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Thales appoints Ashish Saraf as Vice-President and Country Director for India

New Delhi (India): French defence and aerospace group Thales on Monday announced the appointment of Ashish Saraf as Vice-President and Country Director for India with effect from June 1, 2021.

In this role, Ashish will lead the company’s India business and will be responsible for the strategic growth of Thales in the country across all of its markets, further strengthening local teams, collaborations and innovation. He succeeds Emmanuel de Roquefeuil who takes up a new role as the VP and head for Thales in the Middle East.

Prior to joining Thales, Ashish served as the President and Head of Region for Airbus Helicopters – India and South Asia where he led Airbus’ Helicopters’ Sales, Services, Training, Innovation, Industrial Partnerships and Government Relations functions across the Civil, Parapublic and Military markets in the region.

Mr. Ashish has also served as the Vice-President and Make in India Officer for Airbus, has headed the Tata–Sikorsky joint venture in Hyderabad and also worked with Deloitte Consulting and Dassault Systemes, mainly in the United States and Europe.

“I am pleased to welcome on board Ashish Saraf to the Thales Group, who joins us in extremely challenging COVID situation. Under his leadership, Thales will continue its decades-long partnership with our Indian stakeholders to support the country in this time of need, and once the pandemic behind us, contribute to India’s longer-term vision of building an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat.”  Pascale Sourisse, Senior Executive Vice-President, Thales.

“I thank Pascale for her confidence and I am very pleased to join Thales where I will apply all my experience and energy to serve our activities and staff in India. I would like to express our solidarity as the country bravely battles the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  We stand united with our employees, their families, our customers and the people at large, and look forward to overcoming this pandemic together. Ashish Saraf, VP and Country Director, Thales in India.

He holds degrees in Management and Engineering from University of London, Cornell University, Symbiosis Institute and NIT India. Additionally, he has also served as a Board of Director and Member of the Governing Council for Aviation and Aerospace Sector Skill Council (AASSC), a Governmental body dedicated to developing nationwide skills in the Aerospace domain in India.

Noida Metro services to resume from June 9, 2021

NOIDA (Metro Rail News): Due to partial COVID curfew, metro services on NMRC network were suspended with effect from 01-05-2021. As the curfew has been relaxed in Gautam Buddh Nagar, NMRC train services will start operating from June 9, 2021. Keeping in view the night curfew and also to discourage people to move out due to corona pandemic, trains will be operated from 07 AM to 08 PM on weekdays only i.e. Monday to Friday. As weekend curfew is still in vogue, train services will not be operated on weekends i.e. Saturday and Sunday. Following the schedule of train operation will be followed: –

Train frequency before partial curfewTrain frequency w.e.f. 09-06-2021
WeekdaysPeak hoursOff peak hoursPeak hoursOff peak hours
(Mon-Fri)7min 30sec 10 min15 min30 min
TimingsFrom 6 AM to 10 PM From 7 AM to 8 PM 
Noida Metro will start Train Services from 09-06-2021

Note:

  1. Peak hours of NMRC train services – from 8AM to 11AM and 5AM to 8PM
  2. No train services to be operated on partial curfew days i.e. Saturday, Sunday and any other nominated days.

NMRC is taking all necessary measures to ensure a safe journey for Aqua Line commuters. Following special measures are being adopted to prevent spread of corona virus –

  1. The NMRC trains are sanitized after each trip.
  2. The stations, platform and other “contact areas” like Call buttons of lifts, AFC gates, Handle belts of Escalators & Staircases, POS machines etc. are sanitized at regular intervals
  3. Passenger screening team will be deployed at each station to check masks, temperature and hand sanitization of commuters.
  4. Social distancing norms will strictly be followed in NMRC premisis and inside trains as well.  
  5. Only one Entry / Exit gate will be opened at the following stations: Sector – 101, Sector- 81, Sector -137, Sector-142, Sector-143, Sector – 144, Sector – 145, Sector – 146, Sector – 147, Sector -148, Alpha -1, Delta – 1 and GNIDA Office.
  6. The stations where both Entry / Exit gsates will be kept open are: Sector – 51, Sector –50, Sector –76, NSEZ, Sector-83, KP-II, Pari chowk, Depot Station.
  7. The Parking facility will only be available at the Sector – 51 station.

Two trains crash in Pakistan, killed 30 and 50 injured

KARACHI, PAKISTAN (Metro Rail News): According to authorities, two trains crashed in Pakistan’s southern Sindh Province on Monday, killing at least 30 people and wounding 50 more.

According to Dawn news, the Sir Syed Express, which was travelling from Lahore to Karachi, collided with the Millat Express after it derailed on its route to Sargodha from Karachi.

According to the report, the severe disaster occurred at Dharki, a city in the Ghotki region of upper Sindh, when the bogies of the Millat Express train toppled.

Hospitals in Ghotki, Dharki, Obaro, and Mirpur Mathelo have declared an emergency.

According to Ghotki Deputy Commissioner Usman Abdullah, at least 30 persons were murdered and 50 were injured in the event.

Officials were also having problems retrieving persons who had become trapped within the crowded bogies.

Awaiting for more details.

Updated news

Several passengers were stuck in the crumpled debris caused by the crash at Daharki, in a remote section of rural Sindh province, for hours before rescue teams with specialized equipment could reach them.

According to police, at least 43 people were murdered and many were injured when a crowded Pakistani intercity train collided with another express that had crashed just minutes before.

Several passengers were stuck in the crumpled debris caused by the crash at Daharki, in a remote section of rural Sindh province, for hours before rescue teams with specialised equipment could reach them.

Huge crowds gathered from adjacent villages surrounding the wreckage of the upturned Pakistan Railways trains, with twisted and torn metal and heaps of baggage spilled over the ground.

The double collision occurred approximately 3.30 a.m. (2230 GMT), when the majority of the 1,200 people on the two trains would have been sleeping.

“We collided, but it wasn’t too fatal,” Akhtar Rajput, a passenger aboard the wrecked train, told AFP.

“Then another train came out of nowhere and slammed us much worse. When I recovered consciousness, I noticed folks laying about me, some of whom were attempting to exit the vehicle.”

“When the other train hit, I was dazed and trying to figure out what happened to us,” Shahid, another passenger, told AFP.

The Millat Express was travelling from Karachi to Lala Musa when it derailed, leaving its carriages scattered over the rails as the Sir Syed Express from Rawalpindi arrived minutes later, slamming into it.

According to authorities, the majority of the dead were recovered from the wrecked train.

According to Umar Tufail, a senior Daharki police official, 43 people were murdered and many were injured.

According to a representative for Pakistan Railways, the death toll is 33, although communication with the disaster scene was difficult due to its remote location.

To acquire a phone connection, one rescue worker said he had to stand on top of his car.

Farmers and peasants from the surrounding area were among the first to help passengers in attempting to extract survivors from the crumpled carriages by reaching through smashed windows and roof hatches.
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  • Communication Problem

The collision took place on a high part of road surrounded by beautiful countryside.

The track where the disaster happened, according to Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, a former railroads minister, was erected in the 1880s and is “a shambles.”

Azam Swati, the current minister, called the section of railway as “very unsafe,” but claimed officials had been waiting for financing from the multibillion-dollar Economic Corridor project to improve the network.

“If there is a financial delay,” he stated, “we will reconstruct this track with our own money.”

Pakistan’s army and paramilitary rangers from adjacent bases were on hand to assist.

The disaster “shocked” Prime Minister Imran Khan, who vowed a complete investigation.

Communication issues, according to Gul Mohammad, who works for the Edhi Foundation ambulance service, are preventing the rescue attempts from being coordinated.

“I’m talking to you from the rooftop of my ambulance, where I’m getting a stronger connection,” he told AFP.

Train accidents are widespread in Pakistan, where the railway network has suffered for decades as a result of corruption, incompetence, and a lack of investment.

GMRC to select General Consultant for Ahmedabad Metro Phase 2 Project

GANDHINAGAR (Metro Rail News): Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) Limited invites open RFP tenders under a single-stage, three packet system for the work of a selection of General Engineering Consultant for Phase-2 of Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project.

Important Details

Tender No. – GMRC/GEC/AHMEDABAD-PH-II/2021

Name of Work – Selection of General Engineering Consultant for Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project, Phase-II

Completion Period of work – 36 Months

Pre Bid Meeting Date -17-06-2021 at 12:00 Hrs

Last Date and time of submission of E-Tender – 19-07-2021

Opening of Pre-Qualification Proposal (EOI) – On the last day of submission of Filled-In Bid at 15:30 Hrs

For more information, applicants can download the tender document from GMRC’s website – https://www.gujaratmetrorail.com and (n) Procurement’s site – https://gmrc.nprocure.com 

Phase-2 of Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project comprises construction of 28.25 km long fully elevated corridor in 2 parts. The first part is Line-2 from Motera Stadium to Mahatma Mandir of length 22.83 km with 20 stations while the second part is Line-3 from GNLU to GIFT City of length 5.41 km with two stations.

Phase-2 received approval from Union Government in February 2019 with an estimated cost of INR 5384.17 Crores with civil construction activities started from February this year.

Pune Metro Update: PMC and SRA begin rehabilitation of families living in Kamgar Putla Slums

PUNE (Metro Rail News): The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) along with the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) have started shifting families residing in Kamgar Putla and Rajiv Gandhinagar slums to other SRA sites. This land will be utilized for Pune Metro Rail Project.

The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) will use this land to construct two interconnected stations for two different metro lines, at the Shivajinagar godown site and the adjoining slums of Kamgar Putla. The construction work includes viaduct and a bridge to cross the railway tracks.

A total of 1000 families are expected to be shifted in phased manner in Viman nagar and Hadapsar. The shifting process has began after multiple discussions and consultations with the stakeholders and also completion of technical formalities.

The land would be used for the piers of the elevated Vanaz-Ramwadi Line-2 and also for the Line-3 from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar which will also have a station at this location.

As per Nitin Udas, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, the administration was fine tuning the list of eligible residents for the past three months.

“As part of the process, the residents were told to produce certain documents.
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Some did not submit relevant documents and raised objections. We held hearings in each case,” he said.

SRA officials have initiated the process of registering the homes with the sub-registrar offices. The process is expected to be complete by next week, officials said.

Delhi Metro services to resumes from June 7 with 50% seating capacity only

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): In a big relief to the people of NCR, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today announced that the Delhi Metro will resume services from Monday. With Covid-19 cases continue to decline in the Capital, the unlock process has started gradually in Delhi and now Delhi Metro will also begin operation. However, the authorities capped the maximum capacity of the metro trains to 50% as operations of trains resume from Monday.

As said by Metro Rail News in previous news on resumption of Delhi Metro services from 7th of June, the announcement was finally made today as people are demanding and expecting for resumption of services of Delhi Metro, the lifeline of Delhi, which is not only imperative for Delhi but also to other NCR cities such as Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurugram etc.

In order to maintain social distancing, the seating arrangement of passengers leaving a seat in the coach will remain the same as before. Commuters must download the Arogya Setu App.

There will be thermal screening of passengers before entering the metro station. Metro stations may also get closed if social distancing protocols are not followed as done before also.

Citizens also want the strictness to continue but at the same time also want exemption in the metro for people who are travelling to get Covid-19 vaccination along with exemption to pregnant women.

On June 7, 2021, only half of the available trains will be inducted into service with a frequency ranging from approx. 5 to 15 min on different Lines. The number of trains will be inducted in full strength in a graded manner by Wednesday and thereafter, services will be available as per normal frequency which was available before the lockdown.

General public is advised to cooperate with the Metro authorities in ensuring compliance to Covid appropriate behaviour inside Metro premises throughout their travel.

Entry at stations will continue to be regulated through identified gates as was the practice earlier. DMRC is also writing to authorities for maintenance of law & order outside stations to handle the extra rush as services resume from Monday in the ongoing pandemic scenario.

Delhi Metro rail network is by far the largest and busiest metro system in India with a total length of 348 km along with 253 stations serving NCR with an average daily ridership of 4.7 million.

Kanpur Metro Trial run of Priority Corridor will be held in November 2021- MD Kumar Keshav

KANPUR (Metro Rail News): Today, on the occasion of World Environment Day, Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (UPMRC) Managing Director, Mr. Kumar Keshav came to Kanpur and planted a sapling at the Polytechnic Metro Depot. Throughout the visit, he inspected the stations of Priority Corridor and Metro Depot. During the inspection, he clarified that regardless of two waves of COVID-19 the deadline for the trial run remains intact and it is the endeavour of UP Metro to conduct the trial run on the Priority Corridor only in November 2021.

MD Shri Kumar Keshav started his visit from IIT-K Metro Station. After inspecting the IIT’s concourse, platform, and all the technical rooms, he reached Kalyanpur by walking on the viaduct of the Metro and examine the track work. Subsequently, he reached Metro Depot by reviewing the work progress of Receiving Sub Station (RSS) which is being built at Awadhpuri.

Expressing gratification over the pace of work at the Polytechnic Depot, he said, “The Machines of various systems will start being installed in the Metro Depot from July 2021 and by August the depot will be ready to welcome Metro Trains. The Metro Trains are being prepared at Savli Plant in Gujarat will start coming to Kanpur in September this year.” After reviewing the work of Depot, MD also visited Geeta Nagar, LLR (Hallet), and Motijheel Metro Stations.

Mumbai Metro achieves 38th Breakthrough at CSMT Metro Station for Line-3

MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) achieved 38th breakthrough at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Metro Station out of the total 41 breakthroughs planned for the 33.5 km long Colaba-Bandra-Seepz underground line (Line-3) of Mumbai Metro.

As per MMRC, the Robbins TBM Surya-1 has completed its final upline drive of 557 metres from Hutatma Chowk to CSMT Metro Station in 149 days using 405 concrete rings. With this, the 5.8-km-long tunnel from Cuffe Parade to CSMT Metro Station has been completed and the entire tunnelling scope of package-1 has been accomplished.

“We are pleased to announce 100% completion of tunneling work in 6 out of 7 contract packages covering the entire 33.5 km stretch. Package-1 completed this demanding task ensuring safety of the historical buildings in the heritage precinct. Our team of contractors, experts, engineers and workers completed this challenging work efficiently.” said Mr. Ranjit Singh Deol, Managing Director, MMRC.

Package-1 includes Cuffe Parade, Vidhan Bhavan, Churchgate and Hutatma Chowk Metro stations. It has now witnessed a total of eight breakthroughs –

  • Cuffe Parade to Vidhan Bhavan (Upline 1,228m and Downline 1,254 m)
  • Vidhan Bhavan to Churchgate (Upline 498 m and Downline 481 m)
  • Churchgate to Hutatma Chowk (Upline 654 m)
  • Hutatma Chowk to CSMT (Upline 557 m and Downline 569 m).

The overall tunnelling completed on the project is 52km which is approximately 96% of the total project.

Mumbai Metro Line-3 (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ) is a 33.5 km long fully underground line with 27 stations which would connect 06 business districts, 30 educational institutes, 30 recreational facilities and domestic as well as international airport terminals. 

It will have five interchange points for suburban railway and one each for Monorail and ‘Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar’ Line-1.

MMRC, a joint venture of the Govt. of India and the Government of Maharashtra, is the nodal agency responsible for the implementation of Mumbai Metro Line-3 project. 

Surat Metro work is progressing well despite Covid-19 challenges

SURAT (Metro Rail News): Work on Surat Metro Rail Project is progressing well despite the menace of Covid-19 pandemic. At present work is under construction on 21.61 km long Line-1 from Dream City to Sarthana under Phase-1. Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) is the implementing agency for this project.

On Line-1, 77.27% of geotechnical investigation and 47% test pile casting work is completed for Dream City to Kadarsha Ni Nal elevated section of 11.6 km. In January this year, a joint venture of Sadbhav Engineering Ltd. and SP Singla Constructions Pvt. Ltd. was awarded the contract for construction of this elevated section with 10 stations for INR 779.73 Crores with a completion period of 30 months.

According to GMRC official, “In test pile casting, we check load capacity. We try to find out if the design matches the requirements of the spot of construction. So far, the results are satisfactory.”

As per Banchhanidhi Pani, Surat Municipal Commissioner, “The project work continued amid the pandemic and testing work is completed on some portion. As the situation becomes normal the work will take speed.”
At present, 300 workers are available for construction activities at various locations of city. “In normal circumstances we would have completed the pile testing work at least on one section.
We are delayed by one month but we will cover it soon by increasing our total workforce and machinery,” said the official.

“We will gradually increase the total workforce to 1,000 labourers by the end of August that will accelerate the work further,” he added.

Line-1 of Surat Metro comprises construction of 21.61 km long corridor from Sarthana to Dream City with 20 stations on the route. The corridor has elevated portion of 15.14 km and underground section of 6.47 km. This corridor will be built in 3 packages for which contracts are already awarded. The total estimated cost is INR 12,020 Crores.

9 bidders shortlisted for redevelopment of CSMT Railway Station

MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) has shortlisted 09 bidders for the redevelopment of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Railway Station (CSMT) of Mumbai.

In August 2020, IRSDC invited RFQ (Request for Qualification) to redevelop CSMT Railway station and transform it into iconic city centre and in January 2021, it opened the RFQ applications of CSMT Railway station which revealed name of 10 applicants. After evaluation, IRSDC shortlisted 09 applicants as qualified for the next stage. The names of the qualified bidders are –

  • M/s Godrej Properties Limited
  • M/s Anchorage Infrastructure Investments Holdings Limited
  • M/s Oberoi Realty Limited
  • M/s ISQ Asia Infrastructure Investments Pte Ltd.
  • M/s Adani Railways Transport Limited
  • M/s Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd
  • M/s GMR Enterprises Private Limited
  • M/s Moribus Holdings Pte, Ltd.
  • M/s BIF IV Infrastructure Holding DIFC Pvt. Ltd.

“Nine firms have qualified the RFQ stage for the redevelopment of CSMT station. As the next steps, IRSDC will float a Request for Proposal (RFP) soon to the qualified bidders. CSMT railway station redevelopment is one of our most ambitious projects and we at IRSDC are committed to transform the CSMT railway station into a state of the art transport hub” said SK Lohia, Managing Director & CEO – IRSDC.

“CSMT railway station redevelopment is one of our most ambitious projects and we at IRSDC are committed to transform the CSMT railway station into a state of the art transport hub”, he said.

The cost of station redevelopment including the cost of financing as well as contingency etc. is INR 1642 Crores. The investment opportunity for redevelopment is on the basis of Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT).

The Applications were evaluated in accordance to the Financial Capacity, which had two criteria.

  • Minimum Net worth: INR 821 Crores at the close of preceding financial year OR
  • Minimum ACI: INR 821 Crores at the close of the preceding financial year (for AIF or Foreign Investment Fund).

The construction and O&M experience capacity shall have to be met after the award of the project. The entire bidding procedure is a two-stage bidding process consisting of RFQ and Request for Proposal (RFP).

The selected bidder at the RFP stage shall take up the redevelopment of the CSMT Railway station The Request for Proposal (RFP) for CSMT is under preparation and will be called shortly from the shortlisted applicants.