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Chennai Metro|CMRL plans a hub at Chennai Central station

Narendra Shah
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Chennai: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has made grand plans for developing the Chennai Central station as a hub at a cost of nearly Rs. 400 crore.

This station —the largest of the underground ones spreading over 70,000 sq.m. at a depth of 25 metres —will connect Chennai Metro to several modes of transport at this junction including the MRTS, buses and trains (suburban and inter-State).

“We have made an extensive proposal and it was also presented sometime back to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. We want this station to be a hub; we have planned various facilities at this station,” an official said to media.

An airport check-in facility is also included at this station where passengers can complete the check-in procedures, collect their boarding pass and take the Metro to the airport.

There will be walkways connecting the station with Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, the MRTS station and the Chennai Central station, sources said.

There are also plans for a fountain and an extensive car park that can accommodate at least 1,500 vehicles, they added.

But transport experts note that grade crossing are the best way to commute for pedestrians rather than subways because they don’t have to constantly change levels and it is not best transport practice as well.

Advait Jani of The Institute for Transport Development and Policy (ITDP) said, “When a lot of people are going to use this facility, it would make sense to have a grade crossing rather than subways, since they have limited capacity and can get saturated quickly. When they have planned for a major parking lot, they should also look at the comfort of pedestrians who are going to be the largest users.”

Delhi Metro|Sahitya Academy opens bookshop at Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station

Narendra Shah
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Delhi Metro|Sahitya Academy opens bookshop at Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station

New Delhi: As part of a joint initiative by DMRC and Sahitya Akademy, the Akademy opened its second Book shop in Metro premises at the Vishwavidyalaya Metro station today. One bookstall of the Sahitya Akademi is already functunal at the Kashmere Gate Metro station.

The idea of this initiative is to promote the Indian Literature by providing quality books in Indian languages published by the Akademy and also to cultivate reading habits among Metro commuters and employees.

The Metro passengers can avail 15% discount on the books purchased from this book shop by showing their Delhi Metro Smart Card. Limited edition of DMRC publications will also be made available for sale from the Metro book shop.

The Bookshop was formally inaugurated by Shri Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, Chairman of the Sahitya Akademy in the presence of other senior DMRC and Sahitya Akademy officials.  DMRC has already opened two Bookshops in association with National Book Trust at Kashmere Gate and Vishwavidyalaya Metro stations in 2014.

DMRC in recent times has taken up the initiative of tying up with various government bodies/organizations (National Book Trust, Delhi Tourism, Sahitya Akademy, India Habitat Centre, Ministry of Textiles etc.) authorizing them to use the Metro premises in such a way that they are treated as a hub for promotion of Indian Art, Culture, Literature, Craft, Tourism etc.

Bangalore Metro|Sreedharan says, Technocrats should lead Bengaluru Metro project

Narendra Shah
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Bangalore Metro|Sreedharan says, Technocrats should lead Bengaluru Metro project

Bangalore: The Bengaluru Metro project is delayed because it is led by bureaucrats and not technocrats, principal advisor to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), E Sreedharan -better known as the Metro Man of India -has said.

“Many technocrats were sent back midway. The BMRCL has had five managing directors in nine years.This is a drawback, because one person holding the top post for a continued period would be accountable. I was the chief of Delhi metro or 14 years, which helped us complete the project ahead of schedule,” Sreedharan told a press confererence in Bengaluru on Tuesday. He pointed out that the cost of Namma Metro has shot up by 60%.

In a scathing remark, Sreedharan said DMRC extended assistance to the BMRCL for four years, before he latter started ignoring suggestions, including a detailed project report on how to go about underground tunneling at Majestic.

“They wanted to reject our report.Later, BMRCL stopped asking for any assistance, perhaps due to ego issues of bureaucrats,” he said.

Unhappy over Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not responding to his two letters – one in 2013 and another one in February this year – about starting a 200 kmhr high-speed railway line between Mysuru and Bengaluru, Sreedharan said the state Government is misguid ing people saying that such a project needs lots of money. The project cost will be Rs 10,000 crore and if the government bears Rs 1,000 crore, the Indian Railways would bear an equal amount while the remaining Rs 8,000 crore can be funded by foreign agencies at 0.03% interest, he said. If gov ernment approves it now, the project would be ready in the next seven years. The project would prevent road accidents, save lives, bring down pol lution while reducing travel time, he said.

Sreedharan pointed out that the DMRC had also submitted a report on a high-speed metro rail from Majestic Metro Station to the Kempegowda International airport.

The project, which was scrapped by the State government, could have brought down travel time be tween the two points to eight minutes, he said.

Delhi Metro|NGT issues notice to DMRC and two others for pollution

Narendra Shah
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Delhi Metro|NGT issues notice to DMRC and two others for pollution

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to certain infrastructure agencies that were named by the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) in its affidavit on Friday that they were causing pollution. The tribunal has asked them why punitive action should not be initiated against their topmost officials for flouting norms.

“The counsel for MoEF filed an affidavit stating that National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and PWD are carrying out projects causing huge damage on Delhi-Faridabad (Mathura) road and violating every direction issued by the tribunal. Photographs have been annexed where hot mixing plants are operating on the roadside without any protection,” the NGT bench headed by chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar stated.

“Construction material is lying on the roads and there is no protection on site to stop the dust from flying in the air.

It is further stated that hot mixing plants are emitting volatile organic compounds, smoke, black carbon, fine pollution particles which are very injurious to health,” the bench said.

The tribunal also asked these authorities to explain why they should not be directed to pay environmental compensation or fine as per Section 15 of NGT Act, 2010.

The ministry’s affidavit stated that DMRC was creating utter mess on the roads and not restoring them once barricades were removed from construction sites. It also stated pollution levels were high in some areas due to laxity on part of DMRC and IP Extension society.

BARSYL signs Consultancy Agreement with Bangladesh Railways

Narendra Shah
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BARSYL signs Consultancy Agreement with Bangladesh Railways

Dhaka: Bangladesh Railway (BR) awarded the Contract for Detailed Design & Construction Supervision Services for Rehabilitation of Kulaura ‒ Shahbazpur line of Bangladesh Railway. The Contract Agreement between Bangladesh Railways and Balaji Railroad Systems Limited (BARSYL), was signed on 13th August 2015 in Dhaka.

The Design and Supervision contract is valued at Rs. 20.00 crores and is planned to be completed in 30 months. BARSYL has been working on various assignments of Bangladesh Railways for nearly 10 years now, but this is the largest assignment by value that has been awarded to BARSYL independently in Bangladesh.

The Government of Bangladesh has embarked upon a project for Rehabilitation of Kulaura ‒ Shahbazpur MG railway section with a view to establish regional connectivity with India. Kulaura ‒ Shahbazpur Bangladesh ‒ Mahishasan (India) rail link was established in 1910 and train operation after 1971 in Kulaura ‒ Shahbazpur section continued upto 06 July 2002. Due to repeated incidents of derailment, the Kulaura ‒ Shahbazpur section was declared closed on 7 July, 2002. In recent times Bangladesh government has taken the initiative to gear up the Railway sector and this project is one of the integrated components of the development programme planned to revitalize Bangladesh Railways.

The implementation cost of the Kulaura‒Shahbazpur section has been estimated at Rs. 575crore and will be implemented under financial assistance of Indian Line of Credit.

Smart Metro|Copenhagen to host global gathering of metro executives

Narendra Shah
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Copenhagen: A host of metro experts from across the world are confirmed as speaking at SmartMetro and leading three days of expert insight, practical case studies, detailed discussion and interactive workshops in Copenhagen, Denmark on 3-5th November 2015. Co-located with the 6th Annual CBTC World Congress, the showcase will cover topics such as technology integration, passenger management and sustainability while discussing how we can put CBTC at the heart of smart operation upgrades.

Designed for industry professionals working in an increasingly urbanised world where evolving IT and the digital revolution give metro systems an opportunity to improve service and meet the many growing passenger demands. And we are proud to confirm an exciting evolution of our SmartMetro Congress which this year comes to Copenhagen, Denmark for the first time and is being hosted with the support of Copenhagen Metro (Metroselskabet) and Banedanmark.

Over 40+ speakers from global rail and metro operators, a 300+ delegation and a host of leading solution providers to come together to discuss best practice for creating the competitive and safe networks of the future. With new and innovative sessions for 2015 alongside global project case studies, attendees will be able to focus on will be able to take back practical lessons from the following topics:

  • Meeting growing passenger demands with case studies from Mike Brown, Commissioner, Transport For London, Henrik Plougmann Olsen, CEO, Metroselskabet and Christos Tsitouras, Managing Director, Atiko Metro
  • Ensure Smart Technology integration with insight from Terence Law, Project Manager, MTR & Phillippe Leguay, International Urban Rail Systems Director, Keolis
  • Develop effective Asset Management strategies with presentations from Neil Roberts, ICT Director, Yarratrans & Sebastian Jarczynski, Systems Manager, London Underground
  • Move towards a low cost, sustainable operation with best practice from Juan Pablo Piccardo, President Buenos Aires Underground & Peter Vinapuu, CEO, MTR Nordic

Alex Williamson, Managing Director of the event organisers, Global Transport Forum: “Now in its sixth year this event has always had a focus on the future and we are delighted to bring SmartMetro and the CBTC World Congress to Copenhagen for the first time. It’s a city that has always been a leader in delivering next generation metro technology, not just for the region but for the whole world and will be the perfect host for our expert global delegation.”

Metro Rail News is a proud media partner for this wonderful event on Smart Metro Rail Systems.

Chennai Metro|CMRL plans for its phase-2 project

Narendra Shah
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Chennai: Taking a fresh look at the plans for phase 2, the Chennai Metro Rail is considering extending it so that the corridor from Madhavaram, that currently ends at the Lighthouse, could be extended up to Siruseri. This is to cater to the substantial number of IT employees who live in apartment complexes along the route. Sources added that plans are on to integrate it with Thiruvanmiyur MRTS station. Besides this, there are also plans to rework the other two corridors as well, highly placed sources told Media.

The second phase consisting of three corridors was to add 76 kms to the metro rail network. But now officials are contemplating extending it to 88 km, said sources.

The major change is for the third corridor from Madhavaram to Lighthouse, a stretch of 17 kms. Initially, the corridor was to begin from Madhavaram and proceed via Perambur, Ayanavaram, Purasaiwalkam, Nungambakkam High road, Gemini, Radhakrishnan Salai and Luz to end at Lighthouse.

Now the idea that is mooted is to extend it all the way to Siruseri along the Old Mahabalipuram Road. If this is approved and finalised, it would be the longest corridor of Chennai Metro.  This is not easy though. The alignment is likely to cross the Adyar river and creek, and would hence require Coastal Regulation Zone clearance. Also, officials are considering various alignments, as there are large heritage structure on the Santhome High Road.

Top officials are looking at both elevated and underground options for undertaking the work. Among the details under discussion is whether to have the elevated stretch from Adyar to Siruseri or from Thiruvanmiyur to Siruseri. However, Metro Rail sources said that it is too early to come to conclusion, as the precise proportion of elevated and underground sections, particularly along Old Mahabalipuram Road, would be considered while preparing the Detailed Project report.

New Proposed Alignment

Total length: 88km

Approx Cost: Rs  45,000 crore

Corridor III: Madhavaram to Siruseri (41km)

Corridor IV: Koyambedu to Light House (14km)

Corridor V: Madhavaram to

Perumbakkam (33km)

Mumbai Metro|Maha CM instructs speedy transfer of land for Metro Rail projects

Narendra Shah
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Mumbai Metro|Maha CM instructs speedy transfer of land for Metro Rail projects

Mumbai: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has asked government officials to ensure speedy transfer of land for the upcoming metro projects in the state, so they are not delayed because of acquisition issues.

The state has issued a government resolution for advance transfer of land for metro projects to the implementing agencies, enabling them to acquire land before the actual constriction actives begin.

The construction of the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz metro project – Metro 3 – is expected to begin soon, for which the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) needs 75 hectares. In a review meeting on Friday, Fadnavis asked the revenue and urban development department secretaries to facilitate acquisition of this land, under the possession of seven to eight government departments and some private owners.

The Reliance Infra-led Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) has claimed increase in cost of the Metro 1, from the original Rs 2,356 crore to over Rs 4,000 crore, mostly because of delays in land acquisition.

In the same meeting, MMRC asked the state government to hand over a parcel of land in Kanjurmarg, which an expert committee had recommended as a suitable spot for the construction of a metro car depot.

The location earlier decided for the depot was at Aarey Colony, Goregaon, which had led to strong protests by environmental activists and residents.

When contacted, Fadnavis said no decision had been taken yet on the metro depot issue.

Meanwhile, the state has already issued a government resolution for transfer of land to the MMRC. Of the 75 hectares, the corporation needs 13 hectares permanently, while 62 hectares will be used temporarily for activities before tunnel boring and station construction.

The MMRC has received possession of about 30 hectares of land, including a part of Oval Maidan from the sports department. Officials from the corporation said they are expecting to get the entire 75 hectares by October this year.

Delhi Metro|DMRC auctions lost & found items

Narendra Shah
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New Delhi: Delhi Metro has been auctioning used poly-bags, water bottles, lunchboxes, umbrellas and helmets left behind by commuters in trains and stations every six months. That it’s a smart move can be gauged from the fact that, in November last year, the auction generated Rs 2.1 lakh.

A Delhi Metro Rail Corporation spokesperson said, “The number of items collected till date is 17,000. Of these, only 1,325 were claimed. We conduct these auctions every six months.

”

According to Delhi Metro, the most common items found are bags and poly-bags. “The auctioning is done through tenders. The highest bid gets the items. These items are generally treated as scrap,” added the official.

Obviously, scrap can generate revenue. While the November auction is one of the most successful conducted by Delhi Metro, auctions thereafter or before haven’t been too bad either. An auction in July got the Delhi Metro Rs 26,099 while another one in April last year got the DMRC Rs 37,100.

The most expensive item found on a Delhi Metro train till date is a Rado watch. That, however, was returned as the owner turned up to claim it within hours. “We try and ensure most of the items are returned. But most commuters don’t come back for inexpensive items like lunchboxes or poly-bags,” said a Delhi Metro official.

The auctions, however, are not advertised in the commuter network. The reason, say Delhi Metro officials, is that the lost and found section is advertised in stations and on trains. “Wallets are generally returned to commuters after verification. Water bottles, lunchboxes and poly-bags are not claimed,” said the official.

With a ridership of over 27 lakh, revenue generated from the auction may not be much. “But it serves a purpose, as we can’t keep the items with us indefinitely,” said the official.

Gurgaon Rapid Metro|Phase-II expected to be completed by March 2016

Narendra Shah
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Gurgaon Rapid Metro|Phase-II expected to be completed by March 2016

Gurgaon: The construction for the Rapid Metro Phase-II is expected to be over by March next year.

The Phase-II will add seven kilometres of double track stretching south of Sikanderpur station along Golf Course Road, with six new stations.

It was disclosed by Rapid Metro Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Rajiv Banga, speaking to the media persons at the launch of the ‘road rage’ campaign to promote responsible driving and road safety. “The construction for Phase-II is on schedule. We expect it to be over by March next year. We are also in the process of procuring rolling stock for the Phase-II line. It is expected to reach Gurgaon by this month end,” said Mr. Banga.

Mr. Banga said that the ridership of the Rapid Metro had gone up by 25 per cent over the past four-five months and saw another increase of 25 per cent on August 7 and August 10 due to traffic snarls on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. Disclosing the plans to further increase the ridership, Mr. Banga said an approval was being sought for the construction of a foot overbridge connecting Udyog Vihar Phase-IV to IndusInd Bank Cyber City metro station. “We expect to get the necessary approvals in a month’s time. After approvals, it may take another 5-6 months for the construction. So we expect the proposed foot over-bridge to be ready by March-April next year.

It will have escalators on both sides and cater to 50,000-60,000 working population in Udyog Vihar. We expect it to add to the ridership of the Rapid Metro,” said Mr. Banga.

In a reply to a question on plans for Phase-III of the Rapid Metro, Mr. Banga said that they were waiting for Haryana Government to finalise the alignment for metro connectivity between Dwarka and Gurgaon. Replying to a question on frequent jams on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, Gurgaon Police Commissioner Navdeep Virk, who was present on the occasion, said that the infrastructure was not adequate to handle the rush.

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