The first rapid transit system can be traced to the London Underground which was opened in 1863. The effectiveness and efficiency of the system meant that the technology quickly spread to other cities of Europe and then the United States where a number of elevated systems were built. These systems were at first run by steam locomotives and in later years were replaced with electric systems. This system allows higher capacity of passengers with less land use, less environmental impact and at a lower cost. The elevated or underground tracks and stations allow the transport of people without occupying expensive land and the city can be developed without physical barriers. Many residential and commercial land value increases with the proximity to a rapid transit station and lands near stations see lots of growth with business and housing blocks being constructed.
Currently India has two operational Metro networks, The Delhi Metro and the Kolkata Metro. The Kolkata Metro is the older of the two Metro systems and was the first underground railway to be built in India, with the first operations commencing in October, 1984. However, the construction of the Kolkata Metro was more of a trial-and-error affair owing to the fact that it was the country’s first and a completely indigenous process. As a result, it took nearly 23 years to completely construct a 17 km underground railway and so the system was already outdated before it even began. Construction of the Delhi Metro started in 1998 and the first section was opened in 2002 and other sections followed soon with the latest section opening in February 2011. Learning from the previous problems experienced by the Kolkata Metro, which was badly delayed and 12 times over budget, the DMRC was given full powers to hire people, decide on tenders and control funds. As a result, construction proceeded smoothly, on budget and almost three years ahead of schedule. Currently there are six Metro networks under construction in India and the country’s first Monorail network is being built in Mumbai with eight other cities also planning to develop a Monorail network.
The Metro and other transit systems help avoid the release of tons of carbon dioxide into the air annually by reducing vehicular traffic. Because of the Delhi Metro around 28,800 tons of carbon dioxide avoids getting released into Delhi’s air annually. So one can see the huge environmental-savings a good transit system produces because of lesser vehicles being put on the roads when more people choose to commute in a transit system. Lesser vehicles on the roads have also helped in reducing noise pollution and save precious petroleum.
The new generation of transit systems now utilizes better environment friendly practices, from its construction stages to the way the whole system is run in the end. The use of technologies such as regenerative braking systems on the trains has helped in reducing carbon footprints and all the while making enough energy for the trains to power themselves. The new generation of transit systems makes a positive contribution to the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the communities they serve and may be the positive change needed in our overcrowded and polluted cities.
