Socio-Economic and Environmental Impact of Namma Railu

SOCIO-ECONOMIC & ENVIRONMENTAL

IMPACT

OF

NAMMA RAILU

By

Khader Basha Syed

Praja – RAAG (Research, Analysis and Advocacy Group)

www.praja.in

NAMMA RAILU

Suburban Rail System for Bengaluru

http://www.praja.in/

Soci0-Economic & Environmental Impact of Namma Railu

1

Contents

PREFACE ........................................................................................................ 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................... 3

1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 4

1.1 The Need .............................................................................................. 4

1.2 Growth Center paradigm ............................................................................. 5

1.3 Namma Railu - What is it? ........................................................................... 6

1.4 Growth centers ........................................................................................ 6

1.5 Catchments ............................................................................................ 7

2 Socio-Political Considerations ............................................................................. 8

2.1 Moving growth beyond Bengaluru ................................................................... 8

2.2 Reach and its coverage................................................................................ 8

2.3 Profile of the Benefiting Population ................................................................. 9

2.4 Comparison with similar mass transit systems .................................................... 10

2.5 Social, Economic Empowerment ................................................................... 10

2.5.1 Social Empowerment .......................................................................... 11

2.5.2 Scope for Poverty Alleviation ................................................................ 12

2.5.3 Economic Empowerment ..................................................................... 12

2.6 Impact of affordable daily commute service ....................................................... 12

3 Economics and Return on Investment ................................................................... 14

3.1 Cost of building Namma Railu ..................................................................... 14

3.2 Cost comparison with Bangalore Metro Rail ...................................................... 15

3.3 Outcome of 8000 Crores Investment ............................................................... 16

3.4 Return on Investment ............................................................................... 16

3.5 Employment generation in construction, operations of CRS ..................................... 16

3.6 Economic growth in adjacent towns ............................................................... 16

3.7 Scope for upward mobility of poor and economic weaker sections .............................. 17

4 Decongestion of City Roads ............................................................................. 18

5 Environmental Impact .................................................................................... 21

6 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................... 23

7 Highlights ............................................................................................... 24

8 Appendix – A: The train ride that was an eye opener ................................... 25

Glossary ........................................................................................................ 26

References ...................................................................................................... 27

Namma Railu Network Map ................................................................................... 28


2

PREFACE

Since the release of Praja-RAAG’s “Call to Action Report on Suburban rail service for Bengaluru” in

August 2010, there have been several developments on its advocacy campaign front. The campaign for

‘Suburban Rail Service in Bengaluru’, aka, Namma Railu, has been enriched with continuous discussions

on its importance, socio-politico-economic analysis and regular coverage in the media. In July 2012,

RITES submitted its 2012 RITES report on “Implementation of Suburban rail service in Bengaluru”,

endorsing the need and demand of citizen groups for suburban rail service in the city. This was followed

by several high level interactions among the urban development departments of Karnataka Government to

consider the proposal and accord the necessary approvals at state government level.

In July, 2013, the Chief Minister of Karnataka finally gave the in- principle approval to the Namma Railu

Proposal. In October 2013, finally, DULT (Department of Urban Land Transport), GOK, sent a formal

proposal to Ministry of Railways for its approval and participation in the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).

The project since then is waiting for railway’s approval and implementation thereof.

This report is a collection of various data, analysis and reports on ‘socio-economic and environmental

impact of Namma Railu. These reports have been published on Praja-RAAG website @ www.praja.in at

various points of time during this campaign since its beginning in 2010.

It is our hope that readers of this report will be able to easily grasp the information presented and be able to

comprehend the socio-economic and environmental benefits of Namma Railu service in Bengaluru.



3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This report has been inspired by the outcome of relentless efforts of many individuals, entities, NGOs,

Civil Society members and the government officials in pursuing the proposal for ‘Suburban Rail Service’

in Bengaluru.

The progress that this citizen campaign has made would not have been possible without the support of

Tumkur MP, Shri. Basavaraj, Rajya Sabha MP, Prof. Rajeev Gowda and Mr. Ananth Kumar, MP,

Bangalore South. Their support is still continuing.

A special gratitude is due to Dr. T. G. Sitharam, Chairman, Centre for infrastructure, Sustainable Transport

and Urban Planning (CiSTUP) and his team for lending the support and persuading the government

agencies to take up this proposal for consideration in recent years.

Special thanks to Smt. V. Manjula, Commissioner, Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT),

Karnataka, for taking keen interest in the CRS proposal and taking it up with the higher authorities under

which DULT functions.

Thanks to Senior IAS officer, Shri. V Madhu, Former Principal Secretary IDD, Government of Karnataka,

for his inspiration to take up this challenge under aegis of Praja banner.

Heartfelt thanks to all the news media and their journalists who were very considerate in carrying the news

and information related to suburban rail campaign regularly in their daily/weekly news editions.

Thanks to all the individuals and groups who have directly or indirectly supported the campaign in

different capacities.

The campaign for Namma Railu, aka Suburban Rail Service for Bengaluru, would not have been possible

without the Praja.in online debates and discussion on the subject.

Last but not the least, special gratitude goes to Praja-RAAG members, who were instrumental in pursuing

the ‘Namma Railu’ campaign vigorously; the campaign is continuing. The relentless efforts of Praja-

RAAG members Pranav Jha, Muralidhar Rao, Ravi D, Sathya Sanakaran, Sanjeev Dyamannavar, Srinidhi,

Capt. Naveen Chandra, Vaishnovi Manjari, Hemanth Kumar, Deepak Vijayvergiy and Dr. Sanjay

Vijayraghavan - remain a testimony to the brilliant work of civic activism currently.


4

1 Introduction

Provisioning mass transport for the growing economy has never been so much of a priority before. With the

kind of visibility Bengaluru has in the international arena and the role India is going to play globally, it is

important for both central and state governments to sit up and take note. Ignoring long-term mass transport

needs for the city can result in grave consequences. The economy of any city thrives on availability of good

quality labor at affordable cost. Expensive housing and increased travel times can result in severe pressures

on productivity from human capital. This may ultimately lead to flight of capital and hurt the economy with

cascading effects.

Housing has already become unaffordable in Bengaluru for the lower and middle class, which form a major

portion of the workforce today and also in the long-term future. The industrial towns around Bengaluru are

close to existing railway tracks. These tracks can be said to lie wasted to some extent since a viable mass

transit option is not seriously considered. No amount of connectivity within the city will be enough if that

connectivity is not supplemented by mass transit to these nearby industrial towns. The key is thus frequent,

low cost connectivity which can be achieved by utilization and enhancement of the existing train tracks

between Bengaluru and the many growth centers in the suburbs and towns around it. Multiple reports over

twenty seven (27) years including many RITES survey reports have drawn attention to discuss this fact

repeatedly but with little action and follow-up.

1.1 The Need

Per McKinsey report on India’s urbanization by 2030 will be as follows:

590 million people will live in cities, nearly twice the population of US today

270 million people will be the net increase of working age population

70% of net new employment will be generated in cities

91 million households will be middle class, up from 22 million today

700-900 million sqm of commercial & residential space needs to be built, or a new Chicago

every year

2.5 billion sqm of roads will have to be paved, 20 times the capacity created in the past decade

7400 Km of metros & subways will need to be constructed, 20 times the capacity added in the

past decade

Bengaluru is a leader in this growth. Per the report, it will have more than 10 million people inhabiting it

by 2030, of whom a majority will be from the middle and lower income group. For them, the urban

mobility challenge will only increase as the working population increases and hence, commute will

become a major quality of life indicator.

Further, research by Center for Ecological Sciences, IISc, reveals a 76% decline in vegetation cover and a

79% decline in water bodies due to the increase in built up space in the urban areas of Bengaluru. This

implies that any further significant net addition within the urban area will result in a decline in standard of

living.

How Bengaluru builds its infrastructure & manages this growth will determine if it will continue to lead in

taking the country forward or it will become a failure leading to urban chaos.


5

1.2 Growth Center paradigm

CTTP 2007 commissioned by KUIFDC/IDD of GoK had this to say regarding Commuter Rail on existing

tracks: “With the development of the huge Multiple Economic Activity Areas like Electronic City, I.T.

Parks, Industrial & Commercial Areas with consequent job opportunities on the one hand and availability

of comparatively cheaper accommodation in surrounding towns like Hosur, Ramanagaram, Tumkur, etc.

where a large number of working population is likely to live, substantial commuter movement between

these towns and the Metropolis will take place.”

One critical element of this urban operating model of the future is how cities will make and enforce land &

space choices. Housing has already become unaffordable in Bengaluru for the lower and middle classes.

No city in India has allocated space and zoning for affordable housing. The housing market has a

preference to locate close to commercial/urban spaces to increase the premium the houses can fetch. This

increases both, the cost & mixed use urban sprawl. Counter magnet cities, with suburban mass transit, are

the best and most effective way to focus on affordable housing for middle & lower income groups who

will constitute 75% of the future workforce. Nearby suburban towns were often viewed as best options for

setting up industries to release growth pressures on the city to absorb new migrants and to relocate some

people from the city. It never happened, because a business ecosystem cannot be artificially replaced or

relocated. These suburban cities need to be zoned to take the housing pressure off Bengaluru and this can

happen only when the option of traveling to Bengaluru quickly and cheaply becomes a reality.

From the McKinsey report one can gather that, for the first time in India’s history, Karnataka along with

other large south Indian states will have more people in its cities than in its villages. This means that the

pressure on cities will increase considerably in the future to avoid urban sprawl and still manage their

growth. Increasing the area of Bengaluru and making it Bruhat Bengaluru has put undue pressure on civic

bodies and made the area difficult to manage. The alternate model is to enable suburban cities to

become more attractive destinations for settlers & connect them via mass transit trains to within an

approximate one hour commute distance from Bengaluru.


6

In the past two decades the state government in co-operation with the central government has attempted a

few options to address the urban transportation challenges. Namma Metro, Mono Rail, High Speed Rail to

BIAL, rejuvenated BMTC service are all examples. While most of this focus on making commute within

Bengaluru city easier, the suburban connects is what will bring dividends in the long run.

Efficiency in operations, more advanced levels of automation in signaling supplemented by close

coordination with local authorities in implementing last mile solutions and superior interchange with metro

are going to determine the success of the Commuter rail.

The rest of this report will provide the excerpts from Praja’s ‘Call to Action Report for Bangalore

Suburban rail service’ report of 2010 and 2012’s RITES technical feasibility report recommending

suburban rail service in Bengaluru along with socio-economic indicators buttressing the demand for it.

1.3 Namma Railu - What is it?

The suburban rail service for Bengaluru, aka Namma Railu, is a proposal for daily train services

connecting suburban growth centers within an approximate one hour travel distance to Bengaluru. It is a

proposal for running suburban rail service with environmental friendly electric trains which are bicycle &

disabled friendly, operating on existing tracks, doubled or quadrupled as necessary, for operation at a high

frequency of 20 or more trains per day between each origin-destination pair.

1.4 Growth centers

The growth centers indicated in the map as green are the towns which will be connected by the Commuter

Rail. These growth centers are significant because they are currently not very heavily populated despite

their close proximity to Bengaluru. They have sufficient headroom for growth and are approximately

within one hour traveling distance from Bengaluru. The catchment areas in between have the potential to

grow with suburban rail services.


7

Growth Center Distance from

BLR

Population Catchment

Hosur 40 Kms 1.5 Lakhs Anekal, Jigani, Electronic city

Ramanagara 50 Kms 1 Lakh Kengeri, Bidadi

Mandya 70 Kms 3 Lakhs Chanpatna, Maddur

Tumkur 70 Kms 3 Lakhs Nelamangala, Peenya, Jalahalli, Hessarghatta,

Dobbspet

Chickballapur 70 Kms 0.7 Lakhs Devanahalli, BIA, ITIR, DBP, avaiation hub

Dodballapur 40 Kms 0.9 Lakh Yelahanka, Dodballapur Indl Area

Bangarpet 70 Kms 1.5 Lakh Malur, KIADB

* All figures are approximate and taken from publicaly available sources

1.5 Catchments

SEGMENT Total

catchment

population in

Lakhs (2011)

Not covered by

local station

YESWANTPUR TO

BENNINGANAHALLI

6.7 37.10%

BENNINGANAHALLI TO HOSUR 5.6 12.60%

BENNINGANAHALLI TO

YELAHANKA

1.8 56.90%

YESHWANTPUR TO

YELAHANKA

2.3 70.00%

YELAHANKA TO DODBALLAPUR 2.1 38.20%

YELAHANKA TO

CHICKBALLAPUR

2.8 28.90%

YESHWANTPUR TO TUMKUR 10.7 20.97%

YESHWANTPUR TO

RAMANAGARA

9.6 10.96%

RAMANAGARAM TO MANDYA 3.0 37.03%

BENNINGANAHALLI TO

BANGARPET

4.0 16.00%

48.6 32.78%

The above table gives a snapshot of the population covered by the existing network of tracks and the

potential that lies unutilized.

An estimated 48 lakh people live along the existing tracks between Bengaluru and these growth centers.

About 1/3rd

of this population are not served because of lack of stations and last mile within local areas.

These 33% consequently move to other modes like private transport to fulfill their commuting needs,

putting further pressure on roads.


8

2 Socio-Political Considerations

If one were to talk of socio-political benefits of proposed Namma Railu / CRS service, volumes can be

written on it. Since the objective of this document is to illustrate the highlights of benefits that suburban

rail service can bring in, only handful of the benefits are discussed in the following sections. The purpose

is to drive home the point that as every public utility project, as a public mass transit system, proposed

project is also full of socio-political benefits.

2.1 Moving growth beyond Bengaluru

The Bengaluru city for both good and bad reasons has reached the saturation point for any type of growth,

be it economics, population, industries or commerce. The result is seen in terms of rationing of power and

water. Housing has become expensive and proving to be a determining factor for availability of cheap

labor. It is time the growth in Bengaluru city and its suburbs was put on leash. It is time to pursue policies

and programs to shift the development and growth beyond Bengaluru. Nothing can be better for this

purpose than provisioning of Namma Railu, CRS to connect the towns of Mandya, Ramanagaram,

Tumkur, Doddaballpur, Chikballpur, Malur, Hosur and Bangarpet.

With the reliable suburban rail service, opportunities will open up in these towns for

affordable housing

cheap land for starting industries and businesses

transportation of goods and products from and to Bengaluru and beyond

opportunities to reside in towns and work in Bengaluru

space for setting up new educational, research, health and sports institutes.

2.2 Reach and its coverage

Per RITES, there is a potential for 440 KMs of CRS network in the above BMRDA region. This network

spans across

8 Loksabha Constituencies in Karnataka: o Bengaluru Central

o Bengaluru South

o Bengaluru North

o Bengaluru Rural

o Chickballapur

o Kolar

o Tumkur

o Mandya

47 Assembly Constituencies in Karnataka o Benefiting 48 Million people in the catchment areas

o Garnering 30% of the public transport trips, i.e. 2.97 million

o Supporting 2 million commuters per day, an increase from 1.5 lakhs at present.


9

B

BMRDA Map – Courtesy www.bmrda.kar.nic.in

2.3 Profile of the Benefiting Population

The proposed CRS network touches all sections of the society. Its inclusiveness is not something made-up,

but comes with its turf.

Out of 440 Km, 220 Km fall in urban areas and 220 Km in rural areas

It reaches city central, suburbs, semi-rural and rural areas equally

With right kind of rakes, ticket pricing, stops, it is guaranteed to attract all sections –

o Poor to Rich

o Office goers to industrial workers

o Urban dwellers to rural folks

o Students to senior citizens

The closest match by any other mass transit system comes from Namma Metro which is under

construction. Namma Metro is designed and built for commute inside the city and by its design excludes

certain areas, population, etc. In recent trends for reasons of profiteering, the present mass transit systems

providers like BMTC in the city is resorting to serving the affluent class more and neglecting the other

sections. That goes against the very purpose of public mass transit system, which must provide the

balanced connectivity across all sections and all regions.

Proposed Namma Railu Projectin comparison is well-placed to serve all sections and across all regions in

the BMR region. It is the best avenue of providing access to affordable mobility. The consequences of this

emphasis are explained in the subsequent sections in detail.

http://www.bmrda.kar.nic.in/


10

2.4 Comparison with similar mass transit systems

The closest comparative mass transit systems in Bangalore at present are, under construction ‘Namma

Metro’ along with some proposals for Monorail, LRT and HSRL which are before the state government.

Here are some comparisons in terms of network length and capacity.

CRS Metro Monorail HSRL

Network Length (in Kms) 440 115 60 35

Daily Ridership 20,00,000 10,50,000 1,50,000 30,000

Data Source – 2012 RITES Report

2.5 Social, Economic Empowerment

Given its reach and impact on its beneficiaries, Namma Railu Project can also be proudly projected as

empowerment of socially and economically backward sections of the population both in urban and rural

areas of the Bengaluru region.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450


Network Length (in Km)

Network Length

(in Kms)

0

5

10

15

20

25


Daily Ridership (in Lakhs)

Daily Ridership

(in Lakhs)


11

Empowerment due to reliable and faster access to centers of education, health care, recreation,

industries and business Nothing short of poverty alleviation project, but in more sustainable form

2.5.1 Social Empowerment

For decades Bangalore has been known for educational and health institutes not limiting to famous IISc,

IIM-B and NIMHANS alone. After 1980’s liberal policy of state government to open up the education and

health sector to private entities, the whole of Karnataka witnessed a kind of revolution in higher

educational institutes in every town and city. Needless to say the number of higher educational and

medical institutes that have come up in the past 3 decades in Bangalore and its surrounding areas

especially in the proposed CRS catchment areas. The above map illustrates a handful of them.

Proposed CRS is well-placed to provide the mass transit connectivity to these centers of education, health

and employment. In general it will not be wrong to say that it would empower the people living in the city,

suburbs, villages and towns with affordable mobility to

access educational institutes especially those offering professional and higher education courses.

access vocational training institutes to get trained in technical and semi-technical skills.

access personality development training institutes including finishing schools for leadership

training.

access health and medical institutes for better and quality treatments.

access markets and business centers.

access various pilgrimage and tourist centers that lie inside and outside Bangalore city.

access government departments and agencies for citizens’ services like processing passports

applications, ration cards, driving permits, etc.


12

2.5.2 Scope for Poverty Alleviation

CRS in particular has the potential to help people in lower economic strata to climb the economic ladder

and come out of the condition they are in today. Affordable mobility to access education and employment

will open up the avenues of work and business. Lower labor rates will enhance the prospects of newer

businesses and newer jobs. Newer jobs mean more opportunities for work and earnings.

The profile of population in the CRS catchments, especially outside Bangalore, is mostly rural, agricultural

and poorer to a large extent. With the provision of CRS, there will be an opportunity to these sections to

access better avenues be they for education or for employment.

2.5.3 Economic Empowerment

It is a known fact that, in general, social empowerment will lead to the economic empowerment. The

improvement in literacy levels will boost the prospects of higher personal earnings and economics of the

locality. In the context of CRS, economic empowerment from greater affordable mobility access is well

recognized across the world. The proposed Suburban rail service will

enable people to seek employment away from home.

provide industry and business with labor with economic and affordable mobility.

help reduce unemployment, hence reduce and prevent social problems.

provide people an opportunity to afford a low cost housing in towns but still be able to work in

Bengaluru.

stimulate economic growth in adjacent towns and catchment areas resulting in lifting the standard

of living.

help people make more trips seeking health care services, shopping and looking for recreation.

2.6 Impact of affordable daily commute service

Using a socio-economic study done for public transit in the state of Wisconsin, USA, we can study how

the absence of affordable public transit system would impact the transit choices for the people, especially

those who live beyond urban sprawling. Here is a sample of that impact.

Transit Choices for Health Care purposes in absence of CRS By Alternate Transport Means 48%

Look for opportunities near home 23%

Not be able to seek medical assistance 25%

0.005.00

10.0015.0020.0025.0030.0035.0040.0045.00

Poverty Level ( % )

Poverty Level ( % )


13

Others 4%

Transit Choices for Education purposes in absence of CRS By Alternate Transport Means 48%

Look for opportunities near home 15%

Not be able to attend School/College 13%

Missed Classes and related activities 22%

Others 2%


14

3 Economics and Return on Investment

In the era of market economy, there is absolutely no chance or room for any projects to be considered only

on basis of social good. These days government officials, entrusted with approving such projects are

scrutinizing them for economic impact, taking into account the investments needed and returns CRS will

accrue in coming years.

Namma Railu proposal is also going through such close scrutiny in government corridors on its economic

viability. This is what the Principal Secretary at UDD (Urban Development Department) had to say about

their due diligence on according approval to Namma Railu proposal:

.

It is well-known that investments into any infrastructure projects especially in the public mass transit

systems, is always a profitable venture. Not sure if the officers in GOK had enough time to ponder upon

the economic benefits of Namma Railu so that their job becomes a little easy and see fewer roadblocks in

approving the project.

Here is an attempt to bring out the economic benefits that Namma Railu will bring in with its introduction

in the region. Hopefully, these will not go unnoticed in government, political and public corridors.

3.1 Cost of building Namma Railu

Per RITES, the cost for building and making Namma Railu operational will cost in the range of 8000-9000

crores. Though this is a significant amount comparing with cost of building it with other mass transit

system provides an insight into cost and output comparisons. Here is a comparison of construction cost of

CRS with other planned mass transit systems in Bengaluru:

CRS* Metro* Monorail ∏ HSRL ∏

Daily Ridership 20,00,000 10,50,000 1,50,000 30,000

Length (Kms) 440 115 60 35

Total Cost (Crores) 8,000 38,000 8,400 6000

Construction Cost

(Per KM) (Crores)

15-20 200-400 150 180-200

"...Yes we are looking at it. Since this is a cost intensive project, the project requires lots of thinking

and co-ordination from various authorities and takes time. Once positive steps are taken, we

hopefully will like to forward..."

- Dr. Amita Prasad, Principal Secretary, UDD


15

3.2 Cost comparison with Bangalore Metro Rail

0

50

100

150

200

250

300


Construction Cost (Crores Per KM)

Construction Cost

(Crores Per KM)

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000


Total Cost (in Crores)

Total Cost (in

Crores)


16

3.3 Outcome of 8000 Crores Investment

This 8000 crores investment will not only help introduce CRS in Bengaluru but would have enhanced the

entire railway infrastructure capacity in the city by 100%. Here is a snapshot of what this investment will

do:

Create capacity to operate CRS services - 675 Ssrvices per day carrying two million riders per day.

Capacity enhancements at SBC, YPR, BYP, YEL - will double i.e. platforms, dtations, etc.

Railways will be able to double the number of long distance trains it can operate and handle today.

Enhancements to passenger amenities including ticketing counters, parking, etc.

Latest signaling system to South Western Railway’s Bangalore division.

ROB/RUB at every railway crossing in the CRS operational region - safety and easing congestion

due to manned crossings.

3.4 Return on Investment

It is known world over that every rupee that is invested in mass transit infrastructure will yield 6 rupees in

return. Here is a list of potential economic returns of 8000 Crores of investment in CRS:

Total Economic Returns - 6 times of investment

8000 Crores of investment will yield 48,000 crores in return.

Business Sales - 3 times of investment

Income to GOK in taxes and receipts - 1500 crores per annum Savings in the lieu of other PT projects – 10,000 crores

GOK's income of 1500 Crores per annum alone is more than enough to recover the cost (8000 Crores) in

five to six years.

3.5 Employment generation in construction, operations of CRS

There is no need to write about the employment generation due to activities in initial building/construction

and operation of CRS. According to ‘'The Socio-Economic Benefits of Transit in Wisconson - By HLB

Decision Economics' report,

Every $10 million invested in transit capital projects yields 300 jobs (Direct and Indirect)

Every $ 10 million invested in transit operations generates 600 jobs (Direct and indirect)

Given the demography of proposed CRS network, it will not be incorrect to assume similar benefits

accrual if not higher benefits.

3.6 Economic growth in adjacent towns

It is not a brainer to know the potential for catchments areas to benefit economically from CRS operations.

Trains bring industries and businesses, thereby bringing in increased economic activities in the vicinity. In

the context of Namma Railu, it is a foregone conclusion that towns of Mandya, Ramanagaram, Malur,

Bangarpet, Chikballapur, Doddaballapur and Tumkur will see the economic growth that is not seen in the

past. Economic growth means prosperity in towns. Who doesn't want it?

Major Towns Population Major Trade/Economic activity

Mandya 137,735 Rice, Sugar, Silk Rearing, Higher Educational Institutes

Ramanagaram* 79,365 Silk Rearing, Higher Educational Institutes

Malur* 27,815 Clay tile-and-brick industry, Small-scale industries, Business

Bangarpet* 38703 Close to KGF's BEML, Mostly depends upon jobs in B'lore


17

Hosur* 84,394 Industrial Hub

Chikballapur* 54,968 Flowers, Horticulture, Silk Rearing, Higher Education

Institutes

Doddaballapur* 71,606 Silk Weaving, Handlooms, Apparel Industrial Park

Tumkur 305,821 Produces millet, rice, pulses, arecanut and oil seeds. Industrial

hub producing coarse cotton cloths, woolen blankets, ropes,

watches etc.

* - 2001 Census Data

3.7 Scope for upward mobility of poor and economic weaker sections

If CRS is implemented right, it will facilitate affordable access to schools/colleges, industries and

businesses thereby helping people from lower economic strata to help themselves to move upward. Greater

education means more opportunities for better jobs. Better jobs mean more monthly income, i.e.,

opportunity for greater prosperity. Looking at the potential of economic prosperity accrual due to CRS, it

is not wrong to say CRS has the potential to be a project for poverty alleviation in rural and urban areas of

Bengaluru.


18

4 Decongestion of City Roads The vehicular growth in Bengaluru is going on an alarming pace with growth of 40% in last decade. Here

is a glimpse of this growth.

Year Total # of Vehicles

1981 1,90,653

1991 6,62,148

2001 15,66,142

2011 40,68,045

2015 68,82,868

2025 1,92,93,509

2030 3,22,86,085

This begs an important question; does Bengaluru have the space to accommodate so many vehicles?

Certainly Bengaluru city does not have the resources to accommodate all these vehicles. Even as of today,

all the major city roads are choked with perpetual traffic grid locks. The commute time has just multiplied

many times during these 2 decades of high growth rate of vehicles in the city. In these circumstances, any

addition of vehicles, without addressing infrastructure improvements, will only make the matters worse.

Road congestion is slowly impacting the city in many ways, one being the productivity of workers and

scope for further growth.

Like many other cities in India, Bengaluru has also reached a stage where it cannot afford to add more

congestion on its roads and slowly impact the sustainability. If this continues, Bengaluru will soon be on

fast track becoming a dead city like many others. Therefore, fighting congestion becomes paramount and

priority for state government, planners and citizens.

The solution lies in moving people not in moving vehicles if city roads are to be decongested. For that, city

needs a mass transit system to move people in large numbers. Namma Railu, aka suburban rail service,

provides that opportunity to address the congestion challenges on city roads by offering the mass transit

solution to move people in large numbers that too at affordable cost.

0

5000000

10000000

15000000

20000000

25000000

30000000

35000000

1981 1991 2001 2011 2015 2025 2030

Total # of Vehicles

Total # of Vehicles


19

RITES, in its 2012 report ‘Implementation of Commuter Rail System for Bangalore’, suggests that the

project be implemented in 4 phases. Here is a summary of those phases and outcomes.

Phase Investment

(In Crorers)

No. of Suburban

Services

Commuter trips that can be

generated per Day

At Present N/A N/A 1,50,000

1A 175 24 4,00,000

1 3831 172 8,00,000

2 2251 94 15,00,000

3 2504 NA 25,00,000

It is estimated that the ratio of 2-wheelers and Cars that are now fulfilling the commuter trips is about 75-

25, i.e. for every car, there are three 2-wheelers on the road. Taking these ratios and substituting these

personal vehicle trips for the same that can be generated by having suburban rail services/CRS, this is what

it would look like:

Year Phase (per RITES) 2 Wheelers Cars Total Commuter Trips

per day

2014 Without CRS 33,75,000 11,25,000 45,00,000

2016 With CRS - Phase 1A 30,75,000 10,25,000 45,00,000

2018 With CRS - Phase 1 27,75,000 9,25,000 45,00,000

2021 With CRS - Phase 2 22,50,000 7,50,000 45,00,000

2025 With CRS - Phase 3 15,00,000 5,00,000 45,00,000

NOTE: Total commuters trips are kept constant @ 45,00,000 which is about 33% of the total daily

commuter trips.

The numbers and graphic representation of the same clearly demonstrate that introduction of

suburban/commuter rail services will certainly bring down the number of personal vehicles on city roads.

This can only mean

fewer personal vehicles on road, i.e. inefficiency in carrying capacity /trip gets reduced.

fewer vehicles means less congestion on roads

lesser congestion means, fewer fatalities

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

2500000

3000000

3500000

4000000

4500000

5000000

Without CRS With CRS -

Phase 1A

With CRS -

Phase 1

With CRS -

Phase 2

With CRS -

Phase 3

2014 2016 2018 2021 2025

2 Wheelers

Cars

Total Commuter

Trips


20

The biggest beneficiary of lesser congestion would be the public transport buses which at present

have to compete with single occupancy vehicles. This will enable them to maintain their departure

and arrival times.


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5 Environmental Impact

We all know inefficiency of fuel consumption of 2-wheelers and cars in comparison to Bus and Trains.

This gets more hazardous in urban commute space.

In terms of CO2 that is emitted from different vehicles then defines the overall sustainability of the

transport system that is operated in the city. Here is a rough estimate of CO2 emissions from 2 Wheeler,

Car and a Suburban Rail System /CRS.

2 wheeler - 26 gms of CO2 per person per KM.1

Car - 227 gms of CO2 per person per KM

Commuter Train - 22 gms of CO2 per person per KM

If we extrapolate these numbers for the different phases of Namma Railu, in terms of total commuter trips,

this is what it would look like

Phases Year Total KMs / day CO2 Emission

in 2 Wheelers

(in Tonne)

CO2 Emission in

Cars (in Tonne)

CO2 Emission in

Suburban Rail

(in Tonne)

IA 2016 40,00,000 89.29 250.20 101.41

1 2018 80,00,000 178.57 500.45 202.83

2 2021 1,50,00,000 334.82 938.30 380.30

3 2025 2,50,00,000 558.05 1563.90 633.83

NOTE: Here 10KM per trip is estimated to be the average trip length. That means, for phase 1-A, a total of 40 lakh

Kms of trip length is generated.

1 Source - Atmospheric Environment Journal / www.elsevier.com/locate/atmosenv

Research Paper by T.V. Ramachandra and Shwetmala, IISC, CiSTUP,

Title - Emissions from India’s transport sector: Statewise synthesis

http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy/paper/IISc_Emissions_from_Indias_Transport_sector/TVR_emission2009.pdf

0.00

500.00

1000.00

1500.00

2000.00

2500.00

2016 2018 2021 2025

CO2 Emission in 2-

Wheelers (in Tonnes)

CO2 Emission in Cars

(in Tonnes)

CO2 emission (Car +

2Wheeler) (inTonne)

CO2 Emission in

Suburban Rail


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The inference from this data is that there can be significant reduction in the CO2 emission due to proposed

Namma Railu services in Bengaluru City.

Phases Year Kms / Day CO2 emission

(Car + 2Wheeler)

(inTonne)

CO2 Emission in

Suburban Rail

(in Tonnes)

Reduction in CO2

Emission

(in Tonnes)

1A 2016 4000000 339.51 101.41 238.10

1 2018 8000000 679.02 202.83 476.20

2 2021 15000000 1273.17 380.30 892.87

3 2025 25000000 2121.95 633.83 1488.12

The benefits of such an enormous reduction in carbon emissions will have a significant impact on the city,

its air quality, and more importantly, health of the people.

0.00

500.00

1000.00

1500.00

2000.00

2500.00

2016 2018 2021 2025

CO2 emission (Car +

2Wheeler) (inTonne)

CO2 Emission in

Suburban Rail

Reduction in CO2

Emission (in Tonnes)


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6 CONCLUSION

Namma Railu, aka Suburban Rail Service can be a game changer for Bengaluru city. It could help

immensely to mitigate urban transport issues besides assisting the nearby towns with growth and

development. Expanding roads or building expensive roadways between the city and nearby

towns would not address issues of air pollution or traffic congestion. Construction costs being low

(when compared with new systems), Suburban Rail is probably the best option to connect satellite

towns or twin cities within a metropolitan region owing to the many benefits that it promises.


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7 Highlights

100+ stops

840 is the possible number of services per day on all routes suggested for

optimum efficiency

440 Kilometers of mass transit system network

2,50,000 is the carrying capacity per day

48,00,000 is the number of people in the catchment areas covered by

the current SWR tracks

33% is the percentage of the population in the catchment areas who need

access to a local station

SPV is the way to go for rolling out commuter services with all stakeholders

being a part of this entity working together to make this a success


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8 Appendix – A: The train ride that was an eye opener

First Praja train ride meet report by Pranav Jha, Founder Praja.in

On the morning of May 8, 2010, five of us – Muralidhar Rao, Pranav Jha, Manjari, Naveen and Satya –

travelled on a local suburban rail to Hosur to experience firsthand the feasibility of the Commuter Rail

System (CRS). Ah! Ufff!. What an eye opener. Easily the best Praja meeting of all. I am so lost for words

here. So would be IDS, Murali, Naveen and Manjari, you bet.

There was no one around to give us our tickets at Belundur Station. But the counter opened by the time

train arrived. Six rupees per person for a ride till Hosur. IDS paid Rs 10 from Hebbal to Hosur. How much

would you be willing to pay for a comfortable smoke - and traffic-free ride from Hebbal to Hosur?

Sathya took the train from Hebbal. Naveen, Manjari and myself got on to it at Belandur station at 7:10.

Murali joined us near Sarjapur Road at about 7:20.

We were at Hosur station by around 7:50. Had our morning coffee there as the engine changed ends.

Return ride started at 8:10 am. We were back at Belandur station by 8:45 or so.

“But all in all, after watching clean and empty train, and nice little stations, all so close from the busy

corridors and suburbs of Bangalore, we were wondering why this magnificent option was underutilized

while we all debate public transportation?”


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Glossary ABS Automated Block Signaling

BBMP Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike

BCRAL Bengaluru Commuter Rail Authority Limited

BIA Bengaluru International Airport

BMLTA Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority

BMRC Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation

BMRDA Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority

BMTC Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation

CRS Suburban rail service

CTTP Comprehensive Traffic and Transport Plan

DBP Devanahalli Business Park

DEMU Diesel Electric Multiple Unit

EMU Electric Multiple Unit

EPIP Export Promotion Industrial Park

GoK Government of Karnataka

HSRL High Speed Rail Link

IDD Infrastructure Development Department

IR Indian Railways

ITIR Information Technology Investment Region

ITPL Information Technology park Ltd

KIADB Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board

KUIFDC Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation

MEMU Mainline Electric Multiple Unit

MMTS Multi Modal Transport System

MRVC Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation

O&M Operations & Maintenance

ORR Outer Ring Road

PT Public Transport

RITES Rail India Technical and Economic Society

ROB Road Over Bridge

RUB Road Under Bridge

RVNL Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd

SPV Special Purpose Vehicle

SWR South Western Railway


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References McKinsey Global Institute – India’s Urban Awakening: Building Inclusive cities, sustaining economic

growth, April 2010

Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science – Greater Bangalore: Emerging Urban Heat

Island, January 2010

Infrastructure Development Department, Government of Karnataka – Railways Infrastructure plan,

Karnataka, 2009

Government of India, Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) – Indian Railways Vision 2020, December

2009

Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd, Government of Indian Enterprise, FAQ’s, 2008

RITES Ltd – 2012 Report on ‘Implementation of Suburban rail service in Bengaluru’

Praja.in (www.praja.in) – Commuter Rail Project Wiki, discussions & contributions from members, 2007-

2010

Praja.in (www.praja.in) – “Call to Action Report – Bengaluru Suburban rail service”, 2010.

HLB Decision Economics Inc – “The Socio-Economic Benefits of Transit in Wisconsin”, Dec 2003.




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Namma Railu Network Map


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About Praja-RAAG (Research, Analysis and Advocacy Group)

Praja-RAAG is a think tank of online citizen group “Praja.in”, Bangalore.

"praja.in" (PRAJA, for short) is an e-platform of over 8,000 (registered) citizens, largely 'techies' of

Bangalore, participating in informed debates over various issues that help identify possible solutions to

burning issues and civic problems. Ideas for solutions are then pursued ‘on the ground’ through PRAJA-

RAAG (Research, Analysis and Advocacy Group).

Praja.in aims to be a bridge between those who serve us and those amongst us who care and want to

participate. Towards that end, it has established an Internet driven community to help make the connection

at local levels. It intends to be a networking platform for active and concerned citizens.

Praja.in, December 2014

http://praja.in/en/nammarailu

http://praja.in/en/nammarailu

Socio-Economic and Environmental Impact of Namma Railu

Government & Nonprofit

Transcript of Socio-Economic and Environmental Impact of Namma Railu