Japan: Helping to Improve Asia’s Infrastructure

Supporting Metro Construction
in Cities Around India

Japanese-assisted metro construction in India

Delhi Metro
In operation: 190 km
Under construction: 103 km(to be completed in 2016)

Japanese Engineers Promote Safety and Quality

Kolkata Metro

The growth that followed India’s economic liberalization starting in the 1990s was accompaniedby the concentration of population and a rapid increase in the number of automobiles in thecountry’s cities. Traffic congestion worsened, as did noise from cars, along with air pollution fromexhausts. As the Indian government worked on urban transportation and environmental policies
to address these social problems, a key project was the construction of a metro system in Delhi,
where traffic jams had become chronic.
The Japanese government provided loans totaling JPY 374.8 billion (about USD 3.12 billion)
to help cover the construction costs of some JPY 666.7 billion (about USD 5.56 billion) for thealready-completed Delhi Mass Transport System (Delhi Metro) network. Additional lines are
currently under construction, and Japan has continued to support Delhi Metro with the provisionof advanced technologies in a broad range of areas, including construction, rolling stock, andoperating systems.
The participation of Japanese engineers in the construction project produced dramaticimprovements in awareness of safety-related practices among the local construction workers. For
example, the wearing of helmets and safety shoes was made compulsory, and on-site materials
were rigorously managed. Also, the strict enforcement of punctuality taught the workers themeaning of deadlines.
“Senior managers at India’s metro corporations were impressed with the globally topclass capabilities of Japanese firms in the areas of process control, quality control, and safety
management,” says Reiko Abe, president of the Indian subsidiary of Oriental Consultants Global,
who participated in the Delhi Metro project as a tunnel engineer. Abe also declares that Japaneseengineers excel in coming up with timely proposals of options and approaches to deal withissues as they arise.
The first section of the Delhi Metro came into operation in 2002, and the entire planned
network of 190 kilometers (about 120 miles) was completed in 2011. Ridership that year was
about 1.8 million passengers per day, and as of 2014 the figure had risen to 2.5 million. Since thestart of service, the metro system is said to have lessened the number of cars on the capital’s roads
by 120,000. The stations and cars are kept clean, and the platforms have lines drawn to indicate
where passengers waiting to board are to queue up. With the help of directions from station
employees, passengers have learned to wait in line at the indicated spots. Technology and knowhow from Japan have been put to work from the construction stage through operation of thesystem. The trains run safely and on schedule, and people have come to think that taking themetro is the best option when they need to arrive on time.
To follow up on this success, the authorities have decided to build new lines extending 103
km (about 64 miles). Meanwhile, metro construction projects supported with both funding andtechnical cooperation from Japan are underway in other major cities—Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai,and Bangalore—that have similar problems with traffic congestion.
Abe, who also participated in the Bangalore metro construction project, notes, “When I work atconstruction sites in India, I sense the high level of trust in Japanese technology.” This trust has
led to calls for further active involvement by Japanese companies in India’s metro construction
projects. And cooperation in these endeavors is helping to deepen the ties of friendship between
India and Japan.
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Under construction: 14 km(to be completed in 2016)

India
Mumbai Metro
Under construction: 33 km(to be completed in 2019)

Bangalore Metro

Chennai Metro

In operation: 19 km
Under construction: 23 km(to be completed in 2016)

In operation: 10 km
Under construction: 35 km(to be completed in 2016)

Photos ⓒ JICA

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1. Reiko Abe (second from left) at a construction site for the Bangalore Metro. Abe, who was responsiblefor quality control, was the only woman among the 40,000-strong team of engineers and other workers
involved in the project. (© Shuhei Fujita) 2. Inside a car of the Delhi Metro. Passengers appreciate thesafety of the system, which women can confidently ride alone. (© JICA)

Sharing Technology
for Metros in India

http://youtu.be/p-95rBHZNBc

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