover.

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The railway lines, built by the British and still the city's principal mode of transport, are crumbling. "There was a city-wide tram network till 1964, which was thoughtlessly dismantled. Buses, taxis and rickshaws can be feeder systems, but never the main mode of transport," said Jitendra Gupta, a member of the Citizen Transport Committee.

"We realised our mistake late, but we are speeding up solutions. There will be five credible modes of mass transport, work on which has already begun," a senior Transport Department official.

Swank cabs, polite drivers

The ubiquitous black-and-yellow taxi is in for a radical change. Apart from a colour change, the 30-year-old Premier Padminis will make way for swank new models.

"This is a turning point for Mumbai's taximen. We have taken loans to buy higher-end models," said A.L. Quadros, Mumbai Taximen's Union general secretary. "Though the call centre pilot project, supposed to be flagged off from May 1, is likely to be delayed, the process has begun."

A pilot project to convert 1,500 black-and-yellow taxis into radio cabs was on till mid-April, when the State Transport Authority, in order to make the project more transparent, decided to go back to the start and appoint more agencies.

In 2006, the government launched the Fleet Taxi Scheme, allowing five private firms to participate. There were clear instructions not to induct more taxis — Mumbai already has 56,000 — but to take permits of existing cabbies and include them in the system. After initial opposition, Mumbai has more than 2,000 radio cabs now.

Quadros said the older cabs would be improved. "They too will have digital meters soon and upgrade to higher-end models," he said.

Under the call centre project, taxis converted into radio cabs will be equipped with GPS systems, electronic printers, and a two-way common telephone. Since advertising revenue is critical to the system, audio-visual equipment, such as TVs, will be installed in the taxis.

The union also plans to provide etiquette training to drivers.

Wi-fi, tv, vending machines on buses

Known as one the country's most efficient bus services, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) fleet saw an addition of more than 1,000 buses in the last few years, thanks to the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

While MUTP gave it Rs 125 crore and 644 single-decker buses of Euro 3 standard, JNNURM will add another 1,000 buses.

It's not just the fleet that's expanding; BEST's ambitions are growing too. "We are getting luxurious buses. We want senior executives to leave their cars behind and use our buses. In the future, we will have dedicated lanes for the BEST on highways, which will make bus travel faster than cars," Om Prakash Gupta, BEST general manager, said.

The BEST has 4,143 buses, of which 206 are air-conditioned.

It also plans to have wi-fi, satellite TV, tea and coffee vending machines, magazines and newspapers on board. BEST recently launched four non-AC routes, connecting Mumbai's north and south.

"We will introduce five more corridors, including the important Bandra-Borivli S.V. Road stretch and the Sion-Mulund L.B.S. Marg route. We'll also have fast-track services every five minutes, as well as AC Green Buses on more routes," Gupta said.

Versova to ghatkopar by metro

While the railways cover the city vertically, east-west connectivity is left to clogged roads and deplorable public transport. The government's solution: a Metro.

"The state government started planning an alternative transit system in the late 1990s. This was necessitated by the exponential growth of the population," a senior Transport Department official said.

While the 2,400 suburban trains cater to 70 lakh commuters, Mumbai's road length has not increased much compared to the rise in vehicle population. More than 250 cars are added to the roads every day.

The new multi-modal transport system will comprise a nine-line Metro; two lines are under construction.

While the first line between Versova and Ghatkopar will be ready this December, the one connecting Mankhurd to Bandra and Charkop will be finished by 2014. Together, they are expected to carry 18 lakh commuters a day.

The service will run from 5.30 am till midnight every day, with a frequency of one train every three and a half minutes.

The Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd line, the longest at 31.87 km, will cut travel between the previously unconnected ends of the city to 45 minutes.

First Monorail by May 2011

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is planning a network of Monorail lines. The first line, Jacob Circle to Chembur, should be ready by May 2011. The network will provide connectivity to congested areas where heavier systems like the Metro can't go. "Mumbai needs a system that takes less space and cuts travel time," a senior MMRDA official said

A monorail is a light system that travels on an elevated beam that needs a width of only metre. "It will have air-conditioned coaches that can hold 8,000 to 12,000 people," the officials said.

The project has been going slow and is facing a unique set of problems — construction issues near the high-security Arthur Road prison and the non-feasibility of the Bandra-Kurla Complex line, which had to be scrapped.

A quicker, more comfortable Train ride

Indian Railways and the state roped in the World Bank to fund world-class trains for the harried Mumbai commuter. A Rs 4,500-crore Phase 1 was drawn up, which involved more trains and corridors.

Titled Mumbai Urban Transport Project Phase 1, it involved the acquisition of 129 new-age trains. "Already, 90 trains have arrived and the rest are expected by April 2011," said Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation Managing Director Dr P.C. Sehgal. "Phase 2 has been approved and will bring in 72 more trains at a cost of Rs 1,400 crore."

"Phase1 has already reduced the crowds from 4,500 to 4,100 passengers per nine-coach train during peak hours, despite an increase in traffic," said Hubert Nove-Josserand, World Bank senior urban transport specialist and project team leader. "This project will further improve the capacity, efficiency, level of comfort, reduce crowding and shorten journey times. As many as 720 trains will be added."