"People First" is our motto: MD, Chennai Metro

BW Smart Cities: What’s the current range of the Chennai Metro Rail project? Pankaj Bansal: Chennai Metro is currently a 45 kilometres-long project, with Rs. 14,600 crore, jointly funded by the Centre and the Government of Tamil Nadu. In this, 24kms will be underground while the rest 21kms will be an elevated line. One of our elevated corridors of 10kms should be ready for passenger service within a couple of months’ time, with another 10kms being ready by the year end. We plan to complete the full project in 2016. BWSC: What of smarter city planning? Do you have a Master Plan for the metro? PB: This is the first step, Grade I, and we have taken up a detailed study for Chennai City as well as the Chennai Metropolitan Area to configure the master plan for metro. Basically, we study the requirement from the people based on a household survey. This will not only keep in mind what the present level of traffic on the road is, but also the expected level of increase in the future. On that basis, we figure out the lines required for the metro master plan for the next 30 years and then we privatise those lines. It is always better to go the comprehensive way and it is not just by providing a metro rail that a city becomes smarter. BWSC: How are you planning to integrate Metro services with the rest of the city’s transport? PB: We have to integrate the Metro with existing modes of transport, which may be mofussil or suburban railways, the metropolitan transport authority in the city, the auto services or shared auto and private vehicles. This has to be done both physically and technologically. Physically, we have to integrate our stations in such a way that there is seamless transition from one mode of transport to another in minimal time. This has to be done not just by providing adequate pathways, bridges and footpaths but also by providing sufficient parking and pick-up-and-drop spaces. Technologically, there needs to be one ticket or smart card that can run across the entire system. We have tied up with the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai) – MTC bus services in the city – and they already have a machine that is comfortable with our smart cards. A system is being worked out and this is in the final stages now. We are currently in discussions with the Indian Railways to integrate suburban railways and MRTS with the same card. The decision will have to be taken at the central level by the Ministry of Railways. Through the one smart card we have, there is scope for up to 32 operators or gateways that we can integrate services with, like various taxi and auto services as well as parking and commercial establishments – all with the same clearing house. BWSC: What have you learnt from the experiences, successes and failures of other public transport systems? PB: We have seen the Delhi and Bangalore metro railways, the good things they have done, things they couldn’t do – though they are still working on it, so the advantage is that what they may be learning years after they started, we can work on that from Day One. In that light, we started discussions from the beginning, even before commencing the project, with MTC bus services, railway officials to plan seamlessly without any confusion right from the start. BWSC: What is your idea of a metro that puts its citizens first? PB: Whenever we travel anywhere either we are stuck in traffic in our vehicles or breathing in polluted air on two/ three wheelers or as pedestrians – irritated and often running behind schedule for where we have to be. The metro solution offers an experience where, even after travelling 30 or 40kms you are not tired. Once you come out of the metro, you should feel very good. This is our motto. Even with our stations, we have undertaken a study of 500m circular areas around our stations, identified all roads, footpaths and other exit systems, and evaluated the need for a subway, zebra crossing or red light – for use by pedestrians or cyclists. In our current system, we often forget about the pedestrian or cyclist. We have discussed this with the Chennai Corporation and they have taken our plans on board, so that it is not only the metro but the overall city experience that makes life easier for citizens – including those living near or around stations. BWSC: In your experience as an administrator, what do you think contributes to the success of a project? PB: In any government project you should see how both the facilities and profit can be maximised to serve the general public. That is the motto – the maximisation of public good. Rather than taking the narrow view with my department at the centre, it is better to have integration and coordination with everybody around. That is what I have done in my previous assignment and something I will continue to do. BWSC: Inter-departmental, inter-state, inter-ministerial coordination will be the key to making our cities smarter. How do we make this seamless? PB: You are 100 percent right. There needs to be a nodal department for smart cities, and all other departments should work under that. Whenever there is a conflict of interest, it should not be seen in light of a zero sum game, where one department’s gain is another’s loss or one comes at the cost of the other. BWSC: How does a project of this scale deal with setbacks? PB: Again, we have to focus on what is the way forward and look for alternative solutions. You need to sit down with all concerned departments and figure out the solution, and then take a speedy decision. That is the way I see it. BWSC: What role do you see for technology-led innovation in mass rapid transit networks? PB: One is our smart card system – seamless travel on the same card for all modes of transport, attached to all other kind of services. Another is to see to it that your train stations are all Wi-Fi enabled. Nowadays trains are also being manufactured with fully automatic systems. The end goal remains the benefit of the public and how innovation can make citizens’ lives easier. That’s the kind of innovation we should work on. BWSC: People are struggling to define smart cities and their end objective. Setting benchmarks and standards is another issue, as is creating knowledge banks. With seamless integration between cities and devices as the goal, what is your view on this? PB: When you look at metro rail projects, the very history of urban development has taken a giant leap. Earlier, every metro project had its own design of rolling stock, or their overhead line and just about everything. Now we are standardising things. If we do that, a lot of design and other costs can be decreased. We can directly purchase off the shelf, without lengthy technical or statutory approvals being required. From that point of view, sharing of knowledge, experiences and best practices and making a repository can be of some help in showing the way. It may lead us from one point to another and can be beneficial to people entering this market. Your platform is a very good one, where you can share that intelligence with everybody. BWSC: What are some of the other challenges you are grappling with? PB: Multi-modal integration is a huge challenge. Also, making tickets available not only at the station but at other places where they are easily accessible and where you don’t find any queues. This is what we are working hard to tackle. BWSC: What role do you see industry playing in projects in the fields of smart cities and urban transportation? PB: The question is: how much investment can the private sector bring? Also, we have to be very careful where we tread within the context of the Government of India’s policy. At the same time, rules and regulations should not be affected by the retrospective effect. Whatever has been agreed upon must be upheld for public private partnerships to work and go a long way. Just because things don’t go in the right direction for one partner can’t be seen as an excuse for running away, be it the issue of the lack of maintenance the private sector is tasked with or delayed payments the government may be accused of. Services have to continue. These are very pressing issues that we must really look into.