State’s SMART traffic solution

Working from a small office at the Lower Parel Western Railway workshop, Jurgen Jansky, the regional executive director of DE Consult says the study would not push for any particular system. “What we shall be doing is this; give the state government the various alternatives that can be considered, the forms of construction and technologies associated with each of them, the environmental assessment and the costs involved.

The final decision will be taken by the state department,” he said. The idea, he elaborates, is to arrive “in the shortest period of time, on a bankable solution to the city’s traffic problems.”

To be divided in two phases, phase A tackles the peak-hour pedestrian rush at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Churchgate. Phase B will cover the northern region, especially travel patterns between Bandra-Kurla.

“At first we thought of working on both simultaneously. But, after having a meeting with the chief secretary recently, we were asked to give priority to the Central Business District,” said Jansky. The study is expected to be completed by mid 1998.

Jansky is already working on a model combining an underground light rail transit (LRT) system with an elevated LRT for the entire six km stretch from CST to Cuffe Parade. “Considering the number of heritage structures in this area, especially in Fort, it would be a sin to have anything other than an underground system here,” he said. The elevated system could run along Marine Drive, along the road at Mantralaya and toward the southern tip of the city.

He dismisses an escalator system for connecting the stretch between Churchgate and CST claiming that it will be difficult to maintain. An LRT system on the other hand, even if elevated, would not require pillars wider than a meter on the roads. The LRT coaches are light and have a greater capacity and a higher speed than the tram.

Its modern bogies can compete with the electrical motor units, he added. “We could have a uniform ticket rate wherever you go between CST to Cuffe Parade. Even if an air-conditioned system is introduced, it need not cost more than Rs 10,” he estimated.

For Bandra-Kurla, there could be a combination of a surface MRT (mass rapid transport) system, along with an elevated system depending on the passenger traffic, the future requirements, house surveys and strategic alignments for the system. “We are an efficient consortium, while TEWET is into demand modelling and traffic forecasting, we excel in supplying systems and technical knowhow. For the input on local knowhow we have the TCS,” Jansky said.