Railway Ministry Sanctions Doubling of Gooty-Pendekallu Rail Line in Andhra Pradesh at Rs. 351.8 Crore

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25/03/2023

Gooty Junction/Image by South Central Railways

VIJAYAWADA( Metro Rail News ): In an effort to improve train movement and operational efficiency, the doubling of the railway line between Gooty and Pendekallu stations in Andhra Pradesh has been sanctioned by the Ministry of Railways. The 29.2 km stretch, which falls under the Guntakal division of the South Central Railway zone, facilitates busy train traffic between Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

Pendekallu Junction/Image by south Central Railways

According to an official statement released on Thursday, the Gooty-Pendekallu section plays
a critical role in connecting these cities and beyond as most of the trains pass through this section. Over the years, this section has seen a steady increase in both freight trains and passenger an, leading to its saturation. The doubling of the railway line is estimated to cost Rs. 351.8 crore and will enable seamless bidirectional movement of trains along double lines between Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

The Ministry of Railways is prioritizing the improvement of infrastructure through various development projects, with a particular focus on doubling critical and congested sections to increase the mobility and agility of trains. As part of the Guntakal-Guntur doubling project, Indian Railways has already approved the doubling of the railway line between the Pendekulla and Guntur sections. Another key section, Gooty-Dharmavaram, has also been converted into a double-line section recently.

The doubling projects are expected to boost socio-economic developments in these regions with faster-moving passenger and freight trains.

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L&T Erects its first U-girders for Package CP10-EV-03 of Chennai Metro Line-5

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Staff Reporter

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24/03/2023

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1st pair of U-girders erected successfully at Shastri Nagar of CP10-EV-03 of CMRL Phase 2. — 1st pair of U-girders erected successfully at Shastri Nagar of CP10-EV-03 of CMRL Phase 2/ Photo by Srikanth Kumar Mannava

CHENNAI (Metro Rail News ): On Thursday, Larsen & Toubro launched their first pair of U-girders for the Package CP10-EV-03, which is a 10.2 km section of Chennai Metro Line-5 connecting CMBT to Venugopal Nagar.

This milestone was achieved using 25m long U-girders weighing approximately 150 MT each, on top of piers P184-P185 located at Shastri Nagar.

In November 2021, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) awarded L&T with the Rs. 1590 crore contract for Package CP10-EV-03, which is a part of the 118.9 km Chennai Metro Phase 2 project. The deadline for the project is 36 months. L&T’s package includes 1 underground station at Venugopal Nagar and 11 elevated stations at the northern end of the 47 km Line-5, which will connect Madhavaram to Sholinganallur via 48 stations.

Package CP10-EV-03 includes two separate sections on opposite sides of the underground Package UG6 (Kolathur – Nathamnuni). The first section includes five stations from CMBT to Nathamuni Ramp, namely CMBT, Kaliamman Koil Street Junction, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Thirumangalam, and Anna Nagar Depot. The second section comprises seven underground stations from Retteri Ramp to Venugopal Nagar, including Retteri Junction, Shastri Nagar, MMBT, Velmurugan Nagar, Manjambakkam, Assisi Nagar, and Venugopal Nagar.

Additionally, the package comprises a 1.5 km depot-line to lines 3 & 5’s Madhavaram Depot. A cut & cover section between Assisi Nagar Ramp and Venugopal Nagar was also included.

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Indian Railways Set for Significant Boost as NPG Approves Three Major Railway Projects Under PM Gati Shakti initiative

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Staff Reporter

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24/03/2023

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Indian Railways — Representational image only

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): NPG ( Network Planning Group), which is under PM Gati Shakti initiative, has given approval to six major projects related to Railways, renewable energy and roads as per the official announcement made on Wednesday.

Among six projects, the Ministry of Railways has proposed three projects which consist of building an elevated railway track for Kanpur Anwarganj – Mandhana, constructing a rail bridge across the river Ganga to connect Vikramshila – Katareah railway station with a new railway line, and doubling the Ajmer – Chittaurgarh railway line that spans 178.28 km.

According to Ministry of Commerce and Industry( MoCI), the first project aims to boost the capacity utilization of railway lines and enhance city logistics in the region, with a specific focus on the city. The second project proposed by the Indian Railways is considered a crucial infrastructure project as it will facilitate the smooth movement of freight after its completion. The project will establish connectivity to vital economic nodes, enable transportation of food grains, and facilitate the movement of cement to the north Bihar and northeast regions. The third project involves the doubling of the Ajmer – Chittorgarh railway line, which spans 178.28 km and primarily caters to the industrial and tribal regions of Rajasthan, specifically the districts of Ajmer, Chittorgarh and Bhilwara. The project area encompasses several religious, tourist, and historical places such as Pushkar, Ajmer, Chittorgarh, Udaipur and Pushkar.

Overall, these projects will give a major push to the infrastructure in the country. It will enhance multimodal connectivity, facilitate smooth transportation of goods and passengers, and improve logistics efficiency throughout the country, as stated by MoCI.

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Railways lays 5,000 km of track per year, targets 10,000 km: RN Sunkar, Member of Railway Board

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Staff Reporter

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24/03/2023

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Roop Narayan Sunkar, Member ( Infrastructure), Railway Board

GORAKHPUR (Metro Rail News ): On Sunday, RN Sunkar, the Member of Railway Board (Infrastructure), shared that the Indian Railways is expanding and strengthening rail infrastructure in the country by laying 5,000 km of track every year. He also added that the track-laying work will be increased to 10,000 km per year in the near future.

In the meeting held at the North Eastern Railway (NER) general manager’s office to review ongoing track conversion, rail track electrification, and new rail line projects, Member of Railway Board (Infrastructure), RN Sunkar highlighted that in the previous regime, only 1,000 km of railway track was laid in India per year, indicating the significant progress being made under the current government. During the meeting, he instructed officials to ensure that ongoing track conversion, rail track electrification, and new rail line projects are completed in a timely manner.

Furthermore, Sunkar emphasized that the Centre has high expectations from the railways and commended the Railway Board’s improved functioning, where proposals can now receive approval within hours instead of a month, as was the case previously. He urged officials to work together as a team to meet people’s expectations and complete projects efficiently.

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South India to Get Another Vande Bharat Express on Chennai- Coimbatore Route

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Staff Reporter

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24/03/2023

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NEW DELHI(Metro Rail News): South India is gearing up for the launch of another Vande Bharat Express, which is expected to be operational on the route of Chennai- Coimbatore. On April 08, 2023, this semi-high-speed indigenous built train will be flagged off by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Tamil Nadu.

The Railway Board has requested ICF (Integral Coach Factory) in Chennai through a letter dated March 20, 2023, to supply the Southern Railway zone with the 10th rake of Vande Bharat ver-2, having 16 coaches.

Following the Vande Bharat Trains on Mysuru-Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MGR Chennai Central and Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam routes, it is going to be the third train in the region which will be operated by the Southern Railway zone.

So far, there is a total of 10 Vande Bharat Trains, which are operational on different routes across India. This Semi-high-speed train with modern amenities is gaining attraction by the commuters as it will reduce the time travel by 25 to 45 percent. It has a top speed of 180 Kmph while its operational speed is 130kmph making it the fastest train in the country.

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J Kumar-AICPL JV Wins Contract of 219.19 Crore for Remodelling Work of Purple Line’s Baiyappanahalli Depot

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Staff Reporter

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24/03/2023

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Bengaluru Metro/Image for representational purpose only — Image for representational purpose only

BENGALURU (Metro Rail News): The Joint Venture of J Kumar Infraprojects and AIC Infrastructure has won a contract for remodelling work worth Rs. 219.19 for Bangalore Metro Purple line’s Baiyappanahalli Depot.

The contract’s scope of work includes remodelling and constructing Baiyappanahalli Depot under Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase 2 A.

The letter of Award was issued to J Kumar- AICPL JV on March 18 when it was awarded civil construction contract (182.33 cr.) of the Airport Depot of Bangalore metro.

Earlier, In August 2022, BMRCL solicited bids for the construction project, which was estimated to cost Rs. 266.21 crore and have a completion deadline of 821 days (2.25 years).

URC Constructions had constructed the depot during Phase 1 of the Bangalore Metro, which comprised 16 stabling bay lines (SBL), 3 inspection bay lines (IBL), and 4 repair bay lines (RBL). To increase its stabling capacity, the depot will be remodelled by constructing two levels, resulting in a total of 42 lines.

Way back in December 2020, Asian Development Bank (ADB) had approved a loan of 500 million USD ( Rs. 3680 Crore) and to finance this contract. This remodelling work of Baiyapanahalli Depot is expected to be executed in a phased manner in order to ensure uninterrupted operations of the metro on Purple line. It is planned that Baiyapanahalli Depot will be completely converted to service the CBTC-equipped trains only on Blue Line when challaghatta Depot and Kadugodi Depot will be operational.

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NCRTC to Support HRIDC in Project Implementation, Signs an Agreement

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Staff Reporter

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23/03/2023

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Agreement signing ceremony between NCRTC and HRIDC

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Today, NCRTC signed an agreement with HRIDC to share knowledge and technological support with implementing its in-house developed IT tool, SPEED© for them.

HRIDC is going to implement a number of rail projects, including the Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) connecting Palwal to Sonipat via Sohna, Manesar and Kharkhouda. It is a broad-gauge double railway line for passenger and freight traffic which will provide seamless connectivity to Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) and to Indian Railways. SPEED© will be an extremely crucial tool in their implementation.

SPEED©, ‘Systematic Program Evaluation for Efficient delivery of Project’, is a custom-built application with focused features and capabilities keeping in view the grassroots-level practical requirements of the project. It is a project monitoring and management tool that has inbuilt capabilities for a complete audit trail of actions performed, provision for maintaining information about different contract packages and corridors, and configurable reporting formats.

SPEED uses information and data from separate tools/Apps such as Primavera, Common Data Environment (CDE), Attendance App, Quality App and other applications on a single platform giving outputs in the form of various reports and visual dashboards based upon Key Performance Indicators.

The key features of the application include monitoring progress on both pre-construction and construction levels. The activities involved in the pre-construction works can be defined in SPEED with different sub-stages against which the progress can be captured for land acquisition, identification of utilities, the progress of utility diversion, clearance of site etc.

The progress is captured on a daily basis from field units on SPEED for the respective activities/elements executed. Moreover, field engineers can input information as and when an activity is completed through their phone/tablet/laptop from the site. Based upon the inputs done for pre-construction and construction activities, various views of progress are available in the interactive dashboard depicting the details of the completed and balance status of the activities for management review.

NCRTC realised the full potential of this technology in the implementation of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The nationwide lockdown presented several unprecedented challenges to keep the progress on schedule. During that time, the platform made it possible for all teams working at several sites to coordinate seamlessly without any physical interaction and ensure that the project progress remained on schedule.

Speaking on occasion, Mr Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director, NCRTC, said, “The use of SPEED made it possible for us to save considerable time in the implementation of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor. It helped us in risk mitigation and avoiding delays as a result of timely corrective actions which led to timely completion and overall savings in project cost. This project implementation experience and regular refinement based upon the feedback and requirements is what makes it stand out from other such tools available in the market.”

Mr Rajesh Agarwal, Managing Director, HRIDC, added, “Both HRIDC and NCRTC are implementing transformative rail-based projects which will play a key role in enabling high-speed commuter & freight movement and in turn bringing prosperity to the region. NCRTC has set benchmarks for the entire industry in terms of efficient & timely project implementation and technological innovation. We are thankful to team NCRTC who are helping us in the adoption and customization of SPEED, which is a highly refined & powerful tool for project monitoring and management. I believe SPEED will prove to be a highly effective tool enabling team HRIDC for speedy and quality delivery of projects.”

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CMRL to Consider Low-Capacity Metro Rail System in Place of LRT System

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Staff Reporter

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23/03/2023

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coimbatore metro — Image for representation only

CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): CMRL (Chennai Metro Rail Limited) is considering a three-car low-capacity metro rail system instead of an elevated metro line or light rail transit (LRT) system. DPR for LRT system was prepared by CMRL and is now being modified by CMRL itself.

According to officials, there are no Indian firms to manufacture LRT trains, and importing them can be costly. Furthermore, while the construction cost of an LRT system is 20% less than a regular metro system, the lack of manufacturers for LRT trains could increase project costs.

The decision to modify the plan came after the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs advised the CMRL to go for the low-capacity metro rail system. The DPR is currently undergoing design modifications and is expected to be ready in three months.

During the budget speech, the finance minister of the state announced the implementation of a metro rail project in Coimbatore, a fast-growing tier-II city in India that is home to numerous economic activities like textiles, technology, and medical facilities. The decision was taken considering the future growth potential of the city.

Once completed, the Coimbatore metro system is expected to reduce road traffic and provide a boon to students, with at least 25 schools and colleges located along a 10km stretch of Avinashi Road. In addition, CMRL plans to present the DPRs of both Coimbatore and Madurai metro to the government of India in June.

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Wabtec Wins Order to Supply Latest Brake System for Pune Metro Line 3 Project

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Staff Reporter

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23/03/2023

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Buran Air Compressor which will be part of Wabtec's supply for the project.

PUNE (Metro Rail News): Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB) announced today a brake system order from Alstom Transport India Ltd. to support Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited and Pune Metro Rail Development Authority for the Metro Line 3 project. The order will supply the latest braking technology for the line’s new trains, which will improve performance, efficiency, and safety.

“This order reinforces Wabtec’s continuous commitment to deliver high performance and safety critical products for the metro rolling stock segment in India,” said Preetam Ganguly, Sales and Marketing Director, Wabtec Transit, India. “This braking system also has a substantial ‘Make in India’ content and is primarily designed by our in-country engineering team.”

Wabtec will deliver the braking system to Alstom, which is building the trains for the new line. The high-performance brake system will equip the trains with critical safety features, high reliability, and reduced maintenance intervals. The company already supplies similar brake systems for other Indian metro projects in Chennai, Kochi, Lucknow, and Mumbai, making Wabtec a preferred brake supplier for the SMART Metro Platform.

The order covers 22 trains consisting of 66 cars in a three-car configuration. Alstom is building the cars at its Sricity plant in India. The trains will run on the 23-km Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar elevated Metro Line 3, which will connect the IT hub of Hinjewadi to central district of Shivajinagar. The project is expected to be completely operational by April 2025.

Wabtec’s Transit business in India is primarily based out of Hosur, Tamil Nadu. It develops and builds major subsystems for the transit industry including brake systems, pantographs, couplers, air-conditioning systems, and passenger-access doors. The company’s large engineering presence in Bangalore provides technical and service support.

About Wabtec

Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB) is focused on revolutionizing the way the world moves for future generations. The company is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions and value-added services for the freight and transit rail industries, as well as the mining, marine and industrial markets. Wabtec has been a leader in the rail industry for over 150 years and has a vision to achieve a zero-emission rail system in the U.S. and worldwide.

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Solar power plant at Ghaziabad RRTS station generates electricity, NCRTC aims for 70% renewable energy for operations

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Staff Reporter

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23/03/2023

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Solar panels at Metro — Representational image only

GHAZIABAD (Metro Rail News ): According to officials from NCRTC (National Capital Region Transport Corporation ), a solar power plant installed on the rooftop of a receiving substation near Ghaziabad RRTS station has begun producing electricity.

The plant has a capacity to generate 25,000 units of electricity annually, and NCRTC intends to fulfill 70% of its auxiliary power requirements for RRTS operations using renewable energy, primarily solar power. The receiving substation rooftop now houses 54 solar panels, each approximately 1mX2m in size, which will generate the aforementioned amount of electricity.

Under the RESCO model, the NCRTC will purchase the energy generated at a mutually-agreed rate from the service provider company that has installed the solar power plants at specified locations. The energy generated from the solar power plant will be utilized to meet demand at stations and buildings, and NCRTC has recognized the potential for nearly 11 MWp of solar power on the rooftops of stations and buildings along the RRTS corridor, anticipating the generation of 10 million units of electricity to fulfill auxiliary consumption needs.

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