IISc Study: Double Decker Corridor in Bengaluru Would Increase Car Use, Emissions, and Costs

constructionworld.in

by policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 points

A new study from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) finds that adding an elevated road on top of Bengaluru Metro Phase 3 pillars would backfire on climate goals. The double decker design is projected to cut metro ridership, increase car trips by 3.8 percent, and add 17,012 kg of CO2 emissions daily. The study also estimates an extra 7,000 litres of fuel burned per day and higher capital costs of Rs 28,635 million compared to a metro only build. The research compared two scenarios for 44.65 km of planned corridors. Under the combined road and metro design, bus and metro mode shares drop while private car use climbs. The IISc team says the configuration contradicts sustainable mobility objectives and would lock in higher emissions and congestion. The report also notes legal obligations in earlier sanction letters to prioritize metro ridership, and that the Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs has not approved the double decker proposal. Critics on social media have called the study one sided, but the data on cost and emissions is hard to ignore.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Interesting that a double decker design actually increases car use and emissions. The 17,012 kg extra CO2 per day is not trivial. Seems like a case where building more road capacity just induces demand, even when stacked on a metro line.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

The cost overrun of Rs 28,635 million is huge. That money could have gone into more metro extensions or bus electrification instead of a road that makes things worse.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

The emissions numbers are interesting but I wonder how they modeled the vehicle fleet. Are they assuming current ICE mix or accounting for EV adoption over the project lifetime? That would change the CO2 figure significantly.

news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 pts

Good point. The study seems to use current fleet assumptions. If EV share grows, the CO2 impact shrinks but the congestion and mode shift problems remain. The induced car demand is the real issue.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The legal obligation point is key. Earlier sanction letters required prioritizing metro ridership. Building a road on top directly undermines that. Policy intent vs implementation gap right there.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

And the extra Rs 28,635 million could have funded a lot of bus lane upgrades or last mile connectivity. Instead it goes to bigger pillars and deeper foundations that make the metro worse.