In a bid to gauge the spending capacity of Mumbaikars for its ambitious CST-Panvel high-speed railway corridor project, the railways has decided to conduct a “willingness to pay” survey comprising 5,000 passengers.
This will be the first such survey carried out in the city. As huge investments would be needed for the project, officials from the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) said that it would be better to get a rough idea about commuters’ willingness to pay for the project.
“The fares of the high-speed corridor will be different from the suburban railway fares. Before chalking out further plans for the project, we need to find out if the proposed amount is feasible for commuters,” said a senior officer. The survey will only take passengers on the Harbour Line into consideration. “A separate fare system needs to be formed to ensure profitability, which can in turn compliment with better facilities,” railway officials said.
Sources claimed that these fares would be calculated as per the fare formula that is to be used for the forthcoming Metro services in Mumbai. “The proposed amount is yet to be decided, but it will be reasonable,” added the officer.
The MRVC stated that the willingness of passengers to spend, would also help them decide on the passenger amenities at the high-speed corridor.
Meanwhile, the MRVC has asked the Rail India Technical and Economic services (RITES) to submit an interim report on the technical feasibility by June.
Railway officials said that the new corridor should not be kept under the purview of the current Central and Western Railways to ensure financial independence.
The elevated corridor is being planned as the suburban section is completely saturated. The CST-Panvel corridor is considered as a vital project and aims to connect the proposed international airport in Pavel with south Mumbai. There are plans to run fully air-conditioned local trains on this elevated corridor.