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Afcons, Shankaranarayana lowest bidders for BMRCL’s Phase – 2A project as BMRCL open bids for ORR Metro

14/10/2020

BENGALURU (Metro Rail News): The long-pending Outer Ring Road Metro line received a fresh lease of life after Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) opened financial bids on Tuesday. While the Centre is yet to approve the project, BMRCL decided to go ahead with the bids after chief minister BS Yediyurappa gave the green signal. In December, BMRCL floated a tender for the 19-km elevated stretch with 13 stations along with ORR. However, it was put on hold due to delay in getting the Centre’s approval.

Officials have recently said that nine firms participated in the tender floated in two packages. In the first — 9.8km elevated section with six stations (Central Silk Board Junction, HSR Layout, Agara Junction, Iblur Junction, Bellandur, Kadubeesanahalli and construction of a 2.8m flyover at Central Silk Board) — Mumbai-based Afcons Infrastructure Limited emerged as the lowest bidder with Rs 785 crore. In the second — 9.7km elevated section with seven stations (Kodibisanhalli, Marathahalli, ISRO Layout, Doddanekkundi, DRDO Sports Complex, Saraswathi Nagar (Mahadevapura) and K R Puram and a 2km link line to Byappanahalli depot) — Bengaluru’s Shankaranarayana Constructions Pvt Ltd was the lowest bidder with Rs 623 crore.

Other firms including L&T, ITD Cementation, GR Infra, NCC, Gayathri – China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited JV, Sunway – VNCPL JV, GGHB – CVCC JV participated in the tender. BMRCL officials said they are yet to issue work orders to Afcons and Shankaranarayana.

“We will hold another round of negotiations with the firms. We are expecting the Centre’s approval soon.”Civil work is likely to begin in December 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2024-25. ORR Metro (Light Blue Line) is crucial for the city as it passes through the IT corridor housing several multinational companies. With 90% of land acquisition already completed and utility shifting contracts awarded, there are no major hurdles in implementing the Light Blue Line”, said an official.

The estimated cost of the ORR Metro corridor has been revised to about Rs 5,300 crore excluding the construction of loops and ramps for the 2.8km flyover at Central Silk Board. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to finance the project.

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Indian Railways to soon resume services of New Delhi- Katra Vande Bharat Express

M K Rai

13/10/2020

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): India n Railways on 10 October gave approval to railway zones for running 39 new trains. The Ministry of Railways said that these trains will be introduced as special services from an early convenient date. The list of trains also includes the second Vande Bharat Express train which operates between New Delhi and Katra in Jammu & Kashmir.

It is a semi-high speed train and has remained suspended for nearly 200 days since the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the covid-19 pandemic in the country. The New Delhi- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express will operate six-day in a week except for Tuesday. Vande Bharat Express can run at a speed of 160kmph and is considered to be the country’s first semi-high speed train. Earlier, the Indian Railways had already started the New Delhi Varanasi Vande Bharat Express in the month of September.

Indian Railways suspended the operations of Vande Bharat Express on 23 March after a nationwide lockdown was imposed to stop the spread of covid-19 in the country. The second Vande Bharat Express train which operates between New Delhi and Katra, however, remains suspended as of now Indian Railways have started the New Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express which will operate five days in a week except on Monday and Thursday.

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Uddhav government to relocate Metro car shed at Aarey

M K Rai

13/10/2020

MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray recently announced the scrapping of Aarey metro car shed and said the project will now come up at Kanjurmarg here. “The land will be available at zero rates,” he said. He said the building which has come up in Aarey forest will be utilised for some other public purpose. “About Rs 100 crore expenditure was incurred for the purpose and it won’t go waste,” he said.

Thackeray said the government had earlier declared 600 acres of Aarey land as forest but now it has been revised to 800 acres. There will be no infringement on rights of tribals in the Aarey forest, he added.”Biodiversity in Aarey needs to be conserved and protected. Nowhere is there an 800-acre jungle in an urban setup. Mumbai has a natural forest cover,” he said.
Cases last year against citizens and environmentalists who protested against the Aarey project and felling of trees in that area have been withdrawn, he said.

The move to relocate the car shed from Aarey came amid reports that the state government was considering if two of the upcoming Metro lines could share maintenance facility. It had appointed Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to prepare a feasibility study on Metro 3 (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz) sharing its car shed with Line 6 (Vikhroli-Lokhandwala). There were also reports that Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd officials had expressed apprehension that the Metro Line 3 project may be delayed by three years and its cost may go up by over Rs 2,000 crore if the car shed for the line was shifted from Aarey Colony.

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Biocon to give Rs 65 crores for building a metro station in Bengaluru

M K Rai

13/10/2020

BANGALORE (Metro Rail News): Biocon Foundation has decided to provide Rs 65 crore to the state-run Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) for constructing the Hebbagodi metro station in the city`s southern suburb as part of its corporate social responsibility, the firm said on Thursday.
“In recognition of the Foundation`s contribution to society, BMRCL will name the proposed facility as Biocon Hebbagodi Metro station with the consent of the Karnataka government,” the firm said in a statement. Biocon chairperson and its Foundation’s managing trustee Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and BMRCL’s managing director Ajay Seth signed an agreement for the contribution. The new Metro station will be part of the Metro`s third phase of expansion, covering 128 km across the bustling city.
“We are fulfilling our CSR towards environmental sustainability by providing an alternate means of mobility for the citizens of Bengaluru. The metro project will help in easing traffic congestion with greater use of public transport,” Shaw said on the occasion.
“We value the Biocon Foundation`s support for sustainable urban development and transport. We are committed to adding 128 km of Metro network in the next five years,” Mr Seth said.

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Titagarh Wagons to procure 4.8 MW solar energy from Fourth Partner Energy

M K Rai

13/10/2020

KOLKATA (Metro Rail News): Solar power player Fourth Partner Energy has recently said that it has tied up with Titagarh Wagons Ltd to supply 4.8 megawatts (MW) solar energy to electrify the latter’s three manufacturing units in West Bengal. Passenger and freight trains maker Titagarh Wagons Ltd has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Fourth Partner Energy to procure 4.8 MW of solar power for its wagon and steel foundries at Titagarh and its passenger coach and propulsion unit at Uttarpara, to effectively replace nearly 25 per cent of its current annual electricity demand with clean energy, a statement from Fourth Partner Energy said. All three power plants are expected to be commissioned by January 2021 according to the statement.
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“We are excited to on-board Fourth Partner Energy to solarise our Heavy Engineering division, Titagarh Wagons and Titagarh Steel facilities across West Bengal”, said one official.
India is targeting 100 per cent electrification of railways in three years, which will result in a near doubling of electricity demand by the sector, he said adding that Fourth Partner believes solar will play a crucial role in meeting this.
“We have also partnered with Indian Railways to solarise Jabalpur, Varanasi, Gorakhpur stations and the Nagpur Metro Rail,” said a source related with the development.
Fourth Partner Energy is a firm working for India’s solar energy solutions with 400 MW operational capacity executed for marquee clients like UltraTech Cement, Walmart, Hindustan Unilever, Coca Cola, Akzo Nobel, Skoda and Schneider amongst others.

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JICA demands 80% of land acquisition in the Semi High-Speed Rail Project

M K Rai

13/10/2020

Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod-semi-high-speed-rail-corridor-Train — image is used for representation purpose copyright: Respective Authority

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (Metro Rail News): In a guarded move, Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) is said to have informed the state government that it could commit to funding the ambitious ‘Silver Line’ semi-high speed rail project only after at least 80% land acquisition for the project is complete.
The condition is put forward by Jica, one of the international financial agencies with whom the Kerala Rail Development Corporation LTD, a joint venture of railways and the state government, is in talks with for mobilizing Rs 33,700 crore funding for the project. The Silver Line project proposes to establish semi-high speed rail connectivity between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod.

However, the fresh condition set by Jica, say sources close to the developments, could give a flip to the project than affecting its prospects.

“From its experience, funding agencies usually incorporate new conditions while funding for new projects. Since land acquisition is a major hurdle in a state like Kerala, the agency must have thought of ensuring land availability before giving out a commitment to funding. Since the land acquisition is being done using funding raised through a different mechanism, it could further increase the chances for the realisation of the project at the earliest,” sources said.
The first tranche of funds to the tune of Rs 2,100 crore for land acquisition is expected to the released to K-Rail in a month or so. Funds for the land acquisition is being mobilized through KIIFB, Hudco and Indian Railway Finance Corporation. For the international funding, the talks are with Jica, ABDI, German Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

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Mumbai Metro: 20% of Metro Line 6 work completed

M K Rai

13/10/2020

MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has attained around 20 per cent of the Metro Line 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar–Vikroli) project work so far. The revised deadline of the completion of the project is 2022. Interestingly, Metro line 6 will be the tallest elevated corridor – at a height of 38 metres (12 storeyed building). Other elevated metro corridors are being constructed at an average height of 16 metres from the ground level.
On October 11, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray officially announced that Metro line 3 (Colaba–Bandra–SEEPZ) and line 6 will have a common depot in Kanjurmarg. Since line 6 is the tallest elevated corridor now taking the underground Metro Line 3 rakes on this elevated corridor will be a challenge for the authorities.
“As per the proposed plan, now from the existing SEEPZ underground station the metro train will come out on the stilts and connect to the elevated line 6 at JVLR. In simple words, if a commuter takes Metro 3 from a particular station, the commuter can travel in the same train up to the last station on Metro Line 6. Eastern and western suburb residents will benefit immensely by this direct connectivity.
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Even residents of Thane will benefit as they will be able to travel to South Mumbai, via Metro 4 corridor by getting down at intersection station seamlessly”, a person said.
According to the MMRDA, the car-shed land at Kanjurmarg is around 102 acres and no construction work related to depot work has been started so far.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) undertaking the Metro Line 3 informed on October 8 that it is only nine more breakthroughs away from achieving 100 per cent tunnelling work. As of now out of 54.5 Kms, 48 Kms of tunnelling work has been accomplished.

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Uttar Pradesh Government clears Gorakhpur’s Rs 4,672 cr light metro rail

M K Rai

13/10/2020

LUCKNOW (Metro Rail News): To further expand the metro rail networks in the major cities of Uttar Pradesh, the state government has now cleared the Light Metro project for chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s home turf of Gorakhpur.
Also known as light rapid transit, Light Metro is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but lower than the typical heavy-rail rapid transit system.
The Gorakhpur Light Metro project, which is estimated to be completed by 2024, would span almost 28 km with two elevated corridors. While one elevated corridor would span 15.14 km comprising 14 stations, the other corridor would run 12.70 km and consist of 13 stations.
The Adityanath cabinet meeting here on Friday, which cleared the Gorakhpur Light Metro project, also gave its nod to the detailed project report (DPR) of the prestigious project.
In the 2020-21 UP Annual Budget, the state government had made a provision of Rs 900 for the under-construction Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System. Besides, Rs 286 crore and Rs 358 crore were allocated for the Agra and Kanpur metro projects respectively. Currently, metro rail services are being run in Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Noida cities. The work on the Kanpur Metro project is progressing at a fast pace. Even during the post lockdown period, ‘strategic execution’ helped the UP Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) in maintaining the workforce for the construction of the 9 km priority corridor of Kanpur Metro, which has become the first metro project in India where pre-casted double T-girders are being used for constructing the concourse level of the stations.
On August 31, the European Investment Bank (EIB) had signed a loan contract for Kanpur Metro for Euro 650 million (Rs 5,552 crore) through a virtual signing ceremony. The EIB is expected to evaluate the Agra Metro soon for a similar credit facility.
The agreement was signed in the virtual presence of Ambassador of the European Union to India and Bhutan Ugo Astuto; EIB vice president Andrew McDowell; C S Mohapatra, additional secretary, department of economic affairs, union finance ministry; and Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (UPMRC) managing director Kumar Keshav.
Meanwhile, the Adityanath government has expedited land acquisition for the Kanpur and Agra metro projects, which are collectively estimated to cost Rs 19,000 crore. In July 2020, the Supreme Court (SC) had cleared the Rs 8,380 crore Agra project, thus paving way for the mass rapid transit system (MRTS) in the Taj City.
In Agra, the 21 hectares of land, notified as protected forest, would be released for the metro project, while another land would be notified as protected forest in the district to compensate for the green cover. Besides, 8 hectares of land under the possession of the 15th company of provincial armed constabulary (PAC) would be provided for the metro project.

(With inputs from ANI).

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Centre’s green signal for Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod high-speed rail corridor soon

M K Rai

13/10/2020

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (Metro Rail News): Kerala Minister for Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran has said that Silver Line, the much ambitious railway project of Kerala, connecting Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod through high-speed trains, will soon get the green signal from the Union government. The land acquisition process for the Rs 63,941-crore project which is a joint venture of the Indian Railways and Kerala government is progressing, the Minister said on Saturday. The Silver Line corridor will connect Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod through trains with operational speeds of 200 km per hour, covering the 529.45-km journey in four hours. These trains will cover the busy Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam stretch in 90 minutes, which at present takes more than four hours.

Silver Line will run parallel to the existing railway line from Kasaragod to Tirur, while an alternative green-field alignment has been chosen for Tirur-Thiruvananthapuram stretch. The Silver Line trains will have stopovers at Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode, and Kannur en route to Kasaragod. The project was first announced by the state government in 2019. It is expected to cost Rs 1,457 per person to travel the whole length from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod.
Sudhakaran said the Cabinet has already given its approval to the detailed project report (DPR), submitted by implementing agency Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K-Rail), a joint venture of the Indian Railways and the state government. The DPR was prepared by Paris-based consultant Systra and submitted to the Union and the state governments for approval.
The aerial survey of the project has been already completed. The project is aimed to be completed within three years according to different sources.

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SAIL to start commercial production of Head Hardened rails

M K Rai

13/10/2020

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Public Sector Steel Manufacturer SAIL is planning to commence commercial production of Head Hardened (HH) rails in this fiscal according to its chairman Anil Kumar Chaudhary. HH rails are special rails used in high-speed freight corridors and metro rail projects.
Such rails are manufactured using the head hardening technology to bear about 50 per cent higher pressure compared to normal rails. SAIL has set up facilities for the production of HH rails at the new Universal Rail Mill (URM) at its Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) in Chhattisgarh, and the cold trials for the same have already been completed, Mr Chaudhary said.
“Though the commissioning of the facility has got delayed on account of COVID-19 pandemic, the company is planning to commence commercial production of the Head Hardened Rails during the current financial year as per the requirement of Indian Railways,” he was stated saying.
He said the Railways is moving towards higher speed and axle load rails and recently it required R 260-grade rail for its use. SAIL-BSP successfully rolled and supplied the R 260-grade vanadium alloyed special grade prime rails to the national transporter. In July 2020, the company dispatched the first batch of special R 260-grade vanadium alloyed rails to meet the requirement of Indian Railways.

“SAIL has a long relationship with the Railways and it is one of the most trusted partners of the Railways. We have supplied railway tracks to Indian Railways which, if measured, can circumnavigate the earth more than twelve times”, he further added.
SAIL has set up a new 1.2 million tonne per annum universal rail mill (URM) at a cost of about Rs 1,200 crore, as part of its modernization programme for Bhilai Steel Plant, to produce different types of rails. The 130-meter rail rolled at URM is the world’s longest rail in a single piece.

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