Roads first

Nepal government is taking a stride and getting serious about railways expansion in the country, including introduction of metro system in the capital. Reportedly, the government will soon select consulting firms to conduct a feasibility study for a metro system in Kathmandu Valley and to develop a detailed project report (DPR) for an east-west electric railway. The Department of Railways has short-listed three firms out of six that submitted both technical and financial proposals to study the feasibility of a metro train in the Valley. Likewise, the department has already short-listed three out of six firms for preparing a DPR for the Bardibas-Birgunj section of the Mechi-Mahakali Electrical Railway. The firm that will finally be selected for the said feasibility study will recommend ways for constructing a Mass Rapid Transit (underground and elevated railway) system in the capital.



The government agencies have been pushing for this idea since the past two years to manage the worsening traffic situation of the Valley. Since the metro will cover almost all major bus stops and connect the city with the outskirts, it will drastically improve the traffic menace and will bring huge relief to the private vehicle owners as well as the general public as metros will make commuting easier, faster and cheaper. Likewise, an east-west railway network will reduce travel time for long-haul passengers and make journeys more relaxing. The feasibility study is, therefore, a good idea. We will ultimately require such a service as the city grows further and population expands.



However, a metro system is still a far-fetched project as of now. More urgent is the need to build better roads, such as along the banks of the Bagmati River, and repair and expand our existing road connections. Investments are required in developing an effective public transportation system for introducing bigger public buses that can ply larger number of people. Bigger public buses, for example, should replace the existing micros and tempos that unnecessarily choke the roads of the Valley. Also necessarily to build are flyovers and proper pedestrian pathways. Potholes and cracks in the roads, haphazardly hanging electric, telephone and cable wires, uneven footpaths and unmanaged traffic have made lives miserable for the Valley people.



The situation is now agonizing and totally out of control due to ever-increasing number of vehicles allowed to ply on the narrow and congested roads of the major cities of the country. Traffic condition is worsening by the day. Road infrastructure development is thus a sector which needs to be prioritized before the government moves on with bigger projects like the metros. Metro system is no doubt useful and essential in the long run, but the immediate priorities to ease the traffic menace should be different.

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