STRATEGIES Traffic planning International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 10 Mumbai - Traffic planning in-a city of extremes Success factors for the implementation of a regional master plan for the development of an efficient public transport system in emerging economies Transportation, Public transport, Emerging cities, Infrastructure projects, Financing The organization of transport in mega-cities of in emerging economies determines the economic development, the health of the citizens as well as the climate and the environment. In many mega-cities in emerging economies, traffic collapses on a regular basis. Maintenance, modernization and expansion of public transport is a key to solving these problems. In the metropolitan area of Mumbai, an institutionalization of transport planning and funding by the World Bank over the past two decades was the key to a successful implementation of an ambitious master plan to strengthen public transport. Lars Schnieder, Gopal R. Patil M umbai, until 1996 called Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra in the western region of the Republic of India. With its 12.5 million inhabitants living in the city limits (excluding suburban areas), Mumbai is the most populated city in India. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) consists of the neighboring cities Thane, Navi Mumbai and others with a total area of 4312 sq. km. With more than 21 million inhabitants, the MMR is one of the most densely populated and densest metropolitan regions in the world [1]. The MMR has two major seaports (Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Mumbai Port), Central and Western Railways Central Offices, an operational airport (Chchatrapati Shivaji International Airport) and an airport currently under construction. Mumbai city center is located on a narrow strip of land that stretches from the marshy coastline to the Arabian Sea. The city of Mumbai is the economic center of India and is known in India for its cosmopolitan culture and Bollywood cinemas. The MMR districts alone contributed 40.26 % of the State Domestic Products for the 2012- 2013 fiscal year [2]. Background of spatial planning and transportation engineering The traffic development of Mumbai is strongly influenced by the following social and economic trends: • Population growth and employment: Many people and families are seeking economic opportunities in Mumbai. They are looking for a better livelihood. Since the 1950s, the population of Mumbai has grown steadily between 3.5 to 4 % annually. The population grew during this period from 2.85 million to now more than 21 million people (see figure 1). The Comprehensive Transportation Study (CTS) of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region projects MMR’s population to cross 34 million by 2031 [3]. Sustaining such a large populaton base requires effective spatial and transportation planning. Moreover, due to the presence of the Mumbai city, the financial capital of India, the MMR provides ample employment opportunities. The CTS study reported an employment of about 7.8-million in 2005 which is projected to be 15.3-million by 2031. • Housing scarcity and cost of housing: Homes and housing are not affordable in the city for most lower-income and middle-class people. Moreover, as per the Census 2011, the average household size in urban MMR is 4.39 which is less than that of India (5.3) and Maharashtra (5.0) and is decreasing with time. Such a trend Figure 1: Population development of the Mumbai metropolitan area All figures and photos: Authors Traffic planning STRATEGIES International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 11 directly translates into for space requirement for housing. The number of households in the MMR is expected to increase from 5,194,614 in 2011 to more than 7.7- million in 2036 [2]. This leads to the following problems: - Suburbanization: Historically, the growth of the city of Mumbai as been characterised by huge immigration from the other regions outside MMR as well as from other states. At the beginning of the 21st century, 80 % of the population in Mumbai were born outside the city. Migration from the areas within Maharashtra accounts for approximately 35 to 40 % of the migrants into MMR. The strong pressure of immigration into the city (rural exodus) results in a migration of the urban population into the surrounding area. More and more people are living increasingly far away and commute daily to the city. Many commuters travel long distances, usually requiring more than four hours a day. - Slum Formation: According to the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN Habitat), slums are settlements in which more than half of the inhabitants live in unreasonable shelters without basic utilities. Slum dwellers often live without property rights, access to clean water, access to sanitation and lack of adequate housing. The MMR houses the largest slum settlement in the country with almost 50 % of the population living in slums. Almost 29 % (almost 1.4 million out of 5.1 million households) of the households in the MMR region are in slums according to Census 2011. Greater Mumbai has the highest percentage of slum households of this, with almost 80 % of the households in slums. Greater Mumbai has 41.33 % of its _ population living in slums [2]. • Increasing Motorization: The middle income class grew in India, leading to a significant increase in motorized private transport. This has led to long traffic jams on roads. This means in practice low cruising speeds and causes an increasing deterioration of the air quality. The MMR has witnessed a rapid growth in private vehicle ownership over the last two decades. The CTS study done in 2005 reports that the private vehicles per 1000 population in 1996 was 50 (31 motorized two-wheelers, 19 cars) which increased to 97 (64 motorized twowheelers, 33 cars) vehicles per 1000 population in 2005; the projection for 2031 is a staggering 266 vehicles per 1000 population [3]. In addition, MMR produces about 110,000 tonnes of freight traffic and attracts about 104,000 tonnes on an average per day by road. Greater Mumbai alone produces about 43 % and attracts about 37 % of this freight traffic. Public transport plays an important role in Mumbai, with more than 70 % of all rides currently performed by public transport. Mumbai’s suburban trains and city bus systems are very efficient and heavily used. The world-famous suburban trains in combination with the existing bus system helped the city to a certain extent to establish itself as the commercial capital of the country. However, for decades there have been no significant improvements in public transport systems. The public transport system was increasingly overburdened which negatively affected the image of the city. Public transport systems are still clearly inadequate. They are in no way suitable to meet the current high traffic demand. Even today, the vehicles are overcrowded and due to the crowded passengers, the journey by public transport is unpleasant. Capacity reserves are no longer available for a further increase in demand and there is an acute need for action to expand the public transport system. Institutionalization of transport planning A first approach to solve the ever increasing transport problems was the establishment of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, often abbreviated MMRDA in 1975. MMRDA is an executive body of the state of Maharashtra, which is responsible for the development of the infrastructure of the MMR. Since its foundation, MMRDA has been responsible for long-term regional and transport planning in the MMR. The MMRDA promotes new growth centers, implements and finances strategic infrastructure development projects. With a regional plan, the MMRDA has created a strategic framework for the sustainable growth of the metropolitan region of Mumbai. The broad responsibilities of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority include • the preparation of regional development plans • providing financial support for major regional projects • providing assistance to local authorities and their infrastructure projects • coordination of the execution of infrastructure projects in the MMR • the suspension of any activity that could negatively impact the development of the MMR. In particular, the MMRDA initiates, promotes and supervises the most important projects for spatial development. The declared goal is the improvement of the unsustainable traffic situation. In this context, the MMRDA is responsible for the planning and coordination of public transport in the MMR. Financing of transport infrastructure projects In 2002, the Government of the State of Maharashtra, Indian Railways, and MMRDA, with financial support from the World Bank, approved the launch of a Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP). The overall goal was to create a long-term solution for urban transport. The Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), which is still in progress, is aimed at developing an efficient transport system and improving passenger and goods traffic. The development of urban infrastructure is seen as an elementary component of poverty reduction by the World Bank [4]. In their view, the previous inadequate transport system is preventing the economic growth of the metropolis of Mumbai and restricting the jobs of the poor, as they would have to accept excessive travel times. The project consists of three components • the expansion of the rail transport • the expansion of the road networ, • a resettlement and rehabilitation program for the approximately 120,000 project-affected citizens whose business and residential buildings are located on the land required for infrastructure development. The MUTP has been and is being successfully implemented with the support of World Bank funding. The World Bank uses funding instruments such as long-term loans at near-market conditions, interestfree, long-term loans for investment projects, or the assumption of guarantees. Since 2002, three major project phases have been implemented during which the various transport systems have been modernized or supplemented. As a result, a powerful transportation system is growing to equip Mumbai for the future. Masterplan for the development of a public transport system The existing transport infrastructure is not in a position to meet the current high and future rising transport demand. The existing system of suburban trains is under extreme pressure and the role of the existing bus system is limited to feeder services for the suburban trains. An expansion of STRATEGIES Traffic planning International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 12 the capacity of existing road and rail networks is hardly possible. Many quarters of the city and suburbs do not have access to efficient rail transport systems. With the aim of improving the traffic situation in Mumbai, a master plan for the development of the public transport system has been developed by the MMRDA since 2003. The aim is to open areas of the city previously not having access to public transport, so that in the future every citizen within a radius of 500 m to 1 km will have access to public transport stations. Planning includes the networking of different modes of transport. In the following, the individual building blocks of the Mumbai transport system are outlined. Auto-rickshaws and taxis Car rickshaws and taxis play an important role in public transport in Mumbai. There are around 250,000 automobile rickshaws in the MMR. However, auto-rickshaws are not allowed in the old Bombay (city center) and you have to change at dedicated transfer points in a taxi. Today, around 58,000 taxis are in use in the city limits of Mumbai and around 100,000 taxis throughout Greater Mumbai. CTS reports that autorickshaws account for 7.8 % of all the daily trips made in the MMR (excluding walk trips) whereas taxi account for 1.7 % of all trips (excluding walk trips). Public bus system Since 15 July 1926 there is a motorized bus service in Mumbai. The network has grown continuously since then. The largest urban bus company is Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST). BEST is a state organization founded in 1873. With more than 3,400 buses, the company transports 4.5 million passengers per day on 340 routes (see figure 2). The bus network is very complex and extends to the remotest parts of the city and partly outside the city limits. It serves as a feeder to the existing, or under construction efficient rail transport systems. Suburban electric trains Since 1928 there is a network of suburban electric trains in Mumbai. The network of suburban trains consists of trains running in the inner city area on exclusive tracks, which in the outer areas merge with other main railway lines. With a network of more than 465 km, the network of suburban electric trains has more than 2,300 daily train connections with more than 7.5 million commuters per day. With an annual passenger count of 2.64 billion passengers, the Mumbai sub-urban electric train is one of Figure 2: Ashok Leyland Bus of BEST in Mumbai Figure 3: Suburban electric trains Figure 4: Mumbai Metro Line 1 (exterior design of vehicles) Figure 5: Mumbai Metro (interior design of vehicles) Traffic planning STRATEGIES International Transportation (70) 1 | 2018 13 the busiest commuter rail systems in the world. At the same time it is also the one with the biggest overcrowding in the world - even outside of rush hours the trains are overcrowded. The average density on the suburban rail system is about 12 persons/ sq.m. as against internationally accepted standard of 6 to 8 persons/ sq.m. Since the two-sided doors of the car are not closed while driving (see figure 3), there are almost daily fatal accidents. Trains run daily from 04: 00 in the morning until 01: 00 in the morning. Some trains also run until 02: 30 the next morning. The suburban train system is operated by two different divisions of Indian Railways: Western Railways (WR) and Central Railways (CR). WR operates the Western Line. CR operates the Central Line, Harbor Line, Trans-Harbor Line and Vasai Road Diva-Panvel Line. Mumbai Metro The construction of the Mumbai Metro will reduce congestion in the city and complement the network of overcrowded suburban electric trains. The construction of the Mumbai Metro takes place in three phases over a period of 15 years. Completion of the entire network is scheduled for 2021. Upon completion, the core system will comprise a total of eight high-performance lines spanning a total length of 200 km. The routes are 20 % underground, the rest elevated. A small proportion is built at ground level. A total of 169 stations are planned. The current status of the construction measures is as follows: • Lines in passenger service: Line 1 operated by Metro One Operation Private Limited (MOOPL). This is an operatormodel in public-private partnership (PPP). This broke new ground in India in the operation of public rail transport systems. The operator is a joint venture between the French partners RATP Développement and Transdev (70% share) and the Indian company Reliance Infrastructure (30% share). MOOPL will operate Metro Line 1 for a period of 35 years (see figure 4 and figure 5). • Lines under construction: Lines 2 and 7, which are currently under construction, are to be operated by the MMRDA. The currently under construction line 3 is to be operated by the Mumbai Metro Railway Corporation Limited. • Lines in call for tenders: Line 4, currently in the tendering process, is also expected to be operated by MMRDA. Construction work on line 4 scheduled for the end of 2017. Also for the lines 5 and 6, the construction work to begin in 2017. • Lines under planning: Line 8 is currently being prepared in the planning phase. Mumbai Monorail The Mumbai Monorail was also built as part of the city’s major public transport expansion (see figure 6). For the traffic problems in Mumbai the monorail represents an interesting solution. The elevated track above the road barely reduces the already scarce traffic area. Monorail systems are a cost-effective alternative to metro systems, particularly on mediumtraffic lines. The Mumbai Monorail commenced its passenger operation with a partial Phase 1 opening in 2014. After completion of Phase 1 in mid-2017, the Mumbai Monorail will become the fifth largest monorail system in the world. Summary and outlook The significant traffic problems in Mumbai were recognized early on and have been addressed by a strategic master plan since the mid-1990s. The basis for this was an organizational institutionalization of local traffic planning as well as a generous provision of investment funds by the World Bank and the Republic of India. The addition of existing transport systems, or the extension of new transport systems on a large scale, should contribute to improving the quality of life in the Mumbai metropolitan area and promoting economic development. ■ LITERATURE: [1] UN - United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2012: World Urbanization Prospects: The 2011 Revision. New York [2] Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority: Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Plan 2016-2036, 2016. Mumbai [3] Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority: Comprehensive Transportation Study for Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Volume I, 2008. Mumbai [4] Grundner, Ciara; Randeria, Shalini: Gestaltung „staatlicher“ Policy im Schatten der Weltbank: Urbane Infrastruktur-Entwicklung, Zwangsumsiedlung und der listige Staat in Indien. In: Globalisierung Süd herausgegeben von Axel Paul, Alejandro Pelfini, Boike Rehbein (Springer, Berlin) 2013. 137 - 155 Lars Schnieder, Dr.-Ing. Head of Assessment Service Center, ESE Engineering und Software- Entwicklung GmbH, Braunschweig (DE) lars.schnieder@ese.de Gopal R. Patil, Ph.D., Dr. Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay (IN) gpatil@iitb.ac.in Figure 6: Mumbai Monorail