Ahmedabad: Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has decided to conduct research in order to sketch out the advantages of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune bullet train project. It is the state government project, which is worth Rs 56,000 crore.
The institute’s research on the bullet train will be a constituent of an ongoing research on 'Sustainable urban transport’, which is being carried out by IIM-A faculty P R Shukla. The objective is to calculate approximately the actual economical, social and environmental advantages that could be gained through the bullet trains when compared to the airplanes.
Shukla has said that the bullet train service will lead to the exchange of air passengers into train passengers. This, in turn, will lead to the reduction of carbon foot-prints, by about nine times. He informed that an Ahmedabad-Mumbai to and fro trip by air releases 156 kilograms of carbon per person. The same trip by a bullet train will release only 18 kilograms of carbon. Also, the carbon foot print of the bullet trains will reduce further, as the electricity starts getting generated through more carbon free sources.
In addition, in a comparison between air travel and travel by bullet train, Shukla said that boarding a flight involves a long procedure of check-in and check-out, which adds up to the total duration of traveling. However, this disadvantage will be eradicated in a bullet train, making it much more convenient and probably more effective than airplanes in terms of travel duration.
He also suggested the bullet train service should be provided with a leapfrogging character by arranging many stops at planned locations in between the two final destinations. This would facilitate quick travel to several cities between Ahmedabad and Mumbai unlike that of an airplane. Yet, another feature of more affordable fare will make bullet trains a comparatively more inclusive mode of transportation. Offering a quick and efficient transportation to a large number of people will lead to important financial growth. He added though the short-term investment of the project is high, its long term benefits will be even higher.
