Title - ‘Research needed for Pune Metro’

Chief executive and managing director of L&T Metro Rail in Hyderabad VB Gadgil said that with over three million population, Pune qualifies for Metro rail. However, he added that to make the project a success, it will require research, experiences and data collection from other cities where the project is underway.Gadgil was delivering a keynote address on ‘Metro Rail in PPP Model’ during a programme organised by Indian Concrete Institute, Pune Chapter in association with Durocrete and Construction Quality Rating Agency to mark World Concrete Day on September 7. Gadgil said, “Reliable, clean and comfortable public transport will certainly help in changing the mindset of the people and discourage them to use private transport. It will also help in reducing traffic congestion.” Speaking about the debate on elevated Metro and underground Metro, he said, “Underground Metro project is around 2.5 times costlier than elevated one. However, in certain situations, you have no choice but to go for underground Metro rail.” Gadgil added, “Mass Rapid Transit System would provide a suitable solution to traffic problems faced in almost all major cities in India. However, debates like which mode including mono rail, metro rail or Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) needs to be selected does not have any meaning since they are not substitutes to each other.” Speaking about the challenges of Metro rail, Gadgil said, “The biggest challenge is its economical viability. Though the investment is huge, but Metro rail cannot generate revenue only through ticket sales as travel fares of Metro rail cannot be high. Besides, delays in approvals due to involvement of multiple authorities, poor quality of development project report, availability of land, construction and logistics management in highly crowded areas and volatile financial market are also some of the major challenges that are faced during the development of Metro rail.”