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The Hindu
27-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Why does Delhi's local train system lie in ruins?
The story so far: While the Delhi metro has recently announced a facility to buy QR tickets on 11 different apps, the Delhi suburban Railway, often referred to as the Delhi local, lies derelict. When did the system start? Delhi got its local train service in the first decade after Independence. On January 2, 1955, Delhi's first local train ran from New Delhi station to Sarojini Nagar, then known as Vinay Nagar. The network then gradually expanded to connect Delhi with its neighbouring cities. Today, the suburban system links seven key hubs across the National Capital Region (NCR) — from Sonipat, Bhiwani, Rewari and Palwal in Haryana to Meerut, Ghaziabad, and Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh — with Delhi at its centre. What is its current state? Built to serve suburban commuters, this network was meant to ease traffic and support daily travel. But in reality, it's overcrowded, unreliable, and neglected. According to Dr. Velmurugan Senathipati of the Central Road Research Institute, despite its wide reach — especially in NCR's rural areas — the Delhi local carries just 0.5% to 3% of commuter traffic, far below the ideal 6-7%. Passengers report waiting over an hour, 15 times longer than the metro, only to board jam-packed coaches. Sarita Sethi, a government employee commuting from New Town, Faridabad to Okhla, states, 'My commute should ideally be 25 minutes but it's always nearly an hour long due to unscheduled halts as express trains are prioritised.' Nikhil, a railway employee, says, 'There are too many passengers and too few trains. Forget about sitting, during evenings, you can't even stand in the train.' Unlike the Metro, enforcement of women-only coaches is lax in the local. Mrs. Sethi says, 'Men often enter the ladies coach brazenly. Safety and theft are constant concerns. When the train's late in the evenings, the journey from the station to home can easily become a nightmare.' Dr. Velmurugan's study confirms this insecurity, as women make up just 14.6% of local train passengers. Is the metro a better alternative? The local train service in Delhi is much more affordable than the metro. Dr. Velmurugan's research shows that nearly 40% of suburban rail passengers earn less than ₹5,000 a month. For them, the local train is not just a choice, it's the only option they can afford. A local train ride from Greater Noida to Delhi costs just ₹15, compared to ₹90 by metro or ₹69 through a bus-metro combo, excluding last mile connection fares. Over a month, that's ₹750 by the local versus a staggering ₹4,500 by metro. Moreover, a Monthly Season Ticket (MST) brings costs down to just ₹270 a month or ₹9 a day. Additionally, local trains have a dedicated vendors' bogey, widely used by dairy farmers to transport produce to markets like Sadar Bazaar and Chandni Chowk. But even this advantage is fading. Amit, a dairy farmer from Ajayabpur village in Greater Noida, says, 'We had to stop using the local because delays were spoiling the produce. My friends now either rely on road transport or have quit the trade altogether, it just isn't profitable anymore.' These concerns have driven passengers to explore more reliable — though far costlier — alternatives, such as private buses or personal vehicles. Railway officials have noted a sharp decline in the issuance of MSTs, a clear sign that even loyal users are abandoning the system. What should be done? Dr. Velmurugan states, 'the local isn't a replacement for the Metro, it should complement it. It can act as a feeder service across NCR's rural areas where the Metro can't go. Plus, it's cheaper to build. There needs to be resonance, not a race,' he explains. Dr. Velmurugan suggests better scheduling, increased frequency, newer train sets, and most importantly, dedicated tracks. These changes, he says, could revive the system. But there are no such official modernisation or renovation plans in the offing as of now.
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
CRRI suggests fixes for 60 Lutyens' Delhi roads
At least 61 out of 79 avenue roads in Lutyens' Delhi area have been found to be in need for maintenance and rehabilitation, according to a survey report by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI). The survey — carried out in January and February this year — included 79 avenue roads across five divisions in New Delhi. Issues such as cracks, distressed services, and weathering were found in the survey and the report has recommended milling and overlaying in case 60 crucial roads, such as outer circle of Connaught Place, Sansad Marg, Janpath, KG Marg, and Lodhi Estate, among others. 'CRRI has suggested several measures including correction of slope to prevent waterlogging, surface removal of road from 40-50mm up to 150-160mm in case of heavily damaged surface. We will be preparing project reports and issue tenders based on these findings. Roads with higher level of damage will be prioritised,' a senior official of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said. According to the proposal cleared by the council in August 2024, NDMC will spend ₹4.72 crore on the CRRI road study and improvement project. This does not include the cost of repairing the roads. In September, the council signed an agreement with CRRI for studying and improving the road infrastructure in New Delhi. Under the agreement, the CRRI is to help the civic body in structural evaluation of its roads, supervise the construction quality, and help in training of engineers and staff members and engineering divisions, an official said. According to the CRRI report, also seen by HT, eight roads were surveyed under the Connaught Place division, all of which have been found in need for rehabilitation measures. The poorest condition was found at Panchkuiyan road extension which was found to have longitudinal cracks, so the report recommended 90-100mm milling and 90mm overlaying. 'Road milling or asphalt milling is a process used in road construction to remove a layer of existing asphalt pavement. This process is essential for preparing the road surface for new asphalt paving. The overall level of the road does not increase at the end of the process,' an official explained. At Sansad Marg, the road found to be distressed near CP and cracks were observed on Janpath road, the report said. Notably, the survey covers the CP, R1, R2, R4 and R5 divisions. The R3 division include Netaji Nagar, Nauroji Nagar, and A to J Avenue in Netaji Nagar Colony. Many of these areas are undergoing redevelopment under General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) projects. In CP's outer circle, CRRI found cracks at approaches and muddle lanes while the KG Marg has 'hungry surface' with micro cracks. Hungry surface is referred to a condition with loss of aggregates from the surface or the appearance of fine cracks. In the R1 division, 18 NDMC roads were assessed and only four — Pandara Road, Purana Quila Road, Jai Singh Road and Bhagwan Das Road — were found to be in good condition and no intervention is required on them. The Janpath road from CP to Dr RP Road was found to be heavily cracked with slight depressions. 'Dr RP Road is heavily distressed due to NBCC constructions. Concrete deposits were also found and drainage needs to be improved,' the report stated. Similarly, in the R2 division, the Golf Link Colony road was found to be heavily ravelled due to weathering with potholes and undulated surface. The CRRI has recommended that the road level has to be reduced due to drainage issues. In the R4 division, 28 roads were surveyed and the maximum damage was found at Bordoloi Road. Further, patches and long cracks were found on the Sardar Patel Marg and 50-60mm milling has been recommended. Under the R5 division, three out of four roads including Mandir Marg, Kali Bari Marg and Pandit Pant Marg were found to be in need for rehabilitation while only the Talkatora road is in good condition. An NDMC official said that most of the roads in New Delhi have completed a lifespan of five years but the extent of cracks varies, depending on location, usage, heavy vehicle movement and local conditions like drainage issues.
