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Light Rail Project: Govt. of Madhya Pradesh okays set up of Metro Rail Company

11/02/2015

BHOPAL: State cabinet chaired by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday gave green signal to constitute Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Company for implementation of light metro projects in Bhopal and Indore. Recently in the urban civic polls, the light metro was part of both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress’ manifesto.

Board of directors of the state metro rail company will be headed by the chief minister while minister for urban development Kailash Vijayvargiya will be its vice-chairman. Company will also constitute an executive committee comprising of mayors of Bhopal and Indore, state chief secretary and other officers.

In another major decision, cabinet sanctioned re-densification of the congested north and south TT Nagar in Bhopal. Minister for health and state spokesman Narottam Mishra said, “There are 2,767 dilapidated government quarters of different categories in this part of the town. Under the re-densification scheme, private investors will demolish existing houses and construct 4,284 houses of various categories and hand them over to the state government.”

Cabinet also approved work of urban infrastructure by Bhopal Development Authority (BDA) including 1.53 kilometre long flyover, 0.94 km long grade separator, new building of Kamla Nehru School, construction of new roads and widening of old thoroughfares. A sum of Rs 1,250 crore will be spent on construction of houses. Estimated cost of works to be undertaken by the authority is Rs 454 crore.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan government also decided to give promotions to assistant veterinary field officers of animal husbandry department. Earlier, there was no promotion channel for this cadre. They retired from the same post on which they are recruited. Narottam Mishra explained following Tuesday’s cabinet decision, an assistant veterinary officer can now be promoted through upgradation of post after 12 year service.

Veterinary field officers will be promoted as senior veterinary field officers after 10-year service and the same officers will be promoted as livestock zonal officers after 8-year service. The posts created include 1,100 of veterinary field officer, 308 of senior veterinary field officer and 77 posts of livestock zonal officer.

Cabinet also revised decision of October 2009 on allotment of land to Central Schools. Now Central Schools will be allotted 4 acre land in municipal corporation areas, 8 acres in other urban areas and up to 10 acres in other areas at Re one as lease rent. (TOI)

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Light Metro: Light rail in Indore & Bhopal likely before 2018

Narendra Shah

11/02/2015

BHOPAL: The proposed light metro rail system in Indore and Bhopal cities are planned to be launched before 2018, Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijaywargiya said today.

“If everything goes as per the plan, then I am confident that the light metro rail system will commence its operations in Indore and Bhopal before 2018, which will be the first such project in the country,” Vijaywargiya told reporters.

The light metro services will then be introduced in Jabalpur and Gwalior to meet the growing demand of a viable public transport system, the Urban Administration and Development Minister said.

According to him, Detailed Project Reports (DPR) for the first phase of the Indore and Bhopal projects are currently being prepared, while pre-feasibility studies are being conducted for Jabalpur and Gwalior projects.

Talking about the Simhastha Kumbha Mela that will be held in Ujjain in 2016, Vijaywargiya, who is in-charge of the religious mega event, said the state government has sanctioned Rs 1,750 crore for 255 infrastructure-related works.

“This time the government has planned to organise ‘Green Simhastha’, under which only the vehicles running on bio-fuels will ply in the mela area. There will also be a ban on use of polythene there,” the minister said.

He also informed that an international-level seminar on Yoga will be organised during the event.

In order to develop infrastructure in the cities, the government has started Chief Minister Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme, Chief Minister Urban Drinking Water Scheme and Chief Minister Urban Cleanliness Mission, Vijaywargiya said.

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Light Metro: Three-member panel to review DPR for light metro in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.

Narendra Shah

11/02/2015

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala state government has constituted a three-member committee to review the detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed light metro in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. The decision came at a time when the general consultant of the project, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (DMRC), has been complaining about the delay from the part of the government in approving the DPR it submitted in October last. There has been widespread criticism over the feasibility of the project since it was proposed.

The committee, which consists of finance secretary K M Abraham, PWD secretary A P M Mohammed Hanish and MD of Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation P I Sheik Pareeth, has been directed by the government to have negotiations with the DMRC and reach an understanding on the progress of the project, sources said.

The finance department has major reservations about the project, which is a reason for the delay in approving the DPR. Abraham is learned to have demanded clarity on the financial structuring of the project. Sources close to PWD said that the new development is a proof that state government has apprehensions about the project. A detailed note on the impracticalities on the financial model had been prepared by the finance department and submitted to the government for approval.

“Though DMRC principal adviser E Sreedharan has conducted several presentations, most officials and people’s representatives are not yet convinced about the project. The formation of a committee, instead of approving the DPR, shows that the government is cautious,” sources said.

TOI had reported the flaws in the DPR. The DPR does not have clarity about the technology to be used for the project. Earlier, a report prepared by DMRC had rejected light metro for Thiruvananthapuram citing its sharp curves and steep gradients. Though PWD minister V K Ebrahim Kunju informed assembly that linear propulsion system will be used for light metro, DMRC later denied it. Apart from technical specifications, concerns were raised against the move to award turnkey consultancy to DMRC without calling tender, which is a violation of guidelines of central vigilance commission.

Sources said that since the term of state government and newly appointed chief secretary would end in a year, priorities are given to projects that can be completed in a year.

PWD secretary Mohammed Hanish said that more clarity was need on whether to implement light metro or revive the monorail project. (TOI)

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Delhi Metro: DMRC corridors in different stretches lack infrastucture

Narendra Shah

11/02/2015

New Delhi: It’s not just the Gurgaon or Noida lines of the Delhi Metro network that are crowded and tough to travel on during peak hours. Commuters travelling on the Mundka to Inderlok/Kirti Nagar corridor have a similar experience every day, despite having a daily ridership of barely one lakh. It’s no better on the Violet line—Central Secretariat to Badarpur—where commuters complain of having to fight for space. The reason—in the past one year, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation hasn’t added a single coach, forget a train, to either of these corridors.

Vidhuyat Sharma, a resident of Nangloi who travels everyday to Rajouri Garden, said, “I take the train in the morning around 8.30 am daily. It’s so crowded that I have to leave at least one train, so that I can take the next one which hopefully would be less crowded. This is a daily problem.” Much like Sharma, Rupa Gulati, who takes the train from Noida to Lajpat Nagar frequently, says that trains are usually crowded, especially during peak hours. “All the trains are four-coach trains, so there’s not much space. When I travel from Noida, I get the eight-coach train which makes it less crowded. But on the Violet line, I am yet to see a single eight-coach train,” says Gulati, who is a shop assistant in Lajpat Nagar.

According to Delhi Metro, there are only 18 trains on the Green line, of which all save one are four-coach trains. On the Violet line, there are 29 four-coach trains and only one six-coach train. The reason, said officials in Delhi Metro, is the low ridership on these two corridors. Incidentally, ridership on both these corridors has gone up substantially over the past year. For instance, the total ridership on line 5 was 8,48,895 in 2013 but went up to 9,70,032 by 2014. Similarly, on the Violet line, the ridership according to DMRC was 16,79,090 in 2013 but went to 19,48,516 during the same period in 2014.

However, the number of trains added to either of these two corridors between January and December 2014 was zero. According to Delhi Metro, the number of coaches on line 5 is a grand total of 74 cars or 18 trains while on line 6, the total number of cars is 122 spread over 30 trains. Both corridors have one six-coach train plying on the line every day. In contrast, daily ridership of the Mundka to Inderlok/Kirti Nagar corridor is 99,357 while that of the Central Secretariat-to-Badarpur corridor is 2.18 lakh.

The Green line consists of 17 stations including an interchange station covering a total length of 18.46km. This line is going to be extended further from Mundka to Bahadurgarh in Haryana in the future.
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The Violet line was opened in 2011 and is to be extended till the interiors of Faridabad from Badarpur side. It has 16 stations.

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Hyderabad Metro: HMRL has hit a new road block with the new Central Metro Act

Narendra Shah

11/02/2015

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Metro rail has hit a new road block with the new Central Metro Act derecognising the concessionaire agreement between the state government and Larsen & Toubro to execute the project under a public-private partnership (PPP).

As there is no provision for the PPP model in the new Act, the Union urban development ministry now has to decide upon the Metro rail administrator (MRA) or owner of the project. While this has cast a shadow on the inauguration of the first stage between Nagole and Mettuguda on March 21, the state government has written to the Union urban development ministry and requested to expedite the process.

“In the first place, we have requested the Union urban development ministry to save our concessionaire agreement so that we can continue executing the Metro project under the PPP model,” said NVS Reddy, HMRL managing director.

While it takes a lot of procedural steps including an amendment to the Act, sources said that the Centre is unlikely to change the provision to include the PPP model to execute the Metro project. In such an event, there would be a big question mark about the position of L&T which has already invested more than Rs 6,000 crore into the project. The project cost was initially estimated at Rs 14,132 crore, but is now said to have reached Rs 20,000 crore.

While earlier, the Hyderabad Metro rail project was erroneously implemented under the provision of the Tramways Act, the Centre, in a bid to rectify the error, notified the project under the Central Metro Act last October which is applicable for all Metro rail projects in the country. The rectification, however, resulted in the ambiguity over the ownership of the project as the PPP model has no place in the new Act.

Interestingly, the development comes amidst the controversy over K Chandrasekhar Rao insisting on realignment of the project and L&T offering to quit complaining of harassment from the state government. The Centre’s decision to bring the project under the direct supervision of the project monitor group (PMG) which works under the PMO and notifying it under the new Central Metro Act is being viewed by some as steps leading to its eventual takeover by the state government

VB Gadgil, chief executive of L&T Metro rail (Hyderabad), however, ruled out the possibility of his company walking away. He said, “Naturally there are many procedural issues that need to be addressed when the governing Act is changed. It is up to the government to take a call and make a quick decision.”

The main concern, however, is about the slow nature of legislative procedures that could impact the project’s schedule. Officials in the state municipal administration and urban development department (MA&UD) said that they are worried that the project might not meet the March 21 deadline to commission the first stage, an 8-km stretch between Nagole and Mettuguda, timed with Ugadi.

“The train has completed the trial run on the Nagole-Mettuguda stretch and the Research Designs & Standards Organization (RDSO) has completed its mandatory tests for clearances. At this stage, the ownership ambiguity has come as a big dampener,” said an MA&UD official. As per norms, the MRA of the project has to apply for safety certification of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) after receiving RDSO clearance.

But, the hitch is that, the CRS will not accept the application unless it comes from the MRA. “If there is delay in deciding who the MRA is, then there will be delay in applying for CRS clearance. That means, there is a possibility of the project missing the March 21 milestone, while the bigger issue of the very ownership of the project stays,” said the official.

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Metro Rail News team congratulates Arvind Kejriwal for great performance of Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi Assembly Election.

Narendra Shah

10/02/2015

Dear Arvind Kejriwal Ji,
I am writing this letter on behalf of the editorial team of Metro Rail News Online. Through this letter, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you and your party volunteers for splendid performance of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi Assembly Election 2015. Our organization is proud to have a distinguished and a hard working Chief Minister for Delhi like you.
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With this letter, we do not want to miss the opportunity to congratulate and send our heartiest wishes to you on the recent achievement that you have made in the Delhi Assembly Election. We are confident that your influence will continue to encourage our proud tradition of involvement in worthwhile political causes.
We once again congratulate you and your entire team for great performance in Delhi Assembly Election and we look forward to see you prospering in future. You have really worked hard and have proved your capabilities and potentials amongst everyone.
We wish you all the best as you represent us.
Regards,
Editor-in-Chief
Metro Rail News Online

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Kochi Metro: KMRL is planning to set up vertical gardens along the Kochi Metro Rail corridor

Narendra Shah

10/02/2015

KOCHI: The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd is planning to set up vertical gardens along the Kochi Metro Rail corridor, by utilizing the pillars.

As part of the green initiative, the agency is trying to explore the available space, including the median along the proposed Kochi Metro Rail corridor, for the garden.

Considering the fact that many Metro Rail networks across the globe have identified the potential of revenues from non-fare box sources like advertisements, the KMRL is also planning to exploit these sources to supplement their core revenues. The agency will float a tender in the later stages of the project to award the contract for the display of advertisements on the via ducts. The KMRL authorities said that they will take stringent actions against those who are erecting advertisement boards and sticking bills illegally at the via ducts and pillars of the Metro rail project. According to KMRL authorities, the vertical gardens will be set up at the Metro Rail stretch mainly in the areas outside the city.

They are planning to plant shrubs and plants that require less sunlight and water to grow.

Within the city limits, the agency is mainly planning to give the available space on Metro Rail corridor for the display of advertisements. The terms and conditions of the contract will be decided by the KMRL Board after obtaining the report from the transaction adviser who will be appointed for the purpose.

As part of its non-fare box revenue strategy, the KMRL also plans to implement suitable and commercially viable property developments in areas around the metro stations, including the area earmarked for vehicle parking at all 22 metro stations and also at the independent additional plots (beside station plots) of 10 metro station locations, as ‘Metro Plaza’.

The agency had already awarded the letter of agreement to Night Frank India Limited for an amount of `17.19 lakh , which will study the non-fare revenue sources that KMRL envisages to be developed along the proposed metro corridor.

The potential sources of non-fare box revenues that the agency is planning to explore for the Kochi Metro Rail include real estate activities, leasing available commercial space, property development incentives, advertising, tax on vacant land parcel and feeder services.

Kochi Metro Rail Ltd had already initiated the process of selecting consultants on various aspects of Non-fare revenue enhancement including property development, station box commercialization as well as identification of various other sources of non-fare revenue.

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Delhi Metro: HUDA to prepare DPR for proposed Metro from Gurgaon Rly Stn to HUDA City Centre

Narendra Shah

10/02/2015

Gurgaon: A Metro line connecting Huda City Centre to Gurgaon railway station has been proposed by a local MLA office to the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), which is said to be working on the suggestion.
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The proposal, which was made after conducting a survey a week earlier, broadly outlines the number of station with their names and areas to be catered.

The routes have been proposed along the New Railway Road up to Rajiv Chowk at Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and further up to Subhash Chowk at Sohna Road finally merging into the Delhi Metro line at Huda City Centre near Fortis hospital.

“Yes, it is true that the metro connectivity between the above said two destinations that have the maximum passenger pulling strength is required urgently and at the earliest. It will help nearly three to five lakh commuters daily. We have held a meeting with the chief administrator, Brijender Singh, and other officials in this regard,” said Umesh Aggarwal, Gurgaon’s MLA.

The plan to connect the above said two destinations by a metro network via Rajiv Chowk and Subhash Chowk will be around 12 km. Connecting Gurgaon railway station with Huda City Centre by another line of metro is deemed as an urgent requirement to bring parity in terms of Metro facility for commuters of old and new Gurgaon.

“Shortly, the HUDA will invite reputed companies to prepare detailed project report. We want work to begin at the earliest,” added the MLA.

However, despite several and repeated attempts chief administrator Brijender Singh could not be contacted.

That this line will be in addition to already proposed 11.5 km metro extension line between Sector 21 Metro station and the Iffco Chowk Metro station in Gurgaon for what Detailed Project Report is being prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

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Delhi Metro: CSIO develops Quake-Warning System for Delhi Metro

Narendra Shah

09/02/2015

Chandigarh: With the National Capital Region falling in the high-risk zone for seismic activity, the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) here has developed an earthquake early warning system for the Delhi Metro.
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The system involves interconnected sensors installed at five strategic places along its vast network that would continuously monitor seismic activity and send inputs to a master control centre for initiating appropriate activity.

Principal Scientist at CSIO, Dr Satish Kumar, who is heading the project said that sensors have already been installed at four places and work is under way at the fifth site. It will take about a year of trials and evaluation before the system is fully operational. The sites are at Jehangirpuri, Sarita Vihar, Botanical Garden, Dwarka and Metro Bhawan.

While earthquakes cannot be predicted, seismic tremors can be detected and can provide a few seconds of forewarning. “Seismic waves travel at the speed of 4 km per second. If the quake’s epicentre is some distance away, it can provide sufficient time to trigger certain preventive steps like automatic cutting off of the electric supply if the strength of tremors crosses a predefined level. The probability of damage to a stationary train is much lower than to a running one,” Dr Kumar said.
Delhi Metro carries about 2.4 million passengers daily through 208 trains that run over a network of 193 km of track that runs both underground as well as on elevated structures. Expansion plans envision it to cover 413 km in the coming years.

Delhi and its surrounding region lies in Zone-4 of the seismic activity map – the second-highest risk-prone area among the five zones. Delhi is particularly vulnerable to a major earthquake as several seismic fault lines such as the Sohna fault line, Delhi-Haridwar ridge zone, Mahendragarh fault line, Moradabad fault line and Rajasthan boundary fault line run through this area.

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Delhi Metro: Sahitya Akademi opens Bookstore at Kashmere Gate Metro Station

Narendra Shah

09/02/2015

New Delhi: To promote literature and to make Indian language books accessible to metro commuters, the Sahitya Akademi has collaborated with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to open its first-ever bookshop at the Kashmere Gate metro station.

The shop was inaugurated on February 5 by Sahitya Akademi chairman Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari.

The bookshop, which is located at the concourse level of the station’s elevated section, is the first-ever bookshop in the country opened by Sahitya Akademy outside their premises. “The metro passengers can avail of 15 per cent 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 here,” a DMRC spokesperson said.

The bookshop was inaugurated by Sahitya Akademi chairman Vishwananth Prasad on February 5 in the presence of Dr. K. Sreenivasarao, Secretary, Sahitya Akademi, and other senior DMRC and Sahitya Akademi officials.

“A similar bookshop will also be opened shortly at Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station which will witnesses footfall of young students and academicians, besides the public. DMRC has already opened two bookshops in association with the National Book Trust at Kashmere Gate and Vishwavidyalaya Metro stations in 2014,” the spokesperson added.

The setting up of the bookshop is part of recent DMRC initiatives to tie up with various government organisations to use the metro premises in such a way that they are treated as a hub for promotion of Indian art, culture, literature, craft and tourism.

It will offer 15 per cent discount on books in Indian languages published by the Akademi to commuters.

“Stations like INA (Art & Craft Gallery), Jorbagh (Painting Exhibition), Mandi House (Art Exhibition), Kashmere Gate (Bookshop), Vishwavidyalaya (Bookshop run by National Book Trust) Patel Chowk (Museum-Tourism) etc. are a testimony to these associations and offer commuters an altogether different experience while travelling by the metro,” said a statement from the Delhi Metro.

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