Hyderabad Metro to expand feeder services for commuters

HYDERABAD (Metro Rail News): An urban mobility services start-up, Svida Mobility Pvt Ltd, and L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited (L&TMRHL), with ambitions to expand its feeder vehicle services inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in an effort to improve the first and last mile connections of the Hyderabad Metro Rail.On 22nd September, as part of a celebration of Svida reaching the milestone of 01 million rides, this MoU was signed and exchanged. Since May 2019, it has been collaborating with L&T Metro Rail in Hyderabad to address connectivity concerns.Svida Mobility has provided over 10 lakh citizen trips to and from Metro stations as an L&TMRHL-authorised feeder service provider since 2019. These rides originate from various sites throughout the city. Prior to the pandemic, Svida Mobility operated 121 shuttles along 47 routes out of 25 Metro stations providing daily service to more than 8,000 people.It is anticipated that urban commuters in Hyderabad will find it easier to go around with the availability of affordable and reliable Metro feeder services which will also increase HMR ridership. More than 3,000 commuters use Svida every day at five Metro stations including Miyapur, LB Nagar, Raidurg, Mettuguda and Uppal.Svida provides services through a strong AI-enabled tech platform that allows for the reservation of feeder vehicles. Svida’s applications allow commuters to plan their commute by tracking the movement of vehicles and providing ETA. The tariff begins at Rs 25 and it is aimed at daily Metro riders.According to the Central Metro Operations & Maintenance Act, defacing Metro property by amongst other things posting unapproved posters and writing is punishable by up to Rs 1,000 fine and/or up to six months in jail, HMR stated.

Tender floated for India’s first undersea tunnel in Maharashtra

MAHARASHTRA (Metro Rail News): Ministry of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw shared that a tender has been floated for a 21 km long tunnel which includes India’s first undersea tunnel in Maharashtra for the Bullet Train Project. The bullet train project will have a 21-km long underground corridor from BKC to Kalyan Shilphata in the state of Maharashtra of which around 7 km will be underground corridor under the Thane creek, 1.8 km long section will be developed under the sea bed while the remaining part of the stretch is to be built under the mangroves marshland on either side of the creek.Tender Details:Tender Title: Construction of Tunnelling Works using TBM and NATM between Mumbai Underground Station at BKC (MAHSR Km. 0.773) and Shilphata (MAHSR Km. 21.150) in the State of Maharashtra for Mumbai Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project.Work Descriptions: Construction of Tunnelling Works for Double Line High-Speed Railway using TBM and NATM between Mumbai Underground Station at BKC (MAHSR Km. 0.773) and Shilphata (MAHSR Km. 21.150) in the State of Maharashtra.Pre-bid Meeting Date: 21st October 2022Bid Validity Days: 180 daysPublished Date: 23rd September 2022Bid Submission Start Date: 12 January 2023Bid Opening Date: 20 January 2023Document Download / Sale End Date: 19 January 2023Bid Submission End date: 19 January 2023

Baiyappanahalli-Whitefield trial run delayed due to monsoon : BMRCL

BANGALORE (Metro Rail News): The Bengaluru Metro’s trial run of its 15-Km elevated section between Baiyappanahalli and Whitefield slated for September, has been postponed due to the city’s recent deluge, according to the metro.Anjum Parwez said that the stretch would be open only next year. “With more monsoon showers expected, the opening of the line before the new year is unlikely. Although major construction work is already complete, we are setting up a 65m single girder at the Baiyappanahalli depot, just ahead of the railway crossing. There are other depots works also wherein we have to set up a ramp to bring the train to the depot at Baiyappanahalli. Public can use the line in February 2023, if all things go well,” he said.The trial run should start by the middle of October, “Due to monsoon, the trial run that was supposed to happen this month was postponed. It will now take place in the middle of October. The manual trolley trials, which are typically conducted prior to experimenting with trains, have already begun. He said that the train trials would last for at least two months, until December.The much-awaited, extended purple line between Baiyappanahalli and Whitefield is expected to benefit around three lakh passengers.

Ministry of Railways to boost connectivity between Pearl & Temple Cities

TAMIL NADU (Metro Rail News): Ministry of Railways builds seamless connectivity between Pearl & Temple Cities. The total length of the line is 160 km. The cost of the project initially was calculated to be around Rs. 1182.31 crore and with 5% escalation per annum the completion cost of the project now is estimated to be Rs. 1272.51 crore .The project will generate direct employment during construction for 38.40 lakh man-days. The project would not only speed up the operation of goods and coaching trains, but also provide additional capacity for meeting the increase in traffic in future.19 Major Bridges are completed. 192 Minor Bridges out of 195 are completed. Track Linking of 151.14 km is done. It will help to improve rail connectivity to VOC Port & Vilathikulam region.

RRTS to offer studio flats in South Delhi for short stay

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): The Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Corridor spans 82 Kms between Meerut and Delhi which can cover in less than an hour. For the convenience of commuters, RRTS also promises fully-serviced studio flats in south Delhi’s Jangpura for people planning a short stay in the city. Apartments are being built in a 15-floor building next to the Jangpura RRTS station by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) which is executing the RRTS project. Operators of serviced apartments are asked to submit their Expressions of Interest (EOI).NCRTC will first build 149 units, comprising 96 studios and a few single-bedroom apartments. The area of a one-bedroom apartment is 81 square metres, compared to 45.7 square metres for studio apartments. The studio apartments are designed for tourists who are travelling to Delhi for official or personal work and will only need to stay for a short time. Since, the Jangpura station will be directly connected to Sarai Kale Khan, commuters will have easier access to the two proposed corridors to Panipat and SNB lines (Shahjahanpur, Neemrana, Behror) in addition to the Meerut RRTS route. Visitors should be able to utilise these studio apartments that are completely furnished and equipped with cleaning, housekeeping, a kitchen, laundry and Wi-Fi after booking them through travel portals.In addition to offering services to tenants, the private operator will also oversee maintenance and other tasks including inventory management, sales and marketing and gardening for common spaces. The first tower that is now under construction has studio and one-bedroom apartments on its top 14 levels, but its bottom floor will contain common areas such as a gym, yoga room, dining room, kitchen, living room, gaming area, cafeteria, and laundry room. On the tower’s top, recreational areas including a terrace garden and a lounge are suggested.NCRTC was given land in Jangpura that is around 42.7 acres large and has been designated by Delhi Development Authority as a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) node. The region will be developed as part of TOD to increase the number of residential, commercial, business and leisure areas with ease of communication. This contains residential buildings and commercial complexes, among other planned connectivity measures, according to the area’s existing master plan.Two proposed access routes—one from Mathura Road and one from Ring Road—would lead to the 15-storey structure. The process of hiring a contractor to provide connectivity from Ring Road is now underway, while NCRTC is already working on delivering connectivity from Mathura Road. The property is also adjacent to both the Pink Line (Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar) and the Violet Line (Kashmere Gate-Raja Nahar Singh Ballabhgarh) of the Delhi Metro. The 17-km priority segment between Sahibabad and Duhai is expected to be operational by 2023, as construction on the RRTS route is already in full swing. The entire corridor between Meerut and Delhi is expected to be made operational by 2025.

Indian Railways to float tender to increase high speed mobility

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Railways Ministry is going to float mega tenders for rail tracks. The tenders to be floated this month by the government has the biggest USP that it would be a big push for the Make in India. Private players will be invited and they will be asked to manufacture the rail tracks here in India to meet the requirement of the Indian Railways. Once, those requirements are met then efforts shall also be made to increase the exports.Along with this multi 100 crores tenders, the Railway ministry has a clause of assured off-take every year from the private players, a separate or new manufacturing unit could be set up by the private players. The tracks will have high parameters the Global standard is going to meet from this tender.The potential strength of the railway track is that it can take a load of a total of 25 tonnes. These tracks are newly designed which will maintain speed at track crossovers. Usually, the speed declines at the crossover but with the new technology these barriers will be removed and the average speed of 50 to 60 kmph will be met through these crossover tracks.This Railway Ministry has a large basket to push high-speed mobility. The companies like JSPL, SAIL will be benefitted.The Railway ministry has the tender for the Railway track and already floated tenders for forged wheels.

Indian Railways to operate seventy five Train-18 by 2023

CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai and inspected Vande Bharat trains. After examining, he handed over the trains to Railway’s R&D division, the Lucknow-based Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO). The RDSO will now inspect the trains. After due scrutiny the new train sets shall get safety clearance for operations and run on track.The Indian Railways hopes to operate 75 brand-new Vande Bharat trains by 15th August  next year. In order to achieve the railway’s goal of having seven to eight trains available each month the construction of these trains has been expedited. However, looking at the pace it appears that the rolling of the trains may be delayed. IANS made unsuccessful attempts to contact Railway officials and the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai over the project’s apparent delay.Every new Vande Bharat train has some new technology and upgrades, according to Indian Railways, which gradually raises the cost as well. A 16-coach Vande Bharat train’s building cost has increased from its initial estimate of 106 crores to between Rs 110 and Rs 120 crore. The ICF intends to manufacture about 10 trains every month. The Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthala and the Modern Coach Factory in Rae Bareli will also begin manufacturing the coaches to reach the goal of 400 Vande Bharat trains in next three years.It was decided to create Vande Bharat along the lines of Make in India, but despite spending millions of dollars, Vande Bharat has not yet garnered the momentum that was anticipated. It is claimed that the tendering process is halted frequently.

Feasibility report of MRTS Madurai is complete

CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): The proposed feasibility report which suggests an appropriate mass rapid transit system (MRTS) for Madurai has been completed and submitted to Chennai Metro Rail. The Tamil Nadu government will now soon receive the final detailed feasibility report.Balaji Rail Road Systems (BARSYL) was given the assignment by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) early this year and the consultant just finished the draft report, CMRL officials stated.“We are examining the report. After making all the changes the consultant will incorporate them into the final report. Subsequently, we will hold discussions with the stakeholders and submit it to the state government,” an official said.This report will include lots of details, including the alignment, the geographic areas the system will serve, the project’s cost and the best kind of transportation system for the city. After the DFR, a detailed project report (DPR) will need to be created which will include information on the design, the kind of stations to be used, the cost breakdown, the time needed to complete the project and the projected passenger traffic.The centre once suggested MetroLite or MetroNeo for Tier II and Tier III cities. These two networks will be more affordable and smaller than the conventional metro rail systems.The alignment between Othakadai and Tirumangalam is among those investigated.A feasibility study will be carried out for a number of cities including Salem, Tiruchi and Tirunelveli in addition to Madurai.

HYT ENGINEERING now present at InnoTrans Hall 22A – Stand 650 to showcase their offerings

BERLIN, GERMANY (Metro Rail News): HYT ENGINEERING COMPANY PVT. LTD. is now present at InnoTrans – industry’s leading international trade fair in Berlin, Germany. Visit them at Hall 22A – Stand 650.The representatives from HYT Engineering Mr. Bhojraj Teli- Managing Director, Ms Rajashri Teli – Joint Managing Director, Mr Hrishikesh Darunkar – General Manager-Business Development, Mr Arvind Jagtap – Manager- Export(Technical) present at the InnoTrans international trade fair at Hall 22A – Stand 650.HYT product Range at the world’s leading trade fair for transport technology are CNC Tandem Underfloor Wheel Lathe, CNC Underfloor Wheel Lathe, CNC Surface (above floor) Wheel Lathe, CNC Portal Wheel Lathe, CNC Vertical Turning & Boring Machine, CNC Axle Journal Turning and Burnishing Lathe, Multipurpose Armature machine, Rail Based Loco Shunter and Wheel Press.HYT has successfully completed major turnkey projects which include the Creation of POH facilities for augmentation of periodical overhauling facilities for LHB coaches at Carriage Repair Shop at Tirupati in South Central Railway, Developing Infrastructure for POH of Wheel Set for LHB Coaches at Carriage Repair Workshop in Harnaut, Coach Shell Manufacturing Facility for Indian Railways at Chennai in India, Wheel Repair Shop for Smh Rail in Malaysia, Setting up of Coiled Spring Manufacturing facility (On Turnkey Basis) at ICF in Chennai, Fully Automatic Wheel and Axle Assembly Complex at Railway Wheel Factory (RWF) at Bengaluru in India, Wheels And Bogie Overhauling Facility at Sanpada Emu Car Shed, Mumbai in India, Augmentation of Wheel Shop at Matunga in Central Railway, Augmentation of BG Coach POH Facility From 50 Coaches To 100 Coaches Per Month at Bhavnagar Workshop in Western Railway, Modernization & Augmentation of POH Capacity to 150 Wagons Per Month at Dahod Workshop in Western Railway.HYT is a firm believer in offering complete solutions, from designing to manufacturing to after-sale maintenance. They are a dominant player in providing rolling stock maintenance services and the execution of infrastructure projects on a turnkey basis. They have their distinctive approach to planning and fast execution with the most cost-effective solution.Recently, HYT received an export order for setting up a wheel shop from Gabon, Central Africa.HYT ENGINEERING COMPANY PVT. LTD. was founded in 1977 and produces SPMs for rolling stock repair having 99% market dominance in Indian railways. Additionally, HYT works on turnkey railroad infrastructure projects like automatic wheel shops.Under the direction of Managing Director Mr. Bhojraj Teli, HYT is renowned for its innovative design and customer-focused approach.With 850 employees and a factory in Pune, India, HYT has provided more than 900 machines, including CNC wheel lathes, to the railway, metro, PSUs and private sector.Contact them:HYT ENGINEERING COMPANY PVT. LTD.E-mail: Info@hytengineering.comWebsite: www.hytengineering.comContact: +91 20 66343900 / 06

Northeast receives support for Multimodal Connectivity

ASSAM (Metro Rail News): The north east region has received support from central government for multimodal connectivity.  Railway’s Riverfront Passenger Jetty was inaugurated at Bogibeel Road-cum-Railway Bridge on the 19th of September. This will create new chances by making use of the Brahmaputra River’s potential.The longest river cruise service in the nation will be launched in Assam in 2023. It will be operational between Bogibeel and Varanasi. It will travel a distance of more than 4,000 kilometers. The route will link the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBRP).The service will open for the residents of both states to use inland waterways to advance their commerce, tourism and cargo transportation. The Indian government is also looking for ways to increase inland navigation and river cruise tourism across the Brahmaputra river.India is taking a significant step toward the integrated connection between its railways and waterways with the plans to create a river site next to the Bogibeel Bridge. It is being carried out as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission “Gati Shakti.” The riverfront facility has enormous potential to develop into a major tourist attraction in the country’s northeast.

BMRCL floats tender to run 318 driverless metro cars

BANGALORE (Metro Rail News): Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has floated a tender in order to run 318 metro cars on various lines under the Phase 2, 2A and Phase 2B lines. The BMRCL has also implemented a clause of maintenance for the first time. The manufacturer is responsible for maintaining the coaches for a period of 15 years.Anjum Parwez, MD, BMRCL stated that a clause on the maintenance of coaches will help the corporation to save its resources. “We have taken a cue from the Delhi Metro. Currently, a lot of resources are being spent on maintenance of the coaches that include periodical repair works, spare parts and others. To save money in the long run other metros too have started imposing this condition while procuring coaches.”“These can be operated without drivers. The advanced signalling systems help to reduce the headway by 2 minutes. At present, we are running trains for not less than five minutes. The train will have advanced systems that also check the health of the track and obstructions. For the trains that will be operated to the airport during the design stage, we will plan on providing luggage space for the air passengers and other amenities,” MD stated.The official stated that BMRCL has the required number of coaches to commission train operations on the extended metro line from Baiyappanahalli to Whitefield. The BMRCL has 50 train sets of 6 cars each. According to the plan, 96 coaches will be used for services on the 14 km underground stretch on Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara route from Dairy Circle and Nagawara.The remaining 222 coaches will be utilised for the ORR – Airport route which will travel from Central Silk Board to Kempegowda International Airport via K.R. Puram, Nagawara and Hebbal.The corridor has a total length of 55 kilometres.The corridors of these lines are under construction and it is anticipated to be operational by 2024–2025.Currently, the BMRCL has a set of six metro cars each. 

K-Rail continues with efforts for foreign funding

KOTTAYAM (Metro Rail News): Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd (K-Rail) stated that there is still a chance to receive foreign funding for its flagship SilverLine Semi High-Speed Rail Corridor project. Four organizations including the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) have submitted requests for overseas loans to the respective central ministry. If the railway board presents a favourable report for the projects then only the ministry will grant the proposals.The central ministry advised K-Rail in response to the RTI request that the SilverLine project had been removed from the list of projects eligible for funding from JICA.JICA could not be approached as the exclusive foreign finance source for the SilverLine project as stated by K-Rail. According to the agency’s instructions the request for an overseas loan was withdrawn in 2018. K-Rail has requested financial assistance from ADB, AIIB and KFW along with JICA because JICA had promised that the money could be realised with the help of a few more organisations. A new request was made in April 2021, which also includes JICA.An application should be submitted to the central ministry for approval in order to secure overseas loans. The ministry will review the project’s specifics and reports before approving it. The report has to be made by the railway board in the case of SilverLine project.

BMRCL floats tender for construction of Metro Airport Depot

BANGALORE (Metro Rail News): Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) floated a bid for the civil construction of the Airport Depot for the Bangalore Metro Blue Line. The city’s new 57 km Blue Line which will connect Central Silk Board – KR Puram – Bangaluru International Airport with Phase 2A (ORR Line) will use a small train maintenance facility in Phase 2B (Airport Line).The depot is also known as Shettigere Depot or Doddajala Depot. A preliminary notice for acquiring an additional area of 12,576.619 sq m has been sent to the government for approval. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will finance this tender which approved loan amount of USD 500 million (about Rs 3680 crore) in December 2020.The estimated Cost of the Tender is Rs. 204.68 crores.The deadline / Period of Work is 548 Days.Pre-bid Meeting will be held on 30 September 2022 at 11:30 AMBid Submission will start on 21 October 2022Bid Submission will end on 29 October 2022Technical Bid will start on 31 October 2022Construction of Airport Depot for Bangalore Metro Rail Project-Phase-2B is the work included in the bid.The Purple Line’s operational Baiyappanahalli Depot which will eventually be converted to service the Blue Line will also support operations on the Blue Line. In August, bids were opened for its reconstruction or remodeling. Back in September 2021, the Detailed Design Consultant (DDC) contract worth Rs. 3.94 crores for both depots were given to the joint venture between PADECO Co. Ltd. and Ardanuy India Pvt Ltd.As part of a 318-coach contract financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) both depots will house 222 new coaches (37 x 6). 

RRTS : Installation of PSD starts in priority section

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): The work of installation of the Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) at RRTS stations on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor has been started. It has been started from Guldhar RRTS station of the priority section. In this process, various parts of platform screen doors such as automatic sliding doors, fixed door panels, platform end gates, emergency escape doors and fixed screens are being installed on the platform.NCRTC has given utmost importance to the safety of passengers since its inception. The installation of platform screen doors is another such step in this direction. Platform screen doors will be integrated with RRTS train doors and the ETCS Level-2 signalling system resulting in train doors opening and closing simultaneously with platform screen doors. For the safety of the passengers, the train will run only when the doors of the train and platform screen doors are closed.  NCRTC is implementing the Hybrid Level 3 Technology of the European Train Control System (ETCS Level-2) for the operation of RRTS trains which is one of the most advanced signalling and train control systems in the world. Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio-based signalling system will be the first of its kind facilitating the latest digital interlocking with Automatic Train Operations (ATO). This will enable higher frequency of the train services, better headway and more throughput.The platform screen doors will act as a barrier between the train and the tracks for the safety of the passengers, thereby ensuring better crowd management at the stations as well as avoiding any untoward incidents such as passengers falling on the tracks. This will not only help in preventing unforeseen incidents but will also reduce the risk of accidents.The process of installing platform screen doors for the remaining stations of the priority section has also started. It will pick up the pace with the completion of the roof sheds of the stations. The work of installation of Platform Screen Doors on RRTS corridor is being done by M/s Alstom.The trains that will run on the RRTS corridor will primarily consist of 6 coaches, comprising 5 standard and one premium class coach. Each standard class coach will have 3 doors on one side and the premium class coach will have 2 doors. Accordingly, there will be a total of 17 doors on the entire train. Based on this, a total of 17 platform screen doors will be installed on each platform of the RRTS stations.NCRTC is also taking various other measures to ensure the safety and comfort of the passengers. Separate coaches for women, CCTV monitoring at stations and trains, pre-determined space for wheelchairs and stretchers in the trains besides larger lifts to move stretchers at stations are some of the important measures.RRTS was conceptualized to facilitate safe, reliable and fast travel in the National Capital Region and NCRTC is taking all possible measures to ensure the same. Some of the important reasons behind the implementation of this project are to decongest the national capital, reduce vehicular traffic and air pollution and ensure balanced regional development. NCRTC is using state-of-the-art technologies to ensure the safe and timely completion of works while minimizing inconvenience to commuters, business owners and residents of the region.