UITP India Metro Seminar On Urban Rail Networks – Building Sustainable Cities Inaugurated On 14th December 2018 In New Delhi

The second UITP Indian Metro Seminar, organized by International Association of Public Transport (UITP) in association with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was inaugurated at Metro Bhawan on Friday. The seminar was attended by top high-level officials of Metro Rail Corporations of different cities in India, representatives from the industry, and experts in urban development.

The inaugural session of seminar was addressed by Mr. Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Chairman, DMRC, Dr. Mangu Singh, Managing Director, DMRC and Mohamed Mezghani, the Secretary General of UITP.

Mr. Durga Shankar Mishra addressing the inaugural session of seminar

Mr. Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Chairman, DMRC appreciated UITP and DMRC for organizing the event. He urged the urban public transport systems to promote indigenous technology.

He also informed the audience about I-Metros, a platform launched to facilitate exchange of information, knowledge and best practices. “The I – Metros is the Indian version of CoMET”, he said.

Speaking at the seminar, Dr. Mangu Singh emphasized on Metro Rail’s role in easing the transport issues in Indian cities.

Dr. Mangu Singh Speaking at the seminar

He explained Delhi Metro’s journey from its phase – I to the current state of serving more than 2.8 million commuters a day. The MD further said, rail based transport system is the most efficient mode of public transport. When it comes to choosing a high capacity and energy efficient public transport, Metro is certainly given preference.

Mr. Mohamed Mezghani, the Secretary General of UITP in his address, offered his insights for bettering the performance of high capacity public transport systems. Mezghani said, metro rail networks are capital-intensive.

Mr. Mohamed Mezghani addressing the event

Hence, he advised the urban administrations to come up with innovative funding and financing ways to make them affordable. He also advocated for digitalization of metro operations for higher efficiency.

The seminar is meant to provide a platform for stakeholders of public transport across the country to exchange ideas and share their knowledge in order to enhance efficiency of the public transport industry, especially the Metro Rail networks in various cities. It will be followed by a study tour of the Delhi Metro that would showcase the best practices followed in Delhi.


Source: UITP