Train 18 renamed as Vande Bharat Express

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27/01/2019

Train 18 has been renamed Vande Bharat Express, says Piyush Goyal

New Delhi, Metro Rail News: Train 18 has been renamed Vande Bharat Express, as an acknowledgment of its made-in-India status. The announcement was made by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday.

“It is completely made in India and various names were suggested by the general public but we have decided to name it Vande Bharat Express. A gift on the occasion of the Republic Day to people. Will request the prime minister to flag it off,” said Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday.

Today, Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri @PiyushGoyal announced the name Vande Bharat Express for India's first Semi-High Speed, Self-Propelled Train 18, acknowledging its made-in-India status, built under PM Shir @narendramodi 's Make in India initiative.#VandeBharatExpress pic.twitter.com/XRRt6azp16
— Metro Rail News (@MetroRailNewsIN) January 27, 2019

Indian Railways high-speed, engine-less train set named Train 18 (T18) will be rolled out soon. However, with all the world-class amenities, it’s being reported that the fares of train 18 might be costlier than Shatabdi Express.

According to an IANS report, tickets of Train 18 might be 40-50% higher than the price of Shatabdi Express.

Quoting officials close to the development, the report stated that the officials have approached Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) seeking time for the launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is likely after the presentation of the budget. The first train is slated to run between New Delhi and Varanasi, the Prime Minister’s Lok Sabha constituency.

While the railways had been saying that it had proposed two routes for the train, Delhi to Bhopal and Delhi to Varanasi, this is the first time that the route has been officially confirmed.

“We have successfully tested the train and the suggestions are being incorporated. Very soon the train will be dedicated to the nation and we have requested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi flag it off. This train will run between Delhi and Varanasi in eight hours and the fastest train between the two cities takes 11.30 hours,” Goyal said.

“This train has amenities of international standards, is Wi-Fi enabled, CCTV cameras and it has no locomotive or engine. It is a trainset. It will cover the 750-km route at a maximum speed of 160kmph,” said Goyal, who inspected the rake at the New Delhi railway station.

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All you need to know: Noida-Greater Noida Aqua Line Metro open for public

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Narendra Shah

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25/01/2019

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The Aqua Line of the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC), connecting the twin cities of Noida with Greater Noida, will be inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday.

Noida, Metro Rail News: The Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC)
The Aqua Line, connecting the twin cities of Noida and Greater Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar was opened for the public on January 25, 2019, by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The ‘Aqua Line’ of Noida Metro Rail was inaugurated by Honorable CM, Uttar Pradesh, Shri @myogiadityanath ji today in presence of Shri @HardeepSPuri ji, Honorable Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.@noidametrorail #Noida #Metro pic.twitter.com/cBw0r3HiMO
— Metro Rail News (@MetroRailNewsIN) January 25, 2019

“Today we dedicate the Noida Greater Noida metro rail to the people of the region. The Aqua Line, which has been completed in record time, will provide better connectivity to the region and prove to a milestone in the development of the region,” Adityanath said.

Here is all you need to know about the line:

Constructed at the cost of Rs 5,503 crore, the 29.7- Km section with 21 stations will be the longest Metro line in the country to be inaugurated, The Hyderabad Metro held the earlier record at 29km.
There will be 15 stations in Noida and six in Greater Noida. The Aqua Line will halt on the Sector 76, 101, 81, NSEZ, Noida Sector 83, 137, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, and Greater Noida’s Knowledge Park II, Pari Chowk, Alpha 1, Delta 1, GNIDA Office and Depot Metro stations.
Commuters can buy QR-coded paper tickets or use smart cards. The initial payment for a new mobility card will be Rs 300, as against Rs 200 for Delhi Metro. The Delhi Metro tokens and smart cards will not be valid on this line.
Travelling one station would cost Rs 10 on an QR-coded ticket and Rs 9 via smart card; 2km would cost Rs 15 on ticket and Rs 13.50 on smart card; 3 to 6km would cost Rs 20 via ticket and Rs 18 on smart card; 7 to 9km would cost Rs 30 on ticket and Rs 27 on smart card. Travelling more than 10 stations but less than 16 stations would cost Rs 40 via ticket but Rs 36 via the smart card. Travelling beyond 16 stations would cost Rs 50 via ticket and Rs 45 via the smart card.
The Aqua line from will have a frequency of 15 minutes.
It will have 19 rakes with four cars each. Every train is designed to run at a maximum speed of 80 kmph, clocking an average speed of 37.5 kmph.
The trains are equipped with a passenger information system, a public address system, and an emergency announcement system from the operation control centre. Besides, all the stations shall be equipped with platform screen doors.
Seat reservation through different colours has been done in the coaches for women, senior citizens and disabled. Dedicated space has been provided for wheelchairs in driving trailer cars at both the ends of the trains.
The 49th battalion of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary will be responsible for the security on the Aqua Line and some private security personnel will also be deployed.
The line will generate solar energy, have women drivers, and free water and toilet facilities for commuters

It would run between Sector 71 station in Noida and the Depot Station in Greater Noida. There are a total of 21 stations on the corridor – 15 of them in Noida and six in Greater Noida — spread over a distance of 29.7-km.

The work on the Aqua Line started in May 2015 and was completed in a record time of three-and-a-half years.

The Metro service is expected to benefit a large number of commuters in both the cities, where mass public transport has been mostly unavailable, and the NMRC expects a daily footfall of over one lakh passengers.

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Delhi Metro’s Grey Line likely to start by September 2019

By

Narendra Shah

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25/01/2019

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New Delhi, Metro Rail News: Taking another step to cover more areas under its ever-growing network, Tthe Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on January 24, 2019, started work on its last leg between Najafgarh and Dhansa Stand on the Dwarka – Najafgarh – Dhansa Stand corridor.

“The TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) will bore a 700-meter long tunnel between Najafgarh and Dhansa Stand on the up line and the same machine will be subsequently used for tunnelling on the down line between the same stations. The entire tunnelling work on both the up and down lines will be completed by September 2019″ said a DMRC official

Once this section of the Grey Line is made operational, Dwarka, Najafgarh and other nearby rural areas in western Delhi will be more accessible for commuters. Currently, travelling to these areas take time as they are not that well connected with public transport.

The total distance between Najafgarh and Dhansa Stand is 1.2 kilometres. The entire stretch is underground. While 700 metres will be constructed using TBM, the rest will be done by the Cut and Cover technology in which excavation is done for underground construction and then the area is covered again.

This section is an extension of the 4.295 kilometre long Dwarka – Najafgarh Metro corridor. The work for this section was formally awarded in late 2017 and the target date for completion is December, 2020. On the Dwarka – Najafgarh section, over 90 percent of construction work is complete and passenger services are expected to start by September this year.

As part of its third phase of expansion, DMRC has constructed close to 54 kilometres of underground sections, which is more than the under underground corridors constructed in its first and second phases. About 30 TBMs were put into use for carrying out such massive underground tunnelling work. It was a tremendous engineering challenge since Delhi is an extremely crowded city and tunnelling had to be done beneath centuries old buildings and congested localities.

TBMs were introduced for the first time by DMRC during the first phase of Metro construction. In Phase 2 of the Delhi Metro, 14 TBMs were used while the Phase 3, the number of TBMs used was 30.

Delhi Metro currently operates on a network of 327 kilometres with 236 Metro stations. This network includes over a hundred kilometres of underground lines spread across the national capital.

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Train 18 Special – Metro Rail News January 2019 issue Publish

By

Narendra Shah

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24/01/2019

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Cover page of Metro Rail News January 2019 issue

Dear Readers,

Metro Rail News Published its most awaited Train 18 Special Edition which has in it very interesting section for the readers which cover The year review 2018 of Metro, Railway & MoHU, Cover Story of Train 18, Exclusive Interview with former ICF, GM, Mr. Sudhanshu Mani and Mr Kumar Keshav, MD, LMRCL in addition to Project of the Month, New Development, Opinion, Technology Update, Metro & Railway Job Openings, Article on Metro Camera, Tracking Sensor & AFC Ticketing, Case study of Alignment Design for Delhi Metro Phase IV Expansion, Project Watch, Upcoming Event, Live Tender.

The highlight of Metro Rail News January 2019

S. No.	Index	Page no
1	Editor Note	6
2	Round Up	10
3	Editor Choice	13
4	Year Review 2018: Metro, Railway & MoHU	18
5	Cover Story: Train 18	26
6	Interview with former ICF, GM, Mr. Sudhanshu Mani	30
7	Interview with Mr Kumar Keshav, MD, LMRCL	32
8	Project of the Month: Noida Metro	35
9	New Development	38
10	Opinion	41
11	Technology Update: Zonda Rotary Train	44
12	Pre Event Coverage: Middle East Rail 2019	45
13	Metro & Railway Job Openings	46
14	Article: Metro Camera, Tracking Sensor & AFC Ticketing	47
15	Case study: Alignment Design for Phase IV Expansion	52
16	Project Watch	55
17	Upcoming Event	57
18	Live Tender	58

Click here to Subscribe Now

Read previous Issue

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Chennai Metro’s AG-DMS to Washermanpet stretch to be open in Feb 2019

By

Narendra Shah

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24/01/2019

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Metro Rail’s last stretch to be opened in February first week

Final check by CMRS on Friday; CM, Union Minister to participate

Chennai, Metro Rail News: Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) last stretch from AG-DMS to Washermanpet is likely to be inaugurated in the first week of February 2019

According to our source, the inauguration was planned for January 30 but had to be pushed to the first week of February for the convenience of authorities in the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD). They are now considering two dates, February 6 or 10.

The function will take place at the Chennai Central Metro Rail station, for which arrangements have already begun.

The Tamil Nadu government had extended the invitation to the Ministry of Urban Development two weeks ago. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Chief Minister Edappadi K.

Palaniswami will inaugurate the new stretch that marks the end of phase I project of the Chennai Metro Rail.

“Since Parliament is in session, they [the authorities in MoUD] wanted the ceremony to be shifted to February,” a source said.

Though there were rumours that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might participate in the function, sources clarified that he will not be present.

One more check

The Commissioner of Metro Railways Safety, Shri K.A. Manoharan, CRS/S. Circle, Bangalore along with his team Inspect AG-DMS to Washermanpet on 19-01-2019 and 20-01-2019.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS), who inspected the stations and tunnels along 10-km stretch from AG-DMS to Washermanpet, will once again come to the city on Friday for more checks. The CMRS team had pointed out some infringements in structures and incomplete work such as installation of false ceiling at the LIC and Thousand Lights stations.

“The CMRS team is returning to check if the corrective actions that had been recommended have been carried out. If the CMRS is satisfied with the work, then we are likely to get the final mandatory approval certificate in a few days,” another source said. If Chennai Metro Rail gets this certificate, the stretch will be ready for operations and can be inaugurated. When this stretch opens, all 45 km of the phase I project will be operational. Chennai Metro Rail plans to increase the frequency of trains and timings too.

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Cabinet approves Delhi Metro’s Red Line extension connecting Dilshad Garden to New Bus Adda Ghaziabad

By

Aradhana Patel

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23/01/2019

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Delhi, Metro Rail News: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the extension of Delhi Metro corridor from Dilshad Garden to New Bus Adda Ghaziabad.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced the decision during his press conference.

The total distance of the extended line will be 9.41 km. The Cabinet has also approved contribution of Rs.324.87 crore as central financial assistance for extension at the total completion cost of Rs.1,781.21 crore.

The implementation of the project would provide the much needed additional public transport infrastructure to NCR.

The project is being implemented by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (DMRC), the existing Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of the Government of India and Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD).

The Dilshad Garden-New Bus Adda line will touch the interior parts of Ghaziabad. The elevated section will comprise eight stations: Shahid Nagar, Raj Bagh, Rajendra Nagar, Shyam Park, Mohan Nagar, Arthala, Hindon River Station and New Bus Adda.

The initial trial for the entirely elevated section, having eight metro stations, had started last year in the month of August. This is the extension of the presently operational Dilshad Garden-Rithala corridor (Line 1) also called the Red Line. The total operational distance of this Metro Line at moment is 25.09 km-long and after the opening of the new section, the Red Line span will become 34.50 km.

According to Delhi Metro officials, the construction of this corridor was a major challenge as it runs along the busy Grand Trunk Road, which has non-stop traffic throughout the day. Because of which most of the construction activities, including the launching of girders, had to be carried out during night hours, the official said.

This would be the second metro line in Ghaziabad and the first metro link connecting the interiors of the city. It will pass through Sahibabad Industrial Area and is aimed at impacting the nearby residential areas.

The elevated Metro line will provide connectivity between Ghaziabad and several other parts of Delhi-NCR. Currently, commuters have to rely on last-mile connectivity from Dilshad Garden to reach Sahibabad. Connectivity to Mohan Nagar from Dilshad Garden would also improve considerably, it said.

The stations of this corridor have been specially designed with the station buildings on either side of the road and the platform on the central verge along the viaduct. The platforms are not a part of the station buildings, the DMRC said.

The platforms are connected to each station building with the help of foot overbridges FOBs on either side. The FOBs have been divided into paid and non-paid area and can be used to reach the platform as well as to cross the road.

Only the Hindon River station building is a standard station with a single building off the road and the platform inside the station building. This is the only station where the alignment also has gone off the road, the statement said.

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DMRC Invites Expression Of Interest to have ATMs for All Metro stations

By

Narendra Shah

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23/01/2019

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Delhi, Metro Rail News: Soon all Delhi metro stations will have ATMs as Delhi Metro is planning to install at least one ATM machine on every station on its network. In a move that will benefit daily commuters as well as enhance revenue earned by the corporation.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has invited expression of interest from banks and non-bank entities to install ATMs in Metro stations across Delhi-NCR.

“Currently, 175 stations already have one or more ATMs, but with the rapid expansion in 2018, the idea is to cover the entire network with the ATM facility in 2019,” said a DMRC official.

for the last-mile connectivity for travelers, DMRC started service in collaboration with cab aggregators like Ola and Uber through the kiosks at the stations in December. The kiosks will provide the commuters with booking facility, information about location and status of the booked cabs.

Currently, the Delhi Metro spans over 317 km with 231 stations.

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Namma Metro invite tender for Design & Construction of Underground structures

By

Narendra Shah

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22/01/2019

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Bengaluru, Metro Rail News: The “practical difficulties” of constructing an elevated Metro corridor on narrow roads have prompted the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) to stick to its original plan of building a 14-km underground stretch through the heart of Bengaluru. With the change in plan,

the Gottigere Nagawara line will go underground from Dairy Circle to Nagawara. The section is referred to as Reach 6 of Phase II.

On January 21, 2019, Namma Metro floated bids for construction of two portions of the underground stretch of Reach 6 — a 3.65-km stretch between Dairy Circle and Vellara Junction and a 4.59-km stretch between Tannery Road and Nagawara. Bids for the seven-km underground stretch between Vellara Junction and Tannery Road were floated in two packages last year and are likely to be awarded in a week’s time. “We have stuck to the original plan of building the underground stretch due to multiple reasons. Even though it’s technically feasible to build an elevated corridor, there would have been practical difficulties,” Ajay Seth, managing director of BMRCL.

A senior official said the plan to have an elevated stretch on Tannery Road was dropped due to challenges in land acquisition. “The stretch is a thickly populated residential area. More than the cost component, acquiring land would have created social problems such as displacement of people and establishments,” he said. The BBMP, he said, had initially planned to widen Tannery Road but there has been no progress in a year.

The detailed project report of Phase II also suggested going underground between Dairy Circle and Nagawara to minimise land acquisition issue. The transport utility was, however, in two minds. BMRCL had planned to have the 14-km stretch partly elevated. This was after four construction companies — in the first bid for underground works — quoted about 69% more than Metro’sestimate.

To avoid what the BMRCL suspected to be a collusion of contractors, it chose to invite bids only for two packages (Vellara Junction-Shivajinagar and Cantonment-Pottery Road) in July 2018. It kept two other packages on hold. There was a strong suspicion of collusion as the four construction companies had emerged lowest bidders in each of the packages of the UG section, which was split into four.

TWO REMAINING PACKAGES

For the two remaining packages, BMRCL has revised the length and cost. While Namma Metro’s estimate and length of the tunnel remains the same in Package 1 as with the previous bid, there have been some changes in Package 4.

Senior officials said the length of the underground portion in Package 4 is kept longer than Package 1 due to geological conditions. “Our studies show that the underground stretch between Vellara Junction and Pottery Road comprises mixed geology, including hard rock, while the stretch between Tannery Road and Nagawara is smooth,” he said. Each eligible construction company, the officer said, will have to deploy a minimum of two tunnel-boring machines to carry out work on each package

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CMRS to Inspect Chennai Metro’s AG-DMS to Washermanpet stretch of Phase 1

By

Narendra Shah

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19/01/2019

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Chennai, Metro Rail News: The Commissioner of Metro Railways Safety, Shri K.A. Manoharan,CRS/S. Circle, Bangalore along with his team will be inspecting the underground stretch of Phase 1, from AG-DMS to Washermanpet on 19-01-2019 and 20-01-2019.

This stretch in the Blue Line of the Chennai Metro Rail Project Phase 1 will be the last section of the 45 km alignment.

Several Civil , operations and system readiness namely OHE height and stagger measurement, Demonstration of fire hydrant at Ramp Area, Demonstration of TVS Jet fans, Ramp Sump pump Inspection and Overview, Measurement of Schedule of Dimensions (SODs), Gauge, level and clearance measurement at every 200m intervals, Demonstration of Passenger Emergency Telephone (PET), Public Announcement (PAP) and Passenger Information Displays (PIDS),Lifts and Escalators, HV room and M05 room to name a few will be inspected during the two day inspection.

Pic 1: Commencement of CMRS inspection for AG-DMS to Washermanpet stretch
Pic 2: Commencement of CMRS inspection for AG-DMS to Washermanpet stretch
Pic 3: Commencement of CMRS inspection for AG-DMS to Washermanpet stretch
PIC 3: Commencement of CMRS inspection for AG-DMS to Washermanpet stretch

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Many Countries Express Interest to Import India’s Train 18 Set

By

Narendra Shah

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18/01/2019

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Many Countries Interested In Importing India's Train 18 Set

New Delhi, Metro Rail News: Peru, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and some countries in the Middle East have expressed interest in importing the Railways’state-of-the-art Train 18, a senior official said on Friday, even as the ambitious project awaits its first commercial run.

Train 18 which has run at a maximum speed of 180 kmph during its trial run will have its debut journey from Varanasi to Delhi.

“Many countries have expressed interest in the train set and we are happy and proud that an indigenously made product is attracting so much interest. The rolling stock market worldwide is worth about 200 billion dollars and we want a significant share of it. Now, the aim is to successfully run the train,” said Member, Rolling Stock, Railway Board, Rajesh Agarwal.

Sources said the train sets currently available worldwide at the standard of Train 18 cost around Rs 250 crore, while the Indian version manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai costs around Rs 100 crore.

India, which is the latest entrant into the semi-high speed club, will also host the International High Speed Rail Association (IHRA) conference this February where the Railways is hoping to pitch Train 18 as a mascot of its manufacturing capabilities, sources said.

“The production of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches increased from around 685 coaches in 2014-2015 to 4,016 coaches during the current year. The actual production upto December 2018 has touched 3,106 coaches with three more months to go. In fact, total LHB production of first 17 years has been exceeded in the last two years which is unprecedented” Said Agarwal

“Train 18 is our latest creation which has taken us 18 months from the idea stage to completion and manufacturing stage,” He added .

With 16 coaches, the train will have the same passenger carrying capacity as that of the Shatabdi Express. The high-tech, energy-efficient, self-propelled (engine-less) train was flagged off by Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani on October 29.

The fully air-conditioned semi-high speed train will cut travel time by 15 per cent as compared to the Shatabdi line of trains.

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