When work on Chennai Metro kickstarted in 2009, commuters marvelled at the project and looked forward to the promising change the system proposed to bring to public commute.
Now, six years later, one question lingers in the minds of people: ‘Is Chennai Metro going to be launched at all?’
The expectations on the system were particularly ambitious owing to the smashing success of Delhi Metro, which was, at one point, a principal consultant for Chennai Metro.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) connected the 8-km stretch between Shahdara and Tis Hazari in four-and-a-half years. Metro man E. Sreedharan says, “When I took over the project, I felt Delhi was too congested, with high levels of pollution, and so, the city could not wait to use the Metro. We finished the first phase (65 km) two years and nine months ahead of time.”
But here, even six years after the construction commenced, Chennai Metro has missed several deadlines and awaits inauguration. The project has grappled with various issues, including cash-strapped contractors, and delay in land acquisition and construction.
Mr. Sreedharan says there is quite a lot that’s wrong with Chennai Metro. “We are not at all happy with the way it is being handled,” he says. Also, Chennai Metro has not received the required support from the State government, he says.
According to some urban planning experts, the construction of such a rail system is much easier in Delhi than in Chennai. N.S. Srinivasan, former director of National Transportation Planning and Research Centre, says, “The roads in Delhi are wide, have tremendous space; whereas here, we hardly have that kind of road width. Also, coordination work for carrying out construction and land acquisition is much more difficult in this city.”
But Mr. Sreedharan says land acquisition is a major obstacle in any Metro Rail project. “It is very difficult in Kerala too; when we can do it in Kerala (for the Kochi Metro project), why not here?” he says.
H.M. Shivanand Swamy, executive director of Centre for Excellence in Urban Planning at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, says the delays occur because of fundamentally-wrong planning. “We are far too optimistic and not realistic. When delays occur in such projects, the difficulties faced by the public are direct and more pronounced,” he says.
For its remarkable service, Delhi Metro has received exceptional patronage from commuters, their numbers growing from 10 lakh on the inaugural day to 27 lakh a day, sometime back. Chennai Metro too could aspire to accomplish that, when it is finally launched.
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Route maps
http://chennaimetrorail.gov.in/route_schematic.php
http://www.delhimetrorail.com/Zoom_Map.aspx
http://www.delhimetrorail.com/projectpresent.aspx
Comparison between Delhi and Chennai metros
Milestone | Delhi Metro
| Chennai Metro |
Commencement of project
| 1998 | 2009 |
Construction of first stretch
| Shahdara to Tis Hazari (8 km) | Koyambedu to Alandur (10 km)
|
Completion of first stretch
| 2002 | Yet to be inaugurated |
Length of Phase I Cost of Phase I
| 65 km Rs. 10,571 crore | 45 km Rs. 14,600 crore (plan to seek additional Rs. 6,000 crore) |
Date of completion
| 2005 (Two years and nine months ahead of deadline)
| 2015-16 |
Expansion | Phase II covering 125 km completed in four-and-a-half years. Phase III covering 140 km scheduled to open in 2016
| Phase I extension from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar in progress. Phase II awaits approval from the government |
Delhi Metro: transitioning public transport
> The Delhi Metro network covers over 190 km with about 140 stations
> It has reached Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, and Gurgaon
> Delhi Metro has 216 train sets comprising four, six and eight coaches
> The frequency ranges between two and 15 minutes
> The service runs from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day
> Tickets are priced between Rs. 8 and Rs. 30
> Delhi Metro is the first railway project in the world to claim carbon credits for regenerative braking
> The service has taken 1.17 lakh vehicles off the road
> In 2021, when four phases will be completed, Delhi will be among the largest metro rail networks in the world with 428-km connectivity
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Chennai Metro: a long wait
> Once it becomes operational, Chennai Metro is expected to bring down travel time by 50-75 per cent
> The capacity of each train will be about 1,200 passengers
> Tickets will be priced between Rs. 10 and Rs. 27 (subject to change)
> The average speed of the trains will be 34 kmph. (Metro trains are designed for operating speed of up to 80 kmph)
> The trains will stop for 30 seconds at each station
> The service will run from 5 a.m. to midnight
> Chennai Metro's operation plan provides for headway of 4.5 minutes with four-car trains on corridors I and II, during peak hours, and 15 minutes during lean hours in the initial stage of service
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