[tig]

Metro is not a failure in the above mentioned cities. Please don't make false claims. So far 16 Indian cities are building metros/subways and another dozen cities planning for it. By 2030, more than 30 Indian cities would have operational metro. If Metro is a big failure in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai which are some of the primary cities of India.. why would other cities even dare to build it?

You don't need 6-7 million population for Metro. All you require is vision and money to implement that vision into reality. Metro is a Public transport. Public transportation provides personal mobility and freedom for people from every walk of life. Better and Improved public transportation means better and improved lifestyle. Not only that, every $1 invested in public transportation generates approximately $4 in economic returns. Every $1 billion invested in public transportaiton supports and creates tens of thousands of jobs.



Those figures for Chennai are very outdated and in all probability incorrect. I don't have latest data for Chennai but Mumbai urban agglomeration's PPP GDP as of 2015(?) was appx. $368 billion and per capita income was $16,881. So I reckon Mumbai metro's GDP to be around $280-290 billion and PPP per capita income even higher.

source

You need to show some proof, i just watched a tv debate on why Chennai Metro is lacking passengers last month and it had an expert talking about why Bangalore and Mumbai are failing. When I did google research, I came up with more evidence. Cities like Mumbai only has about 300,000 riders on travelling it daily. Even when I check instagram, most pics at Metros of Chennai and Bangalore seem to be empty.

http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.c...00-commuters-per-day/articleshow/49200608.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-passengers-everyday/articleshow/48337830.cms

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...fall-in-passenger-footfall/article8482080.ece

 

[tig]

That's called Urbanisation. Almost every developed country on earth has 60-70-80 percent population living in Urban areas. India is still less than 40% urban. I am happy that more migrants are flocking to cities and urban areas... it's a sign of economic development.

Suburbanisation is the sign of a good economy. Urbanization is not good when you have poor farmers flocking to the city like crazy and have city like Hyderabad population and Bangalore population doubling within 10 to 15 years. That is over population. Way too may people and that is why is there so many poor people beyond imaginable. SL has poor people but not to the extent of India with large slums and extremely poor people. Unlike Indian government, the SL government doesn't allow their farming lands to be exploited by beverage companies like Coca Cola and Peps. Over population is never good, SL 's farming isn't doing too bad, there is no need for flocking of rural communities in the city. City of Colombo will expand in terms of area but it will never be never big enough to operate an MRT underground. It will never be affordable for at least another 25 to 30 years. Due to growing middle class in India, it may one day be worth it for cities like Chennai, Bangalore and Metro to operate an underground Subway, but not for Colombo. Elevated LRT will do fine.

 

[wcgokul]

You need to show some proof, i just watched a tv debate on why Chennai Metro is lacking passengers last month and it had an expert talking about why Bangalore and Mumbai are failing. When I did google research, I came up with more evidence. Cities like Mumbai only has about 300,000 riders on travelling it daily. Even when I check instagram, most pics at Metros of Chennai and Bangalore seem to be empty.

http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.c...00-commuters-per-day/articleshow/49200608.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-passengers-everyday/articleshow/48337830.cms

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...fall-in-passenger-footfall/article8482080.ece

The success of a metro system can be assessed only when the network is fully complete .

You have to understand that the metro system in India for most cities except Delhi is a work in progress .the Delhi metro is the only example of a completed metro system in India and they have very very impressive figures . The reception ha s been so good that the Delhi metro,is seen to be expanding rapidly to cater to the demand . We can except a network length of anywhere between 400-600 kms or maybe even more for the Delhi metro in ten years time .here are some daily records set by the Delhi metro

Chennai metro has a lukewarm reception simply because the metro is not yet complete .there is only one complete stretch which is operational , which is the airport stretch ( Koyambedu to Alandur , person has to get off at Alandur and take another line to the airport ) also , the airport stretch is complemented by the suburban /mrts rail system run (direct connectivity to airport from central and Egmore and tambaram)by Indian railways south zone , which runs almost parallel to the airport stretch , and is relatively cheaper .....this lukewarm patronage will change when the entire metro stretch in phase 1 (50-60 km) is complete . Also a larger phase 2 of around 110-120 km has been almost approved , which brings a large portion of the city not served by the suburban /mrts system into connectivity. This will then be followed by the expected exponential growth as that of the Delhi metro .phase 3 is also in the conception stages.

The same is the case for Mumbai metro . Only a very small stretch is currently operational.Mumbai metro too has three stages conceived , with a network larger than that planned in Chennai .the ridership will pick up here too when the entire line is operational

In your link to Bangalore metro ,the same problem has been highlighted ...lack of last mile connectivity , parking , and linking to crucial transport landmarks like the majestic station .so naturally ridership will improve when these are addressed . If I'm not mistaken the majestic line has been recently opened to the public and the ridership has picked up again.Besides,a majority of Bangalore has not yet been connected by the metro.the Bangalore metro is also planning a direct airport link,which will be hugely successful considering Bangalore is the 3 rd largest domestic airport in the country and is growing at a healthy phase and that the airport is located a good 50 kms from city limits .

 

[wcgokul]

Suburbanisation is the sign of a good economy. Urbanization is not good when you have poor farmers flocking to the city like crazy and have city like Hyderabad population and Bangalore population doubling within 10 to 15 years. That is over population. Way too may people and that is why is there so many poor people beyond imaginable. SL has poor people but not to the extent of India with large slums and extremely poor people. Unlike Indian government, the SL government doesn't allow their farming lands to be exploited by beverage companies like Coca Cola and Peps. Over population is never good, SL 's farming isn't doing too bad, there is no need for flocking of rural communities in the city. City of Colombo will expand in terms of area but it will never be never big enough to operate an MRT underground. It will never be affordable for at least another 25 to 30 years. Due to growing middle class in India, it may one day be worth it for cities like Chennai, Bangalore and Metro to operate an underground Subway, but not for Colombo. Elevated LRT will do fine.

I presume The City of Colombo including its extended suburbs will be a huge metropolitan area of 5-7.5 million in 20 -25 years ?. Indian officials are poor planners , what they should have envisaged for the Indian cities in the 1980s , they are doing it now in the 2000s ...ditto for the airports in India .I think it would be prudent for Sri Lanka to keep in mind India's urban development mistakes so that they don't make the same mistake that India did of underestimating urban growth and the demands that arise therefrom . Colombo needs a full fledged metro system, not an LRT . LRT is for tier 2 cities with moderate ridership , an Indian example will be Trivandrum or Coimbatore or even Kochi (which has decided against an LRT and is going for a full fledged metro )

 

[Amila963]

agree with you wcgokul,
It is stated in the transport master plan as well that LRT might just be for the short and medium term and by 2035 it would reach its highest daily commuters, which by that it means this LRT will be outdated by then and we will need a metro by then. what I think is if we need it then we should plan it now.

It is about deciding if we should build an LRT for the short and medium term with lower costs rather than a metro.
or starting to bulld a metro for the long term with higher costs.

 

[Dr Ali]

Soothing the wounds.

Public Transportation in Sri Lanka is not matching with our, Human Development. Specially The Railway modalities. Apathic activity of successive governments results in this pathetic situation.
Now atleast this has become a matter of concern.
Sri Lanka need a apex body something like Urban development Authority, with Special and appropriate power, let's say Land Transport Authority to deal with the issue do the justice to the public mass which deprived of basic rights in terms of public transportation..
We need to take a wholistic and integrated approach when it' comes solving this complex issue.
Electrification and upgrading of existing railway infrastructure and Rollingstocks would be a wise starter. But not at snail phase but at accelerated phase considering it's National importance.
A metro bus service in Colombo City,# I will suggest one interesting name for it "COLOMBUS" #,would be the next most Important step.
Vertical and horizontal integration of both this services will deliver a high quality and efficient services to general public.
Planning and Implementation of LRT, BRT, MRT and monorail where and when appropriate with out put much strain on our economy.

 

[erathal]

JICA to fund feasibility study and two corridors out of seven

The feasibility study for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project will commence in the coming weeks, the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry said yesterday. Recently, the Cabinet approved the establishment of a Project Management Unit to implement a Light Rail Transit (LRT) project from Colombo Fort to other suburbs in the Colombo District area.


Speaking to the Daily Mirror Additional Secretary of the Ministry, Madhawa Waidyaratna said the main reason for the selection of LRT over monorail was its relative simplicity and easy accessibility. “Light rail can run on all possible types of alignments such as elevated, at-grade, underground depending on the particular situation in the given area, while monorail is limited to elevated lines only,” he said.


He said that initial studies completed by the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) and the Transport Department of Moratuwa University, had identified seven railway corridors that could be established with the LRT system. According to the proposed Rapid Transit System, the lines will spread through suburbs such as Battaramulla, Kottawa, Malabe, Kaduwela and Kadawatha starting from Colombo Fort. Waidyaratna said that JICA would not only fund the feasibility study but also construct two corridors.


According to the Megapolis Transport Master Plan Report, the proposal by JICA for monorail can be justified with two lines that had been considered from Malabe to Colombo Fort and towards Mattakkuliya. Since both of these lines will have to be elevated, however when considering a network evolving to the suburbs that can have ground operation, the LRT was a better choice.


Simultaneously, the Ministry has decided to submit another cabinet paper to call out potential Private Investors to carry the feasibility studies and construction of the remaining lines under a Public Private Partnership (PPP), Waidyaratna said. “We would select EOI – Expression of Interest, for people who will implement these five lines based on PPP and we will select them within the next few weeks,” he said.

DailyMirror.lk

 

[Dr Ali]

Kelani valley BRTs

can't we replace KV Line upto Avissawella with BRT, which will ensure Improved and frequent connectivity between much less construction cost as it will be on ground and flyover over major arteries and Avissawella, Padukka, Hanwella,Homagama,Kottawa,Pannipitiya as junction ,separate line to Battaramulla Capital city (this segment of Road wide enough to accomodate BRT at central meridian ) and elevated segment from Maharagama to Maradana even to proposed Fort transport Hub.This will spare the Colombo Golf course as KV line sectioned it to to pieces..Elevated BRT construction consume much less compare to elevated rail...

Sunway BRT line Kuala Lampur.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXR2XWaR3AE

O-Bahn BRT, Adelaide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLbhhdoCdl0

 

[Abhi Acharyya]

Tramway Exotica: Part 1

Found this old footage of trams in Colombo.
Wonder why they destroyed this.

 

[TallBox]

Land use planning and transport needs to go hand-in-hand.

And the population growth of Colombo shouldn't be treated as some external fact. It can be managed with planning, zoning and economics. Do we want Colombo to become 7-8 million people? Probably not. If the overall population of Sri Lanka expands to (conservatively) 25 million in the next 20 years, Sri Lanka needs to intentionally urbanize. That means focusing certain towns for accelerated development.

IMO the ideal size for Colombo (incl Moratuwa, Dehiwela, Kotte) is probably around 2.5-3.5 million and growth beyond that should be discouraged. Why? Populations beyond that become difficult to manage, especially for countries with limited resources. Also, countries that have 'primate cities' (that is one city dominating the country like London or Paris) disadvantage other areas of their economies. How? Focus on urbanization in other secondary cities e.g. Galle, Batticaloa, Kandy, Vavuniya, Jaffna. Each should be 250-400k people, with Kandy, Jaffna and Galle possibly higher like 500-750k.

Anyway, if we accept that the maximum sustainable population limit for Colombo is around 2.5-3.5 million, then that's probably too small of a captive population for MRT. So I think the answer is BRT and local buses.

Local buses services need to be completely restructured. Routes should be centrally designed by a transit authority and then opened to bidding by eligible bus operators for fixed-term durations (e.g. 10-15 years). This would give private bus operators the confidence that they will have predictable income for this time period and allow them to invest in improving their services. All private bus operators should meet much stricter standards on safety, efficiency, quality and reliability. They should be required to invest in new vehicles meeting from approved automotive vendors and standardized schedules, signage, fees and governance. This would have the result of taking many of the smaller and less efficient bus operators out of operations and consolidate the market, making it more efficient. The result will be something like a consolidated market of 4-6 bus service providers operating on 10-15 year licences for all of Colombo's bus routes.

BRTs should then be designed on key trunk/high-volume routes (e.g. along Galle Road), with a PPP set up to bring in a private sector operator to manage and run the entire BRT network of (probably 5-8 lines) for 20-25 years. Govt designs and regulates, private sector builds and operates.

 

[domplypom]

Land use planning and transport needs to go hand-in-hand.

And the population growth of Colombo shouldn't be treated as some external fact. It can be managed with planning, zoning and economics. Do we want Colombo to become 7-8 million people? Probably not. If the overall population of Sri Lanka expands to (conservatively) 25 million in the next 20 years, Sri Lanka needs to intentionally urbanize. That means focusing certain towns for accelerated development.

IMO the ideal size for Colombo (incl Moratuwa, Dehiwela, Kotte) is probably around 2.5-3.5 million and growth beyond that should be discouraged. Why? Populations beyond that become difficult to manage, especially for countries with limited resources. Also, countries that have 'primate cities' (that is one city dominating the country like London or Paris) disadvantage other areas of their economies. How? Focus on urbanization in other secondary cities e.g. Galle, Batticaloa, Kandy, Vavuniya, Jaffna. Each should be 250-400k people, with Kandy, Jaffna and Galle possibly higher like 500-750k.

Anyway, if we accept that the maximum sustainable population limit for Colombo is around 2.5-3.5 million, then that's probably too small of a captive population for MRT. So I think the answer is BRT and local buses.

Local buses services need to be completely restructured. Routes should be centrally designed by a transit authority and then opened to bidding by eligible bus operators for fixed-term durations (e.g. 10-15 years). This would give private bus operators the confidence that they will have predictable income for this time period and allow them to invest in improving their services. All private bus operators should meet much stricter standards on safety, efficiency, quality and reliability. They should be required to invest in new vehicles meeting from approved automotive vendors and standardized schedules, signage, fees and governance. This would have the result of taking many of the smaller and less efficient bus operators out of operations and consolidate the market, making it more efficient. The result will be something like a consolidated market of 4-6 bus service providers operating on 10-15 year licences for all of Colombo's bus routes.

BRTs should then be designed on key trunk/high-volume routes (e.g. along Galle Road), with a PPP set up to bring in a private sector operator to manage and run the entire BRT network of (probably 5-8 lines) for 20-25 years. Govt designs and regulates, private sector builds and operates.

Largely agree with what you say apart from your observation Colombo's population cannot support a MRT solution given the population may have already reached the levels your are indicating as the ceiling and the GDP per capita of the city is also very high in comparison. A fully blown BRT system needs a wider more connected road system that is missing in SL and the cost of road widening and congestion easing to support a fully functional bus transport system may be more expensive than MRT. At the moment we need to upgrade our already existing rail system quickly , rationalise the bus system as you say and start building the MRT system to replace the buses over time. I see the future city transport system in SL as very multi modal.
In almost every city that has a decent public transport system achieved it over a long period of time and also through the public purse and was a net loss to the government when it was built. Some countries then on went on to privatise the operational element of their transport system afterwards but without government footing the bill for the infrastructure no body would have been able to engage in PPPs with the government. Our leaders left this for too late as usual and whenever they could,they wasted it on useless projects. Now don't have the money and certainly the courage to provide for the future.

 

[ObiWanKenobi]

Found this old footage of trams in Colombo.
Wonder why they destroyed this.

Indeed. These should have been maintained and reintroduced today like in Hong Kong.

We are in dire need of mass public transportation systems modelled on clean, air conditioned, electric and efficient models of buses, trains, subways, metros and trams like Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and China. NOT India.

And as others have mentioned here, public transport should be not only continually maintained, but planned in advance. It should be built for the future. We shouldn't wait 20 years to start thinking about a subway network, or bus lanes, or trams. These should be built NOW.

Get the Hong Kong MTR company to come and run public transport in our island. We'll have a first world, efficient system that runs profitably and is comfortable very easily. It is sad that public transport in our country is just "jobs for the boys" with no forward planning or delivery of an effective mass transportation system.

We should introduce first and foremost:
1. A high speed electrified train network (like Japan, China, Korea) connecting cities around the island. You should be able to cross Ceylon within 90 minutes.
2. A subway system in Colombo like in Hong Kong.
3. An overground Colombo DLR like in London to complement the subway system.
4. A nationwide efficient bus network, modelled on the UK tender process, or again look at Singapore (which pretty much does what we used to do before 1965)
5. Trams, buses and Light rail for secondary cities in the country.

If Trincomalee, or Hambantota develops like Shenzhen did, then aim to build a subway or maglev for those cities too.

The Shanghai maglev, or Hong Kong Airport high speed train gets you from the airport to the respective city centre in 7 minutes and 15 minutes respectively!