Vande Bharat Express completes 1.35 Lakh Km and still counting

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Vande Bharat Express completes 1.35 Lakh Km and still counting

DELHI (Metro Rail News): Vande Bharat formerly known as Train 18, India’s first engine-less semi high-speed train, started its operation in mid-February and attained a great achievement. The train runs at a speed of 104 km/hour between Ghaziabad and Allahabad, which is termed to be the average highest speed in India.

The Vande Bharat Express was designed and built in Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai under the Government of India’s Make in India initiative over a span of 18 months.

Two of the center compartments are first class compartments that have 52 seats each and the rest being the coach compartments which have 78 seats.
It has a driver cabin at both ends of the train. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged off Vande Bharat train on February 15 from New Delhi railway station. 

The high-speed train has the best amenities including high-speed onboard WiFi, GPS based passenger based information system, touch-free bio vacuum, LED lightings, mobile charging points, and a climate control system that automatically adjusts the temperature.

In May 2019, the indigenously-built  Vande Bharat had completed one lakh kilometer run time without missing a single trip. 

Till now the train has covered at least 1.35 lakh kilometer and is still counting. To make sure that the train runs at a high-speed, the Indian Railway has done major changes. The Indian Railway has awarded the loco-pilot of the train for maintaining peak speed.

It began its operation in February 2019. The train runs through three different zones- Northern railway, Northern-central railway, and North-eastern railway. The train covers more than 600 km from Gautam Buddh Nagar’s Chipyana Buzurg to Allahabad Junction.

Vande Bharat Express operates five days a week and it’s departure time from New Delhi is 6 a.m. and the train reaches Varanasi at 2 p.m.

The Railway Ministry has initiated many changes in the train. According to the experience of passengers, toilet facility has markedly improved from other trains, for providing better catering services the ministry is also planning to provide a pantry car for the train. Even window glasses have also changed to prevent it from stone-pelting instances.

Paytm introduces Metro Route Search for commuters

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Paytm introduces Metro Route Search for commuters

Noida (Metro rail news): Paytm has announced the launch of Metro Route Search – a feature that can be used by commuters to plan their journey. The feature is available in all 10 cities that have metro rail facility including Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Lucknow, Kochi, and Jaipur.

Features

The feature does not just suggest a route between origin and destination but also provides estimated travel time, fares, the number of stations to traverse and interchanging station for changing lines.

For scenarios where multiple routes are possible, it also recommends the best route, taking into account the travel time and the number of times the metro lines are to be changed during the journey.

Step to use the Metro Route Search feature on Paytm?

  1. Open Paytm app and click on the ‘Metro’ icon.
  2. Select your city and click on Route Search.
  3. Select your origin and destination stations and click on the search button to view the routes.
  4. The feature would suggest the route and also show you the journey time between the selected stations.

“At Paytm, we constantly think of ways for improving the travel experience of our users. The Metro Route Search is yet another step towards offering a more convenient way for metro travellers to smartly plan their journey. We witnessed an overwhelming response to this feature within hours of making it live on the app. We have many more innovative features in the pipeline that will help improve our users’ journey experience across all modes of transport.” Said Abhishek Rajan, VP, Paytm.

Paytm has been a pioneer in launching innovative features for Flight, Bus, and Train travellers. Previously, they had launched FREE Cancellation that allows users to cancel their travel ticket without requiring to pay any cancellation charges. Other popular features include Live Train Tracking, Quick Book and Voice Search that were rolled out to make train ticket booking, seamless experience for users.

J&K Likely to get Light Metro, work may begin by Dec 2019

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J&K Likely to get Light Metro, work may begin by Dec 2019

Jammu & Srinagar (Metro Rail News): Jammu and Srinagar likely to get Light Rail Transit System corridors. The detail projects reports (DPR) for both the place have been completed.

The government has formed the Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MRDA) to manage the much-hyped project to expedite various schemes.

Rajeev Ranjan, the managing director of MRDA said that If everything goes according to plan, the work on these prestigious projects could begin by the end of this year and the report will be submitted before the Union Cabinet by the next month for the final approval,

He further said, “It is not an underground project because that is not feasible in J&K.”  He named the project as a light metro, which is different from the metro. It is an alleviated project in which an engine could be driving three coaches.

This project will require around Rs 10,000 crores for its completion. Rajeev Ranjan said that the project will help in facilitating the travel of people in two big cities of the state. The DPR for both Jammu and Srinagar project were prepared by the RITES- a consultancy service working for development of infrastructure in Urban transport.

Raghav Langer Chief Executive officer of Jammu and Kashmir said,” We got the project report prepared last year and now it is being handled by a separate authority.”

Srinagar corridor Details

Officials said the distance between the intersections will be around one kilometre. The Srinagar corridor will have 24 stations with 12 each in the two parts of the corridor. The corridor-I will be spread over 12.5km and will begin from HMT (Shalteng) till Indra Nagar, which is close to the Army’s 15 Corps headquarters. The corridor-II will cover a distance of 12.5km and will begin from Osmanabad till Hazuri Bagh in the heart of city.

Jammu Corridor Details

The Jammu city will also have a two-part corridor of 23km length. The Corridor-I will begin from Bantalab to Greater Kalash and will have 17 stations. It will pass through the heart of Jammu city.

Jammu Metro Route Map
Jammu Metro Rote Map

Both the corridors will have major depots. The Corridor II will start from Udheywala and end at Exhibition ground and will have six stations.

The Metro Man E Sreedharan, who was appointed as an advisor by the J&K government had also visited the sites of both the projects and given a go ahead.

Mumbai to Pune in less than 30 Minutes

Kanika Verma
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Mumbai to Pune in less than 30 Minutes

MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): There is hardly any doubt about the fact that hyperloop is probably the next big thing in transportation space. But, what if we told you that it can reduce travel time between Mumbai and Pune to under 30 minutes. Virgin Hyperloop One has proposed a plan that will help people to travel from Mumbai to Pune under 30 minutes. According to news reports, Virgin Hyperloop One will begin working on the project by December 2019. Virgin Hyperloop is an American transportation technology company that works to commercialize the high-speed technology concept called Hyperloop. 

An agreement to build a hyperloop route between Mumbai and Pune was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Virgin Chairman Sir Richard Branson. The full project is proposing to link Central Pune, the Navi Mumbai International Airport and Central Mumbai – with a potential commute time of 25 minutes.

Recently Hyperloop One officially tweeted: “Pune to Mumbai in under 30 minutes. Are you ready?”

The distance between Mumbai and Pune is around 150 km. By road, it takes more than 3 hours to reach Pune and by train, the scheduled time is 2.30 hours, however, the Hyperloop One promises to cover the same distance within 25 minutes. It is expected to benefit more than 25 million travellers and it would also connect Navi Mumbai International airport to Pune.

The company plans to take the technology to other routes as well. It believes that there are five viable routes between different Indian cities with estimated 55-minute commute for a Delhi-Jaipur-Indore-Mumbai system, 50-minute for a Mumbai-Bangalore-Chennai commute, 41-minute for a Bangalore-Thiruvananthapuram commute and 20-minute for a Bangalore-Chennai commute on the hyperloop system.

The first phase will be opened as a trial run which will cover 15 km initially and later it will be extended till Pune. The project is likely to be completed by 2023. Hyperloop One is expected to invest $500 million in the first phase of the development. 

Bullet train project to affect 54,000 mangroves on 13 hectares

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Bullet train project to affect 54,000 mangroves on 13 hectares

Mumbai (Metro Rail News): The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor will be affecting 54,000 mangroves spread over 13.36 hectares, this project is commonly called the bullet train project, said state transport minister Diwakar Raote on Monda

He replied to a question raised by Shiv Sena legislator Maneesha Kayande in the state Legislative Council.

He stated, “There will be no cutting of trees and there will no threat of flooding to some parts of Navi Mumbai and the pillars of the project will be high so that there is no damage caused to the environment.”

Raote informed in his written reply, “As per my information, farmers are keen on handing over their land for appropriate remuneration.” In this multi-billion dollar project the state government has suggested to plant five plants for each one tree that will be removed.

The project, expected to cost over ₹1 lakh crore, is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Replying to another question raised by Congress MLC Sharad Ranpise, Raote said, “The proposed land acquisition for the bullet train project is 1,379 hectares of which 724.13 hectares is private land in Gujarat while 270.65 hectares is in Maharashtra.”

“In Palghar district 188 hectares of private land is going to be acquired of which 2.95 hectares has been purchased as per the ‘private negotiation’ policy of the state government. Due to the bullet train project 3,498 people from Palghar will be affected.” Said Raote.

Raote said, “84.81 hectares belonging to 6,589 farmers has been acquired in Thane district, of which 2.95 hectares has been purchased as per the private negotiation policy.”

Many years ago the state government introduced private negotiation as a policy in which the land is bought directly from the owner instead of following the land acquisition procedure which normally takes more time.

Namma Metro Purple Line at risk

Kanika Verma
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Namma Metro Purple Line at risk

BENGALURU (Metro Rail News): Metro Rail operations on the Purple Line between Baiyappanahalli and Nayandahalli could have been pulverized any time in the 21-day period between May 15 and June 5 due to a glaring lack of security.

A whopping 1.225 tonnes of copper wires, valued at Rs 5 lakh and installed for earthing on the ‘third rail’ that electrically powers the Metro Rail, was found removed and missing — basically stolen.

Earthing is crucial to protect not only the system but also human life as it provides an alternative path for dangerous currents to flow so that accidents due to electric shock and damage to the equipment can be avoided. With copper, totally 490 meters in length, missing, the entire electrical system powering the trains on the line could have been destroyed, halting Namma Metro services for long hours until repaired.

KVST Raju, the BMRCL engineer who filed the complaint, told the police that 257 meters of copper conductor installed in the upline and 233 meters installed in the downline (totally 490 meters) had been stolen between May 15 and June 5. May 15 was the last confirmed report of the copper being in place.

The theft came to light only on June 5 and was detected, not by the track maintenance workers who are supposed to keep a check on it daily, but by a loco-pilot at the controls of a train moving between Baiyappanahalli and Swami Vivekananda stations.

Delhi Metro’s Violet line Operation to be affected for a week

Kanika Verma
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Delhi Metro’s Violet line Operation to be affected for a week

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Metro services on the Violet Line will be affected for a week starting Monday as Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) undertakes track maintenance work.

The metro operator issued a Violet Line update on its official Twitter account which stated: “DMRC will be undertaking planned track maintenance work at one of the reversal sides of trains at Kashmere Gate station for a period of around one week starting today.”

“Due to this, frequency of trains may witness slight variation during this period,” it said.

DMRC is known for posting regular updates about delays in metro service in advance.

Systra Submits revise feasibility report for Thiruvananthapuram- Kasaragod Semi HSR line

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Systra Submits revise feasibility report for Thiruvananthapuram- Kasaragod Semi HSR line

Kerala (Metro Rail News): The State government demand to lay the third and fourth railway line parallel to the existing double line and as per their request the Kerala Railway Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDCL) revised the alignment of the 531-km semi-high-speed railway line from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod.

The initial 300 km of the third and fourth railway line from Kochuveli in the capital to Thrissur will also be mostly parallel to the existing railway track.

The feasibility report submitted by the Paris-based engineering and consulting group Systra, general consultant of the KRDCL proposed in the report from Thirunavaya to Kasaragod, it will be parallel to the existing line with railway bypasses at Vadakara and Thalassery.

The new alignment proposed will be 80% parallel to the existing tracks up to Thrissur and 90% from Thirunavaya to Kasaragod. Minister for Public Works G. Sudhakaran had suggested the revision of the alignment when the feasibility report was submitted. The curves in the intial 300-km corridor will have to be straightened to lay the high speed railway line.

KRDCL, the special purpose vehicle set up to execute ‘viable’ projects on a cost-sharing basis between the State and Railways, has submitted the revised alignment to the government for approval.

Official sources told that the approval of the government is awaited for the alignment to go ahead with the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR). The KRDCL board had already approved the feasibility report prepared by Systra that had found the semi-high-speed railway line traversing through 11 districts ‘feasible and financially viable’. The report has put the estimated cost of the project at ₹56,000 crore, including cost of land acquisition.

Sources said, “The revised alignment does not make much changes in the extent of land (1200 hectares) to be acquired. But, the cost of land acquisition will go up as developed areas will have to be acquired again.”

Once government approval is received, the KRDCL can forward the feasibility report to Railways and go ahead with the detailed traffic study, soil investigation and environment impact assessment study, sources said.

Semi-high-speed trains will move at 130-180 km per hour to cover the north-south rail corridor from Kochuveli to Kasaragod in four hours. Air-conditioned train sets on the lines of the newly introduced Train 18 have been proposed.

Biometric Ticketing – Is it just a buzz or the need of the hour?

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Biometric Ticketing – Is it just a buzz or the need of the hour?

Use of biometric devices for identification, authentication, and access control (security) has been prevalent for a long time. The biometric devices use physiological or behavioral uniqueness of a living human being to identify and then automate a particular task for him or her. The most widely used biometric devices are fingerprint scanners, iris scanners, voice recognition engines, and off late facial recognition. Of all these biometric devices, fingerprints are the ones that have been in use for the longest time.  Finger-prints have been used as an acceptance or authorization of a transaction the world over. They have also been used for record keeping and identification of people with criminal history by the law enforcement agencies.   During the last few years, an increase in reliability of the finger scan readers coupled with the drop in per unit cost has resulted in the adoption of the finger scan technology for various use cases. 

In recent years, the finger scanning is being used for making quick ticket payments less the frills of carrying plastic money and remembering the security PIN. Popularly known as biometric ticketing, the finger scan readers have started appearing on fare revenue collection devices in the transportation environment. Rightly so, we are witnessing a significant shift to Biometric Ticketing with the global Biometrics market forecasted to reach $23.54 billion by 2020.

Advantages:

  • The identity trace is infallible. Each biometric can be traced back to the right person with almost 100% accuracy thus eliminating the scope of any fraud related to ticketing or the use of a physical ticket many times over by different users.
  • Ticketing concessions for specific demographic groups, e.g. students, senior citizens, armed forces, etc., can be linked to the eligible person. The biometric identity is linked to the user’s bank account facilitating easy deposit of cash backs through concessions as against direct concession provided on a contemporary ticketing media.
  • Only the digital representation of the biometric scan extracted (minutiae) with the help of biometric algorithms is stored; the actual scan is not stored or transmitted across the network thus maintaining user privacy. This ensures complete security of the scanned data.
  • People disallowed from entering particular premises can be kept at bay right at the ticket issuing stage and restricted from entering the said premises; e.g. restricted access zones such as hospital visitor access, airports and stadiums vis-à-vis anti-social elements, etc.

Disadvantages:

  • Very high-resolution scanners are required for biometric scanning, including finger, face, iris, etc.
  • Biometrics are sometimes not readable; e.g. unreadable fingerprints due to damage or age; iris scans, which are obstructed by eye lens, cornea reflections, eyelids, and eyelashes; face obscured by hair, hats, glasses, etc.; face not recognized due to change in ambient light and changing facial expressions

Workarounds towards optimized use at the current maturity level:

  • Biometric ticketing with two-factor authentication, wherein one is a contemporary option and the second one is a biometric is the way ahead. It is instrumental in building Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) paradigm, a new regulation for making payments currently under implementation in Europe.
  • Biometric ticketing gets strengthened through repeated usage as the algorithms are current and up to date with the smallest biological change happening as a natural process of aging.

In summary:

Biometric authentication has made inroads into the Identification of individuals for various use cases across the spectrum including automated ticketing and fare collection. Currently, Biometric authentication is on the slope of enlightenment of the Gartner’s hype cycle. Biometric ticketing, which is a direct use case of this technology, is making to the mainstream mode related to payments. It is a fool-proof ticketing method with a majority of pros; albeit with a few cons. The technology has naturally found a foothold through two-factor authentication, with one of the factors predominantly being biometric. It is definitely a strong step towards building a fail-safe and robust mode of ticketing for a heterogeneous society and eliminating social evils.

Authored by

Amarbahadur Singh, Manager – Engineering Solutions, Datamatics Global Services Ltd.

This Article will be published in July 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe

To know more about Automated Fare Collection systems, visit www.datamatics.com 

Munnar likely to get the monorail once more soon

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Munnar likely to get the monorail once more soon

Munnar (Metro rail news): The new project is aiming at drawing tourists to Munnar but earlier the Kundala Valley Light railway was for moving tea leaves and transportation of people.

The train will be modelled on the monorail, Kundala Valley Light Railway, introduced by the Britishers long ago, and if everything goes well, the chugging sound of a toy train will soon fill the sir in the hilly station of Munnar.

A preliminary study has been conducted by a team from Munnar to top station, the route of the monorail introduced nearly a century ago, as part of the project. The rail was washed away in the devasting floods of 1924 and portions of the rail could be seen decorating the entrance gate of some landmark buildings of the British era.

Heritage value

The top station of the monorail has now become the name of the place. A wheel of the train is kept ta at the Kanan Devan Hills Plantation’s (KDHP) Tea Museum in Munnar. The Kundala Valley Light Railway was for moving tea leaves and transportation of people but the new project is aimed at drawing tourists to Munnar.

The KDHP official Ajoy and Idukki District Tourism Promotion Council secretary Jayan P. Vijayan has done the preliminary study. It is learnt that the KDHP has show interested in the project to be implemented in public- private partnership (PPP) mode.

The primary study report would be submitted to Railways and their officials would conduct a useful study. The project would be implemented based on their report said by the MLA, S. Rjendran.

People Protesting against BMRCL’s tree-felling plan

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People Protesting against BMRCL’s tree-felling plan

Bangalore (Metro Rail News): Guruprasad member of the Church of South India Association accused the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) of trying to cut the trees without the necessary permission. “The work on the underground metro line will happen below the church,” he reasoned.

Members of the All Saints Church joined hands with environmentalists on Sunday to stage a protest against “damage to be caused on trees on church land” by Namma Metro’s Gottigere-Nagavara line.

Guruprasad said, “We won’t allow the forests to get destroyed in the name of development, but BMRCL officials have decided to cut 100 trees without getting any clearance from the forest officials.”

They will move the high court of Karnataka against the BMRCL’s “unscientific” plan, said Joseph Hoover of the United Conservation Movement.

Hoover said, “A building can be rebuilt, but trees can’t and some of the trees are more than 100 years old and we don’t want to lose them they are part of the sacred grove.” The metro project has so far affected Fatima Bakery and the adjacent building on the church land.

 Hoover stated that, “The distance between the Vellara and Langford stations is only 877 metres. Metro officials should redesign the stretch to maintain an ideal distance of 1 km between the stations.”

BMRCL is refusing to look at the wide space on the government-owned area near the junction and is in fact, forcing the church officials to provide the land the protesters said.

The protesters said, “BMRCL has sought 40,000 square metres of church premises where differently abled children attend school. We have appealed to the chief minister to help us.”

Pune Metro to save more than Nagpur Metro: Brijesh Dixit

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Pune Metro to save more than Nagpur Metro: Brijesh Dixit

Pune (Metro Rail News): Maha Metro aims to increase that cost saving figure and believes it can do for Pune.

The Maharashtra metro Rail Corporation Ltd (Maha -Metro) declares it has the Nagpur Metro up and running with the total project cost seven percent lower than its budget.

Brijesh Dixit the Managing Director of Maha Metro says that “Nagpur metro got commissioned before time and the same will happen in Pune. The Nagpur metro is the first mega project completed in less than its estimated cost. The total project cost was ~8,680 crore and Maha Metro was able to save at least Rs 600 crore on the project.”

Maha Metro is the only public sector organisation in the country that has been able to accomplish this cost saving, as far as Dixit is concerned.

Maha – Metro is carrying out the two mega metro projects in Pune and Nagpur and is the special purpose vehicle (SPV).

The Nagpur metro is already engaged on an 11km route with commercial operations in place. 

Pune metro is scheduled to be lunch by December 2019 or January 2020.

“As per a recent survey, all mega projects in the country with a budget more than Rs. 1000 crore are delayed and there are cost escalations,” said by Dixit.

After State government announced a transit-oriented development policy in 500- meter radius around the metro stations in Pune on March8, it has fixed the maximum permissible floor space index (FSI) to four.

However, not all owners will get the benefit of four FSI under the transit- oriented development zone as it depends on the size of the plot.

How Nagpur was saved by Maha metro

Total project cost – Rs 8.680 crore

Cost saving – at least Rs 600 crore

Global tenders

Saving – Rs 200 crore

– Rakes and wagons order go to China.

– Other material being imported from Japan and other countries too be assembled in China.

Tie-ups

Saving – Rs 200 crore

Ticketing system – contract with the State Bank of India (SBI) for multi-mobility card.

– SBI bears cost of installing ticket machines and entry exit points at all metro stations.

Pune forecast

 “The same will happen in Pune. Pune metro will save even more cost.”

Said by – Brijesh Dixit, MD, Mahametro

Swargate-Katraj was delayed due to “route suggestions”

 The Pune’s Swargate to Katraj metro rail extension will miss its deadline and now only be completed as part of the second phase of the Pune Metro.

Pune metro’s first phase is expected to go live in 2021 and is on track to meet the deadline.

Maha Metro managing director Brijesh Dixit said that, “the route will be finalised, but now it will happen in the second phase of the Pune metro implying phase one will not be delayed for any reason.”

Political interference is being quoted by Maha-Metro authorities as being the cause of Pune’s Swargate to Katraj.

 “Maha-Metro has asked for the financial report on the route between Swargate and Katraj. Maha-Metro has prepared three options, including an underground metro, an elevated track on Satara road, and a third option that runs via market yard and Gangadham chowk,” metro rail extension being delayed said by Dixit.

MahaMetro was asked by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to prepare a development project report (DPR) for the Swargate to Katraj route, but local leaders are suggesting various route options, instead of opting for the straight route, on Satara road.

Maha-Metro is not able to finalise the DPR and the final route will now be delayed.

On the other hand, the Chinchwad to Nigdi metro extension is expected to be granted the central government’s permission before the onset of the state assembly elections, three months from now.

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s DPR request for the Chinchwad to Nigdi line has been submitted by Maha-Metro and has the state government’s nod.

E Sreedharan resigns as Principal Advisor to Lucknow Metro

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E Sreedharan resigns as Principal Advisor to Lucknow Metro

Lucknow (Metro Rail News): Padma Vibhushan E Sreedharan known as Metro Man has submitted his resignation as the Principal Advisor to Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) on Monday.

The former Chief of Delhi Metro handed his resignation citing health issues. The LMRC has forwarded the resignation letter to the state government for approval. Another senior officer of LMRC, Mahender Kumar, who is currently the Director of Rolling Stock, is also set to leave the LMRC on June 30, 2019.

Sreedharan was appointed as LMRC’s Principal Advisor on February 2014 is known for his experience in handling big Metro projects in the country. He is a retired Indian Engineering Service (IES) officer who has served as the managing director of Delhi Metro from 1995 to 2012.

“Sreedharan personally monitored the construction work of the North-South Corridor. His valuable guidance was crucial in the construction of the underground section. I requested him not to resign but he said his health was not supporting him at this point of time,” said LMRC Managing Director Kumar Keshav.

The former Chief of Delhi Metro advised Chief Engineers to implement austerity measures and cut expenses on maintenance and operations.  

Sreedharan is known for supervising the construction work of elevated tracks on the East-West Corridor to be built on a single pillar using lightweight technology. It brought down the total budget of the project by 15.9 per cent from Rs 5,396 crore to Rs 4,538 crore.

Separately, following Delhi CM’s proposal of giving free rides to women on Delhi Metro, Sreedharan wrote to PM Modi and made it clear that he was not in favour of such a proposal. In his letter to the Prime Minister on June 10, Sreedharan wrote, “One shareholder cannot take a unilateral decision to give concession to one section of community and push Delhi Metro in to inefficiency and bankruptcy.”

NHSRCL to acquire Most of the land for Bullet Train project by Dec 2019

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NHSRCL to acquire Most of the land for Bullet Train project by Dec 2019

New Delhi (Metro Rail News): – A major chunk of land is required for the 508-km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project to be hopefully acquired by The National High-Speed Rail Corp Ltd (NHSRCL) by the end of this year.

“The land will be taken over once the tenders for the project were finalized,” Said the spokesperson Sushma Gaur of NHSRCL.

She also added that “major chunk of the land acquisition is likely to be completed by December 2019.
”

A train travelling on the route takes over seven hours to travel the distance while planes take about an hour of flying time.  In comparison now, the bullet trains are expected to run at 320 km per hour covering the 508 km stretch in about two hours.

The National High-Speed Rail Corp Ltd has acquired 39% of the 1,380 hectares of land till date.

This comes to 537 hectares: 471 of 940 hectares required in Dadra and Nagar Haveli. “The bullet train project was progressing at a good place,” said Sushma Gaur.

She said, “Two or three months back the total land acquired was 33%. And within 90 days we were able to acquire over 6% more land.”

Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India and Shinzo Abe of Japan on September 14, 2017, laid the foundation stone for the ambitious ₹1.08 lakh crore ($17 billion) high-speed rail project.

A MoU was signed by The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Railway Ministry with Japan to partially fund the project.

“The railways had floated tenders for tunnelling work, including testing and commissioning of the double line high-speed railway using tunnel boring machine (TBM) and New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) between the underground station at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai and Shilphata in Maharashtra,” said by Gaur.

“A 21-km tunnel will be dug between Boisar in Maharashtra and the Bandra-Kurla Complex, 7 km of which will be under the sea,” according to the official.

“The design and construction of civil and building works, including testing and commissioning of 237 km of length of rail line corridor between Zaroli village on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border and Vadodara in Gujarat, have been floated,” said by Sushma Gaur.

This accounts for 47% of the total length of the project and will include a mountain tunnel of about 280 metres, 24 river crossings and 30 road and canal crossings.

She also stated that the tenders to construct the stations in Gujarat’s Vapi, Bilimora, Surat and Bharuch had also been floated.

The construction of the Sabarmati hub in Ahmedabad to be linked to the bullet train station has started.

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