The future is underground

Normally, people and movies envision the future full of flying cars and vehicles, thus using space travel and flight as means of transportation. However, in Mumbai it seems that the future is not above but below. I am not talking about heaven and hell though I hope that comparison never applies!

There is a train going to be snaking down under you. Won't it be great if this ambitious project for Metro in Mumbai reduces the traffic on the roads? Or is the traffic saved going to be replaced with the influx of people into the city over the 3 years it will take to completely develop?

Interestingly, the first phase of the Metro is going to be in densely popluated and over-trafficed area (pardon the word) of Andheri east MIDC. Having passed through the same area today, I can only sigh with relief at the development. Cars and vehicles stood stationery for half an hour!

I remember when the WE Highway bridge in Andheri East was built. It used to take me upto 2 hours to get to Andheri West. The only consolation of people stuck up in that kind of traffic jam was that once the bridge was completed, we would see a tremendous decrease in traffic density there.

Yes, it was true. The traffic jams reduced from what it was WHEN THE bridge was being constructed. It went back to what it was before - because in peak hours there are hardly 10 vehicles using the god-forsaken useless bridge built with such fan-fare. Let's hope that this road-block causing Metro does not cause this kind of havoc and trouble to poor working class citizens of Mumbai!