Alstom’s Coradia iLint hydrogen train runs for the first time in Sweden

Sandip Kumar
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Alstom’s Coradia iLint hydrogen train runs for the first time in Sweden

SWEDEN (METRO RAIL NEWS): Alstom’s Coradia iLint passenger train, the first in the world to be powered by hydrogen, makes its Swedish debut in Östersund today. Alstom teams are presenting the train to a variety of local stakeholders, including regional operators, transport authorities, government decision-makers and leading media, to highlight the potential of the Coradia iLint for sustainable transport in Sweden.


“The Coradia iLint trains represent a huge opportunity for Sweden to reduce CO2 emissions and even decarbonise rail transport. Thanks to hydrogen-powered public transport, regional operators can be beacons of modern mobility, as experienced recently in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria – that have tested and are implementing (or planning to implement) hydrogen trains,” says Rob Whyte, CEO Alstom Nordics.

Sustainable Mobility Without Compromise


In 2016, the launch of the Coradia iLint, a CO2-emission-free regional train that represents a true alternative to diesel power, positioned Alstom as the first railway manufacturers in the world to develop a passenger train based on hydrogen technology. The first two 100% H2 iLint trains entered commercial service in 2018 in Germany and have already covered more than 100 000 km. To date, 41 trainsets have been ordered in Germany, and successful trials have taken place in Austria and in the Netherlands.

In Italy, the operator FNM confirmed an order for 14 100% H2 trains at the end of 2020. In line with its aim to facilitate a global transition to a low-carbon transport system, Alstom has pioneered several sustainable mobility solutions. The Coradia iLint is a perfect illustration of Alstom’s commitment to designing and delivering innovative and environmentally friendly solutions: the Coradia iLint is the world’s first passenger train powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, which produces electrical power for traction. This zero-emission train emits low levels of noise, with exhaust being only steam and condensed water. Its performance matches with regular regional trains with a maximum speed of 140 km/h and comparable acceleration and braking performance.
Likewise, passenger capacity is up to 300 passengers and the train has a range of 1,000 kilometres.
The innovative hydrogen technologies implemented by Alstom have been recognised by the industry. In 2021, the world’s first hydrogen train Coradia iLint was honoured with the European Railway Award 2021. Alstom is also doing this to demonstrate that hydrogen is a possible climate-friendly solution for trains in general, not just the iLint.

Hydrogen Trains for Non-Electrified Routes

Designed specifically for use on non-electrified lines, the Coradia iLint enables clean, sustainable train operations. This is of great importance for the environment: replacing one diesel regional train with one
hydrogen train will reduce the yearly CO2 emission equivalent to 400 cars.

Despite many electrification projects in several European countries, a significant proportion of the continent’s rail networks will remain non-electrified for the foreseeable future. Coradia iLint uses the existing infrastructure without the need to invest in electrification.
Alstom is the largest player on the Swedish railway market, with over 1 000 trains delivered. Alstom is holding several large maintenance contracts and is offering maintenance in 19 local depots, including depots in Motala and Västerås specialising in heavy maintenance and refurbishment. The company is also leading the ERTMS1 rollout in Sweden both onboard and trackside and is delivering the new standard national traffic management system for Trafikverket.

Virgin Hyperloop released a video on Futuristic High-Speed Transportation System

Narendra Shah
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Virgin Hyperloop released a video on Futuristic High-Speed Transportation System

On 23rd August 2021, Virgin Hyperloop launched a promotional video explaining how its futuristic high-speed transportation system will work in several cities.

In November, the company, an arm of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, successfully tested out its hyperloop system with human passengers. The vehicles, referred to as “pods,” will eventually be able to seat up to 28 passengers at speeds of over 670 mph (over 1000 km/h) — three times faster than high-speed trains and ten times faster than traditional rail options.

Their Twitter handle posted a video; Virgin Hyperloop shows that the system starts with a “near-vacuum environment inside a tube” that facilitates high speeds and low power consumption by reducing aerodynamic drag. Then, pods will travel quietly using “proprietary magnetic levitation and propulsion” that lifts and guides pods on a track and allows several pods to depart per minute across different routes.

The hyperloop system also aims to have a lower environmental impact than other modes of transportation using solar panels and 100 per cent electric energy.

“After building and testing the world’s first hyperloop system, we are now focused on our commercial product; the key to our product is guided by a design that is elegant through its simplicity, future-proof due to its modularity, guided by principles of this century,” said the company in that video.

Kolkata Metro: 3 Tunnels is being dug between Sealdah and Dharmatala

Rajat Khanna
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Kolkata Metro: 3 Tunnels is being dug between Sealdah and Dharmatala

KOLKATA METRO (Metro Rail News): East-West Metro is going to take a fancy initiative keeping in mind the safety of the passengers. These three (3) tunnels are being dug between Sealdah and Dharmatala metro stations. The metro took the initiative so that commuters can be evacuated quickly in case of any disturbance while travelling

According to the East-West Metro Rail report, three tunnels is being dug at Subodh Mallick Square between Khabar, Sealdah and Dharmatala. The pit length is up to 13 meters below the ground. 

Passengers will be brought out through the tunnel if any journey is being disrupted. Metro’s initiative is considered to be very significant in terms of passenger safety. Meanwhile, the Sealdah station is also being specially arranged, keeping in mind the safety of passengers. Because there will be a large gathering of people in Sealdah, Metro has decided to make arrangements to open both the metro doors at Sealdah station. This decision took so that the crowd of commuters at the station does not form too much disturbance.

The construction of the Sealdah station is about completion. The metro will run from Phulbagan to Sealdah in the next few months. After that, the metro will proceed towards Howrah through Dharmatala through Kolkata from the tunnel.

DMRC will be built a “National Metro Rail Knowledge Centre” at Vishwavidyalaya Station

Rajat Khanna
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DMRC will be built a “National Metro Rail Knowledge Centre” at Vishwavidyalaya Station

DELHI (Metro Rail News): According to a statement released by the DMRC, Vishwavidyalaya station will get a dedicated facility to showcase the rapid growth and development of the metro railway in India and a technical understanding of construction and day-to-day working operations of the Delhi Metro.

Under the plan, a “National Metro Rail Knowledge Centre” will be built at an approximate cost of Rs. Forty-Six (46) crores at the station on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis. The DMRC floated a tender on 19th August 2021. The approximate area of this knowledge centre is 3000 Sq. Meters.

Before this initiative, DMRC builds a metro museum at the Patel Chowk station, where they display various equipment and models which showcase the journey of DMRC from 2002- till now.

“The main aim of this structure is to spread knowledge and awareness on metro construction, operation facilities, challenges, latest developments, history & sharing of other valuable experiences with other metros and the general public to promote the use of the metro system. The knowledge centre will showcase the growth and development of Metro Railway in India and will act as a centre/hub of knowledge about the latest metro technologies,” said DMRC officials.

The knowledge centre will also have a simulator room, audio and visual televise of films and documentaries, several kinds of research, other published materials about the metro. Apart from the knowledge centre, a surface parking area will be developed over 2800 sq. metres, and a sprawling commercial space will have a restaurant cum bar, cafeteria, and memento outlets.

Banglore Metro’s Mysuru Road – Kengeri section is all set to open on August 29, 2021

Rajat Khanna
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Banglore Metro’s Mysuru Road – Kengeri section is all set to open on August 29, 2021

BANGALORE (Metro Rail News): Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has finally set a fixed timeline to open the extended Purple Line on Mysuru Road on 21 Aug 2021

“From Mysuru Road station to Kengeri under Phase II of the Namma Metro project, the line will be opened on 29th August 2021 at 12:00 PM. Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) Shri Hardeep Singh Puri and Bangalore’s Chief Minister Shri Basavaraj Bommai will participate in the inaugural session,” said Shri Anjum Parwez, Managing Director, BMRCL

“We have come up with certain plans to run trains on the extended line. Initially, during peak hours, every train that departs from Baiyappanahalli will go to Kengeri. During non-peak hours, every alternative train will be operated till Kengeri. However, if footfall increases during non-peak hours, we will run the required number of trains for the benefit of passengers,” said MD, BMRCL.

The 7.53 KM metro line has six stations, i.e., Nayanadahalli, R.R. Nagar, Jnanabharathi, Pattangere, Kengeri Bus Terminal, and Kengeri.
BMRCL estimates that more than 75,000 people would travel on the line every day peacefully and happily. The BMRCL has spent Rs. 1,560 crores for infrastructure and Rs. Three hundred sixty (360) crores for land acquisition to build the line.

According to the sources, a few days ago, BMRCL received authorisation from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) to start the commercial operations with specific riders.

It is the second time a metro line is opened for commercial operations under Phase II of Namma Metro. In January 2021, BMRCL opened the extended section of the Green Line of Namma Metro from Yelachenahalli to Silk Institute on Kanakapura Road.

Chennai Metro services extend till 11:00 PM on weekdays

Rajat Khanna
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Chennai Metro services extend till 11:00 PM on weekdays

CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): Owing to demand from passengers for more train services at night, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) had announced the extension of train services to 11:00 PM on weekdays (Monday to Saturday), which starts from Monday, i.e., 23rd August 2021.

On Sunday, CMRL announced that trains will now be operated from 5:30 AM to 11:00 PM on weekdays along with the Green (between St. Thomas Mount and Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Metro stations) and Blue (between Airport and Wimco Nagar metro stations) lines, as opposed to the earlier timings of 5:30 AM to 10:00 PM.

Peak hour services will be from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, with trains running with a progress of 5 minutes. Trains during non-peak hours will continue to run with a progress of 10 minutes.

On Sundays and public holidays, train services will run from 07:00 AM to 09:00 PM with 10 minutes throughout the day without peak hours. CMRL had resumed operations with 50% occupancy along the Green and Blue Lines in Chennai from 21st June 2021, following relaxations in lockdown restrictions. Resumed operations with 50% occupancy

According to government covid-19 guidelines, CMRL has been sanitising trains and stations regularly. For example, with only 50% occupancy allowed, seats have been marked with ‘X’ to ensure social distancing. In addition, masks and social distancing are mandatory, and crowd control staff have been deployed across all stations to ensure no one disobeys the rules and guidelines.

CMRL announced that squads are imposing fines amounting to Rs. 200 on those not wearing masks while travelling in the metro. More than 176 passengers have been fined till 21st August 2021, and Rs. 35,200 has been collected from covid-19 rules violation.

Metro Transportation, fast-growing industry all over the world

Narendra Shah
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Metro Transportation, fast-growing industry all over the world

Metro Transportation is a fast-growing industry all over the world. Its adaptability, Accessibility, comfort and safety make the metro the best pick among the transportation sector. In India, a number of Metro projects are in the plan and under commissioning.

One of the main issues regarding metro projects is the High capital cost and less revenue generation. The success of the metro is dependent on many factors such as no of commuters, operating cost, alternate revenue etc. Metros are not only provided comfortable transportation to commuters it is environmentally friendly too. Researchers and experts are working on reducing the capital cost of metro rails in order to make the Metro industry more flexible. Since civil structures to be built at the initial stage that no deviation is possible that.

In the energy section, metros can implement solar panels on a lease basis, to reduce the conventional energy consumption buildings and stations. Industry can pay the rent and can give energy back to the grid as rent since the entire viaduct(elevated Rail structure) is running along with the city, the considerable panel may be exposed to sunlight which can provide a sufficient amount of energy. When coming to Buildings, open space at stations can be leased out for other vendors to generate alternate revenue.

In case of Rolling stock, the method which is in consideration is Train procurement on a lease basis. I.e, just like we lease rooms rather than buying them, the industry can use the trains which are under someone else’s ownership, creates the revenue and pay back a portion of it which was agreed at the biding time. In such a scheme manufactures are paid on a time basis (hourly, daily, weekly or monthly) regardless of the passenger numbers. I.e, they will get paid even if there are fewer passengers in the metro. All they have to do is ensuring the availability of trains for the revenue service. Let’s see some pros and cons of such a scenario,

Pros of train procurement on a lease basis

  1. Since burden of availability lies with the manufacturer, less chances of service breakdown during revenue service.
  2. Since trains are on lease, Preventive as well as corrective maintenance can also be outsourced to the manufacturer which can reduce the company man power thus cost can be reduced further
  3. Consumables spares need not to be purchased or stored in a separate building by the metro organization, since everything shall be taken care by the manufacturer
  4. Since manufacturer need to occupy local places and buildings for offices and warehouses the rent can also be a revenue source for the organization
  5. Ads, film shooting, Sticker ads etc will get more exposure since private party also intervening in the public transport.
  6. Will encourage more pvt companies to invest or participate in public transport sector.

Cons of train procurement on a lease basis

  1. Considering all the above advantages, operational cost may be same as that of conventional metros
  2. Job security may be less for the workers just like in a private firm.

Maha Metro completing route between Agriculture College to Civil Court by March 2022

Rajat Khanna
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Maha Metro completing route between Agriculture College to Civil Court by March 2022

MAHARASHTRA (METRO RAIL NEWS): After a succession of trials on the elevated Vanaz-Ramwadi route, Maha Metro is now concentrating on the stretch from Agriculture college to Civil court (Shivajinagar), including the underground metro stations. Maha Metro has set March 2022 as a deadline by which to complete this section.

“We have sped up work of both underground stations. As a result, we will complete the work by March 2022. At present, we have completed 35 to 40 per cent of both stations. The remaining three underground stations are Kasba, Mandai and Swargate, which will be complete by December 2022,” said Shri Atul Gadgil, Maha Metro, Director (works).

“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are behind the six months deadline. But we are trying to complete work as early as possible. Unfortunately, Mandai station work is delayed due to land-related issues,” Mr. Gadgil added.

Maha Metro is executing the Pune Metro Rail Project (PMRL), which has two corridors — one from Vanaz to Ramwadi, an elevated line; and the other from PCMC to Swargate, which is elevated from PCMC to Agriculture college, and after that underground, up to Swargate. The underground section is 6 KM with stations proposed at Shivajinagar bus stand, Civil Court, Phadke haud, Mandai and Swargate.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra State Regional Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has decided to withdraw from the multimodal hub project due to a lack of viability in the funding.

Mr. Gadgil also said that “Maha Metro has decided to pay MSRTC for a piece of land which Maha Metro acquired to construct the underground station. However, MSRTC has not started any formalities. Earlier, we were supposed to build two layers of an underground basement.”

Maha Metro had proposed constructing a multi-storied building with a bus depot and terminus at ground level where the MSRTC Shivajinagar bus terminus is located. It was decided that Maha Metro will develop the MSRTC bus terminal.

BMRCL signed a loan agreement of Rs. 3,643 crores with ADB

Rajat Khanna
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BMRCL signed a loan agreement of Rs. 3,643 crores with ADB

BENGALURU (METRO RAIL NEWS): On 19th August 2021, the BMRCL signed a loan agreement worth Rs 3,643 crores with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to complete two crucial routes along the Outer Ring Road and the Airport Metro Corridor, covering 58.19 kilometres in total. 

The CPRO of BMRCL, Shri BL Yashavanth Chavan, said that the agreement was signed between the Managing Director of BMRCL Anjum Parvez, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Director Janardan Prasad and Asian Development Bank Country Director Mr. Takeo Konishi.

On 26th March 2021, the corporation signed another loan agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for Rs. 2,317 crores for the same project. 

Note that the Indian government had given its nod for implementing phase 2A (Silk Board to KR Puram) and phase 2B (KR Puram to Bengaluru International Airport) project for a route length of 58.19 KM, having an estimated cost of Rs. 14,788 crores, according to CPRO, BMRCL. The state and central government will give Rs. 3,973 crores through equity and subordinated debt for this project.

The state government of Karnataka will bear the cost of land acquisition of Rs 2,762 crore. The Rs. 5,960 crore external assistance amount was to be raised through a loan from bilateral or multilateral funding agencies, for which the agreements were done, Mr. Chavan added.

According to the report of BMRCL, the agency report saying the arrangement of the remaining amount of Rs. 2,093 crores would be made through external means, another loan agreement with a financial institution. Meanwhile, the Purple Line of Namma Metro recently got permission from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) earlier. Still, it is expected that the network may get further delayed before opening to commuters.

The government’s initial plan was to complete the circuit and make it open to commuters on 20th August 2021, on the day of Varamahalakshmi. But the inauguration process has been delayed, told a senior official at BRMC. The official had further added that the rail corporation is finding it difficult to get dates from both Center and the State for the inauguration. 

“It looks unlikely that we can launch operations on Varamahalakshmi Day as it is difficult to get dates of leaders at both levels together on such short notice. However, a date is expected to be announced in the upcoming days, recently confirmed permission from CMRS to launch the purple metro line, which extends to 7.53 KM covering areas between Mysore Road and Kangeri, said Shri Anjum Parwez, MD, BMRCL.

He also said that the BMRCL had received many suggestions to begin the work and hopes to start the services soon for our commuters.

DMRC replace conventional lights and install LEDs in all the stations

Rajat Khanna
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DMRC replace conventional lights and install LEDs in all the stations

NEW DELHI (METRO RAIL NEWS): The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is carrying out a massive drive to replace old and traditional luminosities with power-efficient Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) to save energy.

It will also provide with better lighting experience in its premises, including parking and depots constructed under phases I and II in 2005 and 2010, respectively. In addition, the agency aims at replacing incandescent bulbs and Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) at 155 locations. In total, nearly 1.35 lakhs of LED lamps will be placed.

“DMRC has already covered seventy-five (75) per cent of the drive-by installing around 1 lakh LED lights and put back the conventional lights. The remaining 25 per cent of the drive will be completed by the end of October of this year, wherein around 35,000 LED lights would be installing in the remaining portion of these locations,” said Shri Anuj Dayal, Executive Director, Corporate Communications, DMRC.

The durability of conventional lights is around ten years. So DMRC decided to replace these lights, which are past their effective age. The new-age LED lights are both cost-effective as well as energy-efficient, said Dayal.

According to the DRMC, the LED-based lighting system will help save around half of the energy expenditure and recover the entire cost of installing new lights in around two years. However, replacing existing lights stations was a challenging task for the DMRC maintenance teams because of the regular movement of people, said Dayal.

“The work was executed at night due to safety reasons, which increased the installation time. However, even then, the work could be carried out for two hours a day. Therefore, important operational preparedness is done in two hours only,” said DMRC, EDCC.

KMRL invites EoI for business-class hotel at Ernakulam South station

Sandip Kumar
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KMRL invites EoI for business-class hotel at Ernakulam South station

KOCHI (METRO RAIL NEWS): Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has solicited expressions of interest (EoI) for the launch of a business-class hotel or any other venture in the Ernakulam South metro station’s seven floors of commercial space.

There is a total of 59,500 square feet of ‘raw space’ available above the concourse level of the metro station for this purpose. If not for business class hotels, the region is suitable for use as commercial office space or mixed development, according to KMRL sources, especially because the land is strategically positioned near the city’s main railway station.

They also mentioned that the surrounding area could be used to build a multi-level parking complex.
It’s part of the metro’s plan to monetize land and buildings it owns in order to generate non-ticketed revenue.

It has previously announced plans to rent out around 60,000 square feet of retail space and 50,000 square feet of office space at high-traffic metro stations.

The plan to earn money from the proposed 3,000-crore Bliss City in 17.43 acres in Kakkanad has been put on hold for the time being. To construct a modern health and wholesome entertainment zone, a public-private partnership (PPP) model has been proposed.

DMRC Grey Line Services will start within 10-12 days

Rajat Khanna
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DMRC Grey Line Services will start within 10-12 days

NEW DELHI (METRO RAIL NEWS): Services of the DMRC grey line are expected to start by the end of this month. At present, the preparations for the final round are going on. With the start of services in the next ten days, people living in the villages of Haryana and Delhi will get significant relief even beyond the Dhansa corridor. Metro services were started between Trilokpuri-Mayur Vihar (Pocket-1) on the Pink Line on 6th August 2021. Two weeks later, it has been announced to start metro operations on the grey line from Dwarka to Dhansa bus stand.

Service is available to passengers on the Grey Line between Dwarka to Najafgarh in about 4.2 km. However, the lack of metro facilities takes a long time for the passengers to reach their destination. After expanding the network, now the passengers will get the metro facility for about six kilometres of the grey line via the blue line.

According to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the security commissioner has also taken stock of this part after the trial to start metro services. Metro is expected to be available to the commuters by the end of August after the formality’s completion. There are many rural areas close to the grey line. Keeping this in mind, the Dhansa Bus Stand metro station has also been beautified. Tradition and culture have been presented differently, so travellers can feel a sense of belonging while travelling to any part of Delhi.

Pink Line will be driverless by October 

Due to the signalling works on the Pink Line Metro, the timing of Metro operation has been changed during morning and night. After the commencement of Metro services between Trilokpuri, Sanjay Lake-Mayur Vihar (Pocket-1), preparations make it driverless. Along with signalling, necessary changes are also being done from the point of view of driverless. 

It is believed that after the normalization of metro services from 11th September 2021, there will be a trial to make the Pink Line Metro driverless. It is expected to be driverless by October 2021. Keeping this in mind, until 10th September 2021, Metro operations from Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar are completed half an hour later than the scheduled time, i.e., 6:30 AM. At night, the timing of the metro has also been changed from 11 AM to 10 PM. 

Inauguration of Sitabuldi – Zero Mile Freedom Park – Kasturchand Park Section & Freedom Park

Sandip Kumar
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Inauguration of Sitabuldi – Zero Mile Freedom Park – Kasturchand Park Section & Freedom Park

NAGPUR (METRO RAIL NEWS): Metro’s Sitabuldi – Zero Mile Freedom Park – Kasturchand Park stretch, Zero Mile station and Kasturchand Park station and the public park named Freedom Park is being inaugurated by Hon. CM Shri Uddhav Thackeray and Hon. Union Ministers Shri Nitin Gadkari and Shri Hardeep Singh Puri.

Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said, “Nagpur zero mile city is the 3rd largest city in Maharashtra. Our Template for the Metro system and Urban mobility is a perfect fit. This is one of the largest economic projects in the country. On 21 August 2014, the foundation stone of the Nagpur Metro project was kept by our P.M Shri Narendra Modi. Nagpur like many other cities in the country will benefit from the rapid expansion of the metro rail system. Our PM has outlined a grand vision of 10 trillion economy in GDP by 2030″

Commercial service will start on Sitabuldi- zero Mile freedom Park- Kastirchard Park section of Orage line from 3 pm on Friday, August 20. The section will be inaugurated by dignitaries at 12:30 pm. Commercial services are running on the existing stretch of the Orange line (Sitabuldi to Khapri) from 8 am to 8 pm.

Service on Aqua line (Sitabuldi to lokmanya Nagar) is on from 6:30 am to 8 pm. Train from Khapri will now terminate at Kasturchand Park instead of Sitabuldi. Similarly, trains for Khapri will depart from the new station instead of Sitabuldi.

India-ADB sign $500 million loan agreement to expand metro rail network in Bengaluru

Sandip Kumar
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India-ADB sign $500 million loan agreement to expand metro rail network in Bengaluru

BENGALURU (METRO RAIL NEWS): The Asian Development Bank will grant a loan of USD 500 million to enhance Bengaluru’s metro rail network by building two new metro lines totalling 56 kilometres.

On Thursday, the Indian government and the Asian Development Bank signed an agreement in this respect. Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, and Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, signed the agreement for the Bengaluru Metro Rail Project.

According to ADB, the project will build two additional metro lines with 30 stations between Central Silk Board and Kempegowda International Airport, primarily elevated, along Outer Ring Road and National Highway 44 between Central Silk Board and Kempegowda International Airport.

It stated that “this will assist decongest traffic in the city region and enable smooth access to the airport.”

The requirements of vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, women, children, and people with disabilities, would be reflected in metro amenities, according to the statement.

According to Konishi, the initiative aims to help Bengaluru become a more livable and sustainable city by promoting urban public transportation and urban development based on the ideas of transit-oriented development (TOD) and multi-modal integration (MMI).

The TOD-based urban development plan, according to the ADB, will focus on realigning growth and increasing the city’s economic output by building higher density, compact, mixed-use, mixed-income, safe, resource-efficient, and inclusive neighbourhoods.

TOD also wants to increase land values along these corridors, producing capital money for the state to fulfil the city’s long-term investment needs.

The project, it added, will build two new metro lines, primarily elevated, between Central Silk Board and Kempegowda International Airport, with 30 stops, along Outer Ring Road and National Highway 44.

The multilateral lending agency stated, “This will assist decongest traffic in the city region and enable smooth access to the airport.”

It further stated that a USD 2 million technical assistance grant from the Asian Development Bank will support the state government in developing urban development plans and their implementation frameworks, with a focus on TOD and multimodal integration.

The money would also be utilised to improve the capabilities of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited and other state agencies to carry out these plans.

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