New law on anvil to promote PPP metros

Modern Public Transportation

- Extant law governing metros doesn't support PPP

- Only 3 metro projects under PPP mode in Mumbai, Delhi and Hyd

- Setting up of UMTAs in 12 States at various stages

- MetroLite is suitable for cities with lower projection of ridership and MetroNeo is a rubber-tyred electric coach powered by an overhead traction system running on a road slab with an exclusive right of way

New Delhi: Keen to promote public-private partnership (PPP) in metro projects, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) believes that the Metro Rail (Construction, Operation, Maintenance and Administration) Bill will boost PPP models in the system. The proposed piece of legislation will replace the three existing Metro Acts: the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002, and the Calcutta Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Temporary Provisions Act, 1985.

The extant law governing metros does not support PPP, an official told Bizz Buzz. There have been only three metro projects in the PPP mode—one each in Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad.

Metro Rail Policy 2017 was aimed at using the PPP model and innovative financing, creating a structure for last mile and first mile connectivity, getting commitments from State governments, and constituting the Urban Metropolitan Transport Authorities (UMTAs) in States. The idea was to have synergy between different kinds of transporters who operate within the city limits. This, the planners believed, would help in proliferating metros in different cities across the country.

The setting up of UMTAs is in various stages in the 12 States where the metro rail network either has commenced or is under construction.

Metro Policy 2017 said that "the metrorail systems are best suited for cities with teeming population and favorable future growth prospects. Further, they should be decided upon with due care and after a systematic and unbiased analysis of different alternatives. In this context, the spatial pattern of a city is important. A comparative analysis of alternate modes should be an essential requirement for the transit mode selection."

Accordingly, the MoHUA is mulling over MetroLite and MetroNeo as alternatives to conventional metro rail.

MetroLite is suitable for cities with lower projection of ridership that are aspiring for a rail-based mass transit system, sources said, adding that this system can also be used as a feeder to high-capacity metro rail systems.

MetroNeo is a rubber-tyred electric coach powered by an overhead traction system running on a road slab with an exclusive right of way, standard specification of which has been issued in November 2020, they said.

The MoHUA believes that the proposed law will be amenable to cater to the various needs of metro projects.