As somebody who commutes over 12 kilometers daily, I could not help but be forced to observe the many metro rail networks cropping up within the city. Currently in phase II, the metro rail project has been in floors in India since the 1980's with Kolkata being the first city to receive an underground metro station.
Let's take a brief look at the advantages and disadvantages I have personally come across with respect to this form of public transport.
Advantages
Accessibility
The most beneficial and obvious advantage is the accessibility and connectivity that a metro brings to any city. It is an equivalent alternative to the suburban trains or buses that are mostly overcrowded and also creates access in places where the suburban network does not exist.
Employment
Metros create a huge increase in employment especially during construction, with very high hiring rates, right from proposal to planning and to management, metros are forerunners in employment opportunities.
Not only during, but also post construction, there is a constant rotation of people who work the various shifts and have steady employment.
Technological advancement
Metros have challenged the urban scenario and create a dynamic set of solutions for the "problem space" in cities, with technological advancements, more security, more awareness and more efficiency has been achieved. Free wifi, chargeable ports at the station, mobile carts for transport and safe parking locations have saved me in the nick of time, they definitely reduce the hassle and encourages people to use this facility.
Security
Metros are fitted with A-class security systems, as everything is digitized it leaves no scope for error. Right from mechanical, unsupervised entry to automatic gates and doorways, the system is extremely secure and does not require staff attention.
Traffic
Traffic is significantly reduced with more metros encouraging the public to opt for mass transit rather than private and individually owned vehicles. With safe and monitored parking, people travel to metros in private vehicles and choose to further cover large distances by the train, which is faster, more relaxing and stress free.
Less pollution
One of the biggest advantages of any public transport is the reduction in pollution that it causes. 100 people travelling in a train vs in separate cars and bikes has significant impact on air pollution, noise pollution and carbon footprint.
Disadvantages
Cost
The initial cost of construction is extremely high and any small variation or drawback can cause heavy losses. Maintenance and regular checkups are also more expensive as compared to other means of transport.
Skyline blockage
The skyline gets cluttered and crowded with over-bridges and overhead tracks for the network of trains. Any leaks or faults in these bridges can have disastrous impacts on the ongoing traffic.
Automation
Automation too has a lot of negative sides, for instance the automatic door closure can cause injury in the blink of an eye, the automatic token system or rotational entry can all cause delay and hinderance to people who are not accustomed to advance technology as yet. This may casue them to refrain from using the metros in the first place.
Disruption of traffic
My office is located close to 12km away from home, and I happen to travel through a new metro line near the destination. I reach 3/4th of the journey in a span of 15 minutes, after which follows a half an hour of wait along the central metro road. There are close to four diversions and three road blockages every day and heavy traffic ensues this busy state highway. Metro rail constructions take up many long years to reach completion and the residents and travelers face heavy congestion and delays in circulation. One may argue that this is just temporary and the greater good will come to those who wait, but for the current population who may not get to see the completion after 8-10 years, it is a very tedious process.
Lack of awareness
Lack of awareness and fear of technology diverts the local crowd back to their comfort zone of either choosing suburban transport like buses or electric trains, or to using privately owned vehicles. Although the metros are top class and project a very advanced image, the user friendly characteristic is still missing. Using a metro should be more inviting than intimidating.
Like I have observed and mentioned in a few other posts, public transport is the stem of development and carries the city forward. Metros are a huge step in the right direction and with a little more nativity and social consideration they could be the driving force towards a more developed and sustainable India!
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