RailEnquiry

India's need for good mass rapid transit systems (MRTS) can't be overstressed. So, the Centre should listen to chiefs of Metro Rail corporations who reportedly want Indian Railways divested of technical control over planning metro systems, and an independent regulator formed. At present, the urban development ministry keeps administrative grip over metro systems while the railways wields technical control. An authority under the railway ministry approves standards and design; another under civil aviation certifies safety. With different powers presiding over projects, small wonder complaints are voiced about slow implementation. Metro projects need fast-tracking for city development, but the authority approving standards and designs has a tardy clearance process. None other than E Sreedharan, former Delhi Metro head, is reported to have written to the government questioning the railways' dilatory hold over metro systems.A McKinsey report estimates 590 million Indians will be city-dwellers by 2030, urban agglomerations accounting for 70% of fresh employment. Infrastructure worth $1.2 trillion is needed to cope, including transport. Worldwide, metro systems offer affordable commute, helping unclog roads and manage migration into cities. Yet, despite our first metro launching in Kolkata in the 1980s and Delhi Metro serving as a model of efficient project execution, we haven't built well-functioning networks everywhere. Laxity will cost us, since MRTS are anyway long-haul endeavours needing big money, professional expertise and sophisticated technology. Their quick development demands a corporate vision prioritising competitiveness, efficiency, speed and safety. Performing inadequately on all these counts, the railways has its own much-needed expansion and upgrade to think of. An independent regulator with technical know-how and a dedicated safety certifying commissioner should focus exclusively on boosting metro systems, with help from overseas experts if required. Urban mass transport is key to the structural makeover needed to fuel economic growth. Let's do it right.