Choked Coimbatore seeks Metro Rail relief
While flyovers and road expansions offer temporary relief, only a high-capacity mass rapid transit network can sustainably manage the long-term traffic growth and provide a reliable alternative to private vehicle use, argue city planners
Traffic snarls in different parts of Coimbatore city have become order of the day
COIMBATORE: With Coimbatore continuing to choke in traffic, the worst among the tier-two cities in Tamil Nadu, the dropping of the Metro Rail project, considered to bring about a transformation in the industrial hub, has come as a rude shock to many.
The city planners opine that a Metro Rail system is no longer a luxury, but a necessity to ease transportation demands. They argue that while flyovers and road expansions offer temporary relief, only a high-capacity mass rapid transit network can sustainably manage the city’s long-term traffic growth and provide a reliable alternative to private vehicle use.
“Lack of Metro train has taken Coimbatore back by ten years, as the facility was proposed way back in the year 2010. Being the country’s largest and fastest-growing city, expanding at an annual rate of 11 per cent and ranking tenth nationwide in terms of GDP, Coimbatore needs a metro system. The shortcomings should be rectified and the metro should definitely be implemented,” said J Sathish, a core-committee member of Coimbatore Next, a wing of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
It has decided to submit representations to Chief Minister MK Stalin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking to implement the mass rapid transport project in Coimbatore.
“Vehicle density in Coimbatore is already high and possibly the second-highest, next only to Chennai. From 72 wards during 2011, when the population was 15.84 lakh, the number of wards had increased to 100 wards, and eventually, the city’s population may have definitely surged to over 25 lakhs. The two corridors for the metro were chosen after a detailed study and on the suggestion of ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan,” he added.
However, some have questioned the viability of the Metro project in Coimbatore as in many cities elsewhere, the Metro has been incurring heavy operational loss.
“The newly built GD Naidu flyover, the longest in Tamil Nadu, covering a distance of 10 kilometres, has enhanced road connectivity and faster mobility. Thereby, it has lessened the immediate necessity for a Metro line on the Avinashi Road stretch to reach Coimbatore International Airport. Many would prefer going by the flyover rather than the Metro, which may be time-consuming as a passenger should access a station, buy tickets and wait for the train. Moreover, Coimbatore has better bus connectivity with improved frequency and short-distance stops on the arterial road stretches. So people generally do not prefer a Metro for short-distance travel. In many cities, the metro has been incurring operational loss,” said K Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, a consumer advocacy group in Coimbatore.
Expressing doubts about the viability of the proposed Metro project in Coimbatore, Kathirmathiyon, however, suggested that the facility may witness better patronage if extended to the neighbouring Tirupur district.
“Even though the cost of the project may rise, it may be beneficial for those coming to the Coimbatore airport from Tirupur. Already, there is a higher level of floating population between the two interconnected districts, which is why the buses remain crowded. Yet, when many other cities with lesser population have got the facility, I don’t agree with this criterion as the reason behind turning down the metro proposal for Coimbatore,” he said.