Pragmatic Study of Government Policies for Metro Rail Project in India

Abstract

Urban planners believe that there is a need of Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) in a city once the population crosses one million. Advanced countries generally plan for a metro system when the population of a city exceeds one million and by the time the population reaches the two million mark, a metro is generally in position. In India there are about 54 cities having a million plus population, however only 23 cities have seen various levels of development of MRTS. Metros are now under construction in ten more cities of India after Kolkata and Delhi. By year 2016 India will rank as a developed country and by that reckoning 15 more cities should start planning for their metro systems. Rail-based “Mass Rapid Transit System” has been widely accepted as a solution for most of the traffic and environmental pollution related problems which major cities throughout the world are facing now. Metro rail construction activities are being undertaken in a big way in India, existing metro rail network of the city of Kolkata and Delhi are being expanded, while it is under various stages of construction in cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Mumbai, kochi, lucknow, Nagpur, ahmedabad and Hyderabad.