A ticket to ride in the Megapolis

Are we being taken for a ride? This was the question raised with moves favouring a Light Rail Transit (LRT) mode of transport within the proposed Megapolis meeting opposition from some experts who believe buses should remain in the picture too.

A seminar on 'Re-Thinking Transport in the Megapolis' this week threw up stiff opposition to the think tank's belief that the best transport mode would be to use an elevated LRT as the arterial system to connect the network of cities to the Colombo hub.

A BRT - Bus Rapid Transit - system had been ruled out by decision-makers simply because the acquisition costs for new roads was prohibitive as well as the fact that vehicular capacity will be reached by 2025 forcing it to be replaced by a rail base.

But a group of critics, led by Amal Kumarage, a senior professor at the University of Moratuwa, pointed out that it would be foolish to rule out a BRT totally and, instead called for buses to be used as a complementary mode of transport to the LRT.

"It will be a gross injustice if the BRT is not in the picture. A BRT can be put in easily and it can be taken out easily too," proposed Prof. Kumarage.

"What we are saying is have the BRT and build the expensive mode (LRT) later."

The strident opposition at the seminar organised by Verite Research was met with a conciliatory approach by top Megapolis official Nayana Mawilmada who revealed that no hard and fast decision had been made on the transport modes within the Megapolis.

"There is nothing to say there will be no BRT. There is never going to be a 100 per cent solution and agreement on anything and we are open to ideas,"said Mr. Mawilmada, Head of Investments at the Megapolis Project.

A report on the Megapolis website, however, states that a BRT has been ruled out.

An LRT system will not come cheap. It is estimated that it will cost around US$3.1 billion to link Colombo and the suburbs with elevated rail. The total cost for the Megapolis transport infrastructure will be $11.5 billion inclusive of building new roads and a rapid transit system.

"We have a rare opportunity to dramatically transform our city for the better. We know there will be no perfect answer but we have to make decisions, and quickly," said Mr. Mawilmada.

"Successive governments have failed to think longterm. We have had analysis paralysis for the last 15 years and not a damn thing has been done. We have the same buses on the road being used from 20 years ago."

While the cost of a BRT within the Megapolis will be far cheaper than an LRT system - it will cost around $5 million per kilometre - it will be able to move fewer passengers, 13,000 per hour, compared to an LRT which can move 30,000 passengers per hour.

A BRT will need three lanes of road in each direction and with the current traffic that is deemed unfeasible. "We cannot evolve without considerable land acquisition and road expansion and the fact that it will reach capacity by 2025 makes it even more impractical," was the view of Dr. Dimantha De Silva, a proponent of the LRT.

"We need massive improvements to our public transport system and this will mainly come from railway electrification, a rapid transit system, bus modernization and inland waterways," explained Dr. De Silva.

It is proposed that the LRT will have seven lines connecting the suburbs to the Central Business District and that it will be up-and-running within three years from the start of the project.

A study showed that the population in the greater Colombo region is set to grow from 5.8 million to 9.1 million by 2035. This will also see an increase in motorized trips per day rising from 7.8 million (in 2013) to 18.2 million (in 2035).

"Colombo is one of the most liveable cities in the Indian Ocean region but we want to consolidate that with the Megapolis project which will inter-connect a network of cities in the Western Province," Mr. Mawilmada pointed out.

"Transport has not kept up in recent years and action is imperative. We have to take a forward-looking view. Having a debate like this is good. It is good to hear other ideas. We don't want it be like Hambantota where there was no debate and no discussions. We are open to ideas and we want people to support us constructively," Mr. Mawilmada added.

Whether the public will have a ticket for a smooth ride in the new Megapolis is the question that our planners will have to answer soon.