Train 18 project stuck as component supplier backs out

Narendra Shah
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Train 18 project stuck as component supplier backs out

CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): Manufacturing of 3rd Rake of Train-18 at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) will be delayed due to a crucial component supplier has backed out.

According to the sources, The supplier of three-phase ‘insulated gate bipolar transistors’ (IGBT) propulsion system has declined to accept the letter of authorization (LOA) issued by ICF after realizing that the factory would not give them the volumes the company expected.

The company had supplied the (IGBT) propulsion system for the first two rakes of Train-18. This is one of the most important parts of the self-propelled vehicle.

“With this bottleneck, identifying another contractor to supply the electrical system would take several months, delaying the next rakes of T-18,” Said top officials.

The first rake of Train-18 has been in service as the New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express, priding itself as the first big success of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The second rake has been sent from Chennai and it is likely to be used as the standby for Vande Bharat Express.

The vigilance team of Railway Board had initiated an inquiry into some contracts pertaining to the electrical systems of Train-18. This will cause some uncertainty over the rollout of the third rake of Train 18.

Railway Board had given ICF a target of 40 rakes over three years- a target that now appears doubtful. the propulsion system contractor had discussions with the tender committee of ICF in April last week and submitted an offer for the propulsion system for around 10.1 crores per unit as per highly-placed government sources.

The company agreed to bring down the price to 9.9 crores per unit, expecting that it would get 80% of the 40 rakes that the ICF plans to manufacture.

“The company expected LOA for 32 rakes, but the letter mentioned only two rakes – third and fourth,” said an official. Around 10 days ago, the contractor informed ICF that they would not be able to supply the propulsion system at the revised rate as the bid was made expecting 80%, the official said.

Railway Board officials called ICF officials for a meeting in Delhi to thrash out the issue. Last week, the contractor was called to renegotiate the deal, but the talks have not been successful, sources said.

BMRCL receives 32 suggestions on draft TOD policy

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BMRCL receives 32 suggestions on draft TOD policy

Bengaluru (Metro Rail News): Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) published a draft Transit Oriented Development (TOD) policy a month ago for the city and invited comments from the public. Barely 32 people gave their suggestions and comments on the policy till Friday.

On May 8 BMRCL had uploaded the Draft TOD policy with a 30-day time for people to respond. The draft policy has not reached many citizens, the number of response received by the BMRCL indicates. The draft envisages an integrated commuting network in the city by developing neighbourhoods to have better access to mass-transit points, be it metro, bus or suburban rail.

The Draft TOD allowing higher built-up density in TOD zones, such as increasing the floor space index up to level 5 for residential and commercial buildings and higher FSI for transit stations as well.

“BMRCL will scrutinise the comments received and accordingly changes will be made to the policy. It will later be submitted to the State government for further action.”

BMRCL has yet to take the decision on whether it will extend the deadline for public participation in the backdrop of the poor response the draft policy generated.

Transport Expert Ashish Verma said that BMRCL has taken proactive steps. The proposals made in the draft policy sound good and need of the hour. If BMRCL extends the date, it will invite more public participation.
BMRCL should also use various other platforms to reach out to more people.

BMRCL’s draft policy also talks about incorporating TOD policy in the draft Revised Master Plan 2031. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has submitted the draft Master Plan 2031 to the State government for approval. The draft plan had received over 13,000 suggestions/objections from the public.

Bangalore Metro Say No to Fare Hike

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Bangalore Metro Say No to Fare Hike

BENGALURU (Metro Rail News): Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) electricity bill is set to go up to Rs 1.9 crore annually due to recent hike effected in electricity tariff by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission. Although, the burden will not be passed on to the commuters said, official.

A separate 750 volts Direct Current Third Rail is supplied to run its 50 trains running daily. which runs parallel to the existing Metro rail tracks. A special rate slab for BMRCL electricity needs which is priced at Rs 5 per unit and nearly one-fifth of its earnings go towards its power consumption.

“The recent hike effected has pushed our rate per unit to Rs 5.20. This will jack up our electricity bill each month to Rs 15.8 lakh, which works out at an increase of Rs 1.9 crore annually,” said Y L Chavan, CPRO, BMRCL. The bill paid by BMRCL to BESCOM each month in 2017-2018 was Rs 4.63 crore and Rs 4.96 crore a month in 2018-2019, he added.

“A hike in travel fares was effected last year. There is no plan to increase it due to the higher electricity bills we have to pay for this financial year.”

BMRCL managed big savings (18.36%) in its energy bills over the previous year when BESCOM removed the higher tariff imposed for trains running during day time as well as slashed the energy tariff by Rs 1 per unit in May 2018.

Currently, how much units per month is consumed by running of trains, no official was able to specify. Since June 2018, six-coach trains which have been regularly launched in phases require much higher power to run.

According to the source, BMRCL’s electricity consumption came to 65 lakh units per month last year and this includes the power used in running trains, lighting stations as well as air conditioning (AC) inside stations and trains.

BMRCL signed an agreement last year with ClearMax Solar to set up 1.4 MW solar installations at Baiyappanahalli and Peenya Metro stations. They will begin generating power only after Phase-2 of the Metro is completed and are expected to generate 10,000 units that would cater to power supply required in its depots.

Mumbai to Pune in less than two hours

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Mumbai to Pune in less than two hours

DELHI (Metro Rail News):  Shortly, people might be able to travel from Mumbai to Pune and vice versa in less than two hours! Indian Railways is planning to run semi-high speed train between Mumbai and Pune, Nashik and Vadodara. The trains will be on the lines of the Vande Bharat Express (Train 18) running between New Delhi and Varanasi.

Presently, Mumbai Pune Deccan Queen takes 3.15 hours, Mumbai-Nashik Panchvati Express takes 3.25 hours and Mumbai-Vadodara Shatabdi Express takes 4.38 hours to cover the distance. The new MEMU trains will take 2 hours, 2 hours and 4 hours time respectively.

According to the source, if the plan to introduce these semi-high speed trains is successful, travel time between Mumbai and Pune will go down to just 120 minutes compared to the current 3.15 hours. The railway is planning to execute this plan in Phases, starting with trial runs using the upgraded Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) trains. The Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai has manufactured MEMU rakes similar to Train 18. These MEMUs will be used to trails from Mumbai.

The railway board member of Rolling Stock Mr. Rajesh Agarwal said, “We will begin the trial runs in the next few days. The trials will be for both AC and non-AC train versions.
”

The trials will be carried out by Central Railway. He added, “The trains will have faster acceleration and deceleration, similar to Train 18. Long-distance trains take at least five minutes to gain speed and an equal amount of time to decelerate, before stopping. In the new trains, the acceleration and deceleration time will come down to one minute.”

It is worth mentioning that Railways is also planning to roll out Train 19, the sleeper-class model of Train 18. ICF has been working on making a new model of Train 18 which will have sleeper class coaches along with state-of-the-art facilities presently available in the Vande Bharat Express. ICF has been aiming to develop as much as 40 train sets of the sleeper variant of Vande Bharat Express.

Kochi Metro New boat jetty won’t harm fishing nets

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Kochi Metro New boat jetty won’t harm fishing nets

KOCHI (Metro Rail News): Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) to build a new boat jetty near the iconic Chinese fishing nets at Fort Kochi inviting flak from different quarters.

KMRL clarify that the proposed boat terminal which is implemented as part of the Water Metro Project will not harm the nets in any way.

According to the KMRL Statement, the proposed project was mooted based on a study report.

KMRL said on a Statement that IIT Chennai has conducted various studies at Fort Kochi, including Simulation Study to assess the navigational safety, Wind and Wave hindcasting study and Weather downtime analysis. These studies were conducted to check the maneuverability of boats, weather conditions and also navigational safety. Results of all these studies were positive and a report in this regard was submitted before KMRL.

Experts and various stakeholders had come down against the KMRL’s move as the proposed jetty was planned 200 meters west of the existing Kamalakadavu jetty.

According to the experts, since the proposed jetty is close to the harbour mouth, the boat will face difficulty to navigate. Even Cochin Port had written a letter to KMRL stating the location was not feasible.

Chinese fishing nets will not be harmed

Express had highlighted the issue in the report ‘Boat jetty caught between nets and the deep sea’ which appeared on Friday. “KMRL is committed to protecting the rich heritage of Fort Kochi. The Water Metro Terminal, once established, will aid the tourism and other prospects of the area. The Chinese fishing nets will not be harmed” said KMRL MD A P M Mohammed Hanish IAS.

last mile connectivity

To enhance the last mile connectivity, KMRL also plans to develop the area and also has plans to join hands with Cochin Smart Mission Ltd to develop the area. According to KMRL, studies have been conducted on the possibilities of constructing a terminal at the existing Ro-Ro jetty.

“It was found that the Ro-Ro jetty is fully utilised and the introduction of Water Metro to the same area would increase the possibility of collision and accidents. The present SWTD jetty on Kalvathy Road would increase the transportation charges of commuters as they will have to find alternative transport to reach the bus stand. More than that, Water Metro is operating multiple routes so more berthing space is required.

Thus, the Metro agency decided to go ahead with the terminal at the land adjacent to the petrol pump,” the statement said. KMRL also held discussions with the owners of the Chinese fishing nets and the study report was handed over to them.

“The fishing net owners are also convinced that the fishing nets will not be damaged in any manner. KMRL’s Water Metro terminals are fully modernised. The Water Metro project consists of modern fare collection system, centralised operations, Kochi1 Card, automated crowd control and public spaces,” the release read.

Bangalore Metro gets Rs 2,300 crore loan from AIIB

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Bangalore Metro gets Rs 2,300 crore loan from AIIB

BENGALURU (Metro Rail News): The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) will get a long-term loan of Rs 2,300 crore (USD 335 million) from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for Namma Metro Phase-II project.

BMRCL has signed a project funding agreement with AIIB to help BMRCL for construction of the 14 km Dairy Circle-Nagawara underground Metro Line, which is part of Reach 6 (Gottigere-Nagawara) of Metro Phase-II.

Apart from this, BMRCL has already raised EUR 500 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for Phase-II. EIB agreed to lend the amount in two tranches and the agreement for the first tranche of EUR 300 million was signed in October 2017. The second tranche of EUR 200 million loans was signed in September 2018.

The total loan amount will be equivalent of EUR 800 million for Reach 6. The cost of acquiring land and shifting utilities, the construction of 14 km underground stretch alone is expected to be around Rs 5,000 crore.

BMRCL has already awarded the contract for constructing seven km underground stretch and bids are being evaluated for the remaining seven km.

Hyderabad Metro creates a new record with 2.8 lakh footfall

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Hyderabad Metro creates a new record with 2.8 lakh footfall

HYDERABAD (Metro Rail News): L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail project is witnessing an increase in passenger footfall following the launch of services towards HiTec City station.

On May 7, 2019, saw record 2.8 lakh passengers travelling on the metro across Corridor One (Miyapur to L.B Nagar) and also on Corridor Three (Nagole to HiTec City). It takes into consideration those entering and exiting the stations, clambering on the trains, the figure would be 2.9 lakh.

“Apart from the interchange station of Ameerpet, which saw a footfall of 19,000 passengers, HiTec City has been consistently leading with 18,000 passengers followed by L.B. Nagar (16,000), Miyapur (14,000) and KPHB (13,000)” Said NVS Reddy, MD, Hyderabad Metro.

Impact of Shuttle services

He said further that on an average, we are noticing an increase of 5,000 passengers per week with the count steadily climbing as more first and last mile connectivity is being established with the introduction of shuttle services.

“The metro rail services passenger count has more or less stabilized at 2.65 lakh while it is reducing to 2.10 lakh on the weekends clearing pointing to the fact that office-goers are extensively making use of the facility,” he added

Travel with the smart card has equaled travel by tickets or about 1.39 lakh each “which again indicates repeat passengers or loyal customers to the commute”.

Ameerpet interchange station:

Ameerpet interchange station is, of course, the marquee station with over one lakh passengers making use of the facility, also including those who may not be traveling on the trains but making use of the station facility for shopping or eating out.

“We have always been confident our stations are likely to become hubs of activity for families and as hangout places. There is more in the offing as we open more sections,” he added.

Impact of Feeder services

L&T Metro-Hyderabad stated that free metro feeder services are available at the Secunderabad East metro station to Secunderabad railway station from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. through the week with a service frequency of 30 minutes.

Similarly, feeder services are available from 8 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. with 30-minute frequency from Tarnaka metro station to ECIL, Monday to Friday. Shuttle services are also on from Durgam Cheruvu station to Salarpuria Sattva or Knowledge City from Monday to Friday with 15-minute frequency from 8 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. the Same service with timings and frequency is available from HiTec City to Kothaguda crossroads.

Mumbai Metro celebrates Five years of Dedicated Service

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Mumbai Metro celebrates Five years of Dedicated Service

MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): Reliance Infrastructure promoted Mumbai Metro One has successfully completed five years of dedicated service to Mumbaikars. Mumbai Metro One is India’s first PPP metro rail project that has carried over 540 million commuters, which is equivalent to transporting Mumbai’s population over 40 times. Entering the MRTS space largely managed by public sector organizations, Mumbai Metro One has already proven to be a case study in the industry.

Highlights

  • In five years Mumbai metro one has carried Mumbai city population over 40 times With 540 million plus satisfied commuters
  • Unmatched on-time performance and train availability of 99.9% across 6.17 lakh trips
  • The proud safety record of zero-accident and no-fatality.

With an unwavering focus on operational efficiency, technological innovation, and customer centricity, Mumbai Metro One has unmatched on-time performance and train availability of 99.9 percent spread across a staggering 6.

17 lakh trips. It has become a lifeline in the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor with a proud record of zero accident and no fatality.

Being Mumbai’s first Metro, the operator has been able to imbibe the Metro culture among the commuters and educate people about working of Metro system. MMOPL has been aptly reciprocated by Mumbaikars who have showered their love, support, appreciation and sense of belonging on various platforms.

An MMOPL spokesperson said, “We are extremely happy to reach this milestone of providing delightful customer experience over the course of the last 5 years of our journey in the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor. We appreciate the overwhelming affection provided to us by Mumbaikars who helped us become a lifeline in this belt. The people of Mumbai have reciprocated our gesture by quickly imbibing the Metro culture in this bustling town. We are confident to receive similar cooperation from the city of Mumbai in the future. We shall continue to serve the city of Mumbai with the same zeal and dedication for the remaining concession period of 24 years.”

MMRDA to Introduce two more Monorail rakes on track by end of June

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MMRDA to Introduce two more Monorail rakes on track by end of June

MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): To improve the services of Mumbai Monorail, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is planning to introduce two more rakes, which are under repairs, into service by the end of June 2019.

MRDA official said that with the two extra rakes, we may be able to increase the services, but our focus is on improving the existing services. Currently, punctuality is a little over 90%; it needs to be 100%. We will be able to improve their maintenance schedule, which would lead to fewer glitches said, official.

The MMRDA has 10 monorail rakes, of which one was damaged in a fire in November 2017. After seven are made operational, two will continue to require critical spares. According to the sources, the authority is still taking a call on whether to make the two operational.

“The two are as good as a shell because their parts were used in other rakes to ensure operations were not affected during the time when we had an issue with spare parts,” an MMRDA official said. The lack of spare parts plagued Monorail operations for months and the first lot arrived in April.

The MMRDA is also procuring 10 new rakes for which it has already floated tenders. “The rakes will take over a year after the tender is finalized. The first one takes the longest to build and test. Once the first one is given the green light, the rest will follow soon after,” an MMRDA official said. Sources said companies like Hitachi, Bombardier, CRRC and BYD had expressed interest before the tender was floated.

The MMRDA is also looking at improving the seating facilities at stations and constructing toilets.

“These should have been done by the contractor. In December 2018, the MMRDA terminated its contract with LTSE, a joint-venture of Larsen and Toubro and Scomi Engineering, owing to contractual failures” MMRDA officials said. Scomi was also barred from bidding for the supply on the new rakes, an official confirmed.

Free metro ride for women, No proposal received: Hardeep Singh Puri

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Free metro ride for women, No proposal received: Hardeep Singh Puri

DELHI (Metro Rail News): The Government of Delhi didn’t send any proposal for giving free Metro rides for women to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) or the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) so far, Union Minister of MoHUA Hardeep Puri Said on Thursday.

On May 3, 2019, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that APP government had proposed to free Travel for women in Metro Train and Buses.

Discounted Fares for Sr. Citizens and Students

Mr. Puri added that he had said in Parliament that he wanted to provide special discounted fares to senior citizens and students for metro travel and DMRC was preparing the technology for the same.

“With Mr. Kejriwal, I have a healthy ongoing debate.
He has a ₹50,000-crore budget. The budget is not being spent on sanitation, Ayushman Bharat, etc. But, he wants to give a ₹1,200 crore or ₹2,000-crore subsidy. There should be a debate on this. The BJP, we are all for women. But schemes are not made like this, that first, you announce and then make the proposal. We have not received any proposal, nor has the DMRC,” he said.

Calls them disruptions

Mr. Puri was referring to the Delhi Assembly elections, which are expected early 2020, and the Lok Sabha election, in which AAP was at third place in the majority of Delhi’s seven seats. He said he had written several letters to the Delhi government about various projects, but the AAP dispensation had not used the funds allocated in time.

“Arvind Kejriwal has a problem of a different kind. He will take out a full page advertisement saying something is starting in two or three months, but the proposal has not even been made,” he said.

Indian Railways to introduce 10 new AC trains by 2020

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Indian Railways to introduce 10 new AC trains by 2020

MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): Good News for Mumbaikars! the Indian Railways is all set to introduce 10 new air-conditioned (AC) local trains by March 2020.

“The suburban railway system will introduce 10 new AC locals, taking the overall number to 12,” said Railway board member Rajesh Agarwal. At Present, the Western Railway has three air-conditioned (AC) locals which include one underslung AC train. The new AC trains will be introduced to both Central as well as Western lines.

“Mumbai is also scheduled to introduce eight new local trains which will incorporate the underslung equipment that is similar to the bullet train” Railway official added.  

“We will conduct trials the coming monsoon in Mumbai and inspect the issues. Post the inspection and results of the trials, further production will commence” Rajesh Agarwal added. The production of the coaches has seen a quantum jump. Until the previous year, all coach factories manufactured less than 4,000 coaches but the number increased to 6,000 coaches annually. The officials aim to up that number to 8,000 coaches.

Rajesh Agarwal further added that We have no shortage of coaches as the coach production has seen a quantum jump…Till previous year, all coach factories used to produce less than 4,000 coaches annually and this year the number has been scaled up to 6,000. Next year our target is to produce 8,000 coaches.

ADB to give the US$311 million for construction & operation of New Bangkok Metro lines

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ADB to give the US$311 million for construction & operation of New Bangkok Metro lines

BANGKOK (Metro Rail News): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an agreement to provide a financial package of 9.9 billion Thai baht (equivalent to the US $311 million) for the construction and operation of the Yellow and Pink lines of Bangkok’s mass rapid transit (MRT) system.

Mr. Christopher Thieme, Deputy Director General of ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department said that Bangkok is one of Southeast Asia’s global business hubs depends on relieving traffic congestion and increasing sustainable public transport services.

“ADB’s support will accelerate commercial financing for Thailand’s MRT sector and help to provide a better choice of affordable and efficient public transport rapidly growing population.”

“ADB’s involvement as a lender enhanced the overall bankability of the project by providing a long tenor repayment profile. It will provide more flexibility on cashflow management and help mitigate ridership risk at the opening stage of the project,” said Mr. Terence C. K. Kong Executive Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited. “This enables us to deliver a successful project and a public transport option that will be efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly.”

The agreement was signed by Mr. Thieme and Mr. Kong, at a ceremony in Bangkok.
The agreement was signed by Mr. Thieme and Mr. Kong, at a ceremony in Bangkok.

The agreement was signed by Mr. Thieme and Mr. Kong, at a ceremony in Bangkok. Senior officials from ADB and BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited also attended the event.

ADB’s financing package is comprised of two B 4.95 billion loans to the Northern Bangkok Monorail Company Limited (NBM) and the Eastern Bangkok Monorail Company Limited (EBM) for the construction and operation of the two new lines. These will add to the five existing lines currently operating in Thailand’s capital area.

The Pink Line, under NBM, will operate between Min Buri district in Bangkok and Khae Rai in Nonthaburi province, with a total length of about 34.5 kilometers (km). EBM’s Yellow Line will operate between Lat Phrao in Bangkok and Samrong in Samut Prakan province with a total length of about 30 km.

Bangkok is famous for its heavy traffic congestion with some studies including it among the most congested cities in the world. The proportion of travelers using mass rapid transit as a share of total transit in Bangkok remains low as compared with peer cities. The number of private cars in Southeast Asia has more than doubled since 2000, and 30 million more passenger cars are expected to be added by 2040. The new lines will help cut down on air pollution from vehicles and greenhouse gas emissions while tackling traffic congestion.

NBM and EBM are special purpose vehicles established by BSR Joint Venture (BSR) to operate the Pink and Yellow MRT lines, respectively. BSR is a joint venture comprising BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited, Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Public Company Limited, and RATCH Group Public Company Limited.

Ayesa bags 311 crore consultancy contract for Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor

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Ayesa bags 311 crore consultancy contract for Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor

DELHI (Metro Rail News): Ayesa, a Spanish multinational which specializes in engineering, technology, and consultancy (ETC), has bagged a 311 crore contract to provide technical assistance (General Consultancy) for India’s first rapid rail line, which will run between Delhi and Meerut.

The company, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary in India this year, has secured this major contract, in consortium with Italferr, for the management and supervision of the entire rail corridor, except for the civil works supervision. As such, it covers all phases from tender and design through to commissioning and initial operating.

maqueta delhi meerut edit horizontal 1

The Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS) is one of the most ambitious projects in the National Capital State Territory of Delhi.
Promoted by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), it will be a real trailblazer in the country, with a design speed of 180 kilometres per hour. The line will allow 82 kilometres to be covered in just 62 minutes, almost half of the current journey time, and will form a semi-high-speed link joining the cities of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut. The aim is to improve the transport system in New Delhi and the Delhi metropolitan area, one of the world’s largest with a population of around 57 million.

The Delhi-Meerut corridor is one of three corridors that the Government has established as a priority, although the plan involves eight lines in total. With an allocated budget of 3.8 billion euros for its construction, the system is expected to be operational in 2025.

firma contrato GC Delhi Meerut edit horizontal
NCRTC team with NCRTC Team

This new contract is yet another achievement for Ayesa, following the recent signing of a contract with NCRTC to design four of the elevated stations for this corridor (Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar and Duhai) as well as 2 depots.

‘After having participated in various Metro Rail projects, these two contracts are further testimony to our position as a leading engineering company with outstanding technical expertise in the field of transport in India. The focus of the company on establishing a local and permanent presence in the country ten years ago has resulted in continued growth and contracts which are increasingly more extensive and diverse’, explains José Luis Manzanares Abásolo, CEO of Ayesa.

Delhi Metro Rides to be free for women: CM Arvind Kejriwal

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Delhi Metro Rides to be free for women: CM Arvind Kejriwal

DELHI (Metro Rail News): In view of Delhi Assembly elections, Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal has announced free Delhi Metro and DTC bus rides for women in National Captial at a press conference. The expenses of the free ride scheme will be borne by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal said that the scheme to provide free Delhi Metro and DTC rides has been announced so that women have safe travel experience in Delhi.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The expenses of the free ride scheme will be borne by Delhi govt
  • The scheme was announced so that women have safe travel experience in Delhi, Kejriwal said
  • Arvind Kejriwal said that the free ride scheme is optional.
  • It will cost 1600 cr for 1 year.

He further said that on all DTC buses, cluster buses and metro trains, women will be allowed to travel free of cost so that they have safe travel experience and can access modes of transport which they were not able to, due to high prices.

Some of them think it’s a good initiative for women and senior citizens, while others are saying that the Delhi government’s decision is completely unjustified and defies Gender ‘Equality’.

Freeride scheme is optional

CM Arvind Kejriwal Clarifying that subsidy will not be imposed on anyone, free ride scheme is optional.

“There are several women who can afford these modes of transport. Those who can afford can purchase tickets, they needn’t take subsidy. We encourage those, who can afford, to buy tickets and not take subsidy so that others could benefit,” CM Arvind Kejriwal added.

Delhi government would bear the expense, around Rs 1,600 crore for the year. He added that the decision has been taken keeping the safety of women in mind. It would take about three months for the rollout of the scheme.

Although, the scheme is just a proposal and has not been launched yet. Arvind Kejriwal said he has given a week time to the Delhi government officials to make a detailed proposal to both DTC and the Delhi Metro.

two – three month to implement

“I’ve given one-week time to officials to make a detailed proposal – for both DTC and metro – on how and when can this be implemented. We’re making an effort to start this within 2-3 months. We’re also seeking suggestions from people, regarding implementation.” he said.

CM Arvind Kejriwal Said” Initially, we had told the Centre not to increase the price of tickets, they didn’t agree. We told them we’ve 50-50 partnership, let’s give 50-50 subsidy on raised prices, they didn’t agree. Delhi government will bear the fare of what we’re going to do. We needn’t take approval for this”

The proposal to make Delhi Metro and DTC ride free were made on Sunday to encourage the women to use public transport.

Delhi Transport Minister Mr. Kailash Gahlot has already taken meetings to discuss various aspects of fare-waiver to women in all public transport buses – run by DTC and DIMTS – and Delhi metro said Delhi Officials.

Difficult to implement in Metro

“Allowing free travel in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses run by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal System(DIMTS) may not be difficult, it will be “challenging” to do so in Metro trains”, a transport official said

The Delhi government and the Centre are 50:50 equity partners in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

Not the first of its kind

The ‘free’ public transport isn’t new and the movement is gaining a lot of supporters worldwide. Countries like Luxembourg are planning to set aside the fee in an attempt to make a green push.  Cities like Dunkirk in France and Tallinn in Estonia are already providing free commuting.

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