NAGPUR (Metro Rail News): After the COVID impasse and after a gap of seven months, Maha Metro Nagpur has resumed commercial operations on Orange and Aqua Lines. Simultaneously work on other routes of North-South and East-West Corridors is also progressing well. As part of efforts to boost ridership, a bi-weekly Lucky Draw for Metro commuters has been planned. This activity would involve organizing Lucky Draw twice every week.
The commuters would be asked to write their name and mobile numbers behind their ticket. They would be asked to drop these tickets especially in the boxes kept at Sitabuldi Interchange, Lokmanya Nagar and Khapri Metro Stations (two separate boxes would be kept at Orange and Aqua-Line junctions at Sitabuldi Interchange).
“The boxes would be opened every Monday and Thursday and the winners would be presented with awards the next Thursday or Monday. First three winners would get prizes. Maha Metro has always promoted digital payment. As part of its continuous efforts in that direction, those making digital payments, through any means, can also participate in the lucky draw”, it said in a statement. To further promote an electronic mode of payment, Maha Metro has enhanced the amount to be paid to those opting for such kinds of payments. The three winners in this category would get prizes. The winners would be presented with awards at the Metro stations.
NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): For the country’s first Regional Rapid Transit System, Delhi-Meerut RRTS, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, as well as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, have granted a conditional exemption to the NCRTC for using Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS). The RPAS will be utilized for data acquisition for mapping as well as implementation of a web-based Geographical Information System (GIS) platform. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, this conditional exemption is valid till 31 December 2020 or until Digital Sky Platform’s full operationalization, whichever is earlier.
Here are the conditions and limitations for NCRTC for using the drone for GIS mapping of the RRTS:
NCRTC has been exempted from the relevant provisions of CAR Section 3, Series X, part one, subject to exemption from Aircraft Rule 15A, 1937 by Civil Aviation Ministry. Prior to operation of RPAS, NCRTC will have to obtain necessary clearances from Local Administration, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Air Defence clearance from Indian Air Force and Airport Authority of India.
NCRTC can only operate the RPAS which has been voluntarily disclosed to the Indian Government and issued with a valid DAN (i.e. D1DAOOU2U for SPIDEX-600). NCRTC will have to submit a comprehensive brief on the scope of operations as well as the SOP copy to Flight Standards Directorate, DGCA. Only after the vetting/approval of SOP, operation of RPAS will be carried out.
NCRTC will have to take necessary permission from Directorate of Regulations & Information, DGCA regarding Aerial Photography, if applicable. The photographs/videos taken through RPAS can only be used by NCRTC.
The corporation will be responsible for RPAS’s security and data collected through RPAS. The RPAS operation will be restricted to day operations, within Visual Line Of Sight. For any legal cases or any other issues arising because of these operations, NCRTC shall indemnify DGCA.NCRTC must ensure that the RPAS is in working condition.
The corporation will be responsible for any eventualities due to the equipment’s malfunction or disorientation.NCRTC will also be responsible for medico-legal issues in case of any injury to any person due to physical contact with the equipment. To cover any damage to a third party resulting from any accident or incident that occurred during the RPAS operations, NCRTC shall have an adequate level of insurance.
While using the RPAS, NCRTC must ensure that hazardous material or variable payload are not carried.NCRTC shall ensure security, safety and privacy of public, property, operator, etc. The RPAS shall not be operated by NCRTC in no-fly zones without the approval of concerned ministries or authorities.
As per the provisions of the CAR, RPAS shall not be operated in the vicinity of the airport. If operated near the airport, approval from AAI is required in advance, regarding the area and time of RPAS operations.NCRTC must ensure that the RPAS is operated by trained experienced bona fide personnel only.
In case of any accident or incident during RPAS operations, reports will have to be submitted to DGCA’s Air Safety Directorate.
NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has invited tenders for the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for the 459 km Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar high-speed rail corridor. According to NHSRCL, the single-stage two-packet tender has been invited for surveying the route to identify overhead, overground and underground utilities as well as to identify power availability options for the high-speed rail traction supply sub-stations along the route.
The NHSRCL said that a pre-bid meeting is scheduled on October 28, and the starting date for submissions of tender is November 3. The last date for submissions is November 9 and tenders are to be opened on November 10. Besides the Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar high-speed corridor, the NHSRCL has been entrusted by the Ministry of Railways to prepare a DPR for six new more high-speed rail corridors, including the 865 km Delhi-Varanasi, 753 km Mumbai-Nagpur, 886 km Delhi-Ahmedabad, 435 km Chennai-Mysore, 711 km Mumbai-Hyderabad and 760 km Varanasi-Howrah corridor.
The NHSRCL is collecting data on these new proposed corridors for the preparation of the DPRs. It is currently constructing the 508 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project, popularly known as the Bullet Train Project. On Monday, the NHSRCL had said that Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has emerged as the lowest bidder for constructing the 237 km length of the Bullet Train Project under the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor.
BHOPAL (Metro Rail News): The Bhopal District administration has set into motion the plan for swift acquisition of land for Bhopal Metro rail project. It includes land under possession of 18 different government departments along with private properties. Direct allotment of land will take place for metro rail to speed up the process of land transfer according to sources.
It is expected to be handed over to Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MPMRCL) in the next two months, according to sources. In 2019, MPMRCL had issued notifications to acquire land for the construction of the Bhopal metro rail project. Property owners along the metro rail phase-I route, starting from Arera Hills to AIIMS, Bhopal and along Purple route, AIIMS to Karond, are expected to be intimated soon.
MPMRCL will pay compensation for the acquired land, said sources. District administration officials are expected to handover detailed reports identifying obstacles. A large portion of land to be acquired is from government departments.
The report will be submitted to the government. After getting the directives, removal of obstacles and land equitation would take place.
KOCHI (Metro Rail News): The keel-laying ceremony of Kochi Water Metro’s first boat was held at Cochin Shipyard on Tuesday. Kochi Metro is constructing a hybrid electric catamaran ferry with a capacity of 100 passengers.
The traditional keel-laying ceremony is universally recognised and one of the most important events in the construction of a vessel. It marks the beginning of a significant construction phase. Olden days, the construction happens around the keel, while in modern times, the date signifies a substantial process in the shipbuilding.
Classification rules of the boat apply as on the date of Keel is laid.
“The boat is finally taking shape. We are glad about the progress. Construction of terminals as well as that of the boat is progressing well. We are looking forward to inaugurating the Water Metro’s operations in early 2021.” said Additional Chief Secretary (Special Projects) Alkesh Kumar Sharma IAS, MD KMRL.
Thiruman Archunan, Director (Projects) KMRL, Suresh Babu N V (Director-Operations) Cochin Shipyard, Shri. V J Jose (Director Finance) Cochin Shipyard and other officials attended the event.
KANPUR (Metro Rail News):Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) has accomplished another milestone today, by erecting 100 U-Girders under the Priority Corridor stretch of the Kanpur Metro Project. Strategically time management has led to this achievement in the ongoing civil construction of the Kanpur Metro’s 9 KMs long Priority Corridor (IIT to Motijheel).
“The civil construction of the Kanpur Metro Project was inaugurated by the CM of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath on 15th Nov. 2019 and since then the construction works of the project are being executed with remarkable pace by UPMRC engineers to ensure availability of a world-class Metro service for the Kanpur city within the stipulated time frame”, the UPMRC said.
“A total of 638 U-girders is to be placed at the viaduct of the Priority Corridor. The erection work was commenced on 12th August 2020 and in the time span of just 67 days, UPMRC has touched the mark of 100, which is no less than an achievement. Recently, UP Metro has also completed the erection of 100 double T-girders for constructing the base of concourse levels of the platforms and till now, the base of the concourse of both of IIT and Kalyanpur Metro stations has been prepared. 50 double T-girders were to be kept in the IIT Metro station and 52 in the Kalyanpur Metro station and this target has already been achieved”, said an official.
For this achievement, UPMRC’s Managing Director, Mr Kumar Keshav congratulated the Metro engineers and the team of the contractor and said, “100th U-girder erected in Kanpur Metro Priority Corridor today in record time. Work progressing at a fast pace. Excellent work by UPMRC Project team at Kanpur, GC and Contractor M/s AFCONS. We will succeed in our determination and hard work.”
KOLKATA (Metro Rail News): Ahead of Durga Puja, Kolkata Metro has increased daily services and extended the last train timings. As part of its exercise of moving towards ‘normalcy’, the Kolkata Metro Railway authority has increased its daily services from 146 to 152. The timing for the last metro train has also been extended. The last metro trains yesterday departed from Dum Dum and Kavi Subhash metro stations at 9 pm instead of the last timing of 8.30 pm. This schedule will be applicable on all days except for Sunday. “We are inching our way towards normalcy with the cooperation of our commuters,” its spokesperson said. It is also worth mentioning that metro rail services in the city remained suspended for more than five months due to the Coronavirus pandemic and services finally resumed on September 14 in a staggered manner. Earlier this month, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated Phoolbagan station of Kolkata Metro’s east-west corridor. Goyal via video link flagged off the first train from the newly inaugurated Phoolbgan station. Terming inauguration as a gift for the Durga Pooja, Goyal said that this extension services from Salt Lake Stadium to Phoolbagan will be of great help to the commuters because of its proximity to the Sealdah station. The total length of this project is 16.5 kilometres and the total estimated cost of this project is Rs. 8574.98 crores. This will connect Howrah on the West bank of the River Hooghly with Salt Lake City on its East bank.
NAGPUR (Metro Rail News): Nagpur Metro and local Autorickshaw Body – Tiger Autorickshaw Sanghatna – have joined hands to provide better transport services in Nagpur to its citizens. A meeting to that effect was held today at Metro Bhavan, which was attended by representatives of auto-rickshaw bodies and Metro officials. About 20 auto-rickshaw owners, led by their leader Shri Vilas Bhalekar attended the meeting hosted at Metro Bhavan. This collaboration has been brought into effect for the integration of Nagpur Metro with existing 2000 auto-rickshaws that are already being operated by various auto-rickshaw owners under Shri Bhalerao’s leadership. The meeting dwelt on the importance of mutual relations and the need to work in a symbiotic manner. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Bhalekar agreed that arrangement between Maha Metro and his auto union would mutually benefit both and urged the auto owners to be part of this campaign. Mobile App Launched: A mobile App – Bharat Rides was also launched on the occasion. A metro rider can use the Android app for Auto-rickshaw booking. Riders can book auto-rickshaw from their existing location. Even if they have not booked an auto beforehand, they can still ride it with the App’s offline booking feature (wherein Auto-rickshaws connected with Bharat Rides can start a ride impromptu). “Riders can also see nearby amenities like Public Toilets, Pharmacies, Restaurants, Tourist Places, Metro Stations, Bus Stops, and much more information around rider’s existing location, and also ride there by booking an auto-rickshaw. Maha Metro has recently signed an MoU with Bharat Rides, a mobility start-up from Nagpur, founded by two young entrepreneurs of Nagpur, Shri Mithilesh and Shri Rajendra Jindal”, Nagpur said in a statement.
Auto rickshaw owners were also present during the introduction of Bharat Rides App in the form of PPT Presentation. The system was demonstrated to the Auto-rickshaw owners by personnel from Bharat Rides. The major benefit of using this system is that the auto-rickshaw owners will get the complete fare for various rides completed by them. No commission would be charged by the service providers. Along with many other benefits like multiple modes of bookings, etc.
NAGPUR (Metro Rail News): Maha Metro MD Dr Brijesh Dixit was presented with the prestigious ‘Construction World Person of the Year 2020’ at a glittering virtual event held today. The award is being given by the Foundation of Infrastructure Research Studies Training (FIRST) Construction Council – a registered non-profit trust and a think tank, promoting the cause of the construction industry. The award – Construction Word Person of the Year – is presented to a person who has made remarkable achievements in the year and through his efforts has propelled his company and the industry forward. The virtual award presentation ceremony was held today evening. The Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan was the chief guest in the event. Addressing the gathering on a virtual platform, Shri Pradhan spoke about the importance of the award and offered congratulations for being selected for this prestigious award. Dr Sukhbir Sandhu, Chairman, National Highway of India (NHAI) gave away the award. In his speech, Dr Sandhu too spoke about the eminence of Construction Work Person of the Year Award and offered his greetings. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Dixit said ‘This award is a matter of honour and pleasure for me. This is a recognition of the hard work of thousands of my co-workers and colleagues who are working round the clock on our project to ensure high-quality work and timely delivery of our project at Nagpur and Pune to render world-class urban transport service to the citizens of these cities’. Dr Dixit also thanked the esteemed jury members and the FIRST Construction Council – who are founders of this award, for this recognition. Maha Metro is one of the few organisations which has bagged so many awards over the years. Hence it is obvious that the leader of such an organisation would be selected for such an award. Thus Dr Dixit’s efforts and contribution towards promoting overall growth of Nagpur has been acknowledged by the FIRST Construction Council, who chose him for the award. Dr Dixit has dedicated his award to Team Maha Metro, which includes officials, employees, and consultants, contractors for the tireless and sincere efforts they have put in for the Maha Metro project all these years.
JSPL produced 1080 HH rails & 880 Grade rails has already been approved by RDSO for use into Indian Railways on regular basis. JSPL’s 1080 Head Hardened Rails are already being supplied to the Metro Rail Corporations and High-Speed Corridors by JSPL.
NEW DELHI ( Metro Rail News):JSPL is the first and only Indian manufacturer to successfully develop 60E1 1175 Heat Treated(HT) Rails suitable for High speed and High Axle Load applications. Indian Railways have projected a requirement of 1.8 Lac MT per annum of this high-grade 60E1 1175 Heat Treated (HT) Rails.
Indian Railways has embarked upon upgrading the Indian Railway Track system to carry 25MT axle load and up to 200 km/Hour speed. Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO) has approved the newly developed 60E1 1175 Heat Treated (HT) Rails of Jindal steel and power limited. 60E1 1175 Heat Treated (HT) Rails is a superior grade to 1080 HH and will be used by Indian Railways for heavier loads and high-speed application.
JSPL Produced 60E1 1175 Heat Treated (HT) Rails are first of its kind being manufactured in India.
Based on inspection and testing conducted by RDSO team, Railway Board/RDSO had earlier accorded approval for JSPL manufactured 60E1 1080 HH Rails. These Rails are primarily used by the Metro Rail Corporations, High-Speed Corridors and Bullet Trains. These Rails are equivalent to European R350HT grade with regards to Rail profile and chemistry but follow more stringent Quality tests. JSPL’s Gr. 880 Rails has also been approved by Railway Board/RDSO as a “Regular Supplier” to Indian Railways.
Apart from 880 Grade main track rails, JSPL has also started supplying 1080 grade Head Hardened rails to several metro Rails projects in India which includes Rail Vikas Nigam Limited for the construction of the Kolkata Metro Rail Project and Pune Metro. JSPL has developed Special rails, Asymmetric Rails, R260, and 1175HT grades for heavy load carrying wagon units of 75 tones /wagon.
“Before this development, all speciality rails were imported in the country, JSPL is committed for manufacturing of speciality rails to fulfil requirements of Indian railways and metro rail corporations hence making India AatmNirbhar in procuring rails locally for different applications. These rails will be used in the dedicated freight corridor, high axel load application including bullet trains”, Said Mr V R Sharma, Managing Director of Jindal Steel & power limited in a statement.
“JSPL’s manufacturing capacity for 60E1 1175 HT Rails has been assessed as 3.24 Lac MT per annum by Railway Board/RDSO, which is more than enough to meet the full annual demand of Indian Railways, Metro Rail Corporations, High-Speed Corridors. JSPL is also exporting rails to adjoining countries like Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, the company is supplying rails to the African continent as well. JSPL is also supplying speciality rail blooms for special rails to France for European railways. With this development, JSPL positioned itself as a world-class rail manufacturer which is a great achievement by an Indian company”, Mr Sharma Further added.
About JSPL:
JSPL is a leading Indian Infrastructure Conglomerate with a presence in the steel, power, and mining sectors. With an investment of approximately 12 billion USD (90,000 Crore Rupees, the Company is continuously scaling its capacity utilization and efficiencies to contribute towards building a self-reliant India.
NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): The day started with good news for Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as it emerged as the lowest bidder for constructing the 237.1 km under Package C4 of the 508.17 km Mumbai – Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail also called MAHSR Bullet Train project, after the National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) opened financial bids submitted by 3 infrastructure development firms. The estimated cost of the package 4 was Rs 20,000 crores while the lowest bid value was Rs 24,985 crores. Package C4 is the largest among all as it represents 46.66% of the main-line. It starts at Maharashtra – Gujarat border to Vadodara Station and includes four stations at Vapi, Bilimora, Surat and Bharuch in Gujarat. NHSRCL invited bids for its the project which is financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on March 15, 2019. Technical bids were opened on September 23 in which three bidders qualified for the next level. Financial Bid Values:
Afcons Infrastructure Ltd. – Ircon International Ltd. – JMC Projects India Ltd. JV – Rs 36,874.706 crores.
Package No. – MAHSR-C-4 The scope of the work includes design and construction of civil works along with building works including testing and commissioning on design-build for double line High-Speed Railway involving Viaducts, Bridges, Maintenance Depots, Tunnel, Stations (Vapi, Bilimora, Surat and Bharuch), and Surat Depot between Zaroli Village at Maharashtra-Gujarat Border and VadodaraIt does not include works for 04 No. PSC Bridges and 07 No. Steel Truss Bridges of the project in Gujarat.
LUCKNOW (Metro Rail News): Lucknow Metro has tied up with Rapido Bike, India’s Largest Bike Taxi Platform, for providing last-mile connectivity that’s convenient, safe, accessible and economical. The Rapido kiosk, a symbol of the official tie-up with Lucknow Metro was inaugurated today by Shri Kumar Keshav, MD, UPMRC at Hazratganj Metro Station. The inauguration took place in the presence of Shri Sushil Kumar, Director Operations-UPMRC, Tejpal Bhamboo, Area manager-Rapido UP, other senior officials, passengers and Rapido team. “Rapido which is successfully operating in almost 100 cities including 15 cities of UP alone, is a gift of Lucknow Metro to its passengers. Passengers can conveniently book Rapido bike when they de-board from a metro train at any station and can avail the most convenient and economical connectivity even till their doorstep”, the UPMRC said. Speaking on this occasion Mr Kumar Keshav, MD, UPMRC said, “We at UPMRC strive to work consistently to make daily commuting for metro passengers safe, comfortable & enjoyable. This is a unique initiative which will not only improve first & last mile connectivity but also boost our ridership figures in the long run. Rapido bike taxis service will not just be light on everyone’s’ pockets but will also provide connectivity even till your doorstep after you de-board at any Metro station. This partnership between UPMRC & Rapido will enhance mobility by connecting places with the Metro stations & vice-versa. I am hopeful that people will make the best use of this collaboration and for a convenient, fast and economical connectivity to and fro metro stations.”
Mr Mayank Agarwal, Head of Operations, Rapido said, “Our partnership with the UPMRC is an effective last-mile connectivity solution for the people of the city. Rapido will complement the State’s robust public transportation model making it more accessible, affordable and safe.
MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): After a long controversy and politics on the Aarey car shed matter, now the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) will have to come up with a revised detailed project report (DPR) for the Metro-3. This will have to take the Central government’s approval for revised cost, MMRDA commissioner R A Rajeev informed the council.MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): Mumbai metro car shed shifting cost will be more than Rs 200 crore, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said.
The estimated rise in the cost arose after the Maharashtra government decided to relocate the metro car shed project from Aarey Colony to the new site of Kanjurmarg in Mumbai, the Maharashtra cabinet was informed on Wednesday. Now the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) will have to come up with a revised detailed project report (DPR) for the Metro-3. This will have to take the Central government’s approval for revised cost, MMRDA commissioner R A Rajeev informed the council.
R. A. Rajeev claimed that an amount of Rs 100 crore has already been spent on the Aarey project but it will be of no use now. Now, Rs 100 crore will be required for the elevated route to integrate the two metro lines which are metro line 3 and 6, R A Rajeev said.
Rajeev also claimed that additional cost will also have to be incurred as the metro project will get delayed due to shifting of the car shed from Aarey Colony, as per the official release. The Central government has a 50 per cent share in the Mumbai Metro project. While it has been decided to shift the metro car shed project from Aarey Colony to Kanjurmarg, Pahadi Goregaon and Kalina campus of Mumbai University were also considered for alternative sites for relocating the metro car shed, Rajeev informed the state cabinet.
However, the aforementioned sites were not considered as both these sites were not viable enough. Rajeev also informed that earlier on October 6, the 102-acre government land at Kanjurmarg was handed over to the MMRDA. Rajeev said the DPR of metro line 3 includes this option as it was discussed. However, the MMRDA will have to integrate its system specification of Metro line 6 with Metro line 3, he said.
NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has launched a special drive across its construction sites to ensure that all pollution control measures necessary to combat the menace of pollution at its projects are being stringently implemented by its contractors and other site personnel. As part of the drive, the frequency of the inspections done to check the adherence to the pollution control measures has been enhanced. Teams headed by senior officials from the Environment Department of DMRC are visiting all the sites and minutely checking the arrangements done in this regard and the drive is being monitored by DMRC’s Managing Director Dr Mangu Singh.
“The teams are checking whether continuous dust/wind-breaking barricades of the height of least 6 meters around the batching plants are installed or not and whether conveyor belts within the batching plants are fully covered to prevent the escape of dust”, a DMRC official said. “Similarly, checking of wheel washing facilities at the exit gates to prevent deposition of soil/muck on a public road, where there is a regular movement of vehicles is being done. The validity of PUC mandatory for all construction vehicles is also being checked. The drive is also monitoring whether all construction materials and debris are being transported in covered vehicles. They are also monitoring the use of nozzle-based mist systems in addition to sprinkling to control dust emission from the construction sites. The process of spraying of water to suppress dust, during handling of excavation soil or debris or during demolition or specific dust-generating activities is being checked. The inspection teams are reiterating that water sprinkling and dust control activities are to be continued even during work stoppages”, a statement by DMRC added.
“In addition, the teams will ensure that construction activities continue to be carried out only within barricaded areas. In the case the construction work is located near residential or commercial properties, the height of barricade is to be increased to 10 m or 1/3rd height of the building whichever is less and the same is being ensured by the DMRC officials. The teams are checking the implementation of the provision for a covered storage facility with the sprinkling system for sand and aggregate storage. As per guidelines soil, sand aggregates, the debris of any kind and all dust prone materials that are stored at site are to be fully covered with tarpaulin or green net with proper anchorage so that they do not disperse in the air in any form. Designated storage space for C&D waste and quick disposal of C&D waste to the designated recycling plant is also being checked”, the DMRC said.
Whether dust masks for construction workers have been provided is also being verified. While these measures are implemented at the sites round the year, this drive is being organised to reinforce the importance of following the pollution control norms, especially in light of the continuous deterioration of air quality around the NCR currently. In the present scenario, when pollution levels are high, DMRC is concentrating on undertaking activities which are non-polluting in nature such as staging, shuttering/ de-shuttering activities, underground works, electrical works, wiring, signalling works etc.
“DMRC has always laid great focus on following pollution control norms at all its sites and premises. Apart from these inspections, regular plantation drives are also organised at the sites from time to time to increase the green cover. Currently, work is in progress at about five to six sites of DMRC across the national capital”, a DMRC official said.
