Express or Blue?

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Rahul

Express or Blue? Nope, this is not a choice between a coffee variant and a cocktail – Blue Curacao, this is about Delhi Metro’s second foray into Gurgaon, and whether this second line should be an extension of the Airport Express Line or an extension of the Dwarka Sector 21-Noida Blue line.

What’s the difference you ask? After all, the public-transport-deprived-residents of Gurgaon will gladly accept any form of public transport.

Well, despite the fact that a direct link to the airport will also come in handy, consider this;

- What is likely to get more traffic volumes? Gurgaon to the Airport, or West Delhi to Gurgaon?

- Should we be spending our tax money on much needed public infrastructure catering to a large cross section of society or to a small sub section of society?

- Who needs this connectivity more? Someone who can and is paying thousands for an air ticket and who can easily pay cab/taxi fare to the airport and back (occasionally) or the multitudes who need to get to offices in Gurgaon and back from West Delhi (daily)?

- Should we be building basic public infrastructure first or premium express connectivity?

- There are two stations that have been approved on this line, Sector 23/Palam Vihar and Sector 18/Udyog Vihar. The Sector 18 station will cater to people working in Udyog Vihar and Maruti. Udyog Vihar is a high density industrial area, adjacent to Cyber City (another high density commercial hub).

- The future expansion plans of the Rapid Metro Rail Gurgaon, the one connecting Cyber City to the Sikanderpur line, are to extend the line from Cyber City to Udyog Vihar.

- The Metro fare from Dwarka Sec 21 to Rajeev Chowk on the regular line is Rs. 25. Whereas the fare on the Airport Expressline from New Delhi to the Dwarka Sec 21 is 100 Rupess – Four times over.

- Are people working in Cyber City and Udyog Vihar likely to pay premium charges daily for this connectivity? Vs. regular Metro charges?

- The Airport Expressline in Delhi was built after other more pressing local connectivity was put in place, in Gurgaon we’re doing it the other way round.

- With all the potential volumes in Delhi compared to Gurgaon, the Airport Expressline ferries 15000 people a day. Without qualifying this figure, on whether it is too low or high, would similar volumes of 15000 a day be justifiable for a Gurgaon Airport Expressline?

So, what do you think, Express or Blue?

Posted in Citizens, City of Gurgaon, Infrastructure | Tagged | Leave a comment

Roads to Gurgaon

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Rahul

The Hindustan Times dated the 1st of December carried an article on the ongoing tussle between DGSCL (the Delhi Gurgaon Expressway toll operator) and the industrialists in Udyog Vihar and residents of localities nearby, on the use of the service road that connects Udyog Vihar to NH 8.

What is interesting is that this road that is the bone of contention, is an old road that existed long before the toll plaza came up, and the solution being proposed is to build a toll plaza on this road as well, so that users do not have to travel around Udyog Vihar to get to the Toll plaza gates.

The toll operator of course cannot accept there being no toll gates, as they believe this will amount to ‘revenue leakage’.

Revenue leakage!! This is an existing city road, that too a National Highway. If the residents of localities just next to this road need access, why should they be made to pay Toll for using pretty much the same road as before? Next, the Toll Operator will want to put a toll plaza at the Rajokri entry, claiming revenue leakage, and at every exit in Gurgaon before Kheri Daula (IFFCO Chowk, Signature Tower and beyond), making the same claim.

But wait, there was never a toll for private vehicles at the Delhi-Gurgaon border before. This is basic intercity connectivity that has been provided to the residents of Delhi and Gurgaon. Unlike the Noida DND that was a new shorter and faster connection into Noida, this was an existing road (one of only two mind you) connecting the two cities that was made into an expressway.

Tomorrow, if the Ring Road in Delhi is made signal free, would it be acceptable to charge toll? Without having created an alternate route, something that is optional and better than what existed prior to it, how is it acceptable to charge a premium for something which is a basic requirement?

If toll must be charged, it must be charged when you exit Gurgaon, and not at the Kherki Daula toll plaza, the Kherki Daula toll plaza was brought forward to charge the folks traveling to Manesar, while originally the toll location was further away at Bilaspur.

Besides, considering the volumes of traffic that have crossed the toll gates since inception, significantly more than any growth projections that were initially planned, can the administration review the toll collections to date, and when compared to what the planned projections should have been at the end of the Build-Operate-Transfer period, review whether the planned date for the transfer back to a non-toll state can be brought forward?

Of course, the unfortunate off shoot of the toll plaza at the Delhi Gurgaon border has been that apparently all city traffic is being funneled towards it by keeping all other connecting roads in a pathetic state of repairs;
- The Old Delhi road has not been widened or made free of obstructions to take on some load and reduce the traffic jams at the toll plaza.
- The new roads referred to every now and then, Dwarka Expressway, Vasant Kunj to DLF Phase 3, MG Road to the Gurgaon Faridabad Road have not seen the light of day, despite years having elapsed since the idea was first mooted.

Makes you wonder what incentives exist that would cause the city administration to drive traffic volumes to the toll plaza that is all clogged up.

Well, what else can be done to make the ride to Gurgaon better? If we cannot build new roads to Gurgaon and if the Toll Plaza has to stay, can the administration at least look at strengthening/widening the existing roads that can take off some of the traffic volumes?
- There is an existing road that runs from the Gurgaon Railway station all the way up to Bijwasan, along the tracks, but has the last 2 KM missing. If this road connection can be repaired and the last mile connectivity to the Dwarka Link road be made, it will help residents on this side of Gurgaon and significantly reduce traffic jams at the Toll Plaza.
- The Old Delhi road desperately needs widening and to be made at least partially bottleneck free.

New roads – While the Dwarka Expressway is stuck in litigation, the bit from Dwarka that would provide connectivity to Udyog Vihar and Cyber City is litigation free as there are no existing houses on this stretch. Can at least this bit of the road be built in the interim till such time the court case is resolved? This exit to Udyog Vihar is part of the original plan and besides interim relief, it will help ensure the larger project is on track. This would also provide relief to residents of the new sectors whose houses are getting delayed due to lack of civic infrastructure.

Thoughts?

Posted in Citizens, City of Gurgaon, Infrastructure, Roads | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Why wait 5 years for the Metro when the Ring Railways is right here.

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Rahul

In Gurgaon, we’ve all been lamenting about the lack of public infrastructure for years, and after the Delhi Metro has brought much relief, the sectors near Palam Vihar (Udyog Vihar, Sec 21, 22, 23, 1, 2, 3, Gurgaon One, and all those in the new sectors of Gurgaon) are now eagerly awaiting  the Delhi Metro to start in about 5 years.

But all this while we’re living right next door to Delhi’s existing Local Railway network which already touches Gurgaon. There used to be a Railway Station in Palam Vihar which has since been shutdown, which is on the line that has local trains to Old Delhi, Sarai Rohilla, Patel Nagar, Delhi Cantt., Palam, Shahabad Mohamadpur (Dwarka), New Delhi Railway station, Tilak bridge, running regularly.

If this station is rebuilt, it will provide direct connectivity for Gurgaon into Delhi’s existing Ring Railway network as well, providing cheap and quick connectivity without major investment like the Metro.

These existing trains which today stop at the Gurgaon Railway station (too far), and Bijwasan (again too far and now no longer reachable by road) already have connectivity with Delhi Metro in Delhi, in fact most destinations in Delhi touch Delhi Metro as well. And and is probably the fastest way into Delhi from this side of Gurgaon, if a station is made around Palam Vihar, which is more central.

Just imagine, we have an existing local railway network touching Gurgaon, but we don’t leverage it because the nearest station is deep in Gurgaon, a newer more central station will be a perfect solution for those closer to this side of town, who do not have the Metro. As and when the Metro does come in, it can cater to those wanting to pay a higher charge for a more comfortable ride, and this existing network can be leveraged by others.

All we need is the station to be brought back, and some local feeder buses to the new station, so that more residents on this side of the highway, residential and those in Udyog Vihar, can easily reach this station.

Udyog Vihar is roughly 3KM from this location, from the T point near Gurgaon One, straight down the road in front of Sec 23, Ansal Plaza and DSOI. Feeder buses to the station would cater to Udyog Vihar and Cyber City, that’s all the local government needs to do alongwith getting the old station operational again, and presto we have major connectivity into Delhi, on a cheaper mode of transport than the Delhi Metro.

Instead of waiting for 5 years for the Metro to connect this part of Gurgaon, we can be innovative and leverage Delhi’s existing Ring Railway network.

Connectivity to Palam Vihar, will also automatically spawn metro feeder and autorikshaw connectivity from the Bijwasan station to the Dwarka Metro station, both in Delhi. Providing another valuable link to the existing Delhi Metro.

-

I’ve also heard that the Gurgaon Administration is open to the thought of rebuilding the station at Palam Vihar, but is expecting a PPP model or Ansals to develop it, but I guess without some public support, this new station is unlikely to see the light of day.

Posted in Citizens, City of Gurgaon, Infrastructure, Roads | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment