Chronicle Development Updates On Metro Rail Projects : Metro Rail News

Japan unveils 1st battery-powered bullet train

10/07/2019

NAGOYA (Metro Rail News): Central Japan Railway Co. conducted a test run Wednesday for the press of its new Shinkansen bullet train powered by batteries, a first among the world’s high-speed trains.

JR Central said it hopes the technology will be useful in emergencies which might otherwise leave trains stranded in tunnels or on bridges during an extended power outage. The battery-powered shinkansen would be able to proceed on its own to the nearest station.

The N700S train, to be debuted in July 2020, is able to carry batteries on the underside of its carriages due to the reduced size of other technology and equipment.

The test run was held for media at a railyard in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Pune metro will have key distinctive features: Brijesh Dixit

Kanika Verma

10/07/2019

Pune metro will have key distinctive features: Brijesh Dixit

MAHARASHTRA (Metro Rail News): Brijesh Dixit is the managing director of the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (Maha-Metro)

The metropolis of Pune has indeed become my karma bhoomi. As managing director of Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro), I am heading the team which is committed to the time and within cost completion of the Pune metro rail project. Once completed, the project is destined to become a lifeline of Punekars.

Pune metro unmistakably seeks to reverse the trend of severe traffic congestion and pollution by providing a safe, secure, convenient, comfortable, affordable, inclusive and environment-friendly solution to the vexed and rapidly worsening urban transport problem bedeviling Punekars.

Project cost

The Pune metro project developed by Maha-Metro is constructed at a total cost of ₹11,420 crore with equity funding in equal proportion from the government of India and the Maharashtra government. It is worth noting that both the municipal corporations of the city — Pune, and Pimpri-Chinchwad — have come forward with sizable grants to ensure timely completion of the project. The debt funding for the project is provided by AFD, the French funding agency.

Overview

The state-of-the-art modern metro rail system with a designed speed of 80 kmph, having modern signaling and telecommunication system and modern metro cars, is constructed as a two corridor project totaling 31.25 km in length; 30 stations and 2 metro-car maintenance depots.

The north-south corridor begins from Pimpri and Chinchwad municipal area and ends at Swargate with part underground and part elevated sections. This corridor is 16.6 km long and has 14 stations. The second corridor that connects the east with the west, starts from Vanaz and ends at Ramwadi and is 14.7 km long with 16 stations.

It is pertinent to mention that the project alignment traverses through some of the densest corridors of the city and once completed will significantly take away the current load from the city roads, in turn substantially alleviating the transportation woes of Punekars.

Distinctive features

Pune metro which shall seamlessly integrate the unique city of rivers, hills and plains are designed to have key distinctive features. It shall make the commuter experience exhilarating and simultaneously enhance the environment of the city. Some such features are —

First, it is the unique architectural features and designs of stations which are constructed to merge seamlessly with the rich tradition of the history, heritage, and culture of the city.

Second, the stations have been carefully designed to meet the unique needs of all types of commuters, including the elderly, women, children and the disabled.

Third, to complete the project with quality, on time and within the cost, Pune metro after Nagpur. Metro has become the second project in the country to implement the modern project management system known as 5D BIM (building information modeling).

Fourth, Pune metro stations and other buildings are designed not only as green buildings, but also the entire metro network will generate abundant solar power on the rooftops of station buildings, offices, and depots. These will ensure 65% of the total power needs of the metro rail will be met by solar energy.

Fifth, the project by its nature has already become an engine of job creation and economic growth during the construction phase and will get further impetus during the operation phase

Sixth, the commuters on Pune metro rail will have seamless travel experience with multi-modal integration, common mobility card for all modes of transport and efficient and high-quality feeder service.

Revenue management

Finally, unlike other metro systems and very much like Nagpur metro being constructed by Maha-Metro, fare-box revenue of Pune metro will be substantially augmented by non-fare box revenue using property development at stations and depots and transit-oriented development.

It will be no exaggeration to say that non-fare box revenue will comprise minimum of 60% of the total revenue.

The vision for Pune metro is to give a world-class sustainable urban transport to the city that Punekars will be proud of.

My earliest memories of Pune

My first tryst with Pune was in 1982 when I arrived here as a young railway engineer for training at Indian Railway Institute of Civil Engineers (IRICEN). Then the city widely dubbed as “Queen of the Deccan” had a population of barely 1.2 million. Due to the preponderance of bicycles dotting its landscape, Pune acquired the tag of ‘City of Bicycles”. As I immersed in the body fabric of Pune and Punekars, in no time I was awestruck with the great lineage of history, heritage and culture of the city.

One change that I want to see in Pune: Vision for Pune is to give a world-class sustainable urban transport to the city that Punekars will be proud of.

Wi-Fi connection to be available in Delhi metro trains soon

Parnika krishna

10/07/2019

Wi-Fi connection to be available in Delhi metro trains soon

New Delhi (Metro Rail News): Commuters travelling by Delhi Metro will soon be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi not only at the stations, but even on moving trains. The six stations of the Airport Express Line were the first to provide the facility in 2016, and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will start free Wi-Fi services in moving trains on the same corridor around end-2019.

The mechanism through which commuters will be able to access Wi-Fi onboard moving trains is a two-level network. The official explained that, “It is a train-to-tunnel (T2T) radio network that passes signal from base stations inside a tunnel to portable base stations inside head cars. The inner-train network then transmits the signal from the Wireless Access Points (WAP) in each car to the users’ devices.”

A DMRC official said, “The Wi-Fi service in Delhi Metro will be provided for free and without limitations on download speed or traffic volume. The target speed will reach up to 300 Mbps per train.” A DMRC official working on the project said that, “At the moment, the download speed for a certain user depends on the network load at the time.”

The official added that DMRC is planning to deploy a Wi-Fi network on all its corridors, except the Magenta (Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden) and Pink (Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar) Lines. Like the Airport Express Line, free Wi-Fi would be provided both at stations and in trains on all the corridors except these two lines. After the Airport Express Line, in 2017 the Blue Line (Dwarka-Noida City Centre/Vaishali) was the second corridor to provide free Wi-Fi facility to passengers at its 50 stations.

While Airport Express Line will start providing Wi-Fi facility inside moving trains by the end of this year, the Yellow Line (Samaypur Badli-HUDA City Centre) is expected to get Wi-Fi facility installed at all its stations by the end of this year.

Blue Line is the busiest corridor of the Delhi Metro network, it started providing Wi-Fi facility two years ago and uses a facility named “Oui DMRC Free Wi-Fi” at the the 50 stations of the service. Commuters can log in by searching for the Wi-Fi options on their devices and choose “Oui DMRC Free Wi-Fi” after a one-time registration through their mobile phones.

To provide its passengers with free access to the internet, DMRC had tied up with a consortium led by M/s Techno Sat Comm, which has been providing the same amenity at the six stations of the Airport Express Line from October 2016. Techno Sat also run India’s first Wi-Fi on a train service, the Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express.

Bangalore Metro to become six-coaches train by Dec 2019

Sona Sagar

10/07/2019

Bangalore Metro to become six-coaches train by Dec 2019

Bangalore (Metro Rail News): Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has again pushed the deadline to convert all its three coach train sets into six-coaches. The new deadline is December. Earlier, BMRCL had planned to convert all 50 of its three-coach trains from Phase One by September. The deadline has been pushed because the testing of each coach is a time-consuming process.

A senior BMRCL official said that we are converting three to four trains each month into six-coach ones. We have been receiving two to three new train sets every month to be added to our existing three-coaches, but they cannot be immediately inducted. Every night after the operations are over, we start running the new coaches to test them according to our safety standards. Once satisfied, we add them. So far, we have 15 six-coach trains running on the Purple line and one six-coach train running on the Green Line. The former is a more popular route. By December, we aim to induct all 50 trains as six-coaches in the Purple and the Green line.

The official added that in total, 268 trips are being run every day on the Purple and the Green line of the Metro. Riders say that six coaches are better as not the trains are less crowded and there is also a separate reserved coach for women. In the second phase, we have only called tenders for six-coach trains so that we do not have to convert them later.

BMRCL official said that in the second phase, we have only called tenders for six-coach trains so that we do not have to convert them later

BMRCL spokesperson BL Yashavanth Chavan said that the additional coaches for conversion are being supplied by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and the total cost of conversion into six coaches is Rs 1421 crores.

Tenders have been called for 216 new trains for Reach Five of Phase Two of Metro. 42 new train sets for extension of Phase One (East-West and North-South corridors) of Metro are also being supplied by BEML at a cost of Rs 362 crores. We are yet to call tenders for trains for Reach Six. The first six-coach train was introduced to the Purple Line in June 2018 and in January this year, it was added on the Green Line.

last-mile connectivity via a ropeway in Mumbai

Sona Sagar

10/07/2019

last-mile connectivity via a ropeway in Mumbai

MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): People in two western suburbs might not just have the Metro rail to look forward to but also a ropeway to make their way home from the Metro station.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has approved a Rs 3,500-crore integration project to provide last-mile connectivity via a ropeway from Metro rail stations.

Ropeway route

Two routes, Malad-Marve and Borivali-Gorai, were approved for the ropeway project on Monday by the planning authority chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

As per the plan, routes connecting Malad and Borivali Metro stations (Metro-2A) will have ropeway links to Marve and Gorai, respectively, thus providing east-west connectivity.

Sources in MMRDA looped in about the project said M/s Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Ltd (IPRCL) was appointed to prepare a detailed project report to understand if ropeways could be implemented on these two routes, both of which would be 4.5 km long.

The two routes are likely to have halts in between for people to get down.

RA Rajeev, MMRDA commissioner said that ropeway is quite popular and successful in New York, Colombia, Turkey etc. In a city like Mumbai where people are facing traffic problems, such initiatives can be useful. If these pilot projects are successful, we may initiate a few more like them.

An official said that officials from the authority said that the multi-modal project would help in facilitating or improving public amenities such as footpaths, cycle tracks, parking zones, traffic signals, street lighting, CCTVs, path-finding maps, feeder services, street furniture and so on. The project will rejuvenate the entire road network below all Metro corridors.

CM Devendra Fadnavis said that constructing Metro corridors does not mean only providing transport facility to travel from one end to another. It must be a total experience for the commuters, meaning the provision of last-mile connectivity along with the paraphernalia of facilities that will encourage you to travel.

Apart from this, the MMRDA has decided to finance Konkan Irrigation Development Corporation for construction of Kavdas Dam. This will form part of the Surya Dam project which is being implemented by MMRDA. The KIDC will secure permissions required for acquiring land, rehabilitating project-affected people and preparing an environmental impact study.

Aerial Lift

Two routes, Malad-Marve and Borivali-Gorai, approved for ropeway

The east-west link-up project would help in facilitating or improving other public amenities

There’d be space for footpaths, cycle tracks, parking zones and so on

Will also help revive road network below all Metro corridors.

Surat Metro phase I to start from Surat Dream City to Kadarshala Naval

Kanika Verma

10/07/2019

SURAT (Metro Rail News): Metro work will start in Surat soon. A meeting was organized in Surat today in which it was decided that the first phase of Metro will be started from Surat Dream city to Kadarshala.

The meeting was done at Gandhinagar today at the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Mukesh Puri, which was attended by officials of Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation and M/o. The commissioner was present. As per the decision, the Gujarat Government has decided to implement Surat Municipal Corporation. The commissioner has been named as “Managing Director” of Surat Metro Rail Corporation.
From now on every metro rail meeting will be done at Surat and every issue will be discussed in it and urgently new staff will be appointed for it. In the first phase, “Surat Dream City to Kadarsh Ki Nala” will have to be metro.

It is worth mentioning that the DPR of the Metro Rail Project in Surat was approved. Rs 12,114 crore DPR has been approved for Surat Metro. In which both the central and the state government will contribute 50-50% In the first phase, two corridors of Metro will be prepared.

The first corridor will be 22 km from Sarathana to Khajad Dreamstate while the second corridor will be ready on a 19-kilometer route from Sarolini. Now, Surat’s traffic problem will be relaxed even when Surat gets metro rail.

Bids approved for Bahrain Metro Rail project

Kanika Verma

09/07/2019

Bids approved for Bahrain Metro Rail project

Bahrain (Metro Rail News): Three bids to provide transaction advisory services for the Bahrain Metro Rail project has made it on to the shortlist.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication has announced that Al Zayani Engineering, KPMG, and PwC have been shortlisted to assist in the delivery of a USD 2billion project that forms a component of the kingdom’s Public Transport Masterplan 2030.

The successful bidder will consult on the financial, technical and legal documents that will accompany the tender of the design, construction, and operation of phase one of the development.

The project will feature a 184km network made up of six lines and is being implemented in four phases. In the first phase, two lines running 30km will be built covering 20 stations.

Bids from Deloitte, Gulf International Bank, Lazard Freres, Parsons Global Services and Ernst & Young were rejected by the ministry.

CM clears ₹3,500-crore multimodal system to connect all Metro stations in Mumbai

Kanika Verma

09/07/2019

CM clears ₹3,500-crore multimodal system to connect all Metro stations in Mumbai

MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): On Monday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cleared big-ticket projects for the financial capital, including an integrated multimodal system to connect the proposed Metro stations.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) 148th meeting of the board also cleared the appointment of the Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Ltd to prepare a detailed report for the ropeway projects between Malad and Marve and from Gorai to Borivali, each 4.5 km long.

The ropeway is vital to establish the East-West connectivity for the Metro and jetty works along the coast. This can also establish connectivity to Malad Metro station on Metro-2A corridor, Borivali station on the Western Railway, Metro-2A, and Gorai jetty.

MMRDA said, “The ropeway is successful in New York, Colombia, and Turkey,” R.A. Rajeev, Metropolitan Commissioner.

He said, “In cities like Mumbai where people are facing traffic problems, such initiatives can be useful. If these pilot projects are successful, we may undertake a few more projects”.

The ₹3,500 crore multimodal integration (MMI) project for all the proposed Metro stations will provide commuters a smooth transit experience and also achieve the State’s objective of providing the last-mile connectivity. The MMI aims to facilitate works such as widened footpaths, bicycle tracks, parking zones, traffic signal improvement, street lighting, installing CCTV cameras, path-finding maps, feeder services, and street furniture Mr. Fadnavis said.

He further added officials present in the meeting said the CM directed the MMRDA to work out a way of reducing the cost. “Constructing Metro corridors does not mean only providing transport facility from one end to another”.

He said, “It must be a total experience for the commuters, meaning the provision of last-mile connectivity along with the facilities that will encourage one to travel — and travel in comfort”. The meeting was attended by Cabinet Ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and Yogesh Sagar, and mayors of various cities.

The CM also granted approval to the finance from the MMRDA to the Konkan Irrigation Development Corporation (KIDC) for construction of Kavdas dam, which is part of the Surya dam project. The MMRDA will soon sign an MoU with the KIDC.

“This will form part of the Surya dam project, which is being executed by the MMRDA. While we finance, it will be the responsibility of the KIDC to secure permissions, acquire land, rehabilitate PAPs, and prepare an environmental impact assessment report”, Mr. Rajeev said.

The logo of the Maha Mumbai Metro (M3) Operation Corporation was also unveiled at the meeting, which suggests an infinite loop formed with three Ms. It describes how M3 offers a seamless and continuous service in the operation and maintenance of the 12 Metro lines as they connect various parts of the metropolitan region. While the green in the identity stands for environmental consciousness, the blue stands for solidity and trust.

Property owners in Kasturinagar seek full acquisition for Namma Metro

Kanika Verma

09/07/2019

Property owners in Kasturinagar seek full acquisition for Namma Metro

BANGALORE (Metro Rail News): Owners of properties in Kasturinagar have demanded that Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) acquire whole properties for the Namma Metro project. They fear that the partial acquisition of their properties will cause hardship and result in financial losses too.

BMRCL has reportedly identified several properties on the Ring Road in Kasturinagar to build the metro elevated line as part of the K.R. Puram to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) route. Property owners, in their requisition to BMRCL, said the present width of the road, where BMRCL is planning to build the elevated line, is 18 ft on the southern side and 28 ft on the northern side. Building metro piers would worsen traffic congestion, they added.

The owners also claimed that the presence of a water pipeline under the road and hard rock will make the construction a difficult task for BMRCL.

Chandrashekar H.M., a property owner, said, “The proposal to build the metro line has jeopardized our future. If they go for partial acquisition, we are going to lose property value. The metro project will also block access to our buildings. Already some tenants have already stopped paying rent.”

On the same line, near HBR Layout, property owners had earlier opposed the construction of HBR station citing that it would contest the service road.

Responding to the demand, a BMRCL official said: “BMRCL is acquiring identified properties as per the requirement. During acquisition, the owners do come with various suggestions on exempting their properties from the acquisition or fully acquiring their properties. The BMRCL will acquire the properties as per the requirement for the line.”

Delhi Metro Phase-IV project can’t wait: Supreme Court

Kanika Verma

09/07/2019

Delhi Metro Phase-IV project can’t wait: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Delay between the Centre and the Delhi government over financial aspects of Delhi Metro’s 104-km phase-IV came under the scanner of the Supreme Court it said on Monday that it would pass the order in the matter as the “project cannot wait”.

A bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta was told by senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in pollution matter, that the project is “critical” and the pending issue should be resolved soon.

Aparajita Singh referred to a recent report of Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) which said that the approval for “103.94 km phase IV of the Delhi Metro has been held up since 2014 when the project was submitted to the Union government for its approval”.

“There is a stalemate in the discussions between the Union Government and the Delhi government on different financial aspects of the project. The Delhi government has on April 10, 2019, communicated its direction that DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation) would not start work of Delhi Metro phase-IV till these issues are resolved”, the report said.

The amicus told the bench that issues which are not resolved are — bearing of the operational loss, repayment of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan in case of default, sharing of land cost and taxes.

Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that project financing has been done in consonance with the Metro Rail Policy of August 2017 and metro projects of other cities like Bhopal, Indore, Kanpur, Patna, and Agra have been sanctioned on the same financial pattern as of Delhi metro phase-IV.

The bench asked Nadkarni about the past practice on the liability of taxes among the Centre and states as well as regarding who bears the cost of land.

Nadkarni said he would take instructions on these aspects and get back to the court.

The bench posted the matter for hearing on July 12 and said, “You take instructions. We will pass the order. This project cannot wait”.

The EPCA, in its report filed in the court, has said that phase-IV of the Delhi Metro is “critical as it will add another 104 km to the network” and “it is designed to join the current network and will densify it and make the system more viable and attractive to commuters.”

Thailand’s Pan-Asia bullet train routes to connect Beijing and Singapore

Kanika Verma

09/07/2019

Thailand’s Pan-Asia bullet train routes to connect Beijing and Singapore

BANGKOK (Metro Rail News): Thailand has begun constructing routes for its planned Trans-Asean bullet train line that will connect Beijing, Laos, and Singapore. The proposed modern transport system is part of the government’s plan to make Thailand the logistics center for ASEAN. The railway project is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative along with Thailand’s Transportation Ministry.

2.07 trillion baht or S$91.4 billion is the estimated cost for the entire project .

The first route is the Thai-Sino project which links Bangkok to Nong Khai in Laos. The line is expected to be completed by 2023 and is estimated to be 608km long. Additional connecting lines to Vientiane and to the Chinese province of Mohan shall also be constructed.

The bullet train will reduce travel time from Vientiane to Mohan from two days to only three hours, said by a Thai transport official.

Bang Sue will be the grand station and central point of convergence for all the lines according to the State Railway of Thailand. The massive four-story central station shall be linked to Thailand’s Blue Line, Airport Rail Link, and other train routes to provinces.

Thailand is also in talks with Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia regarding the preparation of railway industry standards and financials for bullet trains and subways.

Once the planned routes are completed train travel to Beijing and Singapore through Thailand will be possible

The Central Route includes stations at Kunming in China, Yuxi, Mohan, Vientiane in Laos, Bangkok in Thailand, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Singapore.

The Eastern Route includes stations in Kunming, Yuxi, Mengzi, Hekou, Hanoi an Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, and Bangkok.

The Southern Route which is currently under study plans a line from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Deputy Transport Minister Pailin Chuchottaworn said that “Thais will be able to take high-speed trains to the Chinese capital and Singapore from a railway station in Bang Sue in the future”.

Exclusive Interview with Sanjeev Subhedar, EVP & Head – Engineering Solutions, Datamatics Global Services

Narendra Shah

09/07/2019

Exclusive Interview with Sanjeev Subhedar, EVP & Head – Engineering Solutions, Datamatics Global Services

Metro Rail News has conducted Exclusive Interview with Mr. Sanjeev Subhdar, EVP & Head Engineering solution, Datamatics Global Services Limited, to know about new trends & technology in ticketing. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

What is your vision for Metro Rail?

Ans: The Metro Rail transits that are being built in India are quite advanced and futuristic in many aspects. Datamatics is a contributor for Automated Fare Collection (AFC) in this domain. We provide state-of-the-art technology in our projects, which is better off than many places in the western world. This is mainly because the latter were installed few years ago. In comparison, the technology that we provide today is quite advanced.

Datamatics’ vision is to provide ‘futuristic AFC solutions’ by using cutting edge technologies, such as Face Recognition, Blockchain for accounting, Account Based Ticketing system, Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) driven journey support, and Big Data. We also envision providing far superior user experience using Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in this field.

What are the Challenges of Multi-modal transport Ticketing?

Ans: The current maturity of technology is quite capable of handling multi-modal ticketing. The real challenge is that the different transport operators do not participate in the initiative of common ticketing initiatives. Many reasons exist for their staying away from such initiatives, for example, they serve different segments and price points, face issues related to profitability and social responsibility compelling them for Fare structure. Such Fare structure restricts sharing revenue, transaction fees, etc. Hence the common ticketing commercial agreement amongst the different transport operators has not culminated so far and the initiative has not taken-off.

Do you have any comment on One Nation-One Card?

Ans: ‘One Nation One Card’ is a very good initiative. Lot of work is needed from the government and regulatory authorities to realize this vision. At present, even a fully-operational multi-modal city-wide system is not functional. So we have a long way to go. It is a significant beginning and hopefully we will collectively achieve this vision sooner than later.

What is the future of Biometric based ticketing system in India?

Ans: At present the Biometric based ticketing is not fully ready to meet the requirements of ticketing scenarios mainly due to the speed of biometric recognition and some other technical limitations. But it will catch up. As far as India is concerned, the problem becomes more complex as the crowd and footfall at transit points is humongous.

What are the features of ticketing solution deployed for Lucknow Metro?

Ans: Lucknow Metro is the fastest executed AFC project so far in India while abiding with all the quality parameters and setting new benchmarks in the process. The state-of-the-art AFC system is designed to be highly secure, scalable, and reliable. The system uses smart gates, which accept contactless fare media. The Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs), Add Value Machines (AVMs), Ticket Office Machines (TOM), and Excess Fare Office (EFO) machines are very user-friendly and modern, powered by the latest technology. The high usage of TVMs is a clear indicator of its user-friendly design. The modularity of the system allows integration with new technologies and fare media, such as Quick Reference Code (QR Code), Near Field Communication (NFC), etc. thus enhancing the overall capability of the system and reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) for the transit operators. The transactions are made fully secure through the use of unique security keys and secure access module (SAM). This inhibits editing or copying of the fare media thus preventing fraud.

The system significantly reduces operational costs, ensures zero revenue leakage, along with monitored access and transit. The system is integrated with a Central Clearing House System (CCHS) at Lucknow, India and is capable of extending the fare media / smart card, christened ‘GoSmart card’, for multi-modal transit all over Lucknow thus making the ‘One City One Card’ paradigm a powerful venture for the near future.

The system is highly scalable and can cater to many transit agencies within and outside Lucknow. This card can also be used for non-transit service payments, such as property tax, BSNL mobile payment, etc. The card can even be extended to fulfill the ‘One Nation One Card’ exemplar or multi-modal transit all over the country, in the long run.

Do you think mobile ticketing will capture smartcard ticketing market?

Ans: Mobile is changing many things in our lives. It is expected that smart cards such as credit/debit, ID, Access, etc., will be replaced by ‘the mobile’ as it can emulate a smart card. As the mobile progressively replaces such smart cards, the same will happen to smart cards related to ticketing as well. However, it is a gradual process and will take some time. NFC and QR code will however speed-up the replacement of smart card tickets even before the mobile emulation method is used in AFC solutions.

What is virtual ticketing concept? Does it really work?

Ans: Virtualization is happening to so many things and will happen to ticketing media as well. Virtual Ticketing is another form of fare collection to manage rush hour traffic and footfall in order to avoid congestion and bottlenecks. Like many other changes it is also a change that would happen at certain pace and will take its own time. With appropriate technology and implementation there is no reason it will not work.

How Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning(ML) can be implementedin AFC?

Ans: There are many things, such as journey time optimization, ticket cost optimization, multi-stop round-trip planning, etc., which require data, and are possible only with AI/ML. Needless to say, Big Data will be an essential component of the solution.

What is Automatic Fare Collection Gate ‘Swagat’ and an Open Loop Automatic Fare Collection System ‘Sweekar’?

Ans: SWAGAT is an Automatic Gate developed by BEL in collaboration with few other government agencies and SWEEKAR is a fare collection solution developed similarly. They are designed to accept Open Loop cards and the National Common Mobility Cards (NCMC).

What kind of AFC system likely to installed in Mumbai Metro line 2&7 and their features?

Ans: Mumbai Metro Line 2&7 AFC system is very advanced yet very simple. It uses Mobile Ticketing with a simple and user-friendly app, QR code for a single journey, and a smart card for other types such as monthly passes, stored value mode, etc. The technology and the devices provided are fully ready for using Open Loop ticketing, such as contactless credit/debit cards, instead of using proprietary media, such as operator-specific smart cards and paper tickets.

The equipment, which is being supplied is state-of-the-art and very robust. Special consideration has been given while designing the equipment for the Mumbai environment, i.e. is temperature, humidity, etc., as well as anticipated heavy usage due to high footfall and ridership. The ridership is expected to be 2.0 million passengers per day. This footfall volume is one of the highest in the world given that it is only 53 stations that too covering only a part of the Mumbai city.

What are your new innovations for ticketing system and how it can help Metro operators to improve efficiency and reduce costs?

Ans: Datamatics is very keen on making use of innovative technologies to control and monetize increasing footfall as well as eliminate revenue leakage at all crowded transit points. We have already implemented many cutting edge technologies available in the AFC domain in our projects. QR code is fast replacing the single journey smart tokens thus saving huge operational costs for the transport operators. Mobile ticketing is likely to save costs in a big way. As Biometrics based ticketing becomes a reality, huge costs will be saved as the need of fare media, such as smart cards, paper tickets, etc., will substantially reduce.

Do you serve to any other market segment aside from Metro Railway?

Ans: We are in many other segments such as, Automatic Tolling, Parking, Payment solutions, Retail Solutions, etc. AFC is just one of our focus segments.

Datamatics has an independent Engineering Solutions and Services practice. The company offers development, maintenance, integration, and testing of fare media solutions, front-end devices, station-level systems, and back-end systems for metro rail, bus, light rail, mono-rail, parking lots, etc.

Datamatics also provides turnkey Engineering Solutions for mobility, internet of things (IoT), machine-to-machine (M2M) service enablement, and smart cities. The company has the expertise and domain knowledge in Automotive, Consumer, Industrial, Retail, Healthcare, Transport, and Ancillary Banking. Using this, Datamatics enables building intelligent and futuristic connected devices and solutions that leverage IoT and M2M services for smart cities.

Railways Production Units people will not lose jobs: Piyush Goyal

Sona Sagar

08/07/2019

Railways Production Units people will not lose jobs: Piyush Goyal

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday asserted that the national transporter has no plans to sell government assets and people will not lose jobs due to corporatisation, allaying fears among its production unit workers that the factories will be given to private parties.

The minister rather showed confidence within the railways producing units, which have produced state-of-the-art coaches like in Train 18 and are in the process of making Train 20, by indicating that the railways will invest in creating metro coaches and stock.

He told PTI in an interview that, we are not selling off government assets. Everybody’s jobs will be protected. Like we have IRCON, RITES – they are all corporatized government companies and amidst disquiet in its production units about the railway’s proposal to hive them off as one corporate entity.

In fact, the allocation for rolling stock has increased from Rs 3,724.93 crore in 2018-2019 to Rs 6,114.82 crore in 2019-2020. It was announced in the interim budget prepared by Goyal in February this year. Goyal held the finance portfolio at that time.

This will include investment for state-of-the-art coaches, train sets and even metro coaches.

Piyush Goyal told PTI that our role will be more in creating metro coaches and metro stock.

As of now, only the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai produces such coaches for the Kolkata Metro.

The term ‘rolling stock’ in rail transport refers to any vehicle that moves on tracks. It includes coaches, wagons and train sets.

Railways has got a budgetary allocation of Rs 65,837 crore and the highest ever outlay for capital expenditure amounting to Rs 1.60 lakh crore in the Union Budget 2019-20.

Presenting the Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said railway infrastructure would need an investment of Rs 50 lakh crore between 2018 and 2030.

Goyal said that Rs 50 lakh core investment mentioned by the finance minister will be needed to modernise stations and build passenger amenities.

He said that we have drawn up the whole programme. Some of the old projects like 100 per cent electrification, advanced signalling and station development were already there. Now, we have to work out how to create additional capacities so that our modal share of freight can go up, cost of logistics come down and our passengers along with good amenities get more avenues to travel by trains to reach their preferred destination.

Goyal added that all this will entail more doubling, tripling, new dedicated freight corridors, some semi high speed freight corridors, very large gamut of investments in different sectors, regional connectivity and connectivity to aspirational districts. We have worked this out both through government expenditure and public-private partnership.

Sitharaman in her address had said given the capital expenditure outlays of railways at around Rs 1.5 to Rs 1.6 lakh crore per annum, completing all sanctioned projects will take decades. She proposed to use public-private partnership to unleash faster development and completion of tracks, rolling stock manufacturing and delivery of passenger freight services.

Goyal said the country should have an open mind about such investments, adding if there were viable projects that could generate additional revenue, he was open to them.

He said that wherever there are opportunities and viability of attracting more investments and better services for the passengers, we will keep an open mind. The passengers have a right to better services.

Goyal further added that if there are economically viable projects and people are willing to invest in them, why not? For example, if Coal India opened a new mine and they need a railway line and a siding, why should railways invest in it? Coal India need it to move their coal, so they can invest in it. We can co-invest in them. Whenever there are opportunities which are viable, we should have an open mind.

The railways minister also said increase in diesel prices would not affect the national transporter as it was moving swiftly towards electrification of all its routes.

He said that we are moving so rapidly on electrification that I do not see any significant impact. Railways is carrying almost half of its freight and passengers on electrified routes now. The speed of electrification is so fast that in the next three or four years, we will not have any need for diesel. So, I am not worried.

Railways has set a target of electrifying 7,000 route kilometers in 2019-20.

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