The Hindu : New Delhi News : Metro emerges as the healthier option

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Monday, Jun 11, 2007
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New Delhi

Metro emerges as the healthier option

Staff Reporter

Air quality inside the Metro trains is better than in other modes of public transport

MOST PREFERRED: Metro has become the toast of Delhiites.

NEW DELHI: The fast and comfortable Metro rail not only save commuters' time and money, they have also emerged as a healthier option. According to a study conducted by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), the air quality inside the Metro trains is better than in other modes of public transport, including cars, and the outside environment.

The study that quantifies the benefits of Phase-I of DMRC found that the Metro has made a significant environmental and social impact on the city.

The Metro has been designated as safe, comfortable and fast, with better air quality inside the trains than in other modes of public transport. The study found significantly lower levels of particulate matter inside the Metro, indicating that it is a cleaner and healthier mode of transportation.

Total suspended particulates (TSP) inside the Metro was found to be about 280 micrograms per cubic metre of air (ug/m3) while this figure was 350 ug/m3 in cars, more than 400 ug/m3 in buses and about 290 ug/m3 for pedestrians.

As for particulate matter PM10, Metro trains had a concentration of only about 190 ug/m3 while this figure stood at above 250 ug/m3 for buses and cars. The figure for pedestrians was above 200 ug/m3.

According to a commuter survey carried out as part of the study, passengers preferred the Metro on account of "journey comfort, time saving and safety". The survey found that about 80 per cent of passengers had shifted from the public bus system, nearly 4 per cent from auto-rickshaws and taxis and about 16 per cent from private modes.

"Forty per cent of vehicle owners have already shifted to the Metro. The shift of passengers from road-based transport modes to the Metro is also bringing about substantial savings by indirectly reducing the cost of road maintenance and traffic management," the study cites.

The study found that the reduction in vehicle kilometres due to people shifting to the Metro resulted in saving of road and traffic maintenance cost of Rs. 159 crore till 2006. In 2007, this figure is estimated to be Rs. 129 crore, while it is likely to increase to Rs. 260 crore in 2011 and Rs. 847 crore by 2021, the study puts forth.

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