Augmenting the Transit Capacity of Delhi by Renewal of the Sub-Urban Railway

This paper discusses the specific case of the untapped potential of the Sub-Urban Railway in Delhi. The Sub-Urban Railway, used as a passenger service during ASIAD Games of 1982, lost its relevance in due course of time. Delhi commutes primarily through various public and private modes of road-based transportation, with the Delhi Metro emerging as an alternative. Urban transportation in Delhi is facing a crisis due to long traffic jams, rising numbers of vehicles on roads, environmental pollution, waste of energy, among others. Ironically, the existing infrastructure of the Sub-Urban Railway is left unutilized, though this may well provide increased passenger capacity to the Mega-City while simultaneously addressing the concerns of environment and energy as well. The paper is based on 3-year long study by the author of the salient aspects of the Sub-Urban Railway in Delhi and also the resultant detailed proposals for the augmentation of the city’s Transport scenario.