IIT Madras Avishkar Team qualify for European Hyperloop Week

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16/07/2021

CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): Team Avishkar, consisting of 40 students from IIT Madras, has qualified for the European Hyperloop Week. This international event will be held from 19 to 25 July this year at Valencia in Spain.

Team Avishkar became the only team from Asia to qualify for the finals of the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition 2019, a global contest organised by Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX. Out of more than 1,600 teams participating in this prestigious event, Team Avishkar was among the Top 21.

The team earned its place in this international event because of the self-propelled, autonomous hyperloop pod developed by it which is capable of reaching high speed. Team Avishkar is the student team from Centre for Innovation (CFI), IIT-Madras.

Hyperloop is a new revolutionary mode of transportation where a high-speed train travels in a near-vacuum tube. The reduced air resistance allows the capsule inside the tube to reach speeds of more than 1000 km/h which drastically reduces travel journey time. It was Tesla founder Elon Musk who proposed the idea of Hyperloop in 2013 through a white paper on ‘Hyperloop Alpha’.

Team Avishkar is working on a detailed study of energy needs, costs, demand and other aspects of a business model for a Hyperloop corridor between Bangalore and Chennai to assess the economic feasibility of the idea in India. Through their upgraded prototype, the team estimates that the travel time between Bangalore and Chennai can be reduced to just half an hour compared to six hours it takes today by car or train.

Despite the challenges from the pandemic and the lockdowns, the team of 40 students collaborated for the development of the Hyperloop pod from their homes to completely revamp the pod’s sub-systems with scalable and efficient technologies. In the past few months, they have manufactured a Hyperloop Pod Prototype and tested the novel technology.

Kishan Thakkar, Team Avishkar Lead and Fourth Year Student, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “Creating infrastructure such as tubes and pylons take about 70 percent of the total budget of a Hyperloop corridor. Our research is focused mainly on reducing the cost of this infrastructure and adapting the Hyperloop to the needs of the Indian subcontinent. The team is truly pushing the frontiers of this technology to bring a sustainable future.”

“Our research has yielded technological breakthroughs such as the linear induction motor for propulsion, a proprietary levitation technology, and contactless magnetic braking system,” said Neel Balar, Team Avishkar lead and third-year student at the IIT’s Department of Engineering Design. “Looking beyond the pod, the team is also focusing efforts on the design of the Hyperloop’s infrastructure,” he added.

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Maha Metro to operate and maintain Navi Mumbai Metro for 10 Years

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Narendra Shah

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16/07/2021

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NAVI MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the nodal agency for the development of Navi Mumbai, has issued a Letter of Acceptance to Maha Metro (Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited) for operation and maintenance services of Metro Line 1 of Navi Mumbai Metro for 10 years.

“After appointing Maha Metro for engineering assistance of metro line 1, CIDCO has given Letter of Acceptance to Maha Metro for the operation and maintenance services on this line. Thus, the work on this line will be completed speedily and it will be possible to start passenger services on this route at the earliest. Giving prime importance to all infrastructural projects is my priority…” Sanjay Mukherjee, VC & MD, CIDCO said.

Maha Metro is already executing the balance work of this line, the corporation said in a release. CIDCO, the agency in charge of Navi Mumbai Metro project, in February 2021 had entered into an agreement with Maha Metro for completing the balance work of Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1.

This line is from Belapur to Pendhar and consists of 11 stations, 11 km track, a depot for maintenance at Taloja and two traction sub-stations at Panchanand and Kharghar. “Work on this line is going on at full swing and is expected to be complete in 2022,” it said.

Navi Mumbai is the third city in Maharashtra, where Maha Metro is executing a metro rail project. The Nagpur Metro Phase-I is partially operational while work is going on the remaining stretches, which will be complete by 2021 end. Construction of Pune Metro Phase-I is also progressing at a fast pace.

Nasik Metro project, designed by Maha Metro, is awaiting clearance from the union cabinet. It further said that soon, Maha Metro under Managing Director Brijesh Dixit, will execute metro rail projects in four cities. It has also prepared the detailed project reports (DPRs) of Thane and Warangal Metros.

“CIDCO will pay Rs 850 crore to Maha Metro for completing the balance work of Line 1 of Navi Mumbai Metro. It has now agreed to pay another Rs 885 crore plus taxes for running metro rail services on this line for 10 years. The 10 year period will begin from commercial operation date (COD) of Line 1,” it said.

The release also informed that Maha Metro has posted key officials at Navi Mumbai and has taken over the role of Engineer in-charge also. It was decided to commission the line in two phases and as a first phase work between stations number 7 to 11 has been taken up on priority basis.

Maha Metro has completed the leftover track work and now 100 per cent track is laid. Likewise, erection of overhead equipment (OHE) on 11 km track (both up and down lines) has also been completed. Fine-tuning has been started for running the trains for trials.

All the metro trains are being tested in the depot, for that purpose a test track of around 1 km is ready. Trains have been tested on main line up to Central Park Station and regular testing is being continued on the mainline for approval of the Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO), an Indian Railways undertaking. The trial run for RDSO will begin from July 16.

“Out of 5 stations in the first phase, 3 are almost ready and work of two stations has progressed up to 70 per cent approximately, which will be completed in August 2021,” it said.

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Alstom begins manufacturing modern commuter & transit trains for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS project.

By

Sandip Kumar

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16/07/2021

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Alstom begins manufacturing modern commuter & transit trains for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS project — Alstom has begun manufacturing the regional commuter and transit trains for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut semi-high-speed rail corridor for RRTS Phase 1

Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, (Metro Rail News): Alstom has begun manufacturing the regional commuter and transit trains for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut semi-high-speed rail corridor for RRTS Phase 1. In May 2020, the company was awarded the contract to design, build, and deliver 210 regional commuter and transit train cars along with comprehensive maintenance services for 15 years.

As per the contract, Alstom will deliver 30 regional commuter trainsets of six cars each and 10 intracity mass transit trainsets of three cars each. In accordance with India’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision and the Make-in-India guidelines, these RRTS trains are 100% indigenously manufactured, with over 80% localisation and are being manufactured in Alstom’s factory in Savli (Gujarat). This facility will produce the bogies, car bodies and undertake train testing. The propulsion systems and electricals are being manufactured at the company’s factory in Maneja (Gujarat).

Alain Spohr, Managing Director – Alstom India says, “This project is a game-changer in India’s regional rail segment, benefitting millions of people and contributing towards socio-economic development. We are happy to begin local manufacturing of these technologically advanced trains for the country’s first semi high-speed commuter service. At Alstom, we focus on developing sustainable products and solutions that stand the test of time by operating efficiently for decades to come.”

The first look of the train for India’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) was unveiled in September 2020. Inspired by Delhi’s iconic monument, The Lotus Temple, the fresh, modern and advanced look of the new trains resonate with a unique amalgamation of sustainability and India’s rich heritage. These energy-efficient semi-high-speed aerodynamic trains will incorporate the latest tech features to provide a superior passenger experience, to all commuters, including the specially-abled.

These trains have been developed with the vision to transform the future of regional commute for passengers in India. The RRTS corridors will operate the fastest trains in India with a design speed of 180 kmph. Right ergonomics, safety, low life cycle costs and high recyclability also contribute towards making these trains an attractive sustainable choice to promote public transport thereby reducing traffic congestion and air pollution significantly.

Alstom’s scope of work also includes designing, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of Signalling & Train Control, Supervision, Platform Screen Doors and Telecommunication Systems for this 82.15 km corridor. This line will be the first in India to adopt the European Train Control System (ETCS) hybrid Level 2 signalling system, which is the core signalling and train control component of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).

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Indian Railways gigantic mission to transform 125 railway stations into world-class transit hub

By

Narendra Shah

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16/07/2021

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New Delhi Railway Station | Photo copyright Arup

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): With today’s inauguration of India’s first redeveloped railway station at Gandhinagar by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian Railways will take a giant step to transform and redevelop 125 railway stations across India into world-class 24 hour transit hubs with airport like feeling and modern facilities to the people of India.

This gigantic mission of railway stations redevelopment Indian Railways is spearheaded by Indian Railways Station Development Corporation (IRSDC). IRSDC is a Joint Venture company of Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) and Ircon International Limited (IRCON). As a nodal agency, IRSDC is at the core of Indian Railway’s mission of transforming the country’s railway stations into world-class 24-hour transit hubs.

As per the press release of the Ministry of Railways, the redeveloped Gandhi Nagar Railway Station is first of its kind project in India and will pave the way for similar development in land stressed cities like Mumbai and Bangalore. As a part of this mission, work on the redevelopment of 125 stations is in progress.

India’s first five-star Hotel over railway tracks in Gandhinagar

Out of this, IRSDC is working on 63 stations, and RLDA is working on 60 stations with two stations being taken up by zonal railways. The total investment for the redevelopment of 123 stations along with real estate development is more than INR 50,000 Crores.

Station redevelopment is a priority area for Ministry of Railways. The redevelopment project at present is implemented at Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Habibganj Bhopal and SMVT at Bengaluru and under progress at Ayodhya, Bijwasan (Delhi), Gomtinagar (Lucknow), Delhi Safdurjung and Ajni (Nagpur).

Salient Features of newly developed Gandhinagar Capital Railway Station includes –

Spacious Entrance Lobby with Ticketing facility State of the Art External Façade & landscaping Theme-based Lighting Dedicated Exclusive Art Gallery with live LED Wall Display Lounge Centralized AC multipurpose waiting lounge Escalators & Lifts and Facilities for Divyangjans
Inter-Faith Prayer Hall, Air conditioned Baby Feeding Room etc.
Waiting Hall at platforms for around 500 passengersPlatforms well connected with Sub-ways, adequate parking facilities.

The station is future-ready and the concourse will be used for departing passengers when the passenger numbers increase at the station. However, in the near future, it is planned to open retail, food and entertainment outlets in this area to serve the demands of the passengers as well as the local population.

Market players such as Big Bazaar and Shopper’s Stop have also shown interest in opening their mini outlets making it convenient for the passengers and local population to shop at the station. The redeveloped station will function like a “city centre rail mall” where travel will be one of the several functions that it will serve.

Without the concourse, the redeveloped station has been designed to handle 1,500 passengers in peak hour. With the concourse, the capacity will go up to 2,200 passengers in the peak hour.

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Kerala CM met new Railway Minister to discuss Silver Line Project

By

Narendra Shah

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15/07/2021

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Semi-high-speed rail — Representative Image

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union Ministers during his visit to New Delhi to discuss various development projects of the State, including railway projects.

Kerala CM met with new Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and discussed Kerala Government most ambitious Silver Line Project. CM said on Twitter, “K-RAIL’s Silver Line will reduce travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod to less than 4 hours. Along with Angamali – Sabari & Thalassery – Mysore lines discussed Kerala’s semi-high speed rail line with Shri. @AshwiniVaishnaw ji and requested approval for the DPR.”

The Silver Line is a proposed semi high-speed railway line of length 532 km connecting Thiruvananthapuram in South Kerala to Kasaragod in North Kerala through eleven stations.

Once completed, the travel journey between North and South Kerala will be reduced to four hours from the present 12-14 hours with semi high-speed trains operating on the route at top speed of 200 km per hour. The project had already got approval from the Kerala State Government in June 2020.

Kerala has already signed a joint venture with the Railways for the Silver Line project, estimated to cost over INR 60,000 Crores. Niti Aayog has given the project its go ahead and it is awaiting final clearance from the Railways, said Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas.

Prime Minister has also assured Kerala CM of full support for the State’s ambitious Silver Line Project. After meeting Prime Minister, Kerala CM said that the State has sought the Centre’s cooperation for its key ongoing and proposed projects. The Prime Minister sought details of the Silver Line project, including the DPR submitted to the Railway Ministry, and assured the CM of the Centre’s cooperation in the project.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also told that he would fast-track the final approval for the project. The discussion also held on the proposed Sabari Rail Project for which State has sought Centre’s help in commencing work on the project along with seeking Centre’s approval for the Thalassery-Mysuru Rail Line project.

Further, in a meeting with Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, the State raised its pending demand for the Centre’s approval for light metro projects in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode along with extending Kochi Metro from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to Kakkanad.

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Anjum Parwez is appointed as the new MD of Bangalore Metro

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Narendra Shah

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15/07/2021

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Anjum Parwez is appointed as the new MD of Bangalore Metro

BENGALURU (Metro Rail News): 1994-batch IAS officer Anjum Parwez is appointed as the new Managing Director (MD) of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) by the Karnataka Government on Wednesday.

He succeeded Rakesh Singh who was appointed recently as MD of Bangalore Metro in April. Singh is the Additional Chief Secretary of Water Resources Department and working as the Administrator of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

Anjum Parwez was the Principal Secretary in the Transport Department and now will be responsible to fast track Phase-2 of Bangalore Metro as well as Phase-2A and Phase-2B (Airport Metro Line).

Parwez has great experience of urban mobility issues as he has served as MD of BMTC. He also served as the Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department and BWSSB chairman. There was a popular demand to appoint a full-fledged technocrat as a MD of Namma Metro. Parwaz holds B.Tech degree from IIT Delhi and Post Graduate degree in Public Policy and Management from IIM Bangalore.

In a letter to the Chief Secretary, P Ravi Kumar, on the appointment of Parwez, the undersecretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said on Wednesday that the full-time Managing Director shall be removed or transferred only with the prior consent of the GoI. The Managing Director should not be given any other or additional assignment by the Karnataka government without prior consent of the Ministry, the officer added.

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Single bidder for Chennai Metro Line-5 CMBT-Puzhuthivakkam section

By

Narendra Shah

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14/07/2021

0

CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) opened technical bids on Tuesday for the work related to the construction of elevated viaduct of approx. 12.43 km length between CMBT Metro station and Puzhuthivakkam Metro Station for Line-5 of Chennai Metro and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is the only bidder for this work.

The work also includes construction of 12 Elevated stations at Grain Market, Sai Nagar Bus Stop, Elango Nagar Bus Stop, Mugalivakkam, DLF IT SEZ, Sathya Nagar, CTC, BUTT Road, Alandur, Adambakkam, Vanuvampet and Puzhuthivakkam along with integrated highway grade separator from Mugalivakkam to MIOT Hospital and vehicular underpass at Vanuvampet.

CMRL invited tenders for this work in January this year with the completion period of work to be 36 Months and the estimated cost is not known for this contract. This section will be financed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Tender Number – CMRL/PHASE II/CORRIDOR 5/C5-ECV-02

Name of Work – Construction of Elevated Viaduct of Approx. 12.431 km length from ((Ch: 16178 m to 19296 m, Ch:22962 m to 30199 m, Ch: 31178m to 31241 m & Ch: 31657 m to 33710 m)) between CMBT Metro station (excluding station) and Puzhuthivakkam Metro Station including special spans and Construction of 12 no. of Elevated Stations at Grain Market, Sai Nagar Bus Stop, Elango Nagar Bus Stop, Mugalivakkam, DLF IT SEZ, Sathya Nagar, CTC, BUTT Road, Alandur, Adambakkam, Vanuvampet and Puzhuthivakkam and Integrated highway grade separator from Mugalivakkam to MIOT Hospital ,Vehicular underpass at Vanuvampet and all associated works in Corridor-5 of Chennai Metro Rail Project- Phase-2.

As L&T is the only bidder for work on this important section, it will be interesting to know, whether CMRL will go ahead with this one bidder to carry out subsequent process of technical and financial evaluation of the bid or re-invite tender for this contract.

This section is a part of 47 km long Line-5 of Chennai Metro from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur with total 48 stations on the route. Line-5 comes under Phase-2 of Chennai Metro which comprises construction of three lines covering a total of 118.9 km. Phase-2 is expected to become operational by 2026.

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Bhopal Metro received bids from 4 firms for the construction of 8 Elevated Stations

By

Narendra Shah

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14/07/2021

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BHOPAL (Metro Rail News): Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MPMRCL) opened technical bids on Tuesday for the work related to construction of eight elevated Metro stations from AIIMS to Subhash Nagar for the 14.99 km long Purple Line (Karond Circle – AIIMS) of Bhopal Metro.

MPMRCL invited bids for this contract in March this year with an estimated cost of INR 421 Crores and completion period of 847 days. The names of the bidders are –

Bansal Construction Works Private Limited
Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL)
URC Construction (URCC)
YFC Projects Private Limited

Tender Reference Number – 354/MPMRCL/2021/Package BH-02-EIB

Name of Work – Design and Construction of Eight (8) Elevated Metro Rail Stations including Viaduct portion within the stations and Transition spans on either side of the stations (AIIMS, Alkapuri, Habibganj Naka, Habibganj, M.P Nagar Zone-1, DB City Mall, Kendriya Vidyalaya and Subhash Nagar)” for Bhopal Metro Rail Project.

Now bids for this contract will be sent for technical evaluation which will take a couple of months.
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After that, financial bids of the technically qualified bidders will be opened which will reveal the name of the lowest bidders and the most likely winners of this contract.

This contract will be financed by European Investment Bank (EIB) and as per specifications, the elevated station boxes will be 21 meters wide and 140 meters long so that such stations can handle a maximum of 6 coaches train.

Construction work of elevated viaduct for this section under Package-01 was awarded to Dilip Buildcon Ltd. in October 2018 by MPMRCL for a contract price of INR 247.06 Crores with completion period of 27 months.

As mentioned earlier, work on this section from AIIMS to Subhash Nagar is expected to be completed by August 2023 while construction work is yet to be started on Subhash Nagar to Karond Circle section which has a deadline of December 2024.

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PM Modi to inaugurate India’s first five-star Hotel over railway tracks in Gandhinagar

By

Narendra Shah

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14/07/2021

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GANDHINAGAR (Metro Rail News): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate a newly-built five-star hotel atop the redeveloped Gandhinagar railway station on 16th July. The redevelopment of Gandhinagar railway station and construction of the five-star hotel started in January 2017 by the Indian Railway Stations Redevelopment Corporation (IRSDC).

Gandhi Nagar Railway Station will have India’s first five-star Hotel built over railway tracks. The luxury hotel will have 318 rooms to be operated by a private entity. It is spread across 7,400 square meters and has been built at a cost of INR 790 Crores. As per media reports, the 5-star hotel will be run by the Leela Group of hotels.

The hotel will host national and international guests who will come to attend seminars and conferences at Mahatma Mandir, a convention centre situated just opposite the property. The redevelopment of Gandhinagar railway station will transform the station into a world class 24-hour travel hub.

Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav said that this is a unique model, the design is made in such a way that no vibration or noise from trains on the tracks below will be heard in the hotel.

The 5-star hotel building over railway tracks is one of the tallest buildings in Gandhinagar having height of 76.99 metres with three towers of 9-11-11 floors which will give the impression of petals from an aerial view.

PM Modi will also flag off Gandhinagar-Varanasi weekly superfast train and Gandhinagar Varetha MEMU train. He will also dedicate the newly electrified Mehsana-Varetha broad gauge rail line, which passes through Vadnagar (PM’s hometown) and a 266km stretch between Surendranagar and Pipavav station.

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RLDA invites e-bids for leasing over 9488 sq.m. land parcel for residential-cum-commercial development at Ambari in Guwahati

By

Sandip Kumar

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14/07/2021

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North-East Frontier Railway — The site falls under the Lumding division of the North East Frontier Railway and will be leased for 99 years.

Guwahati,(Metro Rail News): RLDA has invited bids for the leasing of a vacant land parcel for residential-cum-commercial development at Ambari chowk in Guwahati, Assam. The site spans 9,488.22 sq. m. and is situated in the heart of Guwahati, at a prominent corner location of Ambari Chowk, which is just about 1.30 km from Guwahati Railway Station. The land parcel falls in Lumding division of the North-East Frontier Railway. It has a potential Built-Up Area (BUA) of 26,092.61 sqm. with FAR of 2.75 and has a reserve price of INR 69.90 crores for a lease term of 99 years. The Online Pre-bid meeting was conducted by RLDA on 25.06.2021 and 13 Local and National Developers participated in the Pre-bid meeting. The deadline for submission of e-bids is 6^th August 2021.

The land is bounded by and has frontage on three sides with C K Agrawala Road in the north, Ariz Path in the east, GNB Road in the south, and residences in the west, with excellent connectivity to all parts of the city via the road network.

“Guwahati is referred to as ‘Gateway to North-East India.’ It has witnessed rapid infrastructural development over the years. It is well-connected to West Bengal, Bihar, and the rest of India via road, rail, and air. The land parcel at Guwahati is suitable for a mixed-use development that will have a multiplier effect on the local economy. It will boost realty, retail and economic development in the region,” said Shri Ved Parkash Dudeja, Vice Chairman, RLDA.

The lessee will be granted the lease rights and right to access the redevelopment land for designing, financing, constructing, and vesting of the redevelopment assets. He/she will be entrusted to secure necessary approvals from the local authorities for the construction and will be facilitated to complete the construction of the developer portion as per local building bye-laws within four years.

Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) is a statutory authority under the Ministry of Railways for the development of Railway land. It has four key mandates as a part of its development plan, namely leasing of commercial sites, colony redevelopment, station redevelopment, and multi-functional complexes.

Indian Railways has approximately 43,000 hectares of vacant land across India. RLDA is currently handling 84 railway colony redevelopment projects and has recently leased out a railway colony in Guwahati for redevelopment. RLDA has over 100 commercial (greenfield) sites across India for leasing, and the eligible developers for each will be selected through an open and transparent bid process.
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RLDA is currently working on 60 stations in a phased manner while its subsidiary, IRSDC, has taken up another 63 stations. In the first phase, RLDA has prioritised prominent stations like New Delhi, Tirupati, Dehradun, Nellore, Cuttack, and Puducherry for redevelopment. The railway stations across India will be redeveloped on a PPP Model as a part of Smart City Projects launched by the Government of India.

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