Lesson from strike: city badly needs commuter rail

The 440-km project must be implemented speedily, say experts

The importance of a suburban rail system for Bengaluru has once again come to the fore in the wake of the bus strike.

With just 10 BMTC buses plying on Tuesday — the second day of the strike — most of the 50 lakh people who depend on the public transport had to use private vehicles, autorickshaws or cabs. Not many passengers could depend on Namma Metro as it covers just a part of Bengaluru’s vast expanse. Though the South Western Railway started some trains and made a few changes in the last minute to help commuters, Bengaluru’s needs were far greater. Ultimately, the focus shifts to the ambitious 440-km commuter rail project, which is hanging between state and central governments.
 
The alternative
Prashanth Srinivas, founder director of Catalytic Think Tank Forum, said the project when realised could greatly relieve commuters during crises like the bus strike.

Prof T G Sitharam of Center for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), echoed a similar opinion. He said a city of 10 million people could not depend only on buses. What Bengaluru needs, he said, is a multi-modal transport system to address its traffic problems. “There would definitely have been some relief if the suburban rail project was in place,” he noted. “It can easily cater to 25% of the city’s population.”

Urban commute analyst Sanjeev Dyamannavar said there was no political will to solve Bengaluru’s traffic problem. The suburban rail system has the potential to cater to 20 lakh people and decongest the city, but it’s not moving at the required pace, he said.

‘Govt must act’
“While the Metro is limited to the core areas and requires huge investment, the commuter rail system needs minimal intervention as only the existing infrastructure has to be upgraded.

The present crisis could have been reduced by half if the government had taken up the project seriously,” he said. Sanjeev Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager of South Western Railway, Bengaluru, said commuters had responded positively to additional stops and coaches for trains.

“Those who travel by express trains need not travel to the city. These changes would be in place until the protest is called off,” he told Deccan Herald. Agarwal, however, said the changes could not be made permanent as that would cause delays in regular operations.