New Delhi   

Sheila launches new bus project

Staff Reporter

Deadline for first corridor is March 2008

NEW DELHI: Signalling a shift to a multi-modal transport system in the Capital, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the first corridor of the much-delayed High Capacity Bus System (HCBS). The corridor would allow for smooth movement of buses along a 14.3 km route from Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate.

Ms. Dikshit said it was a major step towards modernising the public transport system in the Capital in the run-up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The 14.3 km corridor would be completed before March 2008 at an estimated cost of Rs.150.15 crores. This track would be integrated with Metro Rail at Tilak Bridge station so that the passengers could change their mode of commuting as per their need.

The Chief Minister said her Government would replace the existing fleet of conventional buses of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) with modern, low floor, wide door urban buses in a phased manner.

She disclosed that three light rail corridors and Monorail routes for Chandni Chowk and Karol Bagh were being taken along with upgrading of Kashmere Gate and Anand Vihar ISBTs and construction of three new ISBTs.

The HCBS project would involve reorganisation of the road surface to create two central reserved lanes for buses, two lanes each way for other vehicular traffic, a dedicated lane for bicycles and a footpath for pedestrians on either side.

The work involves total replacement of storm water drains, traffic signals, road signage, street furniture and street lighting.

The bus stops would have raised platforms at the same level as the bus floor for easy boarding and alighting and would be located at the traffic intersections to use signal stoppage time for crossing the road at the zebra crossings. Special attention is being paid to reduce time loss and discomfort to users in making changeovers from one bus route to another. The design will provide convenient access to all sections of the population including the physically challenged, senior citizens and children.

This project, when commissioned, is expected to make the movement of all kinds of road users including cars and motorcycles much smoother and efficient. It is expected to double the carrying capacity of the road, alleviate traffic congestion, ensure pedestrian safety and at the same time reduce accidents by 50 per cent and pollution significantly.

Sub-projects

Ms. Dikshit said in order to put in place an effective public transport system integrating it with various other modes the Delhi Government had set up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), the Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System Limited (DIMTS). The company has divided the total projects into sub-projects for implementation in three phases over the next 15 years.

The DIMTS has started work for preparing the sub-projects to be included in the first phase for implementation by 2010.

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