Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune High-Speed Rail Project Gets Closer to Realisation

[plugwater]

They should start with Chennai-Nagercoil Its taking around 14 hours in train to go to my native i guess it will take only 3 hrs in high speed train.

 

[SLASH]

High speed railway will happen in India, provided you put people like Medha Patkar, Mamata Banerjee, Jairam Ramesh behind the bars. Will that be a good move? I don't know.

I think Jairam Ramesh does his job quite well. You cant turn a blind eye towards environment issue in the name growth...

Its his job to take care of our fragile ecosystem. My only complaint is the amount of time that it takes to get environmental clearance.

 

[pmaitra]

I think Jairam Ramesh does his job quite well. You cant turn a blind eye towards environment issue in the name growth...

Its his job to take care of our fragile ecosystem. My only complaint is the amount of time that it takes to get environmental clearance.

Well I am undecided on which side to take.

Someone has to take a stand in this environment vs development debate and it cannot be a middle ground.

 

[Yusuf]

They should start with Chennai-Nagercoil Its taking around 14 hours in train to go to my native i guess it will take only 3 hrs in high speed train.

Yeah you wish!!! No money to earn=no one coming forward for the line.

 

[mayfair]

Well I am undecided on which side to take.

Someone has to take a stand in this environment vs development debate and it cannot be a middle ground.

The problem is the at times middle ground cannot be avoided, while at other times the decision is ridiculously easy. For instance there were proposals by Railways to connect Charmarajnagar in Karnataka with Mettupalayam in TN. The proposed rail track would have cut across pristine forests in Bandipur and Satyamangalam and despite best efforts from vested interests, it remains a non-starter and so should it remain. The fiasco over a proposed neutrino research centre in the same region also comes to mind.

The problem is that most of the so-called developmental initiatives taken up in India are such hare-brained schemes and thus, all the drama that it's difficult to trust any assurances that development will not harm the environment.

 

[pmaitra]

The problem is the at times middle ground cannot be avoided, while at other times the decision is ridiculously easy. For instance there were proposals by Railways to connect Charmarajnagar in Karnataka with Mettupalayam in TN. The proposed rail track would have cut across pristine forests in Bandipur and Satyamangalam and despite best efforts from vested interests, it remains a non-starter and so should it remain. The fiasco over a proposed neutrino research centre in the same region also comes to mind.

The problem is that most of the so-called developmental initiatives taken up in India are such hare-brained schemes and thus, all the drama that it's difficult to trust any assurances that development will not harm the environment.

From the two examples you cited, I see no middle ground. Environment won, development lost. It is fine if it has to be like that. We can go slow on development. Communication needs a shot in the arm in India, otherwise, overall development will hit a plateau.

 

[plugwater]

Yeah you wish!!! No money to earn=no one coming forward for the line.

That is not true Yusuf. Everyday there are around 9 buses from chennai to nagercoil with each ticket costs around 1000rs and add that to AC coaches of three trains between them. So everyday there are atleast 500 people traveling between Chennai and Nagercoil who can use high speed train now, By the time they finish this line the number of passengers would have increased to atleast 1000, I think its a very good number to build the line.

 

[Yusuf]

That is not true Yusuf. Everyday there are around 9 buses from chennai to nagercoil with each ticket costs around 1000rs and add that to AC coaches of three trains between them. So everyday there are atleast 500 people traveling between Chennai and Nagercoil who can use high speed train now, By the time they finish this line the number of passengers would have increased to atleast 1000, I think its a very good number to build the line.

No it's not. You need thousands of passengers daily to run high speed rail.

 

[SLASH]

Well I am undecided on which side to take.

Someone has to take a stand in this environment vs development debate and it cannot be a middle ground.

Of course there is. Sustainable development is the way ahead. It is happening around the world. Obviously it easier to work without environmental regulations but we need to think about our kids and our grand kids and what we are leaving behind for them to clean up. It will make us less competitive but will not put us out of the race. Money isn't everything, right?

 

[The Messiah]

I think Jairam Ramesh does his job quite well. You cant turn a blind eye towards environment issue in the name growth...

Its his job to take care of our fragile ecosystem. My only complaint is the amount of time that it takes to get environmental clearance.

Jairam Ramesh is a decent chap when compared to other filthy politicians.

 

[pmaitra]

Of course there is. Sustainable development is the way ahead. It is happening around the world. Obviously it easier to work without environmental regulations but we need to think about our kids and our grand kids and what we are leaving behind for them to clean up. It will make us less competitive but will not put us out of the race. Money isn't everything, right?

Take a look at the comment below. Tell me, how would you run a high speed train circumventing a forest instead of going through it? Is it easier to run a high speed track in a straight line or a not-so-straight line? If it has to avoid the forest, it will go through populated areas or farmlands. On top of that, it will have to cross more distance and also have to take sharp curves because it is difficult to get a free straight strip of land in populated areas or farmland. Then there is the fear of litigation and the 'superfast' judicial system that we have. I don't even want to talk about politics now.

However, do not let that stop you from suggesting a solution. We can debate on that, i.e., how to find a middle ground?

The problem is the at times middle ground cannot be avoided, while at other times the decision is ridiculously easy. For instance there were proposals by Railways to connect Charmarajnagar in Karnataka with Mettupalayam in TN. The proposed rail track would have cut across pristine forests in Bandipur and Satyamangalam and despite best efforts from vested interests, it remains a non-starter and so should it remain. The fiasco over a proposed neutrino research centre in the same region also comes to mind.

The problem is that most of the so-called developmental initiatives taken up in India are such hare-brained schemes and thus, all the drama that it's difficult to trust any assurances that development will not harm the environment.

 

[SLASH]

Take a look at the comment below. Tell me, how would you run a high speed train circumventing a forest instead of going through it? Is it easier to run a high speed track in a straight line or a not-so-straight line? If it has to avoid the forest, it will go through populated areas or farmlands. On top of that, it will have to cross more distance and also have to take sharp curves because it is difficult to get a free straight strip of land in populated areas or farmland. Then there is the fear of litigation and the 'superfast' judicial system that we have. I don't even want to talk about politics now.

However, do not let that stop you from suggesting a solution. We can debate on that, i.e., how to find a middle ground?

If our environment ministry can allow highways to be built through the forest why not an elevated rail track. A thorough assessment is done with regards to the impact of the project on the ecosystem. In some cases where the ministry feels the impact will large they decline. If they feel the project falls under an area which is inhabited by endangered species they decline. Its not that the ministry blindly rejects all the projects. The only problem I have is the amount of time they take to give necessary clearance...