Home Blog Page 850

Kerala Light Metro | Dr. Sreedharan meets KRTL chief to chart out Light Metro path

Narendra Shah
-
0
Kerala Light Metro | Dr. Sreedharan meets KRTL chief to chart out Light Metro path

Thiruvananthapuram: The Principal Adviser, Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC), E. Sreedharan on Saturday held a discussion on the road ahead for the elevated Light Metro for Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode with Managing Director of Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation Limited (KRTL) P.I. Sheikh Pareeth.

sreedharan

The meeting between Mr. Sreedharan and Mr. Pareeth here was the first after government decided in principle to give turnkey consultancy of project to the DMRC and nod for acquisition of land for three flyovers and light metro stations in the two cities. The DMRC has been given the nod by the government for the construction of the flyovers at Sreekariyam, Ulloor and Pattom. The ways to expedite the land acquisition and to start work for these flyovers also came up for discussion in the one-to-one talks. About 1.98 hectares is needed in the capital and 1.44 hectares in Kozhikode for the Light Metro stations.

Although the government has issued the orders, the Deputy Collector/Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue) has not been posted to expedite the land acquisition procedures. The land identified from the two cities along the proposed light corridor has also not been notified despite the finalisation of the alignment.

The DMRC and the State is awaiting the nod of the Centre for expediting the MRTS project aimed at solving the traffic and transportation problems.

Mr. Sreedharan also had discussions with the C&MD of the Kerala Highspeed Rail Corporation, T. Balakrishnan.

Source//The Hindu.

Delhi Metro | DMRC plans to set up a food plaza at Barakhamba station

Narendra Shah
-
0
Delhi Metro | DMRC plans to set up a food plaza at Barakhamba station

New Delhi: Moving beyond the usual kiosks, the Delhi Metro is planning to set up a food plaza at the busy Barakhamba station of the Blue Line, which connects Noida and Vaishali with Dwarka.

The plaza, however, will not come up inside the station. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has a piece of barren land adjacent to the station where the facility is set to come up.

food-junction

“We have 2,400 sqft of land and have proposed that it be given on lease basis where the lessee will have to develop, operate and maintain the food plaza or cafeteria,” said a metro official. The plot has been barren ever since the DMRC acquired it in 2005.

The DMRC hopes that the plaza will attract office-goers, as Barakhamba houses a number of corporates.

The project site falls in the Central Business District (CBD) as per the Master Plan of Delhi, 2021.

Given its proximity to Connaught Place, a lot of commuters will also use it as a place to hangout as the plaza will have a proper sitting area, the official added.

The planned structure is going to be a single-storey temporary building with mezzanine floors.

“The structures will have to be without any foundation or footing, so it can be removed when required. Fabric structures, building systems and steel prefab structures will be used. The exteriors, especially the glass facade, will be developed in harmony to the existing design of the station,” said another official.

The project is aimed to generate up-front and recurring revenues for the DMRC and supplement its non fare-box collections in the operation phase.

Currently, only Rajiv Chowk metro station of the Blue Line has eateries with sitting spaces.

Bangalore Metro | BMRC phase-I metro project deadline pushed again to April 2017

Narendra Shah
-
0
Bangalore Metro | BMRC phase-I metro project deadline pushed again to April 2017

Bengaluru: The state government has once again pushed the deadline for the completion of Phase 1 of the Metro project to April 2017. Earlier, work was to end in April 2016 but was pushed to November 2016 before being delayed further.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah overrode Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation’s assurance that Phase 1 will be operational in January 2017. He instead asserted that it would be completed by this Rajyotsava Day on November 1. Now both the deadlines won’t be met.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah announced that entire operations for the 43-km route of Phase 1 will be operational by April next year. He said that of the 11km yet to be completed in Phase 1, four km was underground. “Only 15 metres of work remain in the underground section. Other works like laying of tracks, electricity connections and trial runs will be completed by end of March and it should be open by April 2017,” he said.

In some cheer for thousands of commuters braving traffic on the Silk Board junction, the government has decided to fast-track construction of the Silk Board-K R Puram route via Iblur and will include it under the first part of Phase 2. Initially, the 18km stretch was not part of the original routes planned under Phase 2. However, earlier this year, then Bengaluru Development Minister K J George proposed the route after receiving numerous representations from employees of various IT companies commuting on this stretch.

The Metro project has been bogged by numerous delays ever since it took off. Earlier this year, then Bengaluru Development Minister K J George had said, “This route will be taken up on a priority basis. We have decided to allocate `3,600 crore for this. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be prepared by October 20. BMRCL will also raise funds through auction of their lands, loans and other methods.”

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd has proposed that funds would be raised through charging premium floor area ratio (FAR), betterment charges, naming and advertising rights, charges for premium access ways and ramps, commercialisation of airspace and levying of additional cess on approval of new projects.

Siddaramaiah also said that Phase 2 of Metro would be completed by 2020 and based on the experience in implementing Phase 1 of the project, an attempt would be made to complete the first part of Phase 2 two years before deadline.

Delhi Metro | DMRC plans to beat the increasing rush at metro stations

Narendra Shah
-
0
Delhi Metro | DMRC plans to beat the increasing rush at metro stations

New Delhi: After 14 years of ferrying the capital’s masses, Delhi Metro is feeling its age. And with passengers having risen from a mere lakh in 2002 to over 27 lakh now, and with two new corridors to open next year, the urban train system is straining to maintain the standards with which it began operations.

crwod in metro

he wear and tear of 14 years is quite visible: trains break down more often now, the overhead electrification system regularly gets disrupted and even outages halt the services. Outside the stations, autorickshaws, e-rickshaws, buses and cars vie for space, crowding out the commuters. Inside the stations, it’s no better. The passenger count at major stations such as Rajiv Chowk, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, HUDA City Centre and GTB Nagar is between 50,000 and 80,000 every day . Not surprisingly, Delhi Metro has had to induct more marshals or `customer facilitation agents’ -400 at around 20 busy stations -in the past year.

But the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is not sitting idly watching this chaos unfold. It does have plans to streamline the system. For one, the company is reconfiguring the stations. Says Sharat Sharma, director (operations): “Nine stations on Line 2 and Line 3 are being been remodelled for better passenger convenience. This includes shifting and relocation of stairs, ticket counters and exitentry gates to ease congestion.” The nine stations are HUDA City Centre, Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Kirti Nagar, Guru Dronacharya, MG Road and Noida Sector 15, Noida Sector 16 and Noida City Centre.

At Rajiv Chowk, for instance, the Viewers’ Gallery, shut all these years to commuters, has been made accessible to them to enable easy passage to either platforms there. “We saw that almost 35,000 passengers entered the station from Gates 5 to 8 and crossed the bridge to get to the other platform. The opening up of the Viewers’ Gallery allows better distribution of passenger flow,” explains Sharma.

At HUDA City Centre, Chandni Chowk and New Delhi, the ticket counters and automated fare collection gates were increased or relocated to create space for passengers.The points where CISF frisked commuters were similarly shifted.  The operations director says that to ensure hassle-free passenger services, 171 new token vending machines were put up at major stations, while around 180 new fare collection gates have been erected at busy stations for the convenience of passengers making an entry or an exit.

The overcrowding can often result in accidents. In 2014-15, 71 passengers jumped on to or fell on the tracks. And while this figure slid to 35 in 2015-16, passenger safety remains a big concern. To address this, DMRC plans to install platform screen doors at Central Secretariat, Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Chawri Bazar, Chandni Chowk and Kashmere Gate. The restraining screens will not only prevent accidental falls and deter suicide attempts, but also enable better crowd management. “The doors will enable optimum utilisation of the platform space,” assures a DMRC official.

Pune Metro | Centre clears way for loan of Rs 6,325 crore for metro rail project

Narendra Shah
-
0
Pune Metro | Centre clears way for loan of Rs 6,325 crore for metro rail project

Pune: The much-delayed Pune metro rail project is all set to get a loan of Rs 6,325.50 crore from World Bank (WB) and China-based Asian Infrastructure Investments Bank (AIIB), with the union government approving the state government proposal for multilateral assistance for the project.

In a communication, the department of economic affairs of the union finance ministry conveyed to the state government that the screening committee had approved its proposal for multilateral assistance of Rs 6,325.50 crore for the first phase of Pune metro rail project on certain conditions.

As per the conditions, the loan will be directly taken by the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for Pune metro with sovereign guarantee being provided by the union government. The loan would be co-financed by Word Bank and AIIB, which would be split in two-three smaller tranches.

According to sources, the repayment of the loan would be the responsibility of the SPV, which would do that from the revenue from ticket fares and means like development charges from structures alongside its route and extra cess collected by the civic body.

Municipal Commissioner Kunal Kumar said the loan would constitute 50 per cent of the total cost. The remaining cost would be borne by the union government, state government and PMC-PCMC. The union government would contribute Rs 2,118 crore, the state government Rs 2,430.

40 crore while PMC and PMC would together contribute Rs 1,278.40 crore.

“The process for completing the formalities for the loan would be completed in next few months. It also includes final approval of the union government,” Kumar said, adding the work on the project would be started immediately after the union government’s approval as the loan funds would be available.

(Source//The Indian Express)

Chennai Metro | CMRL to complete first phase of its project by 2017

Narendra Shah
-
0

Chennai: The Phase I project of Chennai Metro Rail is set to be completed by December 2017, according to CMRL officials. The 45 km stretch was initially started with an investment of Rs 14,000 crore, but the budget had to be increased to Rs 19,000 crore owing to various reasons.

Currently, tunnelling work along Anna Salai is rapidly taking place. The contract for underground stations from AG-DMS to Government Estate was given to L&T. Afcons Infrastructure Limited took up the contract to complete the tunnelling work in this stretch. Recently, foam erupted near Spencer’s Plaza, but officials said nothing to worry, as it was being used to soften the soil. This section includes tunnels from May Day Park to AG-DMS with stations at Government Estate, LIC, Thousand Lights. The Saidapet underground work is completed. Earlier Gammon Mosmetrostroy, a Russian company, abandoned tunneling work. This section includes stations at Teynampet, Nandanam.

The underground stretch from Egmore to Pachaiyappa’s College is also complete. Currently, track and system installation is underway. Track work has been completed from Shenoy Nagar to Pachiyappa’s College. The Shenoy Nagar to Thirumangalam station was completed in October 2015, test runs using over-head engine wagons are taking place between Thirumangalam and Anna Nagar Tower stations.

“The tunnelling work is progressing in a phased manner. Most of the underground tunnelling work is completed. Test runs are being conducted in few stations using OHE wagons. Apart from this the line from Little Mount to Chennai airport is likely to open in mid October.” said a CMRL official. CMRL officials will conduct a final safety inspection at the St. Thomas Mount station in the last week of September or in early October.

Nehru Park and Thiru Vi Ka Park which under Chennai Metro Rail Limited will run its services will only be partly restored when the operations begin. For four years the parks have been closed after construction of underground tunnelling work started in Nehru Park and Shenoy Nagar. The two stations are part of the Thirumangalam stretch. An official of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said, “Ancillary buildings have been built on the premises of the parks. Restoration of the park cannot be done to the entire area but a substantial area will be brought back.” Residents of the area are irked that the park will not be restored completely. Residents complain that Thiru Vi Ka park was restored at a cost 1.5 crore only a few years before CMRL took it over.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will issue multi-purpose smart cards that can be used for Automatic Parking System and for small retail transactions. Also with commons cards similar to Singapore transport system, the CMRL plans to promote its travel card that can be used for travel across different modes of transport like buses, parking and taxi services. Meanwhile, works are gaining momentum on the second phase too, which will link various parts of the city.

Media Interview | War between bureaucrats and technocrats : S N Venkata Rao

Narendra Shah
-
0
Media Interview | War between bureaucrats and technocrats : S N Venkata Rao

E Sreedharan and I started the drawings of Bengaluru Metro Phase 1 and 2. When the airport was ready to be used, we started work on the Metro linking the airport to the centre of the city.

We looked at a high speed rail link to the airport from MG Road through Cubbon Road, Raj Bhavan, Ballari Road was most feasible and the train can go up to a speed of 160kmph.

It would have taken less than half an hour to reach the airport and people from all areas can access MG road easily . We also created a model wherein private infrastructure companies would be partners of the project. This means they will invest build maintain for a contractual period. That way, work would have got done faster. We also picked technical experts who could monitor the work.

The facilities to check-in baggage at MG Road Metro station and check-out with baggage in other cities was also part of the de s i g n . We also got permission to go under the Indian Air Force base in Yelahanka. But just as we were ready to get final clearance for the project and call tenders during 2011, a few politicians and former BMRC chief N Sivasailam dumped it completely .

Despite the snobbish behaviour of the government, we went ahead and prepared a detailed project report on a high-speed rail link between Chennai and Mysuru via Bengaluru that would cost much less than what government estimated, around Rs12,000 crore.
The government thinks we have vested interests. It simply disregards technocrats.It’s always an ego war between technocrats and bureaucrats and bureaucrats won here.Going by BMRC’s performance so far, as a project company, what else do you expect? Do you think it will gear up for this project?

This government will ruin things as it has done on other matters.

(As told by Mr. S N Venkata Rao, IRSE – Retired Advisor, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.)

Metro Projects India | SC stays NGT order on green nod mandatory for Metro projects

Narendra Shah
-
0
Metro Projects India | SC stays NGT order on green nod mandatory for Metro projects

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today stayed the operation of a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order asking Indian Railways and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to seek environmental clearances for their projects.

A bench comprising Justices T S Thakur and A M Khanwilkar prima facie agreed to the submission of Delhi Metro and Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) that the order of the Tribunal was erroneous and if they were forced to seek clearances from the Ministry of Environment and Forest, their projects will get delayed.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the government firms, said there was a notification to this effect and Railways and DMRC are not required to seek environmental clearances for their projects like dedicated freight corridors.

On April 28, this year, MoEF and DMRC had informed the NGT that Metro Rail projects are not required to seek environmental clearance (EC).

The Environment Ministry had told NGT that railway and Metro Rail projects were not within the purview of the 2006 Environmental Impact Assessment Notification and therefore prior EC was not required. Earlier, the National Green Tribunal had held that the Indian Railways and the DMRC would have to secure environmental clearance from MoEF for their projects.

Nagpur Metro | Visvesvaraya NIT now Metro Rail consultant for its project

Narendra Shah
-
1
Nagpur Metro | Visvesvaraya NIT now Metro Rail consultant for its project

Nagpur: Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) has been appointed as structural consultant for the Nagpur Metro Rail Project. Though the work, at present, is confined to the 5-km at-grade patch between the airport and MIHAN, Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation ltd (NMRCL) has plans to broaden VNIT’s role for the entire project.

“Earlier, the NMRCL had planned to approach IITs at Mumbai and Delhi for the task. We invited NMRCL officials and convinced them about the institute’s capability to do the task as we have same infrastructure and facilities here itself. They agreed and appointed VNIT as structural consultant,” said Vikram Jamdar, chairman, board of governors, VNIT. The institute as a consultancy has already started verifying the structural designs.

In another development, 20 students from VNIT have joined the NMRCL. NMRCL managing director Brajesh Dixit, said, “The engineers recruited from VNIT are doing great work. “The students have been appointed as trainee engineers. In 2 years, they will be absorbed as permanent staffers,” he said.

Dixit also informed that after the last academic session, 10 students were recruited and this year another 10 have joined. “Next year, we plan to absorb more talent from the institute,” he said.

At present, all departments of the VNIT are spread over the campus area. “VNIT is constructing a G+6 building which will act as a common block for all the departments,” Jamdar said, adding construction has already started. He said, “From the next academic session, the whole block will become operational.”

Jamdar also informed that the institute is setting up a sewage treatment plant (STP) on the campus itself. Some of the treated water will be used on the premises for gardening purpose while remaining will be discharged into Nag river,” he said.

Institute’s academic dean Dr VK Deshpande, institute director Dr Narendra Deshpande and registrar Dr SR Sathe were also present at the press briefing 14th convocation on Sept 15

VNIT will be holding its 14th convocation on September 15. Chief guest will be college alumni MS Unnikrishnan, managing director and CEP of Thermax Limited, Pune. The institute will be awarding 1,139 degrees. VNIT will also be felicitating students and research scholars with 105 medals, prizes and awards. Sheikh Mohammed Danish, a student of computer science with the highest CGPA score of 9.88 will receive Sir Visvesvaraya gold medal. Idris Mestafa Manaqibwala from civil department will receive the highest number of awards. Gaurav Hirani is the receiver of Hemant Karkare award.

It will be awarding 49 doctor of philosophy, five master of technology by research. 332 MTech, 53 MSc, 647 bachelor of technology in various engineering disciplines and 53 in Bachelor of Architecture.

Bangalore Metro | BMRC to fetch good money by short-term naming of Metro stations

Narendra Shah
-
0
Bangalore Metro | BMRC to fetch good money by short-term naming of Metro stations

Bengaluru: With the State government recently giving in-principle approval to innovative financing measures to fund future Metro projects, attractive revenue streams have now opened up for Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL).

The proposed Outer Ring Road link between K R Puram and Silk Board is set to be entirely financed through these measures. Phase-III of Namma Metro, for which the final alignment is still being finalised, is also looking at gaining a substantial part of its funding through innovative financing.

Speaking to Media, BMRCL Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola said, “This financing proposes suffixing a second name to the name of upcoming Metro stations for a short-term period, like say for a year. This is expected to fetch good money to fund our future projects.”

The finer details are being worked out. “We are looking at offering the naming rights to established institutions or distinguished local personalities,” he said.

The name change will be okayed wherever it is feasible and provided there are no objections to it, Kharola stressed.

Another big commercial move to be implemented is that of permitting big concerns to construct aerial walkways from their office premises to Metro stations. “We are looking at something on the lines of what has been done at Mantri Mall Sampige Road where the station provides direct connectivity to the Mall,” Kharola said.

FAR enhancement up to 1 km

The green signal for premium FAR (Floor Area Ratio) on both sides of all Metro tracks up to 1 km is also expected to boost Metro revenue significantly, Kharola said.

FAR refers to the ratio between the built-up area in a building in relation with the actual space available. The increased footfalls and development in an area where Metro has its presence is bound to increase the value of the property, said an official from the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India.

“This move gives builders a chance to develop their property vertically by paying an additional sum to Metro for the floor area on which it extends its building,” he said.

1...849850851...929Page 850 of 929