Kochi: Kerala made headlines when it appointed 23 transgenders to work for the Kochi Metro. But it is a no secret that the employees started quitting when most turned a blind eye to the possible miseries the sexual minority would face.
While some faced difficulty in finding alternate accommodation, some found the new lifestyle too expensive to adjust.
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) is now taking steps to increase the strength of the transgender staff from an existing 14 to 60 and impart soft skills too.
When 23 transgenders employees were deployed in June, the criteria for recruitment included their educational qualifications. While Kudumbasree trained them with soft skills, the Metro agency upskilled them in managing ticket counters and housekeeping.
“We decided to recruit TG people, a first in any metro system in the country as a social experiment and to ensure social inclusion. This, in a way, resulted in their problems being highlighted at the national level.” a KMRL spokesperson told the Media.
Several reports emerged citing the reasons for the nine employees to quit the job was a wage hike. Justifying their stand the KMRL spokesperson said that the pay scale of the TG employees was on par with the regular workforce.
“We aim to increase the number of TG people in the metro to 60 when the Pettah extension is completed, around two years down the line,” the spokesperson said.
Chennai: For the thousands of techies in the city, commuting across busy stretches to reach the various IT parks could become easier. Chennai Metro Rail Limited will in Phase 2 link some of the major IT parks on Old Mahabalipuram Road and Manapakkam with the rest of the city through metro stations. The phase will cover a distance of 108.4km with 104 stations across three corridors. If everything goes as planned, construction for the phase will begin in 2018 and is expected to be ready in 10 years.
“The plan to build stations close to IT companies and parks is to encourage techies to use metro trains regularly. This will take many four-wheelers and two-wheelers off the roads and reduce the road traffic to a great extent,” a metro rail official said. “We are also planning to extend beyond Siruseri in the next phase.”
It will include 20km stretch of the IT corridor along Rajiv Gandhi Salai or Old Mahabalipuram Road, which will be connected through 22 elevated metro stations from Tidel Park all the way up to SIPCOT in Siruseri. The elevated line will be part of the 46.1-km corridor three of the phase which will connect the IT corridor with far-flung areas of North Chennai up to Madhavaram Milk Colony. The line is expected to be ready for operation in five years. There are close to 70 major IT parks in the city and many of them are located along OMR. Many other major IT/ITES companies, national research laboratories, technical and educational institutions are also located along the stretch.
In corridor 5, the underground stations at Sathya Nagar and Ramapuram bus stop are expected to connect the DLF IT Park that houses some of the biggest IT companies. The two stations are part of a 45.2-km-long corridor from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur. The stations will link several localities in the northwest of the city, including Kolathur, Anna Nagar, Maduravoyal and Valsarvakkam, and neighbourhoods such as Madipakkam, Kovilambakkam, Medavakkam and Perumbakkam in the southwest.
Metro rail officials said corridor 5 would be an orbital line, as it would connect all the arterial roads through phase 2 lines and the 45-km two-corridor Phase 1 through stations like Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT), Thirumangalam and St Thomas Mount, which is likely to be common to both the phases. Phase 1 of the project will link all major railway stations and bus terminuses in the city once it becomes fully operational.
Lucknow: Over 100 passengers were rescued from the Lucknow Metro this morning as the first day of the new service turned hellish.
The new 8.5-kilometre city train was inaugurated yesterday by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Home Minister Rajnath Singh in presence of Governor Ram Naik and other officials of Lucknow Metro and State Government.
Lucknow Metro Passenger rescued through Emergency Door
According to press release issued by LMRC, “Around 7.15 A.M. today, a Metro Train that was on way from Charbagh to Transport Nagar developed a technical snag. The Emergency Brakes (EB) were applied in the train when the train was travelling between Durgapuri and Mawaiya Metro stations.
All 101 passengers who were travelling inside the train were taken out through the emergency exit door of the train and were taken safely to Durgapuri Metro station. From Durgapuri Metro station, all 101 passengers were taken by a different train to the Transport Nagar Metro station. From the Transport Nagar Metro station all the passengers made in exit thereafter.
During this intervening time period, all passengers inside the train were taken proper care by the LMRC officials and were provided every care and support they needed. The Metro staff/officials at the Durgapuri Metro station ensured that the Metro commuters do not face any further inconvenience.”
Mumbai: A Cuffe Parade resident has moved the Bombay High Court against the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) in connection with the construction of the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro-3 underground corridor. He has alleged that barricades installed by the MMRC for construction have occupied maximum space on the access road leading to his society and the nearby societies making it difficult for the fire brigade to enter during an emergency.
Residents from Colaba Woods Sports Complex Marg in Cuffe Parade have said that the MMRC is putting lives of residents in danger due to the Metro work barricades. The writ petition by Robin Jaisinghani prayed that directions be given to the MMRC to restore the road width of the Colaba Woods to at least 12 metres —minimum road width prescribed in Regulation 22 of the Development Control Regulations. According to the petitioner, the MMRC has barricaded the entire road.
Now, vehicles heading further north towards Taj Vivanta President Hotel use the footpath.
The petitioner has further said that when he approached the fire brigade, he was told that they can do very little because it is chief minister’s pet project.
“The petitioner contacted Divisional Fire Officer Bangar and brought to his notice that the contractors were proposing to block the entire Complex Marg to carry out construction work and to take preventive action,” the petition reads. Meanwhile, the MMRC said, “Vehicular access necessary for the movement of fire vehicles is made available along the service road in front of Venus, Jupiter and Dalamal buildings and Hotel Taj Vivanta” said MMRC spokesperson.
The project is supposed to be Delhi’s longest Metro line 58.6 Km long and connect the Mukundpur-Shiv Vihar corridor, but it will now operate in two segments because of the land acquisition issues.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has to rehabilitate over 108 residents but it is falling short of land. Only 66 families can be accommodated on the allotted plot. DMRC has requested the Delhi government for more land but the process will take time, this delays the construction of the metro line and will now be complete only in 2018.
DMRC chief Mangu Singh in relation to the problem said “In Trilokpuri ,we are not able to accommodate all these people on the piece of land the government has given to us .This is because the available land for the dwellings has reduced as the width of the road had to be increased . We have asked for additional land from the Delhi Urban Shelter improvement Board (DUSIB).”
DMRC hopes to open the rest of the line by March 2018 .The passengers from east Delhi areas such as Shiv Vihar , Welcome and Krishna Nagar will use Anand Vihar as an interchange to go to south Delhi or Gurgaon and Faridabad .Once the entire line is complete passengers can commute to Lajpat Nagar and INA directly without going to Rajiv Chowk .
The entire line was scheduled to be launched by December 2016.
The 33.5-km underground Metro is to be commissioned in two phases.
MMRC has reduced the length of the corridor under phase-1, which was originally planned between the Aarey Milk Colony car depot and Bandra-Kurla Complex. Now, the first phase will connect the car depot to the airport.
“The first phase, which is from the car depot to the airport, will be commissioned by March 2021. And the second phase, which is from the airport to Cuffe Parade, will be operational by December 2021,” said Ashwini Bhide, managing director, MMRC.
The project has faced numerous hurdles owing to opposition and petitions from environmental groups and citizens.
According to MMRC, the project has been facing delays after the Bombay high court’s order against the cutting of trees along the construction site earlier this year.
In addition, the recent stay by the high court disallowing construction work at night had slowed down the work, an official said.
“Our earlier deadline was in 2020, but we lost about six months due to a petition on cutting of trees and the high court stay. So obviously, we have now factored them in,” Bhide added.
MMRC has still not evaluated whether these delays will lead cost escalation.
“We haven’t calculated it because the project period is almost five years. So sometimes there are delays, sometimes we catch up,” Bhide said. The project cost is Rs23,136 crore.
The Metro-3 corridor chalked out by the state government will connect north to south and is expected to take load off the over-burdened suburban rail network.
MMRC claims that the line will reduce daily vehicle trips by 4.5 lakh or 35% and save 2.43 lakh litres of fuel daily in 2021.
Mumbai: The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) has appointed GD Sambhare & RH Mahimatura Architects to provide Architectural, Design and PMC services for Kalbadevi-Girgaum in-situ rehabilitation scheme. The tender for appointment of the architect was invited in June 2017. The scope of contract includes Planning and Architectural designs, Structural design, Construction supervision and management (PMC) of buildings to be redeveloped.
Part of the lands of impacted buildings in Kalbadevi-Girgaum would be utilised by MMRC for construction of underground Metro stations, ancillary works, ventilation shafts, entry/exit structures and other related activities. The redevelopment of properties will be undertaken simultaneously in the remaining lands and after completion will be allotted to the project affected families by 2021.
“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Architects for the redevelopment of properties occupied by families affected by the proposed construction of Kalbadevi and Girgaum Metro stations. The rehabilitation plan has been finalized by keeping in mind the concerns raised by the project affected families. We, at MMRC, are committed to complete the rehabilitation of all families in a time-bound manner”, said Ms. Ashwini Bhide, Managing Director, MMRC.
As a part of the in-situ rehabilitation scheme under 33(7) DCR 1991, 19 buildings consisting of 293 Residential and 341 Commercial PAFs were identified. The PAFs will be rehabilitated within the same area by following the MCGM DCR 33(7) of 1991 Sanctioned DP and treating all affected plots as part of one integrated scheme.
French firm EGIS Rail SA (the lead firm) in joint venture with EGIS India Consulting Engineers Pvt Ltd and Feedback India Pvt Ltd will review the DPR of 24-km-long corridor.
On Monday, the agreement was signed between the firm and JMRC, which was chaired by the additional chief secretary, UDH, Mukesh Sharma. JMRC project director, Ashwani Saxena said, “The DPR will be reviewed by international experts. During the inception meeting official from Jaipur Development Authority, Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC), traffic department and smart city were also presented to extend their suggestions.”
It was said that firm has asked also for master plan-2025 and necessary traffic data of the route from these departments. As the BJP government was apprehensive to construct Rs 10,000 crore project, the appointed international firm after a survey will recommend methods to (JMRC) to revise the cost of the project. It will also update the alignment, technology and various other aspects in the existing DPR. “We have directed the firm to review the DPR considering state government priorities and Metro Policy 2017. The firm will recommend latest technology to bring the cost down.”
The estimated cost to review the DPR is Rs 6 crore and firm will submit its report in six months.
The JMRC prepared its first DPR in 2012 during the Congress led government’s tenure. The then government intended to link phase-II with the Sanganer airport and other important government buildings on the route after they were missed in the initial DPR.
Following this, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) submitted its revised DPR in 2014 and proposed an underground Metro station at airport near terminal-2.
In the proposal, it was mentioned that the train will run underground till Jawahar Circle after which elevated tracks will be constructed till Sindhi Camp bus stand. The elevated tracks will cross the bus stand and underground corridor will be constructed after that till Panipech via Collectorate.
In the 2014 (DPR), the DMRC had proposed 10-km underground and 14-km elevated corridor.
This has increased the cost of the project as DMRC estimated nearly Rs 10,000 crore to construct nearly 24-km-long corridor.
Official sources said, the JMRC has proposed to reduce the cost of the project. In recent past, the corporation made several attempts to construct the Jaipur Metro phase II under public private partnership (PPP), however, despite giving lucrative offers, no company has shown positive response.
Lucknow: The first phase of the Lucknow Metro line from Transport Nagar to Charbagh was inaugurated today in the presence of UP Governor Ram Naik, CM Yogi Adityanath and Home Minister Rajnath Singh. One of Akhilesh Yadav’s dream projects, the Lucknow Metro Rail was also part of the budget speech for Samajwadi Party (SP) in the year 2013-14.
The Metro corridor measuring 8.5 kms, starting from Charbagh Station to Transport Nagar covering eight elevated stations, has been completed in a record 14 months time. It opens to the public on Wednesday promising a “cheaper, congestion-free and eco-friendly” ride.
Lucknow Metro flagged off for commercial run
While the trial run took place in December 2016, the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) cleared the file on August 14, nearly nine months later. The foundation stone for phase-1 of the North-South Metro Rail Corridor project was laid by ex Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on March 4, 2014.
Union Home Minister Sh Raj Nath Singh and CM Sh Yogi Aditya Nath flagged off the first metro train for commercial run
Kumar Keshav, Managing Director, Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) said this corridor is part of a 23 km North-South Metro corridor which is being executed by LMRC from Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport to Munshipulia. “The second proposed corridor, which is 11 km-long is called the East- West corridor,” said Keshav, adding that the target is to finish it by April 2019.
The Lucknow Metro will also have the “most advanced signaling and train control system”, called Communication Based Train Control System (CBTC), which will enable trains to virtually operate on “driverless” mode. The Lucknow Metro trainsare designed in Bengaluru and manufactured at Sri City and Coimbatore, supporting the Government’s ‘Make in India’ campaign.
Alstom was awarded the €150 million contract in September 2015 by Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) to provide 20 metro trainsets, each of four cars. The Metropolis trainset for Lucknow has 186 seats arranged longitudinally, and includes two dedicated zones for passengers with reduced mobility. These trainsets will circulate on the city’s new metro line, which will be around 23 km long and will include 22 stations, of which 19 are elevated and 3 underground. The line is estimated to carry about 430,000 passengers per day at first, increasing to over 1 million by 2030.
The design of the train is a tribute to the city’s cultural richness, with the front end conceived in the spirit of the gates to some of the city’s most important monuments, including the Bara Imambara congregation hall, Asifi mosque and Rumi Darwaza gateway. The V-shape of the lower section of the front symbolises ‘dynamism and rapidity’, while the livery is both highly modern and very much inspired by the traditional cashmere craftsmanship of Lucknow.
The project also includes Alstom’s Urbalis Computer Based Train Control (CBTC), the second such signalling system installed by the company in India. It is jointly supplied by Alstom’s sites in Bangalore and Saint-Ouen in France. The first one was rolled out in Kochi in June 2017.
“Alstom welcomes the commencement of commercial operations of Lucknow metro. It is an honour for us to contribute towards Government’s ‘Make in India’ plans. The project is a testimony of our commitment to make India a world leader in urban mobility – both in terms of technology and flawless execution. We look forward to continued engagement with the state of Uttar Pradesh to meet their transport infrastructure needs in their growing cities”, Bharat Salhotra, Vice President – Sales & Business Development, Asia Pacific commented.
Currently, Alstom is executing metro projects in several Indian cities including Chennai, Kochi and Lucknow where it is supplying Rolling Stock manufactured out of its state of the art facility at SriCity in Andhra Pradesh. Additionally, urban signalling and infrastructure projects have been undertaken by Alstom in Kochi, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Chennai, Jaipur and Delhi.
With more than 5,000 Metropolis cars sold to over 24 cities, Alstom is one of the largest metro suppliers in the world. Designed to address the specific needs of each city, Metropolis offers a large range of options and configurations, a high level of passenger comfort and innovative features to optimize energy consumption and life cycle costs.
Nagpur: Mahametro has started the internal trial run for Metro operations on the 5.8 km at grade stretch from Mihan depot to south of airport. A team from Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO), Lucknow, will come to the city to review the preparations around September 10. A larger team will then reach here to conduct the trial run itself.
A source in Mahametro said that track laying on the at grade stretch had been completed. “Track testing will be started soon to meet RDSO’s norms. All the electrical masts for supplying power to the trains have been installed. Currently, testing of the power traction system is being done,” he added.
The source further said that Mahametro had sought seven approvals from RDSO. “We have received five of them—schedule of dimensions, design basis report (stations), design basis report (viaduct), track fastening system and signalling and telecommunication. The ones for track and traction are expected soon. In spite of being lengthy processes, the approvals were obtained very fast and now 75% of our documentation work is complete,” he added.
A formal function will be held here to mark the internal trial run. It will be attended by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and SBI chairperson-cum-managing director (CMD) Arundhati Bhattacharya. The common mobility card (CMC) of Mahametro will be released at the hands of these guests during the trial run function. Mahametro is trying to get a common date from the three.
The source further said that Mahametro managing director Brijesh Dixit had set a goal of starting commercial operations in November. “Total of 70% work of the stations is over. Work on signalling and telecommunications is progressing fast. After RDSO clears the Metro operations, we will apply to commissioner of Metro rail safety (CMRS) for approval for commercial operations. CMRS team will again check each and every thing and then clear the project,” he added.
Meanwhile, work on other stretches of the Metro is also going on at a rapid pace. The commercial operation of airport to Sitabuldi section is proposed in middle of next year. Work on construction of the viaduct is going on day and night. Once it is complete, Mahametro will begin track laying and installation of electrical masts and signalling equipment.
A separate trial run will be held for this section and only after it is cleared by RDSO and CMRS will Mahametro be able to start commercial operations.
