Seville, Spain [gap height=»5″][dropcap style=»default, circle, box, book»]P[/dropcap]robably you remember my article about Working in India. Experiences and tips. So it is a pleasure to do this interview to Dr. Ashish Verma who is a Ph.D. from IIT Bombay and currently serving as Asst. Prof. of Transportation Engg. at Dept. of Civil Engg. and Centre for infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation, and Urban Flaming (CiSTUP) at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India.[gap height=»5″]Before joining IISc, he has served in IIT Guwahati, and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). His research interest are in; sustainable transportation planning, public transport planning and management, modeling and optimization of °transportation systems, application of geoinformatics in transportation, driver behaviour and road safety, intelligent transportation system (ITS), traffic management, etc. To see more, please,[button link=»http://wp.me/p4aaxl-1Dq» size=»small» target=»_blank or _self» icon=»cog» color=»white, yellow, orange, red, blue, green, gray, black, alternative-1, alternative-2, alternative-3″ lightbox=»true or false»]Click here[/button][gap height=»5″]He is the founding President of Transportation Research Group of India (TRG, web), which is a registered society and has the mission to aid India’s overall growth through focused transportation research, education, and policies in the country. He is also presently serving as Country Representative from India and Scientific Committee Member of World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS) based in Lyon, France. More details about him can be seen on his home-page. [gap height=»5″]What is the TRG?[gap height=»5″]Transportation Research Group of India (TRG) is the national society of transportation research in India with a mission to aid India’s overall growth through focused transportation research, education, and policies in the country.[gap height=»5″]The main objectives are:[gap height=»5″]

1. To provide a unique forum within India for the interchange of ideas among transportation Researchers, educators, managers, policymakers from India and all over the world, with the intention of covering all modes and sectors of transport (road, rail, air, and water; public and private; motorized and non-motorized) as well as all levels (urban, regional, inter-city. and rural transport) and for both passenger as well as freight movement, in India. At the same time, to also address the transportation related issues of; safety, efficiency, economic and social development, local and global environmental impact, energy, land-use, equity and access for the widest range of travelers with special needs etc.

2. To serve as a platform to guide and focus transportation research, education, and policies in India towards satisfying country’s needs and to assist in its overall growth.

TRG has already conducted two versions of their conference (CTRG) in Bangalore and Agra in Dec. 2011 and Dec. 2013, respectively. TRG follows a strict two stage double-blind review policy for CTRG. Also, the conference is typically attended by 250-300 participants from 12-15 countries. TRG has also launched its official journal named “Transportation in Developing Economies (TiDE)” which is being published by Springer and which is open for paper submission now.[gap height=»5″]How do you consider the current situation of transport in India?[gap height=»5″]India is currently the world’s tenth largest economy with an estimated GDP growth of 8 (as per 13^th FYP 2021-2022).The implication of this growth means achieving a desired investment level in terms of infrastructural requirements. Economic growth has shifted away from agriculture towards service sectors.[pullquote align=»left»]India is currently the world’s tenth largest economy with an estimated GDP growth of 8[/pullquote] India´s urban population is projected to increase by 12 % in 2020, leading to greater challenges in urban transportation. Cities are witnessing increasing number of private vehicles because of increasing travel demand. The projected number of personal vehicles per 1000 population in 2020 is 230 vehicles which is a 90 increase from what it was in 2012.[gap height=»5″]The share of private vehicles is also substantially predicted to increase by 12 % in big cities. These projections indicate the changing needs and demands of the population as a whole. I recently completed a study called “Global Mobility Monitor Network (GMMN)” involving comparison of mobility patters in BRIC countries. As part of this study, five Indian ties were studied as sample cities; Delhi, Bangalore, Lucknow, Indore, and Guwahati. To see more [button link=»http://wp.me/p4aaxl-1Dw» size=»small» target=»_blank or _self» icon=»cog» color=»white, yellow, orange, red, blue, green, gray, black, alternative-1, alternative-2, alternative-3″ lightbox=»true or false»]Click here[/button]. [gap height=»5″]What are the main projects or policies in transport sector in your country?[gap height=»5″]In short this are the most important master plans and policies in India:[gap height=»5″]Policies. [custom_table style=»1″]

[/custom_table] Projects. [custom_table style=»1″]

[/custom_table] How do you see the future of mobility in the main cities? [gap height=»5″]Going by the GMMN study, the expected future scenario would be that the Vehicle km travelled per capita in case of BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) would saturate at lower levels than the OECD countries. But the forecasted levels vary significantly amongst these countries. It is predicted that China (7,800 VKT per capita) and India (7,000 VKT per capita) would have saturation levels higher than that of Japan (6,400 VKT per capita) but lesser than that) of Germany (9,700 VKT per capita).[gap height=»5″]This is because of the transport policies that Japan has adopted which has made owning vehicle costlier, simultaneously providing an accessible mass rapid transport system. Brazil is the only one amongst the BRIC countries where the motorization period started earlier and was complemented with favourable conditions for personal car usage, hence the higher saturation level.[gap height=»5″]Brazil has the highest automobility score of 0.23 followed by Russia (0.03), China 0.35) and India (-0.49).Russia (10,200 VKT per capita) and Brazil (11,300 VKT per capita) are also predicted to reach saturation levels significantly higher than that of China and India and lesser than of US.[gap height=»5″]Though all the countries (OECD and BRIC) are moving towards conditions that will favour automobility in the course of time, the point to be noted is the relative difference in the beginning of the motorization or growth periods amongst the case study countries. Also the policy related decision are dissimilar, which in turn leads to the significant variation in the saturation levels. [gap height=»5″]Conclusively, the influencing factors for OECD countries are having a varied influence for BR countries. Substantial motor vehicle growth is likely to occur as the BRIC countries near the end of their growth periods, which is assumed to be the decade in which the per capita GDP would reach $ 20,000. Though China is the world’s largest producer and purchaser of cars and also one of the largest economies, the forecasted saturation level is almost at an equal level as of India/T his proves that sustainable policy decisions and sufficient driving alternatives can go a long way in achieving economic growth without overburdening the transport systems.[gap height=»5″]The BRIC countries are at a stage where the decisions that are made can have far reaching implications in terms of impact on climate change and various social and economic aspects. It is about time that policies are developed and implemented that is oriented towards development of strategies which help mitigate the adverse effects of global climate change scenario.[gap height=»5″]Is the railway a bet for Indian Government? Passengers? Goods?[gap height=»5″]The new Central Government is focusing substantially on reforms in railway sector, including opening various aspects of railways for PPP model. The present government is also focusing on developing a good High Speed Rail network in India. [Tweet «The present government is also focusing on developing a good High Speed Rail network in India. «]Among the various corridors identified, for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Chennai-Bangalore-Mysore corridors MOUs have been signed by India with Japan and China, respectively for DPRs and project implementation. Also, the following projects are in pipeline:

• Diamond Quadrilateral network of High Speed Rail (in pipeline)
• Dedicated rail freight corridors

Could you explain us the main research lines in India in transport sector? [gap height=»5″]We have a lot of research lines in India:[gap height=»5″]Intercity

• Introduction of high speed trains on longer routes. Better choice models for quantifying their impact on mode shift of passengers from air to rail.
• Arriving at sustainable mode share based on environmental and energy considerations.
• I Air travel demand model for better air-routes rationalization.
• Planning good regional and urban feeder services to major intercity terminals.
• Planning and designing of good inter-modal terminals for smooth interchange of passengers and goods.
• Developing guidelines on ideal modal share for Indian conditions for both passenger and freight demand.

Urban

• Need for Systems approach in public transportation planning (address O-D travel time effectively, include all modes)

• Inter-modal integration – operational, physical, institutional.

• Need to develop integrated approach for corridor identification (for Metro. BRT etc.) in metropolitan cities.

• Better Transit ridership estimates – to enhance our understanding of existing and potential transit users, their behavior, attitudes, and opinions.

• To evolve Passenger Information System (PIS) design (especially for pre-trip planning) that is suitable for Indian cities. (weak inter-modal integration, differential importance to different legs of the trip)

• Ways to quantify the impacts of driver attributes, education, and behavior on road safety and mobility. Accordingly, to suggest improvements in the existing system in India.

• Need to develop effective micro-simulation tools for modelling heterogeneous and non-lane based traffic.

• What is good for Indian traffic? Non-lane based or lane based traffic.

• Understanding the impact of traffic demand management measures such as parking fees, road user charges and congestion pricing, as well as the staggering of working hours, flexible working hours and multiple shift work.

• Others [button link=»http://wp.me/p4aaxl-1Dz» size=»small» target=»_blank or _self» icon=»cog» color=»white, yellow, orange, red, blue, green, gray, black, alternative-1, alternative-2, alternative-3″ lightbox=»true or false»]Click here[/button]

Now is time for readers and followers specially for experts from BRTCS Countries. I boost you to convert or give some contributions.