Chennai Metro | After long wait, metro rail fails to ‘break through’

Chennai: It was to be yet another milestone for Chennai metro rail, the completion of one of the tunnels under Anna Salaibegun about six years. But after a long wait and a few tense moments on Tuesday, the boring machine literally hit a wall and was unable to break through the 3.7km long tunnel connecting AG-DMS with May Park Day station.The cutters in the boring machine that drilled through the rocky soil wore out and could not break through the 10cm concrete wall. The giant machine had to be restarted several times before engineers decided to change the cutters. The machine had already bored through one of the toughest layers amid several such hiccups over the last 17 months.
CMRL Underground
Chennai Metro Rail Underground Project
“Tunnel building is actually complete. The machine had to just break through the concrete wall and enter the station before we conclude tunneling,” said a Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) official. “The wall the machine had to break is a metre thick. We changed the cutters on the head before it started boring but they wore out before it could breach the final 10cm. The cutters will be changed and we hope to achieve the breakthrough in a couple of days.”Industries minister M C Sampath and principal secretary (planning, development and special initiatives) S Krishnan joined around 300 CMRL engineers and workers in safety gear to watch the operation at AG-DMS. In the afternoon, a few minutes after it began boring with a squealing noise, the machine stopped.
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For the next couple of hours, loud noises interspersed with periods of long silence filled the air.
Every time the machine was restarted, thick foam squirted out and all eyes were on the wall. After around three hours, the invitees began to get anxious. “The wall seems to be tough and the machine cutters have become blunt,” a senior CMRL official said.
By 4.30pm, engineers used a hydraulic breaking machine from the station side to expose the cutter head of the boring machine, but the wall was too strong. They then decided to replace the cutter head and make an attempt on or before Thursday. “We have around 450m left to build in the other tunnel. We expect to finish by next month,” an official said.

Noida Metro | NMRC to receive first metro train in end of the year

Noida: The first train of the 29.7km Noida-Greater Noida Aqua Line Metro corridor will arrive in early December. The officials of Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) said this will be a demo train and the rest of the four-coach trains for the track will start arriving every fortnight thereafter.The trial train is likely to be dispatched from China on October 25. CRRC Nanjing Corporation Limited, a Chinese state-owned rolling stock manufacturer, is supplying the trains to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the corridor. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked between the two companies in March this year.The Metro is likely to roll by April 2018. According to NMRC officials, the Aqua Line will support 76 coaches. Each Metro coach will come at a cost of nearly Rs 4 crore. A total of 19 trains will run between Noida and Greater Noida at a speed of 35 km/hour, and at an initial frequency of every five minutes in peak hours and and ten minutes at other times. The frequency will be tweaked to address commuter traffic, officials said.Initially, NMRC will operate 11 trains along the corridor. While the seating capacity of each train will be 186, the standing capacity will be 848 passengers.
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Hence, the total capacity of each train will be 1,034 passengers. There will also be special seats of dark Aqua colour for women, seniors and specially-abled persons. These will number 16 in each coach, with a total of 64 in each train.The coaches are lightweight and made of stainless steel and aluminium. Each train will be equipped with a passenger information system, a passenger announcement system and an emergency announcement system from the operation control centre of the train. The trains will also have a radio for communication between drivers and an operation control centre.Trains will also be fitted with a continuous automatic train control system.According to officials, presently, civil work on the under-construction Metro track between the twin cities is nearly 97% complete. Nearly 29 km of viaduct out of the 29.7km of the corridor has already been put in place by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. The DMRC has also started erecting Over Head Electrical (OHE) lines with about 1,100 electrical poles in place, out of the total 1,400. Nearly 30km of rail track of the total 60km has also been laid till now along the route. The structural work of all 21 stations along the corridor, including platforms, has been completed in a record time of 20 months. All stations along the corridor are likely to be ready by October 31. The finishing work of all Metro stations is presently under way.

Maha Metro | MMRCL seeks latest tunneling technology for Pune metro rail project

Pune: The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha Metro) is seeking the latest tunnel-boring technology for the 5 km underground route of the Pune Metro rail project to drill through the hard ground under a river bed, a top company official has said.Making a presentation of the Rs 11,420-crore project, which is expected to be completed by 2021, Brijesh Dixit, Managing Director of the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corp. Ltd, expressed confidence of using latest technologies in metro projects in India.The tunnel will be drilled 30m under the Mula Mutha riverbed, through which a section of the project will pass, Dixit said yesterday at the ‘Year in Infrastructure 2017’ conference here, which was held for the first time in Asia.A part of the 5-km underground stretch, will be bored through the Deccan plateau basalt strata, which is hard ground and good for drilling tunnels, the Maha-Metro MD said.“We have learned from more than 200 metro systems operating in global cities as well as in India,” he said citing the technologies used in Nagpur metro, which has helped to significantly reduce construction cost and time significantly.He said more than 50 per cent of the 38-km Nagpur metro, work on which started in 2015, has been completed and is set to meet its December-2019 deadline.A trial run is underway on a five-km completed section from Khapri to Airport South, he said, adding that financing of the Rs 8,600-crore project has been closed, with over 50 per cent funding from Germany’s KfW bank and France’s AFD (French Development Agency).

China delays India’s Chennai-Bangalore-Mysore high-speed rail project

New Delhi: An ambitious high speed train project in south India has been delayed after Chinese railways, that completed a feasibility study a year ago, did not respond, railway officials have said, suggesting that the “lack of response” may be due to the Doklam standoff.An internal brief of the mobility directorate on the status of nine high-speed projects of the railways, accessed by PTI, shows that the Chennai-Bangalore-Mysore corridor, a 492km stretch, lies in limbo because the Chinese railways has failed to respond to the ministry’s communiques.“The Chinese company submitted the final report in November 2016 and after that the Chinese team has suggested for a face to face interaction. No date has been fixed from their side,” said the note prepared by the mobility directorate.On the reason for the delay, the brief states — “lack of response” from Chinese railways. The brief also states that the feasibility study by the China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd (CREEC) was submitted to the Railway Board in November 2016 and after that the Chinese company had sought meetings with officials of the board.However, officials say that the board has been unable to get in touch with officials of CREEC despite repeated communications sent to them via mails in the last six months. “We have even tried to get in touch with them through their embassy here, but we are yet to hear from them,” said an official.The ministry officials said that it was the standoff between the two countries in Bhutan’s Doklam area between 16 June and 28 August this year that seems to have derailed the project. “The study began in 2014 and they submitted the report in 2016. The entire cost was borne by them. In fact they have shown so much interest in collaborating with us for other projects as well, so we think that it was the standoff that must have raised doubts,” said a senior rail official.
Tilting Train
RailPictures Net (Image Credit: Georg)
An email to the Chinese embassy by PTI on the issue did not elicit any response. Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Doklam since 16 June after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese army.Bhutan and China have a dispute over Doklam. The brief, prepared by the department in-charge of all the high speed corridors, also states that except the Chinese roadblock, work on the eight other projects was on track. China had in fact not only pitched for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed network, which was finally bagged by Japan, but also for the bullet project in the Mumbai-Delhi sector, which is yet to be finalised.China is also training railway engineers in heavy hauling and it is with Chinese collaboration that India is setting up its first railway university. The Chennai-Bangalore-Mysore corridor is one of nine such high speed corridors being developed by the ministry. The aim was to increase the speed from the present 80kmph to 160kmph.While the Delhi-Agra route was made operational in 2016 with the country’s fastest train Gatimaan Express running between the two cities, the work on rest seven of eight is going at a fast pace, the brief indicated.
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Hyderabad Metro | PM Modi to inaugurate metro train services for public on Nov 28, 2017

New Delhi: After inspection of Hyderabad Metro Rail Project, Union Urban Development Ministry confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to inaugurate the 30 km stretch of first phase of the metro project on November 28.According to the sources, the official letter in this regard is going to reach the Telangana government on Monday.On September 6, 2017 Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had written a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to flag off the long awaited Hyderabad Metro Rail service in the City.The Hyderabad Metro Rail project is one of the biggest public-private partnership project in the country is being constructed on a 72-km stretch encompassing three corridors spread across Hyderabad.
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PM Modi will flag off a 30 km stretch of the metro rail project extending from Nagole to Miyapur on November 28.Officials are making test run between Mettuguda-Begumpet and sources say that the complete test run will be completed in 15 days.

Siemens and Alstom signs MoU to combine Siemens’ rail & mobility business

Siemens and Alstom have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to combine Siemens’ mobility business including its rail traction drives business, with Alstom. The transaction brings together two innovative players of the railway market with unique customer value and operational potential.The two businesses are largely complementary in terms of activities and geographies. Siemens will receive newly issued shares in the combined company representing 50 percent of Alstom’s share capital on a fully diluted basis and warrants allowing it to acquire Alstom shares representing two percent points of its share capital.“This Franco-German merger of equals sends a strong signal in many ways. We put the European idea to work and together with our friends at Alstom, we are creating a new European champion in the rail industry for the long term. This will give our customers around the world a more innovative and more competitive portfolio,” said Joe Kaeser, president and CEO of Siemens AG.“The global market-place has changed significantly over the last few years. A dominant player in Asia has changed global market dynamics and digitalization will impact the future of mobility. Together, we can offer more choices and will be driving this transformation for our customers, employees and shareholders in a responsible and sustainable way.”, he further added.Henri Poupart-Lafarge, chairman and chief executive of Alstom SA, said: “Today is a key moment in Alstom’s history, confirming its position as the platform for the rail sector consolidation. Mobility is at the heart of today’s world challenges. Future modes of transportation are bound to be clean and competitive. Thanks to its global reach across all continents, its scale, its technological know-how and its unique positioning on digital transportation, the combination of Alstom and Siemens Mobility will bring to its customers and ultimately to all citizens smarter and more efficient systems to meet mobility challenges of cities and countries. By combining Siemens Mobility’s experienced teams, complementary geographies and innovative expertise with ours, the new entity will create value for customers, employees and shareholders.”In a combined setup, Siemens and Alstom expect to generate annual synergies of €470 million ($682 million) latest in year four post-closing and targets net-cash at closing between €0.5 — €1.0 billion.

Initiatives to improvise the functioning of Metro & Indian Railways

The Second Annual Future Rail India Summit was conceptualized by Nispana Innovative Platforms, committed with the objective of bringing together the National Rail Plan of Metro & Indian Railways, in order to supplement its future development.The First Annual Future Rail India Conference in Feb 2017 constituted excellent speakers from premier railway organizations across several counties, who offered presentations and contributed to the creation of a new level of quality in the Indian Railways sector.In summary, we can state that this thought provoking event achieved its objective and created a veritable forum for an exchange of views between different professional fields of railway sector, for the discussion of practical issues and for presenting novel innovative solutions, tools and methods.The recent safety concerns have shaken the image of the railway sector safety. So Indian Railways is search of innovative measures to ensure the safety of passengers and cargo alike.With the Second Annual Future Rail India Summit, we have tried our level best to up the quality of how a conference on railways needs to be addressed.The key areas to be addressed include:
  • Safety of Indian Railways
  • Station redevelopment
  • Infrastructure up gradation
  • Involvement of IT in Railways.
  • Customer Satisfaction Index
  • Innovative financing Structure of Indian Railways and a lot more
The conference will indeed bring up a lot of business opportunities which would help the Indian Railways to overcome the hurdles in operation, with an eye to competition, innovation and provide for the implementation of various structural and technical reforms.We whole heartedly invite you to be a part of the Second Annual Future Rail India Summit, to showcase state of the art solution technologies and to fraternize with the key decision makers in Indian Railways to bring back the image of Indian Railways as a safe, reliable and a robust organization.Click here to know more details about detailed agenda, entree fee, sponsorship, and other opportunities.

Indian Port Rail Corporation looking for various upper and middle level positions

Indian Port Rail Corporation Ltd. (IPRCL), a joint venture of Govt. of India and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL) invites applications for recruitment of following positions:-
  • AGM/JGM/DGM (Project) – 06 posts
  • AGM/JGM/DGM (S&T) – 01 post
  • Manager/Asstt. Manager (HR) – 01 post
Click here to see detailed advertisements Advt.70/2017, Advt.71/2017, Advt.72/2017

Delhi Metro | DMRC’s Kalkaji-Botanical Garden Magenta Line ready for commissioning

New Delhi: The trials and testing on the 12.64 kilometre long Kalkaji Mandir – Botanical Garden section of Phase 3 has been successfully completed and most of the mandatory clearances required for inviting the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) to inspect including Fire Safety Clearance, License for Working Lifts, Preliminary Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) Reports for Signalling and Platform Screen Doors, clearances from the Department of Telecommunications etc have been received by DMRC.The papers for scrutiny and detailed examination by CMRS are under submission to his office and after these are cross checked, examined and scrutinised in depth by the office of CMRS, further action is expected. In addition, since the application involves voluminous data of civil, electrical, signalling and track, DMRC may also have to supply any additional information further sought by the office of CMRS. After this entire process, it is expected that a suitable date for inspection of the section will be indicated.This section will also be Delhi Metro’s first ever corridor to be operated using the Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling technology which will facilitate movement of trains with a frequency of 90 to 100 seconds.With the opening of this section, the people of NOIDA will get additional connectivity to south Delhi. Currently for travelling to south Delhi areas, they have to change trains at Mandi House (from Blue Line to Violet Line).
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However, with this new section, they will be able to travel directly to Kalkaji Mandir and save on valuable travelling time. Botanical Garden has been developed as NCR’s first ever interchange station.Once the entire corridor from Botanical Garden till Janakpuri West (38.23 kms) is opened, commuters from NOIDA will be able to go to Gurugram by changing trains at Hauz Khas. This will help immensely in decongesting Rajiv Chowk, which is currently the interchange point for travellers between NOIDA and Gurugram.The Botanical Garden – Kalkaji Mandir section has nine stations, viz., Kalkaji Mandir, Okhla NSIC, Sukhdev Vihar, Jamia Milia Islamia, Jasola Vihar Shaheen Bagh, Kalindi Kunj, Okhla Bird Sanctuary and Botanical Garden. While Kalkaji Mandir is underground, all other stations are elevated. The section will also cater to two major educational institutions – Jamia Milia Islamia University and Amity University, NOIDA and a major super speciality hospital – Fortis Escorts Heart Institute.On this section, Delhi Metro’s third bridge over the river Yamuna has come up at Kalindi Kunj between the Kalindi Kunj and Okhla Bird Sanctuary stations. It is a 574 metre long bridge with 14 spans (41 metres each) and 15 piers. It has come up about 85 metres downstream of the existing Okhla bridge over the river Yamuna.

Alstom begins production of electric locomotive manufacturing in India

Madhepura: ALSTOM today successfully commenced production at its greenfield electric locomotive manufacturing facility in India. Located at Madhepura, in the state of Bihar, it is Alstom’s first electric locomotive manufacturing facility in the country, set to transform the heavy freight transport landscape in the country.Commencing production on schedule, the construction of the plant is a remarkable achievement in the construction of greenfield facilities in the country.
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The Prima T8 (WAG12) locomotive, which will be produced in this new factory, is part of Alstom’s Prima range of locomotives and has been specially adapted for Indian network. The first two car body shells have already arrived at Madhepura and will be soon fitted and assembled at the plant. The first locomotive will be ready for roll-out early next year. The first 5 locomotives by 2019 followed by 35 locomotives by 2020, 60 in 2021, and by 100 every year till the target of 800 is completed.A true embodiment of government’s ‘Make in India’ vision and built to the highest standards of quality and safety, this facility is part of a joint venture between Alstom (74%) and Indian Railways (26%). Spread across 250 acres, it currently employs 70 people, with plans to ramp it up at a rate of 25% every year till it reaches full capacity. The facility also aims to employ local youth, basis the required skill sets, to support socio-economic development of Madhepura.Commenting on this feat, Jean-Francois Beaudoin, Senior Vice President Asia Pacific at Alstom said, “The E-loco project is one of the most prestigious projects for Alstom worldwide and this feat, therefore, is a commendable achievement for the entire company. The facility is a multimillion euro investment by Alstom and is a proof of our commitment to infrastructure development in India. In order to make a difference in this market, we need local expertise, competitive manufacturing capacity and close relationships with our customers. The commencement of production at the plant is a perfect testimony to our strategy to develop and grow a localized ecosystem to bring wide reaching benefits for railways and the community at large.”Headquartered in Bangalore, Alstom’s current manufacturing footprint in India includes its metro rolling stock manufacturing facility at Sricity, component manufacturing facility at Coimbatore with the latest addition being e-loco manufacturing facility at Madhepura. For the e-loco project, the company is also setting-up two maintenance depots at Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh state) and Nagpur (Maharashtra state).  In addition, it also has a rolling stock and signaling design and engineering centre in Bangalore. This extensive footprint is enabling Alstom to expand its portfolio and deliver bespoke products and solutions to meet the growing needs of customers in India and other global markets.

Lucknow Metro | Sreedharan suggests LMRC to cut down on operational cost

Lucknow: Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation‘s (LMRC) principal advisor E Sreedharanon Tuesday advised the Metro officials to implement austerity measures to control the expenses on maintenance and operations as the project is yet to start making profit.Dr. E. Sreedharan, Principal Advisor, LMRC, visited Lucknow Metro and reviewed the progress of the project for the entire 23 km long North –South Corridor (Phase 1A) from Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport to Munshipulia. Shri Kumar Keshav, Managing Director and other Directors accompanied him throughout his visit and briefed him about the progress of this prestigious Metro project.During his visit, Sreedharan also reviewed the progress of 23km-long North – South Corridor (Phase 1A) from Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport to Munshipulia. IMG 6116 Kumar Keshav, the managing director of the LMRC and other officials accompanied Sreedharan during the inspection and briefed him about the progress of the Lucknow Metro project.Sreedharan first visited the Transport Nagar Metro station where Kumar Keshav briefed him the operational and passenger facilities provided by the LMRC.The ‘Metroman’ also visited the concourse and platform of the station to inspect the state-of-the-art facilities.Sreedharan later took a ride in a Metro train from Transport Nagar to Charbagh and expressed satisfaction on the cleanliness maintained at the station and train coaches.
 “He praised Kumar Keshav and his team for maintaining top-class standards at the station and inside the train”, said an official.
Sreedharan also visited LMRC’s administrative office where officials apprised him about the progress of the underground Metro work on the Hussainganj-Sachivalaya-Hazratganj section and the elevated section beyond KD Singh Babu to Munshipulia.Sreedharan also discussed the progress of other proposed projects in Varanasi, Kanpur and Gorakhpur.

MEGA Metro looking for various managerial positions for metro rail projects

Metro Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad Co. Limited (MEGA) invites applications from qualified and experienced candidates for appointment of following middle level management positions on contract basis:-
  1. Manager (Civil) – 02 posts
  2. Asstt. Manager (Civil) – 02 posts
  3. Asstt. Manager (AFC) – 01 post
  4. Asstt. Manager (HR) – 01 post
  5. Asstt. Manager (RR) – 01 post
How to apply:-
  • Applicants should download application format from the link given below, fill up the same and send the application through email only at career2017@gujaratmetrorail.com along with the scanned copies of latest CV, payslips & testimonials on or before 23.10.2017.
  • Call letters for interview will be issued to shortlisted applicants indicating Time, Date and Venue of the Interview.
Click here to download APPLICATION FORM Click here to read full Recruitment Advertisement For more metro rail jobs, please subscribe our Metro Rail News Monthly Magazine online.

Delhi Metro | DMRC rejects Kejriwal’s request, fare hike to be effective from tomorrow

New Delhi: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Monday refused to defer metro fare hike despite Delhi chief minister Kejriwal’s opposition to it. The board members discussed Kejriwal’s proposal but decided to go ahead with recommendations of Fare Fixation Committee (FCC), to be made effective from October 10.Nominee directors of the Delhi government conveyed that the CM wanted the postponement of the fare hike and formation of a new FFC. The Board was informed that under Section 37 of the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002, recommendations of the FFC are binding on metro rail authorities.Subsequently, the Board noted that it does not have the authority to consider/defer implementation of the recommendations of the FFC.Kejriwal had written to the Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry to issue a direction to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to put on hold the proposed hike in fares, as recommended by 4th Fare Fixation Committee (FCC).Puri and KejriwalThe Centre has informed the Delhi government that the Metro Act does not allow it to put on hold the hike in Delhi Metro fares which will be effective from October 10, an official had said on Saturday.The Centre, however, said a fresh committee to fix fares could be considered if the Delhi government agrees to provide over Rs 3,000 crore every year to DMRC, said the source, quoting a letter sent on Friday by union minister Hardeep Singh Puri to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in response to Kejriwal’s letter, said, “Your suggestion that this ministry direct that the fare increase be kept on hold overlooks the fact the central government does not have any such authority. Tampering with the recommendations of FFC is legally untenable.”Fares will go up by a maximum of Rs 10 after the latest hike comes into effect.The existing fare structure is: up to 2 kms – Rs 10, 2-5 kms – Rs 15, 5-12 kms – Rs 20, 12-21 kms – Rs 30, 21-32 kms – Rs 40 and for journeys beyond 32 kms – Rs 50.From October 10, for a distance of up to two kilometres, the fare will remain Rs 10, but for a distance between two and five kilometres, it will go up from Rs 15 to Rs 20. For the subsequent slabs, it will go up by Rs 10 each, which means the maximum fare will be Rs 60.Earlier in the day, the Delhi Assembly passed a resolution against the Metro fare hike which is set to be enforced from Tuesday. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleged that a hike in Metro fares will benefit cab aggregators such as Ola and Uber.
Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party has been protesting against the proposed Metro fare hike. The DMRC, on the other hand, has defended its decision and said that its input costs have gone up over the years and the fare hike is at par with Metro rails in other cities.
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Last week, the Centre informed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that it cannot put on hold the proposed hike unless his government provides Rs 3,000 crore annually to DMRC as grant-in-aid for the next five years. Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri told Kejriwal that the Metro Act does not allow the Centre to put on hold the fare hike.In response, Arvind Kejriwal said that the Delhi government was ready to pay Rs 1,500 crore a year, if the Centre was ready to fund the other half as the “Central government and the Delhi government are 50-50 owners of DMRC”.“As for your suggestion regarding a grant to DMRC for meeting the gap in their operating finances, my government is willing to bear half the grant if only a matching grant is provided by the Central government,” the Delhi chief minister wrote to Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri.In the Delhi Assembly today, transport minister Kailash Gahlot said that Delhi Metro was not made to be a world-class profitable venture but it’ll be world class when people leave their vehicles and use it. Other members of the ruling AAP said that they will protest if Metro fares are hiked.

IC-TRAM 2017 | Technology along with managerial excellence can chart a new trajectory

New Delhi: Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated an International Conference on Technological Advancements in Railway and Metro Projects (IC-TRAM 2017) and an Exhibition  on October 6 – 7, 2017 at New Delhi. The conference  Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal also addressed the conference. The Conference has been organized by the Defence Infrastructure Planning & Management Council(DIPM), the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Urban Development and the Niti Aayog. The Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Ashwani Lohani, Member, Niti Aayog and  Chief Patron of DIPM Society,  Dr. V. K. Saraswat,  and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.Highlights
  • The Vice President of India Inaugurates International Conference on Technological Advancements in Railway & Metro Projects 2017
  • Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal also addressed the conference
  • Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal urged to make India as the nerve centre of innovations and technological advancements
Addressing the conference, the Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that the Technology along with managerial excellence can chart a new trajectory.IC TRAM 2017The Vice President said that with urbanization taking place at a rapid pace in India, the need for efficient and cost-effective transport is critical in ensuring faster mobility and sustainable development. He further said that new concepts such as ‘Transit Oriented Development’ should be tried out and promoted which will improve the lives of people living around the metro stations in a big way.The Vice President said that the Indian Railways need to plan for a massive expansion very meticulously with forward looking, efficient technologies and innovative practices currently available across the globe and adopt them to serve our country’s aspiring population. He further said that the IT revolution sweeping the world, to which India has also been a major contributor, is bound to improve the efficiency in signaling, communications and safety and help in areas like intelligent transportation systems.The Vice President said that in the Indian ethos, we believe that science and technology are tools to improve the quality of life and we say “Bahujana hitaya, bahujana sukhaya” implying that we aim at the good of humanity at large and also care for the happiness of the entire population on this planet. We also believe this is possible if we are open to new ideas and concepts, either home grown or from outside, he added.The Vice President expressed his hope that the discussions and the deliberations in this two-day conference will provide a fast-track approach to build many state of the art railway systems that will improve the economy and the quality of life of people in India and the rest of the world.IC TRAM 2017 1Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal said, “The need for transportation in urban areas has increased many fold and Metro Railway has a big role in meeting transportation needs. Referring to the significance of innovation and research. He said that R&D is the driver for growth and it forms the eco-system, which encourages scientists to persevere for better yields. He said that we have to go beyond the boundaries of conventional thinking to achieve excellence. He said that India has already taken greater strides in the fields of climate change, renewable energy and activities like rolling out of LED programs. He said that time has come to lead the world and also called upon to make India as the nerve centre of innovations and technological advancements. He emphasized that fund should never be constraint for undertaking innovation and technological advancements.He said that in the context of Railways, we have to work towards procuring technology for night-fog vision, better signaling system, better track-laying technologies. We need to collectively work and Railways Institution like RDSO can collaborate with other research organizations like DRDO, ISRO to achieve desired objectives. We need to fast track our efforts and constantly endeavor to work better in every aspect. We must work to see, whether we can design better coaches, better locomotives, better signaling system and other related activity. We must explore cooperation with military engineering service personnel, who are passionately working in the service of the nation. We have to work through cooperation, oneness in public service for the future of the country. We need to lead from front. Indian Railways need to work with the commitment to make Indian Railways safe, secure and with better amenities, riding efforts, punctuality and efficiency.”Referring to the contribution of Vice-President in public life, who was the Chief-Guest of the program, Shri Piyush Goyal said that Shri Venkaiah Naidu ji has been relentlessly working for the last 40 years for the welfare of the people, especially for farmers and common-man.Chairman, Railway Board, Shri Ashwani Lohani said that with mobility requirements increasing several fold due to massive urbanization, the need for building Metros in our congested cities and strengthening the Railway infrastructure, has become imperative and assumed critical proportions. He said that the conference will bring up new technological ideas and innovations in the fore and help Indian Railways embrace some of those ideas for moving forward in the present era.Member, Niti Aayog and  Chief Patron of DIPM Society,  Dr. V. K. Saraswat, said that this conference is having the best speakers who are not only experts in their chosen subject but also have a deep understanding of railway and metro technologies, implementation and solutions to problems from personal experience.Chairman, Organizing Committee of the Conference (IC-TRAM 2017) and former Member, Railway Board Shri Keshav Chandra outlined the objectives of the conference. He elaborated the focus areas being dealt in different session of the conference. He pointed out that this conference is a fine opportunity for all those in the business of railways and metro transportation, as well as the larger transportation community, operators, engineers, architects, planners, administrators, scholars and so on to upgrade their technical skills and knowledge, interact with specialists from various engineering disciplines, hear from the experts in India and abroad on the fine ‘art and science’ of metro building and railway modernization. Experts will share secrets of effecting efficiencies through enhanced equipment reliability, World-renowned Safety Experts will expound on the essential fundamentals of accident free performance.Metro Rail News was the official media partner of the this giant conference. Some of the important topics on Railways and Metro Rail Systems, which were covered in the two-day Seminar, are as follows:
  • High speed railways-the international experience-the variants.
  • Semi-high speed railways & their relevance.
  • Next generation railway coaches, using latest lightweight materials.
  • New propulsion systems such as turbine, fuel cell etc.
  • Use of renewable sources of energy, such as, bio-diesel, methanol, etc.
  • Railway’s drive for self-sufficiency in generation of energy for traction purposes.
  • Cutting edge technologies in signalling& telecom.
  • Advancements in electric-a) overhead equipment/3rd rail, b) traction /general power supply with emphasis on green energy c) heating/air-conditioning.
  • Train management & protection systems, creating a foolproof operational safety net in all-weather conditions, including dense fog.
  • Advancements in civil engineering a) track b) bridges & c) tunneling.
  • Development of world class railway stations.
  • Emerging technologies in manufacturing of rolling stock.
  • Advancements in civil engineering a) track b) bridges & tunneling c) station buildings & ancillaries (PSDs, etc).
  • Cutting edge technologies in signalling & telecom, driverless train operations.
  • Electrical-a) overhead equipment/3rd rail, b) traction /general power supply with emphasis on green energy c) heating/air-conditioning.
  • New trends in accident prevention, safety & security-zero tolerance for accidents.