Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar line one Metro waiting for green signal from state for restart

M K Rai
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Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar line one Metro waiting for green signal from state for restart

Mumbai ( Metro Rail News ) – The Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Line One Mumbai Metro team on Sunday said they were waiting for directives from the Maharashtra government, following a statement by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, that the Metro railways will be allowed to operate in a graded manner by the respective state ministries and departments.

In an announcement made on Saturday as part of Unlock 4.0 guidelines, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has granted permission for the Metro rail to resume services from September 7 in a graded manner. “Further, guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) will be issued by officials and will have to be followed strictly by the respective states,” it said.

Since the lockdown came into effect, the Mumbai Metro team has been working on keeping its trains ready and updated. In fact, in one of their social media posts in May 2020, the team had shared basic details on how they had been working on alternative seating arrangements to ensure safe distance while travelling.

“The Metro technical teams have been on the job and were conducting test runs, and health checks of the entire Metro system like tracks, signalling, trains, communication, including carrying out daily maintenance of the tracks on the main line and depot line to ensure its health and stability. With regular maintenance activities on all our trains, we are fully prepared,” a Metro official was stated saying.

Over five years after it began operations in June 2014, Metro One (Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar) in 2019 crossed the 60-crore ridership landmark with a daily average ridership exceeding 4.5 lakh.

DMRC’s last project in Kochi is Chambakkara bridge

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DMRC’s last project in Kochi is Chambakkara bridge

Kochi ( Metro Rail News ) – The remaining works of the four-lane Chambakkara bridge will be the last project of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) with regard to Kochi Metro Rail. The old bridge is being reconstructed at an estimated cost of `70 crore. The spillover works of the bridge will be completed in September, following which the agency will shut its office in Kochi as the agreement with Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) will expire.

DMRC began implementing the first phase of Kochi Metro between Aluva and Petta, which is one of the most capital intensive projects ever executed in the state, in 2013.“The journey has been remarkable for every one of us at DMRC. We completed the 25-km-stretch in the heart of the city in just six years. Under the guidance of ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan, we were even able to revamp metro-related infrastructure, especially the roads along the rail corridor, flyovers and bridges,” said Keshav Chandran, chief engineer of DMRC.

The 1.2-km-long Thykkoodam stretch was the final work of the first phase and it has been completed and handed over to KMRL, which will soon announce the date of commissioning.Chambakkara bridge will be ready by September and other small works like developing an area as part of property development in Ernakulam South railway station and rectification work on the premises of Muttom yard will also be completed by next month.

“DMRC will be remembered by Kochiites for completing the first phase of the project in a time-bound manner. KMRL, which will implement the remaining phases, should carry on with the positivity DMRC is leaving behind,” said P Rajeev, former MP.Keshav said the agency will be deeply indebted to Kochiites who wholeheartedly cooperated with the project.

Pay Rs 6 for Metro ride from Badi Chaupar to Chandpole through Jaipur Metro

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Pay Rs 6 for Metro ride from Badi Chaupar to Chandpole through Jaipur Metro

Jaipur (Metro Rail News): Jaipur Metro will ferry commuters from Chandpole to Badi Chaupar at Rs 6 after the 2.4km underground corridor gets operational.

The fare for the entire 12.06 km corridor (Mansarovar to Chandpole) will be Rs 22. The new corridor may give a fresh lease of life to JMRC as it can increase its ridership after getting operational.


In the absence of Phase 1B, the performance of Phase 1A of Jaipur Metro was ‘poor’ as the average ridership dipped. “At present, an average 20,000 passengers commute through Metro daily, as against the projected figure of one lakh. But Phase-II is expected to boost the numbers,” a senior official said.

The tariff is comparatively cheaper than other means of transport. People commuting to Walled City from Sindhi Camp, railway station and Sodala use the Metro as it is cost-effective.

As of now, Metro makes 170 trips between Mansarovar and Chandpole every day. Trains arrive within an interval of 15 minutes from morning 6.25am to 8am and after 8am trains arrive within 10 minutes. It will be convenient for people coming to the Walled City as per official data.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Ministry of Railways have allowed the Metro to operate from September 7 in a calibrated manner.

“Once directions are received from the state government, the JMRC will prepare and issue the details on the functioning of Metro and its usage by the general public. We will also follow the standard operating procedures (SOP) issued by the ministry”, said one person familiar with the matter.


The JMRC official, however, confirmed that the newly constructed phase IB corridor (Chandpole to Badi Chaupar) will not be opened in the initial stage. “The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety has given a nod for commencing commercial operations. However, JMRC has to meet 65 conditions before opening the corridor. The underground corridor will be operational after one month of Phase-1B,” said one official.

The cost of the underground phase-IB project is Rs 1,126 crore. Out of which Rs 969 crore has been provided by the Asian Development Bank.

Metro Police to be back in action as Delhi Metro reopens

M K Rai
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Metro Police to be back in action as Delhi Metro reopens

New Delhi ( Metro Rail News ) – It is the first such instance in its history when the Delhi Metro police have asked the headquarters for additional forces to enforce Covid-19 rules with the Centre allowing Metro train operations in a graded manner from September 7.

While the Central Industrial Security Force ensures security from the checking point onwards, the Delhi Police is responsible for security from the entrance to the checking point. So, the Metro Police can also impose fines in their jurisdiction.

Further, the Delhi Police is also responsible for investigating crimes that take place inside the Metro station premises or trains.

“We have written to the police headquarters to request eight companies of police,” said Jitendra Mani Tripathi, deputy commissioner of police (Metro).

Tripathi said additional forces were necessitated after repeated meetings with other Metro stakeholders — the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the police forces of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

“It was decided that only about 200 metro station gates will be opened, out of around 900. We will have to deploy two to four police personnel at each of these stations to control the crowd,” said the officer.

An increased number of police personnel will also be deployed at 30 busy stations and interchanges, apart from the 23 Metro police booths, which are expected to receive a large number of complaints against passengers not wearing masks or flouting social distancing norms.

“We have also written to the district police to help with deployment outside Metro stations if the situation turns unruly,” said Tripathi.

Pune-Nashik semi-high speed rail: Travel by train between Pune & Nashik in less than 2 hours soon

M K Rai
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Pune-Nashik semi-high speed rail: Travel by train between Pune & Nashik in less than 2 hours soon

Mumbai (Metro Rail News) – As the government is looking for a revival of the economy which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, the Maharashtra government has put on its large infrastructure projects on the fast track. One of these is the delayed Pune-Nashik semi-high speed rail link, which would bring down travel time between these two cities from the present six-seven hours to approx two hours.

Estimated to be the first low-cost semi-high speed corridor in the country, the 233-km-long line would cost Rs 16,039 crore and will have trains running at a speed of 200kmph. It will be constructed by the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC), a 50:50 joint venture between the government of Maharashtra and the Ministry of Railways. The state and the Centre would provide Rs 3,208 crore each for the project and the rest would come from funding agencies in India and overseas.

As the pandemic has badly hit the economy, the government has put land acquisition work on the fast track.

In all, 1,470 hectares of land would be required in Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik districts; the rail line would pass through 112.10 km in Pune, 58 km in Ahmednagar and 63.75 km in Nashik. Around 575 hectares have to be acquired in Pune’s Haveli, Junnar and Ambegaion tehsils.

MRIDC officials are confident of completing the project in approx three years once construction work starts. To save time, MRIDC would carry out in-house design and drawing work, doing away with consultants. It would also be the first such rail project to see both the lines being constructed simultaneously.

The broad-gauge line would start at the Pune Railway Station and terminate at the existing Nashik Railway Station, with 24 stations in all. There would be multimodal hubs at major railway stations along the route, ensuring connectivity to bus terminuses, metro stations and freight terminals.

MRIDC plans to procure six train sets with six coaches each, allowing a passenger load of 450 per journey.
Revenue from the line is estimated at Rs 1,643 crore in FY25 and Rs 2,394 crore in FY30. The rail link between Pune and Nashik is expected to decongest NH 60 which sees the movement of 51,000 tonnes of freight every day, passing through around a dozen industrial and agro-processing zones. Passenger movement between Pune and Nashik is estimated to reach 87,629 a day in 2024

Navayuga bags Rs 2072 cr contract for Rishikesh – Karnprayag Rail

M K Rai
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Navayuga bags Rs 2072 cr contract for Rishikesh – Karnprayag Rail

Dehradun (Metro Rail News): The Navayuga Group, an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Visakhapatnam emerged as the lowest bidder for the construction of the development of tunnels, bridges along with formation works.

The bid comes under package – 3 in the connection between building a new rail line between Rishikesh and Karnprayag. The total distance of the proposed rail line is 125 KM which will ease the connectivity between two great places of worship. The two hill stations of Uttarakhand have also great importance as tourist destinations.

The Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) estimated the cost of the tender was Rs. 1887.53 Cr. and The financial bid open on 24 August 2020.

Below are the company and their quoted amount who participated in the tender process

1.Navayuga- 2072.42 Cr L1
2.HCC-DBL JV. – 2113.84 Cr
3 Megha. – 2151.78 Cr
4.L&T. – 2189.33 Cr
5.Konkan Railway – 2270.83 Cr
6.Gulermak – 2316.31 Cr
7.Afcons – 2438.87Cr

The further details can be obtained from the official website.

BMRCL to approach MoHUA for restarting Metro services

M K Rai
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BMRCL to approach MoHUA for restarting Metro services

Bangalore ( Metro Rail News ) – The Metro is ready to start operations from September 7 and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited will write immediately to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) seeking its approval, said BMRCL Managing Director Ajay Seth on Saturday.

“BMRCL is keen to start operations and with Unlock 4.0 guidelines, MoHUA has created a window. We will approach the ministry, seeking permission to start the services in accordance with its guidance and SOP to be prescribed”, He said.

Thermal scanners have been readied to check the temperature of passengers at the entrance of stations and stickers have been put up in all trains and its 40 stations to mark the space to be maintained by passengers while waiting for trains or travelling according to sources.

BMRCL also announced that only travel cards will be allowed to travel on trains, and recommended that passengers download the Aarogya Setu app. It will strictly allow only 300 to 350 passengers per train, instead of 1,800 commuters who could travel before March 22, officials said. Before the onset of the pandemic, BMRCL saw a daily average ridership of 4.5 lakh commuters on both its Green and Purple lines on workdays with the figure dipping during the weekends.

NMRC to resume metro services from Sept 7

M K Rai
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NMRC to resume metro services from Sept 7

Noida ( Metro Rail News ) – Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) on Saturday said it will resume metro services in a calibrated manner from September 7.

The announcement was made after the Home Ministry released Unlock 4 guidelines.
“As per the latest guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs under Unlock-4, the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) will be resuming its services on the Aqua Line for the public from September 7, 2020, onwards in a calibrated manner,” NMRC said in a release.

He said that further details on the functioning of metro and its usage by the public will be shared once the detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) on metros is issued by the Ministery of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and the Uttar Pradesh Government in the next few days.

Delhi Metro also announced the resumption of services in a calibrated manner from September 7. 
The Home Ministry, in its Unlock 4 guidelines, gave permission to the functioning of metro rails across the country in a graded manner. The guidelines gave more relaxations in the restrictions enforced to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Mumbai Metro Line 3 faces delay as state examines alternate car shed sites

M K Rai
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Mumbai Metro Line 3 faces delay as state examines alternate car shed sites

Mumbai ( Metro Rail News ) – The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) is reported to have expressed apprehension that the Metro Line 3 project may be delayed by three years and its cost go up by at least Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 crore if the car shed for the line was shifted from the proposed Aarey Colony.

At a review meeting on Friday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asked Mumbai Metro and MMRDA officials to examine whether the proposed Metro car shed in Aarey Colony can be shifted to Kanjurmarg or Pahadi-Goregaon.

“If the MMRCL gets a go-ahead to start work on the Aarey land parcel today, it will take us a minimum of two-and-a-half years to complete the project. However, if we are given an alternate site, work will have to begin from scratch and it will take anywhere between three or more years to complete the project,” an official said.

According to Metro officials, 80 per cent of tunnelling and civil work for the first phase of the Metro had been completed. While the tunnelling and civil work were expected to be completed by March 2021, officials said, it would become futile without the car shed. The delay in construction of the car shed, and a need to find a new location for it, could end up levying an additional financial burden of Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 3,000 crore on the project, they added.

The 33.5-km underground Metro line 3 (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz) passes through Aarey Colony and its car shed was supposed to come up in this forested area. Last year, there were huge protests against the felling of over 2,000 trees in Aarey Colony for the car shed.

In December last year, the CM had formed a committee of IAS officers to review the site for car shed. In January, the committee submitted its report stating “it’s not viable to shift the Metro car shed from Aarey colony to other sites”. Seven months later, however, there seems to be no clarity from the state on whether it would adhere to the committee’s advice.

The frequent delays in Metro Line 3, including the 10-month stay on the construction work on the car shed in Aarey last year, meanwhile, has already led to the project cost spiralling by nearly Rs 9,000 crore, from Rs 23,136 crore in 2011 to Rs 32,000 crore.
Officials said the proposal to shift the car shed from Aarey land parcel is likely to escalate the cost further.

MoHUA to hold a meeting with metro corporations on Sept 1 to finalise SOP

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MoHUA to hold a meeting with metro corporations on Sept 1 to finalise SOP

New Delhi (Metro Rail News): The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has called a meeting with all managing directors of metro rail corporations on September 1 to finalise the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the functioning of metro trains allowed under the ‘Unlock 4′ guidelines, an official was stated saying.

There are 17 metro corporations in the country. Once the ministry issues the detailed SOPs, they can issue their details keeping in mind local requirements according to sources.

The SOPs already circulated with all metro corporations will be discussed on September 1 through video conferencing, the official said. “All managing directors have been asked to look into the SOP prepared by MOHUA earlier because of the current realities. All suggestions will be considered in the meeting and accordingly, SOP will be finalised,” the official further said.

According to an official familiar with the developments, “The Union Housing and Urban Affairs ministry will reconsider its earlier prepared SOP given the current situation and issue fresh SOP soon. “The Union Home Ministry issued the Unlock 4 guidelines on Saturday under which metro trains will be allowed to resume services from September 7 in a graded manner. Officials said that wearing a mask and social distancing norms will be strictly followed once metro trains start operating.

Metro passengers will be encouraged to follow anti-COVID-19 measures, they said, adding fines will be imposed on those violating the guidelines. Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said it would resume services for the public from September 7 in a calibrated manner.

Kejriwal welcomes Centre’s move on Metro Resumption

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Kejriwal welcomes Centre’s move on Metro Resumption

New Delhi ( Metro Rail News ) – Soon after Ministry of Home Affairs issued its guidelines for Unlock 4, allowing operation of Metro services in the country, the chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday welcomed Centre’s move giving further relaxations in restrictions imposed as a measure against Covid-19 outbreak.

“I am glad that the metro has been permitted to start its operations from Sep 7 in a phased manner,” CM Arvind Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.

In a new set of guidelines issued on Saturday, the MHA gave a green signal for the Metro rail services to resume in the country from September 7 in a graded manner.

The Metro operations have been shut since March after the country went into lockdown against COVID pandemic.

“The Metro rail will be allowed to operate in a graded manner by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA)/Ministry of Railways (MOR), in consultation with MHA. In this regard, SOP will be issued by MOHUA,” the release said.

Four-storey stations on new Aqua Line’s Greater Noida route

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Four-storey stations on new Aqua Line’s Greater Noida route

Noida (Metro Rail News): Stations on the Aqua Line’s Greater Noida corridor from Sector 51 to Knowledge Park V will be built across four floors, officials in the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) said.

The building housing the stations will also have shops and other commercial establishments which are supposed to help the NMRC to earn more non-fare revenues.

The NMRC earns its revenue only through fare mode as of Pre COVID scenario. The daily ridership is not too well as compared to DMRC and according to estimates, metro coaches on Noida had been ferrying about 25,000-30,000 passengers daily in the months preceding the lockdown.

“As of now, we are considering such a model for stations on the Greater Noida corridor. If this works out, we may replicate it in the other extended routes too,” said Ritu Maheshwari, the NMRC’s Managing Director.

Aqua-Line now has three extensions in the pipeline. While the plan for the Greater Noida corridor has already been approved by the cabinet and tenders are expected to be issued in a week, the route between Sector 142 and Botanical Garden stations has been finalised and is awaiting the NMRC board’s approval.
The third route — from Boraki to Metro Depot — is still in the planning stages.

Work on the Greater Noida corridor will start before the two other routes because its plan has already been approved by the cabinet. Applications for fresh bids will be issued within a week. The need for fresh bids was necessitated as the previous tendering process had to be cancelled after one of the three companies that had shown interest had to be disqualified because of lack of expertise in the field.

The Greater Noida corridor will be built in two phases — the first one will be 9.6km long from Sector 51 to Greater Noida 2. It will have five stations — sectors 122, 123, Greater Noida sectors 2, 4 and Ecotech 12 — and is estimated to cost Rs 430 crore. All these stations will be on an elevated platform and are expected to be built by 2022.


The second phase will have four stations — Greater Noida sectors 3, 10 and 12, and Knowledge Park 5.

Bangalore Metro starts trial runs on Kanakapura Road section

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Bangalore Metro starts trial runs on Kanakapura Road section

Bangalore (Metro Rail News) – Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Thursday commenced trial runs on Kanakapura Road (Yelachenahalli-Anjanapura Township) section.
The trial run began at 12:25 pm from Yelachenahalli.

“BMRCL starts its trial runs today in the new Reach 4 extension under Phase 2 of the project between Yelachenahalli and Anjanapura. This will continue for a 30 day period to check all the system parameters at different speeds for safety (sic)“ said BMRCL in a tweet.

BMRCL operated a 6-coach train and covered the distance in around three hours.
“There is a protocol and test plan for the trials. Various systems are checked and parameter values are recorded. The trials were carried out over a period of three hours” said BMRCL managing director Ajay Seth.

The 6.4km elevated section of Phase 2, which will have stations at Konanakunte Cross, Doddakallasandra, Vajrahalli, Talaghattapura and Anjanapura is expected to get operational on November 1.

Siemens Limited approves set for sale of Mechanical Drives business

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Siemens Limited approves set for sale of Mechanical Drives business
  • New Delhi (Metro Rail News) – The Board of Directors of Siemens Limited has approved the sale and transfer of its Mechanical Drives (MD) business for a consideration of Rs. 4,400 million (Indian Rupees Four Thousand Four Hundred million) to Flender Drives Private Limited, subject to adjustment for the change in net current assets and capital expenditure, subsequent to June 30, 2020, up to the date of actual transfer of the MD business.

“The consideration has been arrived at on the basis of an independent valuation, recommended by the Committee of Directors and the Audit committee”, a statement by the company said.

“The sale and transfer of MD business is as going concern and on a slump sale basis, with effect from January 1, 2021. The same is subject to receipt of requisite statutory and regulatory approvals, as applicable”, it said.

The MD business within Siemens Limited achieved a Revenue of Rs. 6,838 million for FY 2019 and had an operating loss of Rs. 553 million.

“Potential growth in this business will require substantial Capex and moreover, there are no synergies with the existing businesses of Siemens Limited. Keeping the interests of the shareholders in mind, the Board of Siemens Limited has approved the sale of this business to Siemens AG which has also announced their intention to publicly list this business via a spin-off”, said Mr. Sunil Mathur, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Limited.

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