Mumbai not designed for cars: Top British transport expert

Mumbai is not a carfriendly city was never designed for it and authorities should focus on public transport instead said British transport expert rail historian and broadcaster Christian Wolmar after a whirlwind twoday tour of the city However what surprised him most was how twowheelers have taken over Mumbairsquos streetsWolmar at the monorail station PicsPradeep DhivarOn his India tourmdashwhere he explored Kolkatarsquos trams and the steamhauled Darjeeling Himalayan RailwaymdashMumbai was Wolmarrsquos final stop He travelled on all possible modes of transport including the monorail the underground Metro the elevated Metro and suburban railways and was amazed by the variety ldquoAuthorities should encourage public transport furtherrdquo he saidKolkatarsquos tram closure lsquosadrsquoldquoIt is quite sad that Kolkata is shutting down its tramway network Apparently the police there are against it due to traffic hurdles But they should retain it for the sheer volume of people it can ferry compared to motor carsrdquo Wolmar saidCar chaos amp 2wheeler surgeldquoMumbai is not designed for cars and will never cope with a great influx City authorities should not try to accommodate them The cityrsquos geography is perfect for public transport I was struck by how twowheelers have proliferatedrdquo he said After experiencing Mumbairsquos various transit modes he said the full Metro network once completed will help ease commuting woes ldquoMumbai is slowly emerging as a 21stcentury city The new worldclass Metro line will be a source of great pride I was also impressed by the monorail which seemed quite wellusedrdquo he addedMonorail Vs MetroldquoThe monorail is the only one in India and is a good idea but it ends abruptly It runs at a good speed and could have been better utilised for local transitrdquo he said after travelling from Saat Rasta to GTB NagarChristian Wolmar enjoying his favourite masala chaiHe was highly impressed with Mumbairsquos underground Metro ldquoIt has been built to a remarkably high standard better than most new city Metros Irsquod say itrsquos nearly as good as Londonrsquos new Crossrail or Elizabeth Line What I like is the spacious design though the Elizabeth Linersquos aesthetics are more elegantrdquo he remarkedThe Elizabeth line is a railway line that carries passengers across Greater London and nearby towns running on an eastwest axis across the London region and opened in 2022 On the older VersovaGhatkopar Metro Blue Line 1 he praised the wellmaintained trains and ldquovery good airconditioningrdquoA safety warningAt Andheri station overwhelmed by the sheer crowd Wolmar was shocked at the opendoor trains ldquoGosh The doors have to close Closeddoor suburban trains will help save lives Itrsquos great that Mumbairsquos locals are being renewedrdquo he stressedlsquoHow does one check ticketsrsquoStepping out from the Metrorsquos turnstilecontrolled environment into Andheri station Wolmar exclaimed ldquoGoodness How does one check tickets for so many peoplerdquo He was stunned by the sheer scale of the railway line and the sea of commuterslsquoAre these rail buffsrsquoAt a Sion cafeacute sipping his favourite masala chai Wolmar noticed a group wearing Tshirts with steam engine prints Curious he asked ldquoAre they rail enthusiastsrdquo Turns out they were MNS party workers cooling off after their Sunday cricket match