Govt may lose Rs 4,000 crore if Pune Metro Project is built on the proposed standard gauge
Govt may lose Rs 4,000 crore if Pune Metro Project is built on the proposed standard gauge
Although the proposed Pune Metro Rail project is expected to be a boon for daily commuters in the city, the project still lies in a jam due to the ongoing debate on whether the standard gauge system, as proposed by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), or the broad gauge should be adopted.
According to experts, there would be a colossal loss of around Rs 4,000 crore if Pune Metro Project is built on standard gauge instead of the broad gauge. VKJ Rane, former MD of Indian Railway Construction Company (IRCON), said, "If we opt for broad gauge we can actually save a lot of money as the coaches can been manufactured in India itself. But if we go for standard gauge, we'll have to import 288 coaches. These coaches alone will cost us Rs 2,300 crore."
Rane, who designed the Kennedy Bridge and was associated with the Metro Corridor Plan (both in Mumbai), added that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the 31-km-long metro rail network in the city, which comprises of elevated and underground routes.
However, he said the there are some flaws in the proposed standard gauge project.
"The major setback in using the standard gauge is that it can't carry as much passengers as the a coach running on the broad gauge," Rane said.
Pointing out another flaw in the project, Rane said that the creation of an elevated corridor from Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal corporation (PCMC) to Range Hills is absolutely unnecessary. "All that is needed is to increase the frequency of the trains," he added. Stating that Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai Metro's are all running on broad gauge. Rane alleged that the DPR is wrongly projecting that the latest technological features are not possible with broad gauge."
Mahesh Zagade, commissioner of PMC, said, "DPR made by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will be first analysed by experts and executed subsequently."
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