MUMBAI - In
India's financial capital, this peninsular city adorned
by islands, the torturous daily commute is called the
"super-dense crush load" - a breathtaking compression of
6.1 million commuters on electric trains, representing
the world's highest passenger density and more than half
the daily passenger trips on the Indian Railway System.
Urban planners think water taxis will ease the commuter
crush.
The Mumbai Suburban Railway system
carries more humans per carriage than the number of
cattle officially permitted per car. During rush hours,
the Mumbai Suburban Railway system carries more than
4,700 passengers on nine-car trains - the legal and
safety capacity is only 1,700. This can mean 14-16
standing passengers per square meter of floor space.
On the roadways, bad congestion will be getting
worse with the introduction of at least 30 new car
models in 2004. The planned elevated Sky Bus Mass Road
Transit System has not yet materialized, and skeptics
already are calling it a white elephant.
Enter
the Passenger Water Transport Project, or PWT, the water
taxis, ferries, hovercraft and catamarans - an
alternative mass transport system at an affordable cost
for this city on the Arabian Sea. In two years, Mumbai
plans to have high-speed water transport, with vessels
carrying 20-300 passengers, and traveling at speeds not
less than 30 knots. It is expected to pick up passengers
every 15 minutes during rush hours and every 30 minutes
during off-peak periods.
The government of
Maharashtra state, where Mumbai is located, has
designated the Maharashtra State Road Development Corp
as the key agency to implement the water-transport
project. The Maharashtra Maritime Board will regulate
the operation.
The success of the project could
greatly interest other coastal Indian cities such as
Chennai in southern Tamil Nadu. About a hundred years
ago, it developed an inner-city water service in what is
now the malodorous, sewage-filled River Cooum.
The Mumbai planners want the water transport on
a swiftly built turnkey basis known as
build-own-operate-transfer, or BOOT. About 100,000 daily
commuters are expected to use the water transport. The
BOOT operator, Satyagiri Shipping, will have exclusive
rights to operate on major routes for 30 years. The
project cost is estimated at Rs10 billion (US$220
million) - the tab picked up by a consortium of Indian
and international banks and firms.
The
water-transport service will connect landmark addresses
on the west coast: Nariman Point, Bandra, Juhu (near the
Holiday Inn), Versova, Marve and Borivali. Charkop will
be a maintenance and repair stop. A limited ferry
service already exists, mostly transporting tourists
from the Gateway of India to the historic Elephanta
Caves and from the Borivili and Malad jetty to the
Esselworld amusement park on Gorai Island.
Venice, London, now Mumbai ... With
the Passenger Water Transport Project, Mumbai has joined
other great cities with water transport, including
Venice, London, New York, Boston and San Francisco. All
have well-operating water transport.
In the
winter of 2002, a small fleet of 16-meter yellow
catamarans began service between New York's Lower
Manhattan and Brooklyn's Fulton Street landing. New York
also operates the large ferries conveying thousands of
workers from Staten Island and New Jersey to Manhattan,
and home again.
But the founders of the New York
Water Taxi are convinced that water transport can not
only serve commuters and tourists but also open new
dimensions to urban life. Tom Fox, former US Navy gunner
in Vietnam and founder of the taxi service, and his
financier, real-estate czar Douglas Durst, said the
water taxis could also connect isolated neighborhoods
and help open new parks, services and cultural
institutions along the waterfront.
Mumbai is
already planning an amphitheater at Land's End on its
famous Marine Drive - a major ferry stop.
Asian
sea cities have many models to choose from. London's
water buses hum along Regent's Canal, Little Venice,
Browning's Island, Maida Hill Tunnel and Camden Lock
market. Boston has its all-weather, on-call vessels from
Logan Dock, connecting to the airport, downtown and
other waterfront destinations. The San Francisco Bay
Water Transportation Authority is working on a 10-year
plan that calls for 70 ferries operating out of 28
terminals.
And of course, there's Venice.
Venetian public boats called vaporetti and
motoscafi run almost constantly, such as the
heavily used No 1 local that stops 13 times between the
Piazzale Roma and the Piazza San Marco. Water-transport
alternatives in Venice include expensive water taxis,
gondolas and gondola ferries called traghettos.
Mumbai's water-transport plans emerged after a
meeting of experts from 30 countries, armed with plans,
last month in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Frank
Muller-Eberstein, director of Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe
AG of Dresden, Germany, presented a paper on Europe's
great flood of 2002 and its impact on public transport,
while Paul Bunnel of Mersey Ferries, Britain, discussed
water transport in Merseyside.
Technology such
as solar power is making urban water transport more
efficient and attractive. The Solar Sailor, a ship
powered by the wind and sun, is sailing in Homebush Bay
in Sydney, Australia. With low wash, noise and
vibrations, the Solar Sailor was used during the 2000
Olympics in Sydney. The ship's design was honored as the
best innovative and new marine product or service at the
Australia Marine Awards.
Funded by the
Australian government, the Solar Sailor has interested
India, Taiwan, China and other countries in Asia, Europe
and the US. One British Broadcasting Corp program
described the Solar Sailor's technology as "possibly the
greatest evolution in boats since the advent of steam".
Technology is making the water ride more
comfortable, too. New York's new catamarans have quality
seats in a big-window, all-weather compartment, an
outside viewing area, a bar, and electronic displays
showing the stops. Boston's water vehicles, heated and
air-conditioned, offer telephone service, food,
beverages and other amenities.
Back in Mumbai,
however, response has been muted in a populace weary of
hearing about new urban transport schemes that never
materialize.
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Jan 17, 2004
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