BMRCL to revamp its project management system
BANGALORE (Metro Rail News): The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) plans to update both its In-house Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System and Project Management System (PMS) in order to follow its projects continuously. Bids for the same project will be floated soon.T.V Mohandas Pai, the chairman of Manipal Global Education criticized the delay in finishing the Bangaluru Metro projects last month and blamed it on improper project management. “The City was lagging behind by 10 years in the progress it should have made in its Metro Rail projects. PMS is desperately needed as it is a project with Rs 50,000 cr investment,” he added. Metro projects have also received a lot of flak for often missing deadlines for both completed and ongoing projects.General Manager (GM), Information Technology, BMRCL, Divya Hosur stated that, “We have PMS in place now only during the execution stage of a project. We will be expanding our system to the pre-planning as well as planning stages henceforth. A separate dashboard will be launched which will have continuous updates along with timelines on every project,” she said. The expenditure for all projects would also be tracked fastidiously. “This would definitely bring in much improvement in completion of our projects,” the GM added.In addition, BMRCL will redesign its internal ERP to make it more durable and dynamic. It will cover every organization-related topic such as human resources management, financial management and information management which will improve departmental collaboration. Additionally, it would enable the administration to utilize its inventory and rolling stock more effectively.Hosur continued, “Grading of vendors working on various projects will also be monitored using a Vendor Management System which would help in optimizing the procurement processes and better decision making with easily available real-time data.
Kineco bags the contract for Interior work of Train-18
CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): Indo-National Ltd. subsidiary Kineco Ltd won a contract for 113-crore order for Interior work of Vande Bharat Semi-High Speed trains being manufactured at Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai.According to a regulatory filing from its parent company, Kineco also received the largest order consisting of 68 train fronts for the Vande Bharat trains. Kineco is one of the top manufacturers of composite technology for the railways and the military. Additionally, it also manufactures fiber-reinforced plastic pressure containers for water filtration and chemical processing plants.Shekhar Sardessai, the founder and managing director of Kineco, claimed that the company has long been at the forefront of the modernization programme of the Indian Railways. Rail coach interiors, bathroom modules, aerodynamic front ends, driver cab interiors, and hard seating systems are among the products offered by the Railways.
DMRC to upgrade Metro’s Telecom Infrastructure
NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Delhi residents depend on the metro for many aspects of their everyday lives, yet issues like call dropouts and poor mobile connectivity follow them inside the metro. However, commuters may soon experience some respite as Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is working to find a solution. DMRC has chosen 20 locations along elevated parts of various routes for the installation of mobile towers in an effort to increase mobile coverage across its network. The metro agency is already modernizing the telecoms infrastructure at 29 underground stations.The DMRC has reportedly asked for ideas for leasing out space for the construction of telecom towers near locations like the metro stations at Kashmere Gate, Tis Hazari and RK Ashram. The other metro stations are the Supreme Court Metro Station, Kalkaji Mandir, Dilshad Garden, Dashrath Puri, Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Jamia Millia Islamia, Dwarka Sector 13, Dhansa Bus Stand, Raja Nahar Singh (Ballabhgarh) and Sant Surdas (Sihi) metro stations.The company will also erect mobile towers at the train depots in Shastri Park, Kalindi Kunj, Najafgarh, Badli and two locations inside Yamuna Bank Depot. The majority of the spots which average 8 square meters are either at parking lots or entry gates with the exception of supplementary structures. While this is going on the metro agency is acquiring space for “in-building solutions” to provide cellular coverage at 29 underground stations along three separate corridors.To improve connectivity at the Red Line (Rithala-Shaheed Sthal New Bus Adda) station, which is also connected to DMRC’s busiest corridor, the Yellow Line (Samaypur Badli-HUDA City Centre) a mobile tower will be installed at Kashmere Gate, the network’s only interchange point bridging three corridors. The Blue Line stations of Barakhamba Road, Mandi House and Dwarka Sector 21 (Dwarka Vaishali/Noida Electronic City) as well as the Violet Line stations of Mandi House, Janpath, Central Secretariat, Khan Market, JLN Stadium and Jangpura (Kashmere Gate-Raja Nahar Singh, Ballabhgarh) are also undergoing cellular network upgrade work.The underground sections of these corridors are being modernized in collaboration with the government-owned engineering and consulting company Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL).
Wabtec to manufacture PSD for Panama Metro
CENTRAL AMERICA (Metro Rail News): Wabtec Corporation has made its first entry into the Central American railway sector with an order for platform screen doors for the Panama Metro. The global conglomerate is also one of the major suppliers of railroad equipments for a number of metro and railway projects in India.The L3 monorail stations for Metro de Panama are being constructed by Hitachi Rail as part of the Grupo de Empresas Sunrise Monorail, and the order is for 300 half-height platform screen doors to be installed there.The order is a part of a project to construct a new 25 km long monorail line to be served by 28 six-car trains (168 cars), together with the related signaling, telecommunications and power systems. Wabtec will provide training and assistance for the platform screen doors’ installation, testing and commissioning in addition to providing the doors also.The platform screen doors increase security by serving as a physical barrier to stop individuals or items from trespassing or falling into tracks. Half-height screen doors are a great way to increase safety on technically challenging outdoor rail lines.Wabtec installed the first platform screen doors in the world in Hong Kong in 2002. Since then, the company has installed them in Sydney, Australia and metro lines in Paris, France, Brussels and Belgium. Most recently, the company was awarded a contract to supply platform screen doors for the Marseille metro as part of plans to modernize and automate its local transportation network.Lilian Leroux, Wabtec Transit President, stated that “As a pioneer in platform screen doors with multiple successful projects to our name, Wabtec is the natural choice for half-height gates for metro applications.” “Having worked with Wabtec on a successful project to install half-height platform screen doors on the Copenhagen Metro, Denmark, the team at Hitachi knew our proven capabilities in this area. We are proud to play a leading role in ensuring the safety and comfort of passengers on the Panama Metrolink, and in creating more reliable, secure and robust metro networks the world over.”Director of Signaling and Turnkey Procurement for Hitachi Rail‘s Americas Region, Chris Singer, stated, “The gates enable passengers to board and exit trains in an orderly and safe manner, thereby, reducing wait times and also contribute to making rail services more punctual and reliable.”
Karnataka rejects three Interstate Railroad projects by Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (Metro Rail News): Kerala has suffered a significant setback after Karnataka rejected three of its proposed interstate railroad projects due to environmental concerns. Basavaraj Bommai, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, made this announcement after meeting with Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala on 18th September at the former’s official residence in Bengaluru.Nilambur-Nanjangud, Thalassery-Mysuru, and Kasaragod-Dakshin Kannada are the three railway projects that are not feasible. Since Kerala had not yet shared the technical information on extending the project up to Managaluru, the discussion of the Silverline Semi-High Speed Rail Project was avoided. Pinarayi remained silent over the outcome of the talks, but Bommai told reporters that the projects by the Kerala Government suggested were not feasible.However, according to information from the Kerala Chief Minister’s Office, the discussion covered a number of issues of concern to both States. It has been determined that both states would discuss the need for NH 766 to have an alternative path during the night while the National Highway Authority of India is preparing for the Mysore-Malappuram economic corridor. The alignment between Tholpetti and Purakkaattiri as well as between Sulthan Bathery and Malappuram will be jointly demanded by the two states.According to Basavaraj Bommai, Karnataka would review the proposed Kanhangad – Panathur – Kaniyoor Railway Line project, which connects with the Northern and Southern regions of Kerala, and will also consider a policy decision to provide financial aid.The meeting was attended by V Somanna the minister for the Karnataka Housing and Infrastructure department as well as the chief secretaries for Karnataka and Kerala, V P Joy and Vandita Sharma respectively and Sharada Muraleedharan the secretary for local self-development in Kerala.
India’s first Hydrogen Power Train to be ready by 2023
NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Ashwini Vaishnaw the Union Minister for Railways stated that India is developing hydrogen-powered trains, and they will be ready by 2023. The numbers of advantages come with the use of hydrogen and in particular, green hydrogen as a rail fuel, including supporting zero carbon goals as a clean energy source.
Only Germany has so far created hydrogen-powered trains. Germany introduced the first fleet of hydrogen-powered passenger trains this year. At a cost of about $92 million, the French company Alstom developed 14 trains with hydrogen fuel cell drive.
India received its first indigenously made hydrogen fuel cell bus last month, which was developed by KPIT-CSIR in Pune.
The Vaishnaw also stated that work on the Gati Shakti terminals policy is moving quickly and Indian Railways is attempting to connect the remote and unconnected areas of the nation with the railway network.
The Vande Bharat Express, a semi-high-speed train that is among the fastest, was developed domestically in India using in-house technology and the train has been running smoothly without any major breakdown for the last years,” the minister said, adding that more such Vande Bharat Express trains are being manufactured at ICF and will be put into service. The train has been operating smoothly for the past two years without experiencing any major breakdowns. Recently, the Railway Safety Commissioner gave the green signal for Vande Bharat.
When discussing train and track management earlier, the minister had said, “In order to operate semi-high- or high-speed trains, we are also making significant progress on a track management system. In a Vande Bharat test run, we’ve already demonstrated that a fully loaded water glass didn’t shake at 180 kph, but it did shake the entire world.”
Vaishnaw also stated that after the successful completion of Vande Bharat’s trial run, the serial production of the remaining 72 trains will soon begin.
“It is noteworthy that the third Vande Bharat train can travel at a top speed of 180 km/h. It took 52 seconds to go from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour as opposed to the bullet train’s 55 seconds. Vande Bharat trains of the first generation have a top speed of 160 kmph and can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in 54.6 seconds ” he added.
CMRL’s Phase II Project to extend till Greenfield Airport
CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): The 118.9-km Phase II project of the Chennai Metro Rail is expected to cover another 93 km, with the goal of extending it to Parandur, where a greenfield airport has been proposed.Three corridors have been planned for the 61,843 crore Phase II project: Corridor 3, which covers the 45.8 km Madhavaram-Siruseri line, Corridor 4, which covers the 26.1 km Lighthouse and Poonamallee, and Corridor 5, which runs from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (47.0 km).
Corridor 5 to Avadi via Thirumangalam and Mogappair (17 km), Corridor 4 to Parandur (50 km), and Corridor 3 from Siruseri to Kilambakkam Bus Terminus via Kelambakkam (26 km) will all be extended.According to CMRL officials, a consultant will soon be hired to conduct a thorough feasibility study for these extensions and submit a report with recommendations.“We have just floated a request for a proposal to select a consultant for these corridors. The consultant will go through the existing reports such as the comprehensive mobility plans, the present transport routes, and development plans. The consultant will come back to us with a report in a few months,” an official stated.The report will cover a variety of topics, such as traffic congestion, peak-hour travel, projected travel demand for these corridors over the next 30 years, estimated construction costs, the need for both public and private funding, social and environmental impacts, and various other factors.The Metro Rail will be extended from the Chennai airport to Kilambakkam, where a bus terminal will soon be constructed. The CMRL has provided the State government with a thorough project report.According to the sources, this line will allow commuters access to the bus terminus from a variety of locations.After the major areas of the city are covered, the route to Parandur is likely to have fewer stations than the other stretches, the sources said.
Trial run for Joka- Esplanade Metro’s first phase completes smoothly
KOLKATA (Metro Rail News): The maiden trial runs on the Joka- Taratala stretch of the Joka- Esplanade Metro Project was conducted successfully on 15th September.
Beautiful bird's eye view of maiden trial run on Joka-Taratala stretch of Joka-Esplanade Metro Project.#youngkolkatans #KolkataMetro #Kolkata #Metro #service #kolkatadiary #kolkatacacophony #RailInfra_Kolkata #Metro4Connectivity #TransformingKolkata #kolkatabuzz#RVNL pic.twitter.com/MwfYY7g9BW
— Metro Rail Kolkata (@metrorailwaykol) September 15, 2022
Arun Arora, general manager of Metro Railway, was informed by representatives of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), who is responsible for carrying out the majority of the city’s Metro projects, that the priority section, which consists of six stations (Joka, Thakurpukur, Sakherbazar, Behala Chowrasta, Behala Bazar, and Taratala), is ready.
The 6.5 km segment of the 14 km Joka Esplanade Metro project will be operated only after successful train trials and the subsequent approval from the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), who approves any new Metro line in India. The corridor, a pet project of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the railway minister, has repeatedly missed deadlines. It had been flagged off by her in July 2011.
A non-AC rake that is no longer in service in the North-South Metro will be used for the trials. On July 28, the first coach of the eight-car rake was brought out of the Noapara carshed. The rake, which was put together at the Joka depot and tested there, is now prepared to be mounted on the viaduct for its maiden run to Taratala Metro station.
The Joka Taratala Metro and the New Garia-Ruby section of the New Garia-Airport corridor will run on the “one-train-only” system, which entails running without signals.
Central Railway set up EV charging facilities at Important stations in Mumbai divisions
MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): Central Railway, contributing to the Government’s endeavor to reduce carbon emissions, has set up 9 EV (Electric Vehicle) charging facilities at important stations in Mumbai Division.
Central Railway has provided EV charging facilities at 9 stations i.e Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Dadar, Byculla, Parel, Kurla, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Bhandup, Kalyan, and Panvel. EV charging facilities at these important Railway stations will boost e-mobility, as an important step towards environmental stability as it reduces carbon emission as well as improves the quality of life of people apart from facilitating low maintenance requirements. This public charging facility at the Railway stations is functional 24×7 and will also augment the charging infrastructure for EVs to operate smoothly, bringing great relief to people, as they can charge their EVs at key locations near Railway Stations. The provision of this EV charging facility through the Non-Fare Revenue Scheme also brings in additional income to Central Railway apart from promoting Green Initiatives.
With the large no. of vehicles on the road in Mumbai, these Electric Vehicle charging facilities at Railway stations will provide affordable, efficient, and reliable charging points thus encouraging more electric vehicles onto the road and helping to promote healthier air and a clean environment.
Provisions of EV charging points is another ‘Green initiative’ step amidst many key initiatives taken by Indian Railways like 100% electrification in coming years, reduction in energy consumption, and meeting energy demand through the creation of Renewable energy like Solar & Wind energy.
Kolhapur Express will be flagged off from Kalaburagi station today
KOLHAPUR (Metro Rail News): Shri Pralhad Joshi, Hon’ble Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Hon’ble Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha), Shri Raosaheb Dadarao Patil Danve, Hon’ble Minister of State for Railways, Coal & Mines, Government of India, Shri Murugesh Nirani, Hon’ble Minister of Large and Medium scale Industries, Government of Karnataka and District Incharge Minister, Kalaburagi, Dr. Umesh G Jadhav, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and Shri Dattatreya C. Patil Revoor, Hon’ble MLA are invited to flag off the inaugural run of Kalaburagi-Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus, Kolhapur Express (Extension of Solapur-Miraj Express). The train will be flagged off from Kalaburagi station on 16.09.2022.
01455 Inaugural special will leave Kalaburagi at 11.18 hrs on 16.9.2022 and arrive Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus Kolhapur at 18.30 hrs same day. 01456 special will depart Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus Kolhapur at 20.10 hrs on 16.9.2022 and arrive Kalaburagi at 03.25 hrs on 17.9.2022.
Regular services will commence from 17.9.2022 as per details given below: 22155 Express will leave Kalaburagi at 06.40 hrs daily and arrive at Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus Kolhapur at 14.15 hrs same day.
22156 Express will leave Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus Kolhapur at 15.00 hrs daily and arrive Kalaburagi at 22.45 hrs same day.
Halts are Gangapur Road, Akkalkot Road, Solapur, Kurduwadi, Pandharpur, Miraj, Jaisinghpur, Hatkanangale.
Composed of 10 Second Class seating( 2 reserved & 8 unreserved) and 2 General Second Class cum Guard’s Brake Vans.
Passengers are requested to avail the facility.
Haryana Govt. proposes cost-effective Pod cars to boost airport connectivity
HARYANA (Metro Rail News): The Haryana government has proposed a personalized, cost-effective rapid transport system based on Pod cars in order to provide faster connectivity between the new terminal building which is located in Mohali, and the old Chandigarh International Airport terminal. Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal presented the Pod car proposal in a recent meeting which was called by Punjab Governor-cum Chandigarh Administrator Banwari Lal Purohit and attended by senior officers from Haryana and Chandigarh.
The proposal will reduce the long road trips and presently residents of Chandigarh, Panchkula, and some areas of Mohali currently will be benefitted.
Chandigarh International Airport Limited is a joint venture between the governments of Punjab and Haryana and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) incorporated under the Companies Act of 2013.
The runway of the airport is in Chandigarh, and the international terminal is in the village of Jhiurheri, Mohali which is on the south side of the runway.
He said that the current connectivity to the International terminal is such that passengers coming from Himachal Pradesh, Panchkula, and Ambala side International Airport have to cover a longer distance to reach the new international terminal.
Sanjeev Kaushal said that Haryana Metro Rail transport Corporation (HMRTC), a wholly-owned company of the Haryana Government, under Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran, has proposed a Pod car system to connect the old Airport terminal to the new Airport terminal which is cost-effective, convenient and requires only about 6 acres of land along the boundary of Chandigarh International Airport.
Road connectivity along the boundary wall of the IAF station was also proposed after clearing all obstructions within its 100 meters. This would have reduced the distance by 8-9 km. However, it involves the acquisition as well as the demolition of illegal construction. Due to this & various other reasons the road connectivity projects also hang in the air, said the Haryana government statement.
L&T wins contract to lay tracks for Chennai Metro Phase II Corridor
CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): Larsen & Toubro won the contract to laid ballastless tracks for nearly a 36km elevated stretch on Chennai’s phase 2 metro corridors from Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) for Rs 340.6 crore.
According to a press release from CMRL, L&T will lay tracks and complete all related work between CMBT and Sholinganallur covering nearly 26km on corridor 5 and from Sholinganallur to Sipcot on corridor 3 of phase-2.
Supplying head-hardened rails, turnouts, and fasteners, and installing ballastless tracks in elevated sections, including 35 metro station locations, pocket tracks, and stabling lines of phase 2 are all part of L&T’s work.
The company is also working on five different phases of phase-2 corridor construction.
Italian government to control 30.30% share of Titagarh Firema
TITAGARH (Metro Rail News): Titagarh Wagons Limited (TWL) informed all stakeholders that, in a significant milestone transaction, the Italian government, through its investment arm- Invitalia, had purchased a strategic position in Titagarh Firema Spa (TFA) which is a subsidiary of Titagarh Wagons Limited.
The Italian government will then hold a 30.30 percent ownership stake in Titagarh Firema in exchange for a 10 million euro investment.
Their investment was then followed by one from the UAE-based private equity fund Hawk Eye DMCC. It spent 4.5 million euros and acquired 13.64% of the company’s equity share capital.
The company’s current founders and owners (Titagarh Bridges & International Pvt Ltd.) have also contributed 5.4 million euros as part of the investment agreement and recapitalization plan signed by TFA with the Government agency and the Private Equity fund.
The newly issued equity had a face value of 1 euro per share, giving the business enterprise value of 118 million euros and an equity valuation of 33 million euros.
The recapitalization process will increase TFA values and create overall value in this strategic transaction. The Company along with its subsidiary Titagarh Bridges & International Private Limited (TBIPL), still owns shares of 16.40 million euros or 49.70 percent of TFA.
Titagarh Wagons was trading at Rs162.85 up by 4.06% from its previous BSE closing price of Rs156.50.
Tata Sons to invest Rs 975 crore in Pune IT City Metro Rail
PUNE (Metro Rail News): Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group, is investing Rs 975 crore in Pune IT City Metro Rail, a special purpose vehicle that obtained the contract to build, operate, and maintain the project between Shivaji Nagar and Hinjewadi in the city.
74% of the SPV is owned by Tatas, and the other 25% is owned by Siemens Project Ventures. According to a financial source, the 23-km of Rs 7,420-crore project is being financed with a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.8 times, the full debt has been secured, and Tata Sons is supporting the planned equity participation. The Maharashtra and Union governments each have a 50% share in the development of the Pune metro rail.
Tata Sons, which had standalone debt of Rs 30,000 crore as of March this year, is planning to raise funds via issuing non-convertible debentures. Tata Sons are also looking at listing its satellite TV broadcasting arm, Tata Play, to raise around Rs 3,200 crore.
According to bankers, Tata Sons is concentrating on enhancing the profitability of its digital, electronics, and aviation businesses. Some entities, such as the Pune metro SPV, may need investment from Tata Sons as growth capital because TRIL is concentrating on retiring its debt. Tata Sons are likely to seek out extra debt financing for these projects in addition to spending its own cash, which is anticipated to come in the form of dividend income in the current fiscal year,
Tata Sons, as of March had a standalone debt of Rs 30,000 crore and intends to raise money by issuing non-convertible debentures. Tata Sons are also considering offering Tata Play, its satellite TV broadcasting division in order to raise about Rs 3,200 crore.
“Tata Sons also owns stakes in profit-making insurance companies and may look at raising funds by selling part of their stakes,” the banker said.
TRIL is planning to sell its recently commissioned roads and ropeway projects to raise funds and retire its own debt.