Chennai Metro | CMRL to issue multi-purpose smart cards to commuters

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02/09/2016

Chennai: Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) will issue smart cards that can be used as a multi purpose card including for use in Automatic Parking System at multiple locations and for small retail transactions.

Eight companies, including Japan’s Nippon Signal Co Ltd, are in race to provide APS for CMRL.

CMRL plans to have a sophisticated APS that will include elements ranging from traditional traveller information system to quick and automatic gate control systems using contactless media such as CMRL Travel Card and Near Field Communication, advanced parking management application, pre-trip web-based information systems, Variable Message Signboards display boards, real-time information on mobile application.

The other seven companies who have bid for the project are Skidata India, Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System, Building Control Solutions, Siepmann’s Card Systems, Samarth Softech, Secure Parking Solutions and Smart Parking India, sources said. Last November, Nippon Signal expanded its business in India looking at opportunities such as modernisation of railway signalling system for national railways and streamlining for metro system. The APS is part of the Chennai Metro’s automatic fare collection that will support both, contactless smart card and contactless smart token fare media.
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Sources said that similar to the transport system in countries like Singapore, in the long run, the CMRL plans to promote its travel card as a common card that can be used for travel across different modes of transport and for other purposes like buses, parking and taxi services.

This will enhance passenger experience and reduce the burden of handling cash and settlement for operators.

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Mumbai Metro | Navi Mumbai Metro deadline extended to December 2017 due to delay

By

Narendra Shah

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02/09/2016

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Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Metro Rail (NMMR) project has been considerably delayed past its original deadlines. These delays have already pushed up the cost. And they could lead to inconsistency in construction, deterioration of material, and poor quality control, experts say.

Delayed Navi Mumbai Metro deadline extended

Initially expected to be commissioned in December 2014, third extension of deadline has pushed project cost up from Rs. 1,985 crore to Rs. 3,000 crore.

The state government approved a mass rapid transit system in Navi Mumbai in September 2010 with the City & Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), as the administration implementing agency. The 23.40-km Line 1 — Belapur–Taloja–Pendhar–Khandeshwar–Navi Mumbai International Airport — was to be implemented in three phases. On May 1, 2011, then-Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan performed the ground-breaking ceremony for Phase I, Belapur–Pendhar, an 11.10-kms stretch with 11 stations costing Rs. 1,985 crore. But the project missed its December 2014 deadline due to technical delays, most notably a change in the coach size — from a width of 2.9m to 3.2m so that the NMMR could link with the Mumbai Metro in future — and then missed it extended deadline of January 2016. Now, the Navi Mumbai Metro is expected to make its first run only in December 2017. Meanwhile, the project cost, estimated at Rs. 1,985 crore in 2010, rose to Rs. 2,400 crore in 2014 and has now reached around Rs. 3,000 crore.

Talking to media on condition of anonymity, an engineer involved in the project said that three critical issues had stalled the work: “The first hurdle was the Metro line passing over the Diva-Panvel line of the Central Railway; the CR is yet to approve the construction of a 100-metre steel bridge over the railway lines near Taloja. Secondly, permissions from the concerned authorities are needed to extend the height of a high-tension wire between Belapur and Kharghar to let the Metro Rail pass below. Also slow work by contractors who have been given the job to build Metro stations have compounded in the delay.”

The delays alarm experts, who point to the flyover collapse in Kolkata five months ago; that bridge had been under construction for seven years, with inordinate delays, inconsistency in construction material, lack of quality checks and improper project execution cited as the main reasons for the collapse.

“Any major project should be completed in a time-bound frame so that there are no inconsistencies in the construction material like cement,” says civil engineer Johnson Joseph. “When project execution is delayed for a prolonged period, the strength of the cement used in the initial stages may defer from the one used much later. Even if there is a difference in the consistency of the cement compounds of lime, silica, alumina, iron and gypsum, it could affect the strength of the structure to an extent. Also, the steel rods or bars used to reinforce concrete rust when left exposed for a long period. And, if proper chemical treatment is not done to these exposed rods, it could further weaken the structure.”

Senior officials at CIDCO say that after several rejections and changes, the design approval for the bridge over the railway tracks process is now in its final stage. “Almost 65 percent work of the 11.10 km Phase 1 of the Metro project has been completed — that is, 95 per cent of viaducts, 60 per cent of station work, 75 percent of depot workshop —while installation of signboards, telecommunication systems, automatic fare collection system, etc., is going on. Some equipment is in the delivery stage, with the first Metro coaches expected in December this year,” said the CIDCO official. “Permissions for clearing the remaining hurdles are underway, and all the balance work will be completed in the stipulated time. The Metro will not miss its 2017 deadline. The contractors who missed the deadline have been fined. But, I am unable to tell you the exact amount.”

When asked about the experts’ opinion that inordinate delays could pose risks to the project, the CIDCO engineer said, “We are taking adequate measures by giving proper chemical treatment to the exposed metal portions of the project, and the life span of the Metro Project will be more than 100 years.”

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Amaravati Metro | AMRC signs pact with Delhi Metro

By

Narendra Shah

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31/08/2016

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Vijayawada: Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation (AMRC) had entered into an agreement with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for execution of the metro rail project. The officials of AMRC and DMRC signed the agreement for a period of four years on Monday.

As per the agreement, the AMRC is the owner and administrator of the local metro rail project while the DMRC is the executing agency. The DMRC will prepare design, call for global tenders, select contractor and sign an agreement with contractor. The DMRC also will be responsible for supervision and management of works. Finally, it has to complete and handover the project in four years period.

Meanwhile, the AMRC has decided to complete the construction of a station at Nidamanuru of Vijayawada rural mandal by February, 2019, to conduct first trail run of metro rail through Eluru road corridor.

Speaking to The Hans India over phone, AMRC MD N Ramakrishna Reddy said that the AMRC will complete one of the priority corridors for metro rail from Pundit Nehru Bus Station to Nidamanuru village by February, 2019.

The State government released Rs 300 crore for land acquisition for the project recently. It is learnt that the district administration assured AMRC that they will complete land acquisition process within 2 to 3 months duration.

Ramakrishna said that they were confident of going ahead with the project with the State government releasing funds for land acquisition.However, the tenders called by AMRC in the past were cancelled by the agency because of scarcity of funds. The agency had called for tenders in advance before reaching an agreement with DMRC believing that the Central government would release funds for the project. With the Centre’s indifferent stand towards the project as it believes that the project is not economically viable, no funds were released. As result, DMRC have to call for fresh tenders now.
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Another jolt to the project is the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) cancelled its proposal for funding the metro rail project. The JICA offered a loan of Rs 4,200 crore with fixed interest of 0.3 per cent for the project in April.

According to officials of metro rail corporation, JICA had laid down conditions that the amount will have to be repaid in the form of Yen currency which may prove to be detrimental for AMRC.

Another condition was the machinery and material must be purchased from JICA which would cost nearly 30 per cent of the total loan amount. Ramakrishna said that World Bank, AFD and other financial institutions are interested in funding the project and added that they are exploring all possibilities.

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Delhi Metro | Now passenger can use Metro Smart Card in DTC Buses

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Narendra Shah

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27/08/2016

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New Delhi: DTC is set to go digital. In two months, the state transport utility is planning to roll out a smart card for buses, which can be used in the Delhi Metro as well.

On Friday, DTC took the first step by using the Delhi Metro card on the electronic ticketing machines installed on its buses. As part of the project, a real-time transaction was carried out with a Metro card on the ETM of a DTC bus.
The pilot project was so successful that it has prompted the bus agency to put a two-month deadline to the common card project. Said R S Minhas, spokesman for DTC, “The project is a result of the integration of the software being used in Metro and the ETMs of DTC as well as sharing the security keys of both the software.”

According to the integrated system, the data of transaction will go to the central clearing house (CCH) at a particular time every day automatically, so that the transactions of the two agencies are segregated and sent to specific accounts. “Since DMRC cards are prepaid at present, the same system will be used in ETMs in DTC as well,” added Minhas.

The common mobility card project has been in the pipeline for several years now. It was first mooted during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, but couldn’t take off because of a variety of issues, including lack of clarity over how the revenue of the two transport bodies will be segregated.

DTC started installing ETMs on its buses earlier this year and till now, has got the electronic ticketing machines in over 62 per cent of its fleet. The rest of the buses are expected to be equipped with ETMs within a few months, said Minhas. He added that the DTC was hoping to launch the common smart card in two months, making it possible for commuters to use the Metro card on government buses.
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Kochi Metro | Stage set for integrated trial runs of metro from next month

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Narendra Shah

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27/08/2016

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Kochi: With the initial trial runs involving the first Kochi Metro train in the Muttom-Kalamassery corridor getting over, the stage is set for integrated trials wherein the synergy between trains and different systems will be monitored and fine-tuned.

The second train that arrived here a couple of months ago will be deployed for integrated trials that are expected from September. A top metro official said internal trial runs of the first train is over, wherein it performed up to the mark and touched a speed of up to 90 km per hour at level, curve and gradient corridors. The software to operate trains is also ready. Officials of the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) are expected to arrive here in September to conduct the mandatory trial runs. A report will then be submitted to the Railway Board.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and Kochi Metro Rail Limited are gearing up to begin the integrated trials in which the synergised operation of trains with different systems such as signals, telecommunication, power, etc. will be reviewed and aberrations, if any, rectified. This will go on for four months in the metro corridor up to Palarivattom.

The certification process by the Commissioner for Railway Safety (CRS) will follow suit. “The metro can begin commercial operations by March once the CRS issues safety certificate,” he said.

“Apart from the Muttom-Kalamassery corridor, trial runs are under way at the steep gradient for trains to climb from the coach depot to the viaduct.
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Brake test etc., are over, including the process in which the three coaches of each train are laden with sand bags to test the stability of coaches packed with passengers,” metro sources said.

Five or six set of trains will be deployed for integrated trials. The third metro train is expected here by October. Another five are expected by December.

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Pune Metro | Metro rail project gets another step closer to implementation

By

Narendra Shah

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27/08/2016

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Metro Rail foundations have been laid on 58 km, pillars on 56 km and viaduct on 46 km. The total project stretches 72 km.

Pune: The metro rail project for the city cleared a bureaucratic step on Monday as Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) obtained permission from the railway department.
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According to PMC officials, the metro rail project would require land from railway ministry.

The administration was waiting for a go-ahead to use this property. Works such as laying of railway tracks are expected to be carried out on this patch of land.

“PMC had given applications and was seeking a no-objection certificate from the railway department. The administration has received it from the ministry,” PMC’s traffic planner Shrinivas Bonala said.

The project is now awaiting the final go-ahead from the Union government. After getting a clearance from the public finance board, the green signal from the Union cabinet would be given, after which actual ground work would commence.

The total proposed length of the metro in Pune is 31.51km. It will run on two corridors the first 16.59km between Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and Swargate and the second 14.92km from Vanaz to Ramwadi.

The revised estimate for the project announced by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is pegged at Rs 11,522 crore, a hike of Rs 653 crore from the 2014 estimate.

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Chandigarh Metro | Chandigarh takes up land requirement with Punjab and Haryana Govt.

By

Narendra Shah

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27/08/2016

1

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Administration on Tuesday held a meeting with officials of Punjab and Haryana governments to discuss the issue of land demanded by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the ambitious Metro Rail Project.

DMRC has asked all the three stakeholders to transfer around 200 acres to special purpose vehicle (SPV) called Greater Chandigarh Transport Corporation (GCTC) for generating recurring income through property development.

Of the total, Chandigarh will have to contribute around 120 acres as the majority of the proposed corridors fall in its area.

DMRC has also given an option to all the three stakeholders of either transferring the land or contributing Rs 1,000 crore every year towards the SPV. Out of Rs 1,000, Chandigarh will have to chip in with around Rs 750 crore.

The meeting was attended by UT Adviser Parimal Rai, Finance Secretary Sarvjit Singh, Transport Secretary K K Jindal, representatives of DMRC and officials of Punjab and Haryana governments. According to senior UT officials, Punjab and Haryana officials will now discuss the issue with their governments for taking a final call.

According to sources, Chandigarh is not in a position to contribute around 120 acres of land due to limited land available with the administration. Chandigarh will request the governments of Punjab and Haryana to meet the land requirement.

As per official records, there are around 2,900 acres of vacant land left in Chandigarh, of which only around 650 acres are in the possession of the administration.

The meeting discussed various proposals for revenue generation through commercial activities, advertisements in stations, renting out of commercial outlets inside stations, quick service restaurants and increasing floor area ratio (FAR) along the Metro corridors. FAR is the ratio of the total floor area of a building to the area of land it is built on. The options of imposing Metro cess, tax on commercial vehicles entering the city and green cess on registration of new vehicles to generate funds were also deliberated.

The project has been marred by delays.
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The work on the first phase was scheduled to be started from 2013. Due to delay, the cost of the project has escalated. According to the revised detailed project report prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the project will cost Rs 13,600 crore and Chandigarh’s share will be around Rs 5,000 crore. The earlier estimated cost of the project was Rs 10,900 crore.

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Allahabad Metro | UP Govt. approves Metro Rail for Allahabad City

By

Narendra Shah

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27/08/2016

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Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government approved a new Metro Rail project for Allahabad City in last week. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Work is already underway on the Metro Rail in Lucknow and the Detailed Project Report for Varanasi and Kanpur have already been approved.

Allahabad Metro — UP Govt. approved metro rail project for Allahabad

Akhilesh Yadav later told the media that Uttar Pradesh was the lone state in which Metro Rail projects were underway in four major cities, and Ghaziabad as well as Noida were already linked to the Delhi Metro.

The state cabinet also approved a scheme to provide free school bags and books to students till class VIII in government schools.

A decision to increase the salaries of cabinet and state ministers was also approved by the cabinet.

Responding to a question on the forthcoming state assembly elections in early 2017, Akhilesh told the media that the Samajwadi Party government will return to power on the basis of its good work and development.

Public Works Department Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav did not attend the cabinet meeting. A miffed Shivpal, the younger brother of Mulayam Singh Yadav, had two days back threatened to quit the state government, saying he would rather work for the party organisation.

A day later, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav also endorsed his views and said if Shivpal walked out, the party will be dented.

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Delhi Mtero | As many as 33,61,911 commuters availed the Delhi metro on August 17.

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21/08/2016

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New Delhi: Delhi Metro ridership breached the 33 lakh mark on the eve of Raksha Bandhan, reaching an all time high, while during the ongoing month of August itself, nine out of the ten daily riderships records of the mass rapid transit have been logged.

As many as 33,61,911 commuters availed the metro on August 17. The Airport Express line had surpassed the daily ridership mark of 50,000 for the first time last Friday.

Providing the breakup, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said the ever busy Blue Line, that connects Dwaraka Sector-21 to Noida City Centre/Vaishali, recorded the highest ridership with 12,03,915 passengers.

Yellow line, another busy corridor, which stretches from North Delhi’s Samaypur Badali to Gurgaon’s HUDA City Centre recorded the second highest number of commuters at 11,68,410 while 4,56,427 people took the Red Line that connects Dilshad Garden to Rithala.

The previous year’s record of 3,204,756, recorded on August 28, was broken on August 8 this month when 3,269,413 commuters availed the metro services, fast expanding and emerging as the national capital’s lifeline in the absence of a robust public transport system.

DMRC’s network currently spans around 213 km. It ran 106 extra trips on Wednesday in anticipation of this expected increase in number of users due to the Raksha Bandhan festival, said an official statement.
It is already running extra trips on Saturdays and Sundays during the month to account for the annual trend of an extra rush around this period, due to festivities, commencement of colleges and the monsoons, metro official said.

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Lucknow Metro | LMRC Completes Pushing Truss Bridge Over Avadh Rotary

By

Narendra Shah

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16/08/2016

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Lucknow Metro Completes Pushing Truss Bridge Over Avadh Rotary

Lucknow: Lucknow Metro’s contractors for package LKCC-01 between Amausi & Charbagh completed pushing a 60m long steel truss bridge over the Avadh intersection for the 22.878 km north-south metro line!

Weighing 460 MT, the bridge was recently assembled just south of the Avadh rotary, and pushing work for it began on the night of August 8 by a team of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and HMM Infra. This challenging task took 4 days to complete and was achieved by applying the push-launching method using multiple rollers and hydraulic jacks. Prior to being assembled on-site, the bridge was fabricated at HMM Infra’s facility in Ambala where their engineers also performed a trial assembly.

The launching activity of this 470 ton steel span over metro viaduct was a daunting task in itself as this activity was performed during night hours at a height of approximately 13 meters above the road level. Lucknow metro had applied the ‘Push Launching Technology’ mechanism to achieve this engineering feat. ‘Push Launching Technology’ is a proven mechanism to do such type of launching activity where rolling of segments is concerned for erection of spans in metro construction As per a LMRC official

With the bridge now successfully placed, L&T will now start concreting work at its deck after which track-laying work will commence. The 255m cantilever bridge is now the last major section pending on the entire 8.48 km priority corridor. Elsewhere, less than 35 U-girders are left to be placed in the run-up to the LMRC’s aggressive target of commencing trial runs by the end of the year.

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