News: Mumbai water taxis to the rescue
(AT 17/01/2004) 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.
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.
posted by InCar Group Press Room at 17:25
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