The Delhi Metro (DM) is a mass rapid transit system serving the National Capital Region of India. It is also the world’s first rail project to earn carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism of the United Nations for reductions in CO2 emissions. We analyze whether the DM led to localized reduction in three transportation source pollutants. Looking at the period 2004–2006, one of the larger rail extensions of the DM led to a 34 percent reduction in localized CO at a major traffic intersection in the city. Results for NO2 are also suggestive of a decline, while those for PM2:5 are inconclusive due to missing data. These impacts of pollutant reductions are for the short run. A complete accounting of all long run costs and benefits should be done before building capital intensive metro rail projects.
Deepti Goel is an Assistant Professor at the Delhi School of Economics and a Research Fellow with IZA, Institute for The Study of Labor. Her main areas of interest are Applied Econometrics and Labour Economics. Currently she is working on: Air Pollution and Health; Identifying an Effective Teacher; Evolution of Earnings in Rural India and Self-worth across Caste Groups. Periodically, she likes to take a respite from the city and go trekking in the hills.
This is the seventy one in a series of Urban Workshops planned by the Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH), New Delhi and Centre for Policy Research (CPR). These workshops seek to provoke public discussion on issues relating to the development of the city and try to address all its facets including its administration, culture, economy, society and politics. For further information, please contact: Christine Ithurbide at christine@cshdelhi.com , Partha Mukhopadhyay at partha@cprindia.org or Marie-Hélène Zerah at marie-helene.zerah@ird.fr
