IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF UPCOMING MUMBAI-AHMEDABAD HIGH SPEED RAIL ON MOBILITY

Abstract

Transportation has always been an important study area for many, from the earliest of times. Right from invention of wheel it has been into exploration. Rightly so, we have made enough progress to span the entire country with various travel modes, from roads to rail. Also, speed has been a constant area for invention, and it has kept on increasing. But not more than a little over decade, high speed rail technology which can compete with the rest of the world was introduced to India. With increased speed, distance tends to shorten and yield perceived benefits to the users over a period of time. Hence, it becomes important to understand the perception of people and analyse it beforehand and make any decision in accordance with the people around it. For the purpose of this study, upcoming under-construction high speed rail corridor of Mumbai to Ahmedabad has been selected and analysed. This is the first time that such a huge investment is being made in the direction to connect two important cities of India. Both Mumbai and Ahmedabad are important hubs of their respective state. Not only these two states but lot of upcoming urban centres will be benefited with the high-speed rail. Hence, it becomes important to understand the users and their perceptions towards it. The upcoming high-speed rail will be in direct competition with existing conventional rail system in place along with road and air travel within the region. A huge amount of trade and commercial exchange happens in between the study route. So, it is important to understand the changes this high-speed rail will bring in the corridor.