‘Ensure financial viability of projects’

KOCHI: Union minister for urban affairs, civil aviation and housing Hardeep Singh Puri said that Metro projects should be ‘financially secure and viable’. He said the government has issued specifications for light Metro transit system or Metro light, which is suitable for tier II and tier III cities with low ridership. The Centre is also focusing and formulating standards on Metro Neo, which will run on rubber tyres in smaller cities.
Elaborating on financial viability on Metro projects, the minister said that as demands on the state grows, “the state will find it very difficult not to exceed the demands which come from citizens, and rightly so, the state must respond to those demands.” “Hence, the Centre has brought out a new policy on Metro light in addition to the Metro rail policy, 2017.This is to create an eco-system for the metro rail,” he added.
“My colleagues in the ministry are working out subsequent additions so that people can be transported from one point to another in the most cost-efficient and ecologically-sustainable manner and has last-mile connectivity,” the Union minister said.
He said that the Centre is focusing on transport oriented development by bringing down the need to travel. Through Make in India project, the government is trying to bring down cost by focusing on electric and electronic components, rolling stock and signalling systems. He said many foreign companies have started Metro coach manufacturing in India, and these Made in India coaches are being used in countries like Australia.
“The country has 657km Metro lines, which has been built across 18 cities. The addition of 5.65km Maharaja’s-Thykoodam stretch has ensured a total of 663km Metro lines have become operational,” the minister said.