India’s First Bullet train project to see a delay of five years

New Delhi (Metro Rail News) – As low participation by Japanese companies is being seen while tenders have been cancelled because of lower rates quoted by bidders, India’s first bullet train project is stuck on multiple fronts — and staring at a delay of around five years.

The Indian Railways is now expecting the project to be commissioned fully by October 2028 with a five-year delay to its estimated time frame of December 2023.

The revised timeline has been decided after discussing with the concerned authorities.

The 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor is being constructed with an 80 per cent loan from Japan at 0.1 per cent interest and a 15-year moratorium, with the system to be built mostly with Japanese technology on the lines of the Shinkansen.

India had been keen on opening at least a portion of the project by August 2022, to coincide with 75 years of Independence. And the Railways officially maintains that the original timeline is still in place.

“As per the feasibility study, the target date for the completion of the project is December 2023,” said a spokesperson of the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), the implementing agency, which was set up in 2016 with equity participation by the Rail Ministry and the Maharashtra and Gujarat governments.

Kochi Metro reduces fare rates to help commuters

Kochi (Metro Rail News): Kochi Metro Rail Limited has reduced the fare of Kochi Metro. As per the latest revision, the maximum amount will be Rs 50 (earlier it was 60). There is a discount of ten percent for all Kochi 1 card holders also.
There will be only four rates in the new fare structure. The revised rates are Rs 10, 20, 30 and 50. There will be a reduction in the weekday and weekend pass also.

Earlier it was Rs 125 for weekday pass while the new rate is Rs 110. For weekend pass the earlier figure was Rs 250 and the new rate is Rs 220. 
As per the newly introduced fare structure, a person can travel five stations for Rs 20, 12 stations for Rs 30 and beyond 12 stations the rate is Rs 50.

New Fare Structure Slabs: Rs.10,20,30,50 along with weekday Pass of Rs 110 and weekend Pass of Rs 220.

OLD  Fare Structure 
Slabs: Rs 10,20,30,40,50,60.

Weekday Pass : Rs 125Weekend Pass : Rs 250  

“We have considered the COVID scenario before taking a decision to revise the fare structure. We at KMRL always vouch for providing seamless connectivity to the people of Kochi. We have classified the rates to slabs so that passengers  get maximum benefit.” said Additional Chief Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma IAS, MD KMRL.

We have received requests from the Kochi1 card customers with regard to the existing balance and validity period. We have considered the same and decided to extend the validity by issuing new cards. For those who have expired the validity of Kochi 1 card will be replaced with a new card without any issuance fee and the balance of the expired card will be transferred to the new card later. Balance amount in the old card will be transferred to the new card so that no one will lose money due to the lockdown, he added. 
Customers having any issues with regard to the Kochi 1 card can contact Kochi Metro’s helpline number. 1800 425 0355

Other than the above mentioned discount Axis bank has also offered a waiver on issuance fee. 


1.      Issuance fee waiver offer-

  •  Issuance fee worth Rs. 150 waived off on new Kochi1 cards. Now get a Kochi1 card at ZERO issuance fee.
  •   Offer period: 7th September 2020 to 22nd October 2020
  •   Eligible customers- New customers.
  •   Annual fee at Rs. 75 and Top Up fee at Rs. 5 will be levied.
  • “The  Minimum top up amount will be Rs. 200 while non-personalized cards- issuance fee will be levied during purchase and will be reversed as cashback within 15 days”, said KMRL.

UPMRC celebrates the third anniversary of Lucknow Metro

Lucknow (Metro Rail News): Uttar Pradesh Metro celebrated Metro Diwas on Saturday. With this, it is now three years of the successful commencement of commercial operations of Lucknow Metro services. The 3rd anniversary was organized at the auditorium of the Centre of Excellence for Training situated in Transport Nagar Metro Depot in grandeur. The event was graced by the esteemed presence of Shri. Kumar Keshav, Managing Director, Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited.

Shri. Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, Housing and Urban Affairs, also joined the celebration through video conferencing, extended heartiest greetings and best wishes for Metro Diwas-2020. Metro is transforming urban transport. Your Kanpur work is at a fast pace.

UPMRC has now a dual challenge. First, the completion of Kanpur and Agra projects in time like you did in Lucknow. And second, have to work on increasing ridership. Use of technology can play an important part in that.

The program began with the lamp lighting ceremony by the Managing Director, Shri Kumar Keshav and other senior officials. During the event, prize distribution ceremony was also held felicitating and recognizing the outstanding contributions of Lucknow Metro employees in various fields. MD’s Gold and MD’s Silver medals were awarded to the best performing staff associated with the Metro project, Metro Operations and Metro Maintenance. 

In the best Metro Project staff category, MD’s Gold medal was awarded to Mr. Adarsh Kumar Singh, Assistant Engineer while the MD’ Silver medal was given to Mr. Ashish Kumar, Assistant Engineer. Similarly, MD’s Gold medal in the Best Operation and Rolling Stock category was awarded to Mr. Manish Kumar Sonkar, Senior Supervisor, Operations while, the MD’s Silver was bagged by Mr. Raju Kumar Bhartiya, Senior Section Engineer, Rolling Stock. In the Maintenance category, Mr. Sandeep Singh, JE, Traction won the MD’s Gold medal while Mr. Ujjwal Srivastava, Senior Section Engineer (Signaling) was felicitated with MD’s silver medal. The MD’s Gold medal and MD’s Silver medal carried a cash prize of Rs 5,000 & Rs 3,000 along with a certificate of appreciation.

Moreover, the best kept and maintained Metro Station award was awarded to the ‘Munshipuliya Metro Station’ for the year 2019-20. The operational staff of Munshipuliya was given a memento, certificate and a cash prize of Rs 10,000 in recognition of their outstanding performance.

In addition, the Corona warriors of the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation were honored by the UPMRC chief.

DMRC issues plan for graded resumption

New Delhi (Metro Rail News) – The resumption of the Delhi Metro services will be done geographically (i.e. Linewise) in a graded manner in three stages from 7th to 12th September 2020 as given below. The general public can avail the services on given lines from the date as per the operational timings shown against them: – 

Date of resumption of Metro services Line(s) on which Metro services resuming Passenger Service Timings
STAGE-17th September 2020 onwards
Line-2 (Yellow Line) from Samaypur Badli to HUDA City Centre including Rapid Metro, Gurugram 



MORNING (4 Hours only)(7 AM to 11 AM)
EVENING (4Hours only)(4 PM to 8 PM)
9th September 2020 onwards
In addition, Line-3/4 (Blue Line) from Dwarka Sec-21 to Noida Electronic City/Vaishali & Line-7 (Pink Line) from Majlis Park to Shiv Vihar
10th September 2020 onwards
In addition, Line-1 (Red Line) from Rithala to Shaheed Sthal New Bus Adda, Line-5 (Green Line) from Kirti Nagar/Inderlok to Brig. Hoshiar Singh (Bahadurgarh) & Line-6 (Violet Line) from Kashmere Gate to Raja Nahar Singh (Ballabhgarh)
STAGE-211th September 2020 onwardsIn addition to stage-1 Lines, Line-8 (Magenta Line) from Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden & Line-9 (Grey Line) from Dwarka to Najafgarh will be also made operational
MORNING (6 Hours only)(7 AM to 01 PM)
EVENING (6 Hours only)(4 PM to 10 PM)
Above timings are applicable for lines resumed at Stage-1 also
STAGE-312th September 2020 onwardsIn addition to stage-1 & 2 Lines, Airport Express Line from New Delhi to Dwarka Sec-21 will be also operational
Services on all lines will be available throughout the day(6 AM to 11 PM)

Above timings are applicable for all Lines 
The table shows the phase wise plan for Metro Resumption in Delhi.

“Train services will commence with adequate frequency as used to be before 22nd March 2020 which may be increased or decreased as per requirement. However,   due to increase in dwell time of trains at stations there will be minor increase of 3 to 6 minutes in a trip”, The DMRC said in a statement. 

  • ‘Trains will not stop at stations falling in containment zone and such stations will remain closed for public. Similarly, some of the stations may be skipped if social distancing is not adhered by the passengers”, said the statement.

Nagpur Metro installs Mural of Rani Laxmi Bai at Chhatrapati Square Station

Nagpur ( Metro Rail News ) – A mural of Jhansi Rani Laxmi Bai has been installed as part of the beautification of Chhatrapati Square Station Metro Station on Aqua Line in Nagpur. The unique mural has become a centre of attraction for Nagpurians. The mural is placed atop the Metro Station on the eastern side.

It is the second such artwork installed on any of the metro properties in Nagpur. It may be recalled that – the first one titled as ChaloBadheSathSath', been installed on a pier near Chhatrapati Square Metro Station. The art work at Chhatrapati Square has also been equally appreciated by the citizens.In fact, Maha Metro played a major role in installing ‘BetiBachaoBetiPadhao’ mural near Rahate Colony Junction.

The basic concept of the mural was outlined by Maha Metro MD Dr Brijesh Dixit.The mural has been designed by Ms Deepti Deshpande of Hastankit. The mural is made of mild steel.The Mural of Jhansi Rani Laxmi Bai is 16.5 feet by 9 feet and weighs about 200 kg. It is made of mild steel and was installed on a wall with the help of two cranes.

The location of the mural is very apt considering that Metro station is named after Queen of Jhansi. Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi laid down her life fighting for her kingdom. She was one of leading figures who fought relentlessly during Freedom struggle of 1857. Her proclamation `I won’t give my Jhansi’, had become a war cry and is remembered even today.

Local artists, architects and engineers from Alag Angle inlcuding Shri Lalit&TanulVikamshi and Makers Addaexecuted laser cutting, welding, lighting, colouring and finally installing the work. The best part of the mural is the fact that it is weather and rust proof. This would ensure that it does not get damaged in any weather.

The entire team which create this mural worked hard for one month to give it a final shape. The traffic department of local police also gave its full support by facilitating traffic control during the installation of the mural.

UPMRC MD Kumar Keshav reviews the operational preparedness of Lucknow Metro ahead of resuming services

Lucknow (Metro Rail News): Ahead of restarting of operations of Lucknow Metro amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Shri Kumar Keshav, MD, UPMRC today inspected and reviewed the operational preparedness of metro stations on the stretch between Munshipulia to KD Singh Stadium.

He took an overview of all metro stations between Munshipulia to KD Singh Stadium Metro Station from cleanliness point of view. He also ensured that all the adequate arrangements are being done for the sanitization of Metro premises including, Ticket counters (TOMs), AFC gates, TVM machines, Entry-Exit gates & other high frequency touch points.

During the inspection he also instructed the operational staff such as Station Controllers (SCs), Customer Care Assistants (CRAs) & security personnel to wear masks and gloves while dealing with commuters to adhere to the social distancing norms & adopt other safety measures.

Keeping in mind the health and safety of the commuters amidst the outbreak of COVID-19, UPMRC has revisited the operational framework to meet the highest standards of health and hygiene. The revamped guidelines of UPMRC extend to every outlet and encompass check-in procedures, station premises and surveillance systems. Lucknow Metro will follow normal timings of operation ie. 6 am to 10 pm from 7th September, 2020 onwards.

Special emphasis is also being laid on mopping and cleanliness inside the Metro premises. Signage & markings have also been placed within the station premises & inside trains to maintain social distancing. Shri Kumar Keshav also advised the Metro staff to encourage the passengers to use the GoSmart Card which is a contactless form of travel that can reduce the transmission risk of the coronavirus. The GoSmart Cards can be recharged online thereby ensuring a safer travel experience as compared to tokens. Commuters can also use these cards for generating tokens from ticket vending machines for their family members.

The station premises of the Lucknow Metro will be sanitized at regular intervals and metro trains will also be sanitized twice a day.

Shri Kumar Keshav, MD, UPMRC, said, “Lucknow Metro has adopted the highest level of hygiene and safety measures for the well-being of the commuters & it is the safest way to travel. I also urge people to practice hygiene, cleanliness, social distancing, and adhere to all necessary precautions for the overall well-being of themselves as well as their families.

Kochi Metro holds Kick-Off Meeting for the Kochi Bangalore Industrial Corridor

Kochi (Metro Rail News) – To give a fillip to the activities of Kochi Bangalore Industrial Corridor (KBIC) the National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Ltd (NICDC) has conducted the kick-off meeting with the master planning design agency CH2M HILL (India) Private Limited in consortium with CH2M HILL International Ltd (Jacobs Engineering Group) and urged the agency to complete the master planning activities in a time-bound manner.

The agency is appointed for developing Smart Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) at Palakkad and Kochi Global Industrial Finance and Trade City. CEO and MD of National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Ltd (NICDC)  K. Sanjay Murthy. IAS, and Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) Alkesh Kumar Sharma IAS attended the kick-off meeting conducted via Video Conference in which top officials of Jacobs also participated.

The Project head of Jacobs discussed the project deliverables and timelines for completing master planning activities. The agency informed the meeting that the team appointed by them has already started work and will finalise the inception report in September 2020 itself. The agency has already set up an office in Kerala. A team will be placed in Kerala for conducting Geo-Technical Survey and stakeholder meetings for demand analysis, etc.

Additional Chief Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma who is heading the KBIC asked the agency to complete the master planning activities by February 2021. ACS highlighted the importance of multimodal connectivity and integrated industrial development.

He also stressed the importance of proper demand and economic analysis to identify suitable industries and other economic activities to be set-up in Palakkad as well as in Kochi.

The major activities include preparation of Detailed Master Plan along with notification of the final Master Plan, Preliminary Design work with 3D model, EIA clearance, Tender Package & BIM model, selection of contractor along with approval of GFC drawings and handholding assistance.  Master planning activities will be completed within 8 months. Extension of Chennai–Bangalore Industrial Corridor Project (CBIC) to Kochi  and Coimbatore was approved by National Industrial Corridor Development and  Implementation Trust ( NICDIT) in September last year.  

Kerala CM to inaugurate Thykoodam- Petta stretch of Kochi Metro on September 7

Kochi (Metro Rail News): The Thykoodam-Petta stretch of Kochi Metro will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday, September 7 thereby declaring the completion of Phase 1 of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (Blue Line). 

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardip Singh Puri will preside over the virtual inauguration which will be conducted over video conference.

“We are glad that on the very first day of reopening itself we are extending services to the new station. Once inaugurated the train will operate from Aluva till Petta and vice versa,” said Alkesh Kumar Sharma IAS.

The Hon’ble Chief Minister along with the Hon’ble Union Minister will flag off the train from Petta at 12:30 PM on 7th September 2020. Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) had approved the opening of Petta metro station back in May 2020. KMRL had completed the works of Petta station Wayback in March itself but the commissioning was delayed due to COVID19 lockdown.
Kerala Transport Minister A K Saseendran, Mayor Soumin Jain, Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, Thrikkakkara MLA P T Thomas and Thrippunithura MLA Swaraj S will attend the event. 

Chennai Metro issues guidelines for Resuming Metro services from September 7 onwards

CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has issued a set of guidelines for passengers ahead of resuming operations on September 7. The guidelines are in compliance with the Unlock 4 order issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

According to the guidelines, train services will be operational from 8 am to 8 pm. The Blue Line which connects Airport Metro and Washermanpet Metro Station will commence from September 7 while the Green Line, which connects St Thomas Mount and Puratchi Thalaivar Dr M G Ramachandran Central Metro, will start functioning from September 9.

The trains will run with a gap of five minutes during the peak hours (morning 08:30 am to 10:30 am and evening: 05:00 pm to 08:30 pm) and with a gap of 10 minutes during non-peak hours. Passengers have been instructed to note that there will be no inter-corridor movement between Puratchi Thalaivar Dr M G Ramachandran Central Metro Station and Airport Metro Station.

The train stoppage at stations has been increased from 20 seconds to 50 seconds. The CMRL said all the trains and stations will be disinfected frequently for the safety and security of passengers. The platform management staff will be deployed at stations to ensure  social distancing and safe de-boarding of passengers. The dwelling time will be reviewed and suitably revised depending upon the footfall at the stations.

Face masks are compulsory at all times in all CMRL premises. CMRL said face mask and shield, gloves, and medical PPE, etc, will be arranged for frontline passenger handling staff. The passengers will be subjected to thermal screening at the entry-level. Symptomatic passengers or those having high temperature will not be allowed to use metro train services. 

886 KM long Delhi-Ahmedabad bullet train project under consideration

Ahmedabad (Metro Rail News): The Indian Railways is considering the second high-speed rail network between Delhi and Ahmedabad.

Recently, for the detailed project report (DPR) of the Delhi-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, tenders were invited by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) for data collection and associated survey work.

The Delhi-Ahmedabad bullet train project will cover a length of around 886 km and pass through Jaipur and Udaipur in Rajasthan.

NHSRCL, which is a joint venture of the Central government and participating state governments, is already working on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed rail corridor project.

The country’s first bullet train project has a deadline of December 2023. For the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed rail corridor, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is granting a 20-year loan of 80 percent of Rs one trillion that is required to fund the project. The project’s remaining cost will be borne by the state governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The upcoming bullet train, with speeds of over 300 km per hour, will reduce travel time between Ahmedabad and Mumbai significantly.

Sabarmati station set for creating Dandi theme

Sabarmati ( Metro Rail News ) – The railway board had decided to hand over Sabarmati station and land adjacent to it to the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDCL) for development of the station on commercial basis to serve both the bullet train and the railways. The theme of the redeveloped station will be the Dandi March.

The Railways, in its design has proposed a single entry and exit for passengers of both the high-speed rail and Indian Railways. The proposed design envisages the bullet train station and Sabarmati railway station connected with a skywalk. The first floor of the station will house restaurants and food courts. The officials said that the station end toward Ramnagar will be the entry point for the bullet and railways and will also be connected with the part of the station that is near the central jail.

According to the proposed design, the station will have a separate entry and exit point to avoid crowding of vehicles. An official said, “The idea is to segregate arriving and departing passengers on the platform to avoid obstructions and crowding. The new design of Sabarmati completely eliminates conflicting movement between the arriving and departing passengers.”
The entrance hall will have ticketing facilities, public utilities, cafes and also will provide a link to the concourse level as it has an atrium which that provides a visual connection from all levels.

At the concourse level, passengers can over look into the atrium and the waiting rooms.
The design submitted stated that the entry will also be connected to a skywalk through the foot overbridges which allow access to the platforms. Passengers will be allowed to go to the platform once the train arrives.
The concourse will also provide a connection for interchange passengers from the high-speed rail station to the Indian Railways. 

Ahmedabad set to get bullet train connectivity to Delhi

Ahmedabad (Metro Rail News) – After Mumbai, Delhi too will not be far away in the future. The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), which is implementing the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, has invited tenders to collect data for bullet trains connecting Ahmedabad to the country’s national capital Delhi.

The NHSRCL officials said that while Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train corridor is 508 km long, the Ahmedabad-Delhi high-speed rail (HSR) corridor is longer at 886 km.

The NHSRCL is a joint venture of government of India and participating state governments for implementation of HSRs across the country.

“For Ahmedabad, this will be the second HSR corridor. We have invited tenders for collection of relevant data for the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for 886km long Delhi-Jaipur-Udaipur-Ahmedabad HSR corridor,” said Sushma Gaur, NHSRCL spokesperson.

Tenders have also been invited for preparing general arrangement drawings (GADs) of crossing bridges over rivers/ canals/ railways and roads including expressways, national and state highways and major district roads and GADs of proposed stations and maintenance depots for the Delhi-Ahmedabad corridor.

The bids have also been invited to carry out ridership study (traffic study) for this corridor,” Gaur further added.
Meanwhile, 80% land acquisition for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project has been completed in Gujarat, NHSRCL officials said. They added that a 100% joint measurement survey has been carried out in the state.

“A lot of preliminary work like shifting of electrical towers, water pipelines, oil wells or other obstacles that were infringing upon the high speed rail corridor have been carried out. We are now working on the Sabarmati hub,” said one official.
Since, the Ahmedabad HSR corridor will be integrated with the main railway line, platform number 10, 11 and 12 have been dismantled at the Kalupur railway station in Ahmedabad to pave way laying of metro tracks on one side.

Surat Metro’s General Consultant Contract attracts six bidders

Surat ( Metro Rail News ) – According to few news reports, Six global consortia comprising of engineering design firms have submitted expression of interest (EOI) applications for the General Engineering Consultant (GEC) contract of Surat Metro’s phase one project.

The role of the General Engineering Consultant would include design / design review, system integration, assistance in procurement, construction supervision (including monitoring of statutory obligations), project management services, contract administration and interface management including assistance in testing and commissioning of the Surat Metro rail project.

Bidders:

  • 1. DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH + AYESA + Korea Rail + DOHWA.
  • 2. Geodata Engineering S.p.A.  + LBG + Hill International
  • 3. MM S.p.A + Mott Macdonald + SMEC  
  • 4. Nippon Koei India Pvt. Ltd.  + RITES + TPF
  • 5. Rodic Consultants Pvt. Ltd. + Artelia + Italffer + TYPSA
  • 6. SYSTRA + AECOM + EGIS

The GMRC is supposed to take a few months for evaluation of the applications and it will invite the shortlisted bidders then after.

Delhi Metrolite’s project gets a push

New Delhi (Metro Rail News): The new 19.15 km Kirti Nagar – Bamnoli Village (Dwarka ECC) Metrolite line in south-west Delhi with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is opening financial bids from local surveying firms for conducting geotechnical investigation, topographical survey and utility identification works along the line’s alignment.

The DMRC had  decided to go for inviting the bids again for this new light rail transit (LRT) system’s topographical survey and utility identification contract (Package ML-01(R)) with an estimate of Rs. 65.73 lakh and completion period of 9 months. They opened technical bids on July 15 to reveal 9 bidders, opened financial bids on August 19, and then issued a letter of award to the lowest bidder, Gaveshana Geosciences Pvt Ltd., the next day with a contract value of 37.80 lakh.

DMRC in May had also invited bids for the Geotechnical investigation contract (Package ML-02) with an estimate of Rs. 83.46 lakh and completion period of 4 months. They opened technical bids on July 30 to reveal 9 bidders, rejected 3 firms in the technical round, and then opened financial bids on August 21 to reveal that TechPro Engineers Pvt. Ltd. had placed the lowest bid at Rs. 68.08 lakh. Per an industry source, an LoA for this tender will be issued this week.

Metrolite trains on this line have interchanges planned at Kirti Nagar (Green Line), Mayapuri (Pink Line), Dabri Village (Magenta Line) and Dwarka Court (Blue Line).

The Kirti Nagar – Bamnoli (Dwarka ECC) metrolite line will consist of 21 mostly at-grade stations at Kirti Nagar (elevated), Saraswati Garden, Mayapuri Bus Depot, Mayapuri, Hari Nagar, Mayapuri Industrial Area (MIA), Mayapuri Industrial Area 2 (MIA 2), Tihar Jail, Shivpuri (elevated), Dabri Village (elevated), Sitapuri (elavated), Mahavir Enclave (elevated), Dwarka Sector 2, Dwarka Sector 7, Dwarka Sector 6, Dwarka Court, Dwarka Sector 20, Dwarka Sector 23, Dhul Siras – Dwarka Sector 24, Dwarka Sector 25 – ECC Centre and Bamnoli Village.

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for this LRT line was approved by the DMRC’s board in October 2019 with an estimate of Rs. 2,673 crore and is waiting for a green signal from the Delhi government.