‘Rubber Tyre Trams Can Replace Buses’

Bharat Salhotra graduated from MIT’s Sloan School of Management in 2004 after his MBA at IIM-A. Salhotra, MD,  Alstom Transport India, speaks on low-cost alternatives to metro and more.

Excerpts:

On every city wanting a metro.
People associate metro with development. If you see the metro under construction, you feel good. Almost 50 cities want a metro. But no one is talking about innovation. How about a lighter metro? In future, perhaps a light Metro will be more relevant. But everyone wants to replicate what has been tried and tested. Perhaps a city like Vijayawada can do with a 2.7 metre wide metro instead of a 2.9 metre wide metro. Maybe it can do with a three-car train instead of a four-car train. There are alternates that should be considered too.

On low-cost alternates to metro    
Not every city can have a metro. We are among the world leaders in the tramways. We have some alternate turnkey solutions. We are very keen to introduce trams. Within trams as a category, you have so much technology. There are trams with rubber tyres, and there are trams with multiple offerings. We have a full range. In city centres, for example, the trams get their power from APS, so when the train comes on top of the rail, it draws its energy and it moves with no power in it. It is fully safe.

On possibilities of introducing tramways in India.
In some cities or suburbs, I do see possibilities. For example, there are about 4,000-5,000 buses that go up till Tirupati from the base. How about having a tram built? A tram solution, rubber tyre trams can replace the buses. It will be safe, secure, cost-effective and very comfortable.

On need for standardisation in metro construction.
Standardisation is setting in. So far, the standardisation has been put into 2-3 pockets like small metro, medium metro, and large metro. So, a small metro can be 2.9 meter wide with a third rail, like Kochi. The medium metro can be a 3-6 car train with 25 KV power. And there are large metros having eight car trains. But places such as Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam, Meerut, Kanpur, and Varanasi can utilise small cars.