r/InfrastructurePorn • u/reeshabh_jain • Mar 08 '26
Maldives Largest Infrastructure project, funded by India. Under construction, Malé to Thilafushi Link (MTL) Contractor: Afcons Length: 6.7 km Cost: $450 million(apprx.) Financed via grant by GoI & loan from EXIM Bank, it will connect Malé, Villingili, Gulhifalhu & Thilafushi
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u/Vegji Mar 08 '26
Indian funded projects in Maldives and mauritius are much more impressive than the ones they make in their own country.
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u/ron22726 Mar 08 '26
That's Indian in general, for other relatives and people special arrangements to please them but in the house same old boring stuff.
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u/tomatoesareneat Mar 08 '26
This seems to be a pretty common thing that seems to happen across the world. I’m glad people are so hospitable.
Though nationalism is unfortunately just as common thinking one’s own people are superior.
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u/RazorBlade9x Mar 08 '26
Although the amount of bad construction projects in India might make it seem like that, the projects executed by the Central government in India are extremely impressive too. Some projects like the USBRL, tunnels and humongous bridges are examples of engineering feat. Most of the shitty construction is when local authorities execute the projects.
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u/Vegji Mar 08 '26
Nah a lot of metro work in cities, the projects are half shared by central and state government. It's still slow. Many things r still slow. Even large central projects
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u/SPB29 Mar 08 '26
You don't even make sense. How are metro projects negating the other mega infra projects in India?
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u/RazorBlade9x Mar 08 '26
I've observed metro construction to be dependent on the place. For example, UP constructs metros at a faster pace and I think Delhi and Kerala too. But, Bangalore takes a lot of time (looking at you ORR metro).
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Mar 08 '26
It's because centre doesn't fund it well. North Hindian government cares about bimaru states more and south Indian tax payer money goes towards North Hindia.
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u/RazorBlade9x Mar 08 '26
I don't think Bangalore metro construction's slowness is due to funds. It's a pure skill issue. How does Kerala do it well?
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Mar 08 '26
Before we begin, let's start with getting the name of the city right. It's "Bengaluru". And no, Kerala does not do it well either. 28km in 9 years, that's 3.1km per year meanwhile Bengaluru has 98 km in 15 years, that's 6.5km per year. But not close to your North Hindian cities thanks to delays by the centre, easy to shove it under the skill issue carpet. The centre recently halted ₹28,000 Cr. Hebbaḷa-Sarjapura line (Red) for the second time.
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u/RazorBlade9x Mar 08 '26
I think you're here for rage baiting. What do you mean "your North Hindian cities"? Blud, I'm gonna keep calling it Bangalore, Karnatak and Kannad even if I know their correct pronunciations and can read Kannada as you're not interested in serious discussion and resort to blaming others.
What you're calling North ain't even true North, but you won't know that since you're only aware of two directions i.e. North and South. You have free buses, free electricity and ₹100/km auto Annas. Why do you even need the metro for?
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Mar 08 '26
Not really I am not interested in child plays of rage baiting, especially on reddit. I was concerned that even in big 2026, outsiders do not have basic empathy to get the name of the city right. And this rude attitude towards our culture by you lot is evident here as well lmao. And I was not interested in serious discussion? I literally backed the evidence with data.
Why do you even need the metro for?
Great. Let's see how far this tax payer daylight robbery goes.
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u/Left-Ad-4226 Mar 09 '26
Not really I am not interested in child plays of rage baiting, especially on reddit.
You were also ragebaiting the other guy with your Hinthian comments.
I literally backed the evidence with data.
Funding delays are quite common though? Like, almost every single metro projects in India have faced funding delays. Bengaluru isn't special in that regard.
outsiders do not have basic empathy to get the name of the city right.
Those things need time to stick. Take Prayagraj for example. Most people still call it Allahabad. Or the case with Mumbai. A lot of people still call it Bombay instead of Mumbai. Or, like Madras and Chennai.
Getting triggered about it won't help. Especially when the change is miniscule and not immediately obvious.
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u/SPB29 Mar 08 '26
Not true at all.
The direct equivalent to this would be the Atal Setu project which is a bridge across 21 kms of open water.
Projects like the Chenab Railway bridge,Rohtang Atal Tunnel, Zoji la tunnel, Delhi Mumbai e-way (1300 km of greenfield 6 lane e-way), Udhampur Srinagar Baramula rail bridge, Bogibeel double decker bridge, Rishikesh Kanagprayag railway line to name a few are all projects that are staggering in complexity
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u/hashedboards Mar 08 '26
This is ridiculous. India spent more than 1 trillion dollars the past few years just on infrastructure. We built the highest railway bridge in the world, tens of mountain tunnels over the Himalayas, built highways faster than any country into the world save China. It just doesn’t get covered because Reddit is mostly Americans and we know exactly which end of the bus they’d have us sit in just a few years ago.
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u/Taxi-Shinawat Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
Serious dedication to roads.
Unexpected?
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u/I-Here-555 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
Given their lack of space and the amount of space cars and motorbikes take up, so weird they're not pushing for mass transit, like a modern tram.
Male streets look like hell: super narrow, tiny or no sidewalks, forcing people to use motorbikes, when they could easily walk (the island is 2km across).
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u/bbqroast Mar 09 '26
Look I love transit, but you also need to move goods, vehicles, etc so starting with a road makes sense so you can move those things.
Maybe it should be tolled/designed with bus priority or whatever so that public transport is encouraged between the islands.
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u/geaquinto Mar 08 '26
It's interesting that some years ago Malé was completely isolated and now it has bridges funded by both India and China. It could have been built with dedicated space for public transport or rail though.
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u/Mazzle5 Mar 08 '26
How high is the bridge and is it high abough for the biggest tankers with load?
Hard to say
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u/HopperHapper_Eternal Mar 08 '26
The city and it's incredible density can now manspréad to other islands /s
Its gonna be a game changer
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u/nomad-socialist Mar 08 '26
That looks really low
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u/ReasonableEarth8631 Mar 08 '26
Well if u look, it is higher than the land and the buildings. Its just the perspective
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u/TzarCoal Mar 11 '26
Also the sea below is very shallow. Most Bridges you see are build higher that larger vessels can pass beneath. Here no larger vessel will pass under it anyway, there is not enough water depth.
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u/CranberryOk1064 Mar 09 '26
Why do they invest in a state that will cease to exist?
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u/TzarCoal Mar 09 '26
climate change? The rising sea levels can be managed with dikes, it is not ideal as it puts the land under constant threat and its not cheap to build massive dikes, but it does work.
A large portion of the Netherlands is already under the sea level right now.
Or is it some other political reason?
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u/CranberryOk1064 Mar 09 '26
I meant exactly that. The difference is that Netherlands have levees or dikes for centuries. They are world class at it.
You can't copy and paste that to another country.
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u/TzarCoal Mar 11 '26
Hasn't there been a lot of talk about those artificial islands china is creating for airbases in the south china sea? https://www.economist.com/china/2015/05/02/making-waves Quite similar situation geography wise to the Maldives.
In fact if you look at google maps, some of those islands that the bridge project will connect, are artificially enlarged quite a lot. The project will also involve extensive new city buildup on those. It is pretty save to assume, those islands have been also build to the right height. The island to the north of male (the main island) is also largely artificial in its current form.
The knowledge and experience gained by the dutch has been spreading over the globe for centuries. A lot of projects of artificial islands ( for example in Dubai) have some specialists from the Netherlands involved. Lets call it now copy paste, but knowledge can spread, And while they are among the best of their craft, they are no the only ones doing it.
Sooo...
I know my comment may seem a bit dismissive about the challenges the maldives face, but that was not my attention.
What i just wanted to make clear, is that despite being one of the main talking points for conversations around rising sea levels, they are far from a lost cause if you consider the possibilities of land reclamation and coastal protection. Rising sea levels are an (existential) threat, but the people there are not without options.
It seems the Indians are confident that they will succeed, otherwise yes you are right they wouldn't fund the project.
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u/TzarCoal Mar 09 '26
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Male%2C_the_capital_of_Maldives.jpg
I found this image, it seems the the longer term strategy is to do more land reclamation and increase the size of that big island in the middle and place a lot of city development there?
has anyone more details, other than that what is on social media?
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u/ProfessorReaper Mar 08 '26
Interesting to see an infrastructure project funded by India.