Metro Rail News Feb 2022 - Budget Special Issue

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METRO RAIL NEWS ISSN 2582-2330 / Vol. VI / Issue 62 / Monthly / February 2022

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Editorial Advisory Board WWW.METRORAILNEWS.IN

Vol. VI | Issue 62 | February 2022 Managing Editor Narendra Shah editor@metrorailnews.in Editorial Support Staff Aria Smith Correspondent (International News division)

Rajesh Agrawal Advisor & Consultant Former Member (Rolling Stock) Railway Board

Sudhanshu Mani General Manager (Retd.)

IRSME, ICF, Chennai Team Leader – Train 18

Mahesh C. Yadav Ex.IRSSE , MIE(I) Chartered Engineer (I)

Business Development Priyanka Sahu, Director priyanka.sahu@metrorailnews.in Anurag Jha, Business Development Executive Anurag.jha@metrorailnews.in Cover Page & Graphics Joydeep kundu jk@metrorailnews.in Cover Page & Graphics Joydeep kundu jk@metrorailnews.in

Yogesh Dandekar Founder: Sarg Design Studio LLP (Pune)

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EDITOR NOTE

FROM THE DESK OF

MANAGING EDITOR

Budget: Eyeing big goals to achieve The Indian Railways have the distinction of being one of the largest railway systems in the world under single management and are seen as the prime movers to the economy and society of the Indian sub-continent. As the principal constituent of the nation’s transport infrastructure, the Railways have served as a national integrator with a major role in its socio-economic development. They are a vital link in the demand and supply chain by connecting market to production centres, ports, etc., thereby stimulating a modern economy.

The Railways have also connected industrial production centres with sources of raw materials and facilitated industrial development, linked agricultural centres with distant markets and with sources of essential inputs, thereby promoting rapid agricultural growth. But, more importantly, the Railways have linked places enabling large scale rapid and low-cost movement of goods and people across the length and breadth of the country.

By connecting far-flung and remote areas, they have successfully managed to mainstream these places by providing transport facilities and opening up tourism, trade, and general communication to such areas. Moreover, in the field of defence preparedness, Indian Railways remain the most dependable mode for large scale troop mobilization. Therefore, development of strategic lines in this context becomes an important aspect of enhancing defence preparedness.

After the merger of the Railway Budget with the General Budget from the year 2017-18, the Railway receipts and expenditure became part of the General Budget documents. The expenditure of the Railways is now a part of Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Finance like other Ministries/Departments of Government of India. The entire expenditure of Railways is now covered in ‘Demand for Grant No. 83’ with subsections as ‘Revenue’ and ‘Capital’.

The Railways received an allocation of Rs. 140367.13 crore in the 2022-23 budget, which is Rs. 20,311 crores more than the revised figures of the previous fiscal in the union budget presented by Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman on Feb 01, 2022.

The budget seeks to complement macro-economic level growth, focusing on microeconomic level all-inclusive welfare. As a result, India’s economic growth is estimated at 9.2% to be the highest among large economies.

Entering Amrit Kaal, the 25 year-long lead up to India @100, the budget provides an impetus for growth and four priorities - PM GatiShakti, Inclusive Development, Productivity Enhancement & Investment, Sunrise opportunities, Energy Transition, and Climate Action and Financing of investments.

I happily present you the budget special edition with some new and insightful topics covered in our regular columns, Exclusive interviews and other relevant information.

Wish you a happy reading.

Managing Editor

Narendra Shah

Narendra Shah

Managing Editor Metro Rail News (A Symbroj Media Publication) E-mail: editor@metrorailnews.in

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Contents February 2022 Issue #62

EDITOR'S NOTE

06

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

10

BUDGET HIGHLIGHT

16

COVER STORY

21

16

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

28

33

35

25 Mr. Pankaj Rastogi

Mr. Raj Kumar

CEO - PROTECON BTG

Chairman & Managing Director, Rodic Consultants

Mr. Ankur Jain Managing Partner, Swastik Overseas

PROJECT OF THE MONTH

37

FEATURED PROJECT

40

FOCUSSED SYSTEM

39

ARTICLE

47

JOBS

64

EVENTS

65

TENDER LIVE

66

37

40

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Metro Rail

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) opened technical bids today, five train manufacturers filed bids to supply 288 coaches (48 trains) for Delhi Metro Phase 4’s Package RS17.

The DMRC had invited tenders for these train cars in June 2021, with a delivery deadline of 236 weeks (4.5 years). Their purchase is funded by Rs. 8,390 crore loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

KSM Bashir Mohammad and Sons Bags Gandhi Nagar Depot Work of Indore Metro Rail Project Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (MPMRC) opened financial bids, KSM Bashir Mohammad and Sons emerged as the lowest bidder for Indore Metro Line-3’s building contract, Gandhi Nagar Depot (IN07).

The new trains for Phase 4 must be 3.2 metres wide, lightweight, stainless steel, and adhere to the standard gauge track system. They must also be suitable for CBTC signalling for Unattended Train Operations (UTO) complying with Grade of Automation level 4.

Alstom Transport India Ltd., BEML Ltd., CAF India Pvt. Ltd., JSC Metrowagonmash and Titagarh Wagons Ltd. Were involved in the bidding process.

This depot, which is part of the Indore Metro’s Phase 1 project, will serve trains on the 33.53-kilometre Yellow Line, which will form a ring around Indore city and connect Palasia – Railway Station – Rajwara – Airport – Bhawarsala through 30 elevated stops.

The MPMRCL invited tenders for the depot’s construction in September 2021, with a three-year deadline and an estimated cost of Rs. 283.65 crore to be funded by equity contributions from the Government of India and the Government of Madhya Pradesh.

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

MMRCL managing director Ranjit Singh Deol, Two trains for the disputed Mumbai Metro Line 3 are accessible, and a third will be available shortly. He stated that with 15% of the track constructed, big advancements are foreseen in 2022.

Although the work has been stalled owing to the Aarey car shed issue, MMRCL has executed activities worth Rs 5,000 crores to date.

The train cannot be positioned without a vehicle shed; thus, the job was finally postponed. Furthermore, Ranjit Singh Deol stated, We have invested 5000 crores in the project in length, and with such much optimism, we launched the project this year.” car shed issue avoided.

Challaghatta Metro station in Bengaluru is expected to open in August 2022 The Challaghatta Metro station, which is roughly 2 kilometres from the Kengeri Metro station, will be operational in August 2022 . The Challaghatta station was scheduled to open in March 2022 when the extended Purple Line between Mysuru Road and Kengeri was launched.

Ninety per cent of the structural work on this elevated station has been completed, according to senior Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) officials.

Five Bidders for Delhi Metro Phase 4’s 288 Coach Contract

Two trains are available for Mumbai metro line 3: MMRC MD Ranjit Singh Deol

“Along this route, a total of 70 spans have been built, and roof structure construction is currently underway. It will be finished by the end of March. Work on the finishing touches, such as placing a stone on the floor, painting, and other outside work, will begin in the first week of February and be completed by July of this year,” a senior official stated.

MMRDA has finished track laying on Metro Lines 2A and 7 Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), track laying work on Metro Lines 2A (Dahisar to DN Nagar) and 7 (Dahisar East to Andheri East) has been finished except for 500 metres. He also stated that the trackwork on Line 7 had been completed, with only 500 metres of work remaining on Metro Line 2A, which will be completed in a fortnight. www.metrorailnews.in

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS The MMRDA, the state government’s nodal agency for metro development in the MMR, is now constructing roughly 180 kilometres of a massive network, with Metro Lines 2A and seven slated to open this year. However, the wait for Phase 1 (Dahanukarwadi and Aarey) on both of these lines may be extended further since clearance certification from offices under the supervision of the union ministry is expected.

The MMRDA is currently conducting a dynamic trial run on a 20-kilometre length, which has already been visited and examined by a team from the research, design, and standards organisation (RDSO). When the official was asked if this stretch would be open to the public, He responded, “Yes, it is now fully dependent on the RDSO’s clearance certificate. After then, the commissioner of railway safety (CRS) must issue another clearance certification. Then and only then can commercial activities begin.”

Afcons Infrastructure awarded civil contracts worth Rs. 4,151 crores for Delhi Metro Phase 4

MMRCL completes 18% of track laying work The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL), the project implementing authority for the underground Metro Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra—SEEPZ), stated that overall 18% of track laying work has been achieved far. On the entire corridor, a total of 66.07 kilometres of the track will be laid. The Head Hardened (HH) rails of a total of 10,740 tonnes manufactured by Japanese company M/s. Nippon will be utilised for Metro-3 track work. Last year, M/s. Mitsui imported all of the rails from Japan in three lots. M/s Larsen & Toubro has been commissioned with the track installation and construction. For the first time in India, Low Vibration Track (High Attenuation) technology is employed for track work. M/s Sonneville AG, a Swiss company, devised this device to reduce greater levels of noise and vibration in the range of 22VdB (vibration measurement) generated during train operations on this line.

RRTS

Afcons Infrastructure Limited has been awarded two work orders totalling Rs 4,150.70 crores to build underground stretches for two metro corridors in the Delhi Metro Rail Project, Phase 4 by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC).

Country’s first RRTS project receives Rs. 4710 cr in Union Budget 2022 In a major boost to regional connectivity in NCR, the Government of India has allocated Rs. 4,710 crores to the country’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project in the union budget presented today in the parliament.

Construction work on the entire 82 Km long Delhi-Ghaziabad Meerut RRTS corridor is in full swing. The corridor will have 25 stations, including two depots and one stabling yard.

Contract Package DC-07:- The first work order, with a contract value of Rs 1669.20 crore (Rs 1669,20,96,000.00), was issued on January 13, 2022, Contract Package DC-05:- The second work order, with a contract value of Rs 2481.50 crore (Rs 2481,50,59,151.65), was issued on January 14, 2022,

Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor.

The technique has been adopted comprehensively for construction of RRTS Stations and Viaduct to minimize public inconvenience during construction and for timely completion of Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut corridor. All elevated RRTS Stations of Sarai Kale Khan, New Ashok Nagar, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, Muradnagar, Modinagar North, Modinagar south and all elevated stations of Meerut, including concourse and platform level are constructed with the help of Pre-cast primary & secondary beams, Pier arms etc. which is casted at the casting yards and joined together at stations & viaducts using high-capacity rigs & cranes. Even ancillary works like RCC drain, Water harvesting pits etc. have been designed as pre-cast to ensure quality and saving time during construction.

NCRTC uses Precast construction technique on a massive scale to execute India’s first RRTS Corridor

More than 14,000 workers and 1100 engineers are working day and night at our sites. Despite the challenges brought in by the COVID-19 pandemic, the progress of the project has been as per scheduled timelines.

NCRTC is using Precast construction technique on a massive scale in implementing India’s first Regional

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS main unit, Auxilliary substation (ASS) and SCADA for both elevated & underground sections including the New ISBT Depot, which is under development by Quality Buildcon. DMRC invited bids for package PE-03 in July 2021 with an estimate of Rs. 144.65 crore and a completion period of 36 months (3 years). Technical bids were opened in November to reveal 4 bidders.

During the evaluation, Salasar – STS’ bid was found technically non-compliant.

Nokia and Alstom will collaborate to build a 4.9G/ LTE private network in India for Delhi – Meerut RRTS Nokia stated recently that it would collaborate with Alstom to build a private wireless network for the Delhi to Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) of the National Capital Regional Transport Corporation (NCRTC). In addition, it will enable European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 Signaling to ensure commuter safety on the high-speed rail line, which is currently being built.

The Delhi-Meerut RRTS is the first phase of a phased development of a high-speed rail network aimed at enabling sustained economic and social development in Delhi and the neighbouring areas through improved connectivity. The lowemission RRTS, which is expected to be fully operational in 2025, will transport more people at average speeds of 100 kmph, reducing travel time and road congestion.

The fully redundant private network, which will span the 82 km rail route with 25 stations, will be built on Nokia’s Modular Private Wirelesssolution (MPW), which includes the latest AirScale radios, Air Frame-based evolved packet core capabilities, the 7250 IXR IP/MPLS backhaul routers, Group Communication platform for mission-critical push to talk/ video (MCx/GC), and Network Services Platform (NSP) management.

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar proposed a rapid rail link between Delhi and Hisar The Haryana state government has taken a step forward in improving rail connectivity between Delhi and Hisar.

Manohar Lal Khattar, the Chief Minister of Haryana, said the state government has submitted a proposal to the Centre to

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

develop a Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) linking Delhi and Hisar.

The Haryana government backed this idea to improve connectivity and ties across the states. Furthermore, they believe that cross-state commutes will become more convenient. On Monday, the Chief Minister met with Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav.

Bids by the companies were as follows: KEC International – 131.89 Cr. Kalpataru Power Transmission – 135.07 Cr. Siemens – 179.48 Cr.

High-Speed Rail

According to Khattar, this train connection will improve communication between Hisar and Delhi airports. In addition, according to reports, this program will benefit individuals in various ways, including making travel more accessible and expanding job prospects for the general public.

SCC-VRS JV Wins Mumbai – Ahmedabad Bullet Train Package C8

KEC International bags Rs. 144.65 Cr contract for Patna Metro’s Electrification work KEC International on Wednesday arose as the lowest bidder for the 25KV Overhead Equipment (OHE) charge arrangement of Patna Metro’s Phase 1 venture. In this 30.91 km network Package, PE-03 is the third charge related bundle which highlight two, for the most part, raised lines with 24 stations including 2 exchanges at Khemni Chak and Patna Junction Railway Station.

Other than the OHE system, the scope incorporates setting up a 33 KV ring

National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. (NHSRCL) awarded SCC – VRS JV with an Rs. 307.24 crore contract to construct the 2.127 km Package C-8 (Sabarmati Depot) of the 508.17 km Mumbai – Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR Bullet Train) project. SCC – VRS JV has received LOA for C8’s contract from NHSRCL on February 4, 2022.Within Ahmedabad, Package C8 of the mainline (chainage 507.599 to 509.726) is the shortest and last of five packages. It covers civil, building, and preparatory work at the Sabarmati train maintenance depot. The largest of three planned (the others would be at Surat and Thane) on this line for Shinkansen trains inspection and maintenance and stabling. NHSRCL invited tenders for its construction, which will begin in October 2020 and be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with a four-year completion deadline.

In February 2021, technical bids were opened, revealing nine bidders, of which only four qualified.

••• www.metrorailnews.in

BUDGET HIGHLIGHT

From Vande Bharat to Kavach: Efforts for a transformational Railways Introduction Union Finance Minister Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman tabled Union Budget-2022 in the Lok Sabha on February 01, 2022. Beginning her presentation of the Budget by expressing empathy with those who have been affected by the adverse health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FM said that India’s economic growth in the current year is estimated to be 9.2 per cent, the highest among all large economies. She also said that Union Budget 2022-23 seeks to lay the foundation and give a blueprint of the economy over the next 25 years.

This is the sixth combined Budget since the Rail Budget was merged with the Union Budget in 2017.

As a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Finance Minister stated that 2,000 km of the rail network would be brought under the indigenous world-class technology KAWACH. Budget: Key takeaways for the Railway sector: • Railways will develop new products and efficient logistics services for small farmers and Small and Medium Enterprises, besides taking the lead in the integration of Postal and Railways networks to provide seamless solutions for the movement of parcels.

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

• ‘One Station-One Product’ concept will be popularised to help local businesses & supply chains.

• As a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, 2,000 km of the network will be brought under Kavach, the world-class indigenous technology for safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23.

• Four hundred new-generation Vande Bharat Trains with better energy efficiency, and passenger riding experience will be developed and manufactured during the next three years.

These new trainsets are going to be made of light-weight aluminium, as opposed to steel, making each around 50 tonnes lighter in weight, consuming much less energy than their steel counterparts.

• One hundred PM GatiShakti Cargo Terminals for multimodal logistics facilities will be developed during the next three years.

Mass Urban Transport including Connectivity to Railways.

• Innovative ways of financing and faster implementation will be encouraged for building metro systems of appropriate type at scale.

• Multimodal connectivity between mass urban transport and railway stations will be facilitated on priority. The design of metro systems, including civil structures, will be reoriented and www.metrorailnews.in

BUDGET HIGHLIGHT standardised for Indian conditions and needs.

The Indian Railways this year too received generous Budget allocation towards Capex spending. This will act as an impetus for the elaborate blueprint of the National Rail Plan.

Some important highlights include the introduction of 400 Train Set 18 to improve Rail passenger experience under ‘One Product, One Railway Station’, investment in Kawach, the signalling and telecommunication infrastructure as well as focus on Atmanirbhar Bharat products are all a positive boost for Indian Railways. Railways is already manufacturing 44 Vande Bharat trains, in order to have these trains running on at least 75 routes by August 15, 2023, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech.

An all-time high Capex of Rs 2.45 trillion With the government giving an extra thrust on PM GatiShakti, the Indian Railways is set to see its highest-ever capital expenditure (CAPEX) of Rs 2.45 trillion for FY 2022-23, a rise by 14 percent from the Revised Estimate (RE) of Rs 2.15 trillion for the current financial year in the Union Budget for 2022-23.

Railway Minister Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw after a budget presentation said that an enormous rise in the capex would result in the operating ratio, a key metric to assess the Railways financial health, coming under pressure. However, the Union Minister for Railways in India stated that the Indian Railways was targeting 96.98 per cent operating ratio (OR) in the coming year. The government believed to improve this. The minister stated that the IR was already achieving over 4 million tonnes of loading every day, which has now been targeted at a consistent 4.5 million tonnes per day and then 05 million tonnes per day.

Roughly put, this means the railways aims to spend Rs 96.98 for every Rs 100 it earns in FY-23.

It was further stated that the OR of the Indian Railways has worsened to 98.93 per cent in the RE for FY-22. This is lower than the 96.15 per cent OR it had budgeted. Net revenue of the Railways crashed to Rs 875 crore in the RE of FY-22, down from the budgeted Rs 6,561 crore. For FY-23, Railways has budgeted a net revenue of Rs 5,360 crore. The Railways generally achieve (freight) loading of around 1,200 MT a year. This year the government expected to reach close to 1,400 MT loading, which would be a record. The government also considers that with an improvement of the physical performance there is no need to reimburse due to Covid-19 or because of any other reasons.

The capex for FY-23 includes Rs 1.37 trillion from general revenues, Rs 1.08 trillion from internal and extra-budgetary resources (IEBR) and Rs 200 crore from the Nirbhaya fund. The Railway’s total receipts, comprising revenues from passenger, goods, other coaching, sundry and other heads were kept at Rs 2.4 trillion in the BE for FY23 as against a revised estimate of Rs 2.02 trillion for the current fiscal.

Earlier in the budget speech the FM had stated that the railways shall develop new products and efficient logistics services for small farmers and SMEs, besides taking the lead in integration of postal and Railways networks to provide seamless solutions

www.metrorailnews.in

for the movement of parcels. As a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, around 2,000 kilometers of rail network has also been proposed to be brought under Kavach, the world-class indigenous technology for safety and capacity augmentation in FY-23.

Focus on new initiatives, better technology & improved versions With an eye on farmers, the rail sector will develop ‘One Station One Product’, which will leverage the local produce carried on the railways. Bringing out new products, the Railways will also roll out postal railways for parcels, giving a thrust to a new business area.

Taking a decisive step towards engine-less propulsion system for passenger trains in future, the government has also decided to manufacture four hundred new, more efficient Vande Bharat trains in the next three years. The new Vande Bharat Semi-high speed Trains alias Train-18 will be in addition to 102 Vande Bharat trains already in the pipeline. The new Vande Bharat Trains would be part of a larger, multimodal plan for infrastructure development under the umbrella of PM Gati Shakti. 100 PM Gati Shakti Cargo terminals has also been proposed to be developed during the next 3 years and implementation of innovative ways for building metro systems.

The 400 trains would mostly be made of light-weight aluminium, as opposed to steel, marking a departure from India’s traditional choice of metal for making its coaches. The paperwork for aluminium coaches had already been started before the Budget.

Being made of aluminium, each train set is around 50 tons lighter, consuming much less energy than their counterparts made of steel. As a result, the cost of each train set is around Rs 25 crore more than current ones, which cost around Rs 106 crore per set of 16 coaches. But, as per experts it is said that although, by factoring in inflation and other associated costs of the current steel-made Vande Bharat sets, the aluminium ones come out to be marginally higher, the money saved by way of less energy consumed by aluminium made train sets is much higher, translating into a higher revenue potential for Railways.

Vande Bharat is the name given to India’s own semi-high speed train set, a collection of 16 coaches, self-propelled, and do not require an engine to haul them. This is called distributed traction power, which is increasingly becoming the norm the world over, as opposed to locomotive-hauled trains coaches.

The Railway Ministry stated that any new technology brought in should be viewed from the perspective of passenger comfort viz; reduced noise levels, reduced vibration, better safety and experience. The IR plans to bring that kind of Vande Bharat trains. The first version of Vande Bharat is already running in India. The proposed new version 2 Vande Bharat trains will be in production by August-September this year. The trains would be an upgrade which is supposed to get better with every new version.

As per budget documents, the finance ministry this year has laid out capital investment worth Rs 2.45 lakh crore from Railways,

METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

17

BUDGET HIGHLIGHT in which around Rs 1.08 lakh crore will be raised through extra budgetary resources. Last year, Railways had set out a capital expenditure target of Rs 2.15 lakh crore, which the railways is expected able to maintain by end of this fiscal.

The increased allocation has been proposed to be used for safety and capacity augmentation through supercritical and critical projects. The Indian Railways also hopes to finish this fiscal with an Operating Ratio of 98.93%, as per Revised Estimates, which is worse than the 96.15% pegged in Budget Estimates last year.

In further development, the rolling stock programme may see projects worth over Rs 1 lakh crore spread over the next few years, including manufacturing of the new Vande Bharat train sets, new high-performance freight locomotives, and other products.

In terms of earnings, the national transporter estimates its earnings to be around Rs 2.4 lakh crore, around Rs 38,000 crore more than last year. Banking on recovery of its passenger business, which has been hit since 2020 due to the pandemic, the Railways estimates to earn Rs 58,500 crore in passenger business, up by Rs 14,000 crore, which is a growth of around 31 per cent from last fiscal.

Next year, Railways has targeted an ambitious 1,475 million tonnes of freight. In freight business, Railways has outperformed its Budget estimates for this year. While the estimate for this fiscal was to carry freight worth Rs 1.37 lakh crore, in Revised Estimates it hopes to do business worth Rs 1.45 lakh crore. The next fiscal it hopes to take this figure to Rs 1.65 lakh crore.

As for safety, the indigenous anti-collision system, called Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) now rechristened ‘Kavach’, which has been in various stages of use over the past several years, will cover 2,000 km of railway network.

Union Budget 2022: Find out what’s in it for Metro Rail Sector The allocation for all Metro projects in India has been made in the Union Budget for the financial year 2022-23. The Minister of Finance of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, has allotted Rs 3,702 crore in equity investment, Rs 1,272 crore in subordinate debt, Rs 14,156 crore in pass through assistance, and a total budget of Rs 19,130 crore for all metro projects in the country.

In her Budget Speech of 2022-23, the Finance Minister said that innovative ways would be encouraged for financing and faster implementation for building metro systems of appropriate type at scale. In addition, the FM stated that multimodal connectivity between mass urban transport and railway stations would be

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

prioritised in the country.

In addition, Sitharaman claimed that the design of metro systems in India, including civil constructions, will be reoriented and standardised for Indian conditions and requirements.

Meanwhile, the Finance Minister stated in her Budget Speech 2022-23 that the National Ropeways Development Program, which is environmentally sustainable, will be taken up on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis as a preferred alternative to conventional highways in challenging hilly locations.

Here is how the industry leaders reacted to the Union Budget 2022 announced by the Union Finance Minister Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha.

Mr. Ashish P. Dhakan MD & CEO, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd.

A pro-growth budget with a vision for the new emerging India: India’s progressive Union Budget seeks to complement macro-economic level growth with a focus on micro-economic level all inclusive welfare. It has a pro-technology focus with futuristic vision. A special thrust on promotion of Digital India and adoption of emerging technologies, including 5G, AI, ML and Drones. The key highlights of union budget underlines the economic growth estimated at 9.2% to be the highest among all large economies. It promises 60 lakh new jobs to be created under the productivity linked incentive scheme in 14 sectors. It also highlights the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Schemes, which has the potential to create an additional production of Rs 30 lakh crore. This budget has a roadmap for achieving the objective of ‘Make-in-India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. The customs duty rationalisation to

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BUDGET HIGHLIGHT incentivise domestic manufacturing is a welcome step.

The budget has the PM Gatishakti Scheme with ambitious plans to transform the transportation sector. The seven engines that are going to drive PM GatiShakti are Roads, Railways, Airports, Ports, Mass Transport, Waterways and Logistics Infrastructure.

The big boost to infrastructure will help the security industry growth in the long term.

There is a greater focus on MSME sector in the budget and as a key stakeholder of the MSME Ecosystem, we feel this a very positive step for the security industry. The government has announced that Udyam, e-shram, NCS and ASEEM portals will be interlinked. The help is provided to 130 lakh MSMEs as additional credit under Emergency Credit Linked Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS). The extension of this scheme till March 2023 is a thoughtful decision. The firm focus on Skill Development is another positive aspect of the union budget. Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood (DESH-Stack e-portal) will be launched to empower citizens to skill, reskill or upskill through on-line training. Overall a pro-growth budget with a vision for the new emerging India on global front.

Mr. Alain SPOHR Managing Director, Alstom India & South Asia:

“We welcome the progressive and growth-oriented Union Budget presented by the Finance Minister for 2022-23. India is poised to regain its title of the fastest-growing large economy with a 9.2% GDP growth estimated for the coming year. With an enhanced capital expenditure outlay of 35% as compared to last year, core infrastructure segments including Railways and Urban Transport stand to benefit and will have a huge multiplier effect on the economy.

Highlight of the budget was the announcement to introduce 400 new Vande Bharat trains over the next three years, introduction of the state-of-the-art KAVACH TCAS signalling systems over 2000 kms of railway network, larger investments to provide for sustainable and integrated urban transport systems.

The total budget estimates of Rs 23,875 crore for MRTS & Metro Projects will incentivise faster implementation of projects and the standardisation of metro design systems will provide the much-needed stability for manufacturers.

The development of 100 Cargo terminals over the next 3 years will also improve India’s competitiveness in faster and cleaner logistics and freight movement by rail. The announcement of a new legislation regarding Special Economic Zones is a welcome step as it will help India enhance the competitiveness of its exports and integrate successfully with global supply chains.

From a policy standpoint, launch of the next phase of Ease of Doing Business (EoDB 2.0), is a step in the right direction.

Modernized rules for evaluation of complex tenders especially transparent quality criteria and provisions for payment of 75% of running bills mandatorily within 10 days will encourage faster dispute resolution.

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Introducing PLI scheme for railway manufacturers and exporters promoting Make-in-India would have been ideal for fast-tracking the implementation of projects and supporting the manufacturing ecosystem. We were anticipating FM’s announcement regarding plans for the private train operations; however, this budget provides the overall push towards economic growth and addresses the key priorities of the Government.”

Mr. Sunil Mathur Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Limited

We welcome the growth-oriented budget with a focus on the four pillars – productivity, climate action, financing investments, and PM Gati Shakti plan.

These are concrete steps in the right direction, and over time should positively impact the economy. The increased Capex outlay of Rs.7.50 lakh crore further demonstrates the intent of the government to create the necessary impetus for the economy. Stability in tax policy is also a welcome step.

Vikramjiet Roy Managing Director of Maccaferri Environmental Solutions Pvt. Ltd

‘This budget reflects the government’s push towards sustainable development.

Encouraging safe and modern public transport, road connectivity and infrastructure facilities to remotest parts of the country especially in the North East with a focus on renewables showcases the government’s push on reducing the carbon footprint.

The policy push towards battery swapping will also significantly increase the rate towards EV adoption that will help towards India achieving its net zero commitment.’

Rajeev Singh Partner & Automotive Leader, Deloitte India

Massive focus this year on logistics infrastructure, additional multi-modal parks, cargo terminals, vande Bharat trains could help in reducing our logistics costs as well as overall inventory on wheels.

Ashish Gupta, Managing Director, Texmaco Rail & Engineering Ltd:

We welcome FM’s announcement of development of railway infrastructure in the budget. This will result in increase of railways share in overall freight and will have a cascading impact on the industries associated with

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BUDGET HIGHLIGHT railways. Overall a very positive budget for all the segments of railways like wagon manufacturing, EPC business etc.

Summary & Conclusion Presenting the Union Budget-2022, Finance Minister Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman said the government shall prioritise the multimodal connectivity between mass urban transport and rail network as part of ‘PM Gati Shakti’ scheme.

According to FM, the Centre would facilitate multimodal connectivity between mass transport and railway stations on priority. The Union Finance Minister stated that the metro systems design including civil structures will be reoriented and standardised for Indian conditions and needs. The minister said that the purpose of this project would be to improve connectivity and convenience for commuters and promote tourism.

During the budget speech, FM announced an outlay of 20,000 cr for building a holistic infrastructure in India under Gati Shakti National Master Plan, a Rs 100-lakh-crore project. The PM Gati Shakti shall encompass the seven engines for multimodal connectivity for the states with speedier implementation of development projects through technology to facilitate faster movement of people and goods. To promote a shift to the use of public transport in urban areas special mobility zones with zero fossil fuel policy has been proposed to be introduced.

Considering space constraints in urban areas, a ‘Battery Swapping Policy’ has also been announced in the Budget.

6. Mass Urban Transport including Connectivity to Railways.

7. Innovative ways of financing and faster implementation will be encouraged for building metro systems of appropriate type at scale.

8. Multimodal connectivity between mass urban transport and railway stations will be facilitated on priority. Design of metro systems, including civil structures, will be reoriented and standardised for Indian conditions and needs.

A day before, addressing Parliament on the first day of the Budget Session, President Mr. Ram Nath Kovind lauded the modernisation undertaken by the Indian Railways in the last seven years. President Kovid stated that 24,000 km of train routes have been electrified in less than one decade. New tracks and double-laning of the existing routes is also being done at an enormous pace.

The Indian Railways earlier proposed a plan to become the world’s first 100 percent green railway system by 2030. Under the same, Railways targets electrification of all its routes by December 2023 out of which 24,000 km route has already been electrified and 7,000 km route is expected to be electrified this year.

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The Indian Railways, which has been majorly affected since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, has been given some respite with increased expenditure. Last year, the finance department had announced a massive fund of Rs 1.10 lakh crore for the Indian railways. Out of this, Rs 1.07 lakh crore was supposed to be the capital expenditure for the Indian Railways. Some experts have pegged this year’s allocation at a whopping Rs 10-12 lakh crore, which is meant for the next 8-10 year vision plan.

Railway Budget 2022: Key Announcements 1. Railways will develop new products and efficient logistics services for small farmers and Small and Medium Enterprises, besides taking the lead in integration of Postal and Railways networks to provide seamless solutions for movement of parcels.

2. ‘One Station-One Product’ concept will be popularised to help local businesses & supply chains.

3. As a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat, 2,000 km of network will be brought under Kavach, the indigenous world class technology for safety and capacity augmentation in 2022-23.

4. Four hundred new-generation Vande Bharat Trains with better energy efficiency and passenger riding experience will be developed and manufactured during the next three years.

5. One hundred PM GatiShakti Cargo Terminals for multimodal logistics facilities will be developed during the next three years.

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COVER STORY

New age transportation: Use of Big Data & IoT in Railways & Metros

Abstract Railway and Metro systems have complex technologies, with a wide range of human actors, organisations and technical solutions. To control such complexity, a viable solution is to apply intelligent computerised systems. Industry 4.0 refers to the so-called fourth industrial revolution characterised by smart systems and Industrial internet-based solutions. The transportation sector, especially railways, has largely adopted Industry 4.0.

The use of new and emerging technologies is leading to improved quality of services, new savings, enhanced resource utilisation and efficiency. It has also facilitated the development of new services and business models based on the capability of the industrial internet and the analytics capabilities of big data. Big data has the potential to transform the current state-of-the-art railway technology platforms into a network of collaborative communities seamlessly moving freight and passengers and delivering services in a planned way. The current trend of automation and data exchange is towards adopting and adapting the new and emerging technologies to achieve new levels of effectiveness and efficiency. Big data in railways comes from interconnected stakeholders, which provides intelligence to the Railway, Metro, MRTS and various other transport systems.

The complete big data architecture includes cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Cloud computing, all of which work together to create ‘Smart Railways’. An application area generating considerable excitement with possibility of better O&M through self-learning and smart systems that predict failure, make diagnoses and trigger maintenance actions. These systems make high demands on data access and www.metrorailnews.in

data quality and use multiple data sources to extract relevant information.

Use of Big Data & IoT in Railways Big data analytics in Railway O&M is based on the use of advanced technologies to perform predictive analytics and make decisions based on the analysis of huge amounts of data. Providing O&M services involves data collection, analysis, visualisation, and decision-making for assets. The use of big data in O&M addresses a sort of common achilles heel in asset management that of status forecasting, commonly called prognosis. The estimation of the remaining useful life of an asset, in order to ascertain the probability of its mission accomplishment, constitutes the basis for any operation or maintenance service and, as such, is key to the success of any organisation.

Big Data for O&M The objective of big data in railways and metros is to enable predictive algorithms from heterogeneous data sources, scalable data structures, real-time communications, and visualisation techniques. Such research is challenging in infrastructure asset maintenance in the railway environment in three particular areas: railway system component degradation prediction modelling; railway infrastructure and vehicle maintenance cost prediction modelling; and infrastructure and vehicle condition monitoring. The objectives of big data analytics in the railway industry are as follows: • Create real-time predictive algorithms from heterogeneous data sources that cope with privacy preserved processing, feature and instance selection, discretisation, data compression, METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

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COVER STORY ensemble classifiers and regression models, and data spatial and temporal alignment.

standardised interfaces and with a plug and play framework for TMS applications.

• Create scalable data structures based on cross-domain data source acquisition by means of a virtualisation layer between the data acquisition process and data analytics. This includes new solutions that combine new database capabilities to integrate heterogeneous data sources in a high-performance accessing system based on the cloud.

• An advanced asset information system with the ability to nowcast and forecast network asset statuses with the associated uncertainties from heterogeneous data sources.

• Enables big data communications using open interface gateways with monitoring systems providing timestamp and position synchronisation, heterogeneous communication support, including mobility and aggregation, and priority protocols for real-time transmission of information.

Positive effects of Big Data Analytics for Railway Networks Big data analytics have the potential to influence several dimensions of the railway sector and can overcome organisational, operational and technical complexities, including economic and human effects and information handling.

Need for Big Data Technology Traffic Management Systems (TMSs) comprise subsystems, often with limited integration capabilities and nonstandardised interfaces and display rules. In fact, the number and varied nature of assets makes the integration of data sources extremely difficult; therefore, the network asset status information cannot be widely understood or exploited to inform TMS decision-making. Even more challenging is the integration with other information domains such as maintenance related services, energy resources etc., as this must be done manually.

In summary, O&M are completely disconnected in terms of incoming data sources and decision-making. The estimation of the remaining useful life (RUL) to check the probability of mission accomplishment by the asset constitutes the basis of any operations or maintenance service.

Effect of Big Data on Operations Big data enables automated, interoperable, interconnected, and advanced traffic management systems; scalable and upgradable systems, using standardised products and interfaces that enables easy migration from legacy systems. Due to use of big data a wealth of data and information on assets and traffic status is created with information management systems adding the capability of now casting and forecasting critical asset statuses. The positive effects of being able to accurately forecast an asset’s status does not just provide benefits for maintenance planning, but also benefits other areas, for example, traffic management. The use of big data in railways leads to improvement in the following operational areas: • A standardised approach to information management and dispatching system enabling an integrated Traffic Management System (TMS).

• An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environment supporting all transport operational systems with

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Organisational effects of Big Data The various organisational effects of Big data analytics in railways can be briefly summarised as under: • Long-term needs and socio-economic growth: Big data develops a common methodology for improving infrastructure capacity, safety, and environmental impacts for the users and participating groups.

• Smarter Railway Processes: SMARTness in transportation is closely related to operation and maintenance methodologies aiming for self-configuration, self-maintenance, and self-repair systems to maximise capacity and asset use by minimising shutdowns. Instrumented, interconnected, and intelligent assets that is maintained in a very different way.

• System integration, safety, and interoperability: New O&M policies based on big data harmonises RAMS (Reliability, Availability and Maintainability) analysis and calculations across borders, leading to greater interoperability. Safety increases as a consequence of the increased reliability. In addition, there tends to be a common way to integrate systems, creating complex assets as system of systems, but in such a way that reliability is not affected by the complexity along international corridors.

Last but not least, big data analytics have potential benefits for energy and sustainability in the railway domain. Better O&M decreases the energy consumption and reduce the carbon footprint of assets, both rolling stock and infrastructure. The use of big data in the railway sector optimises operation and maintenance methodologies by taking an holistic approach, considering the entire lifecycle of the asset in a ‘cradle to the grave’ approach and contributing to the sustainability of the transportation system in a significant way.

Use of Big Data for Asset Management in Indian Railways Indian Railways is an organisation of such epic proportions that words such as ‘gigantic’ and ‘enormous’ seems inadequate.

With route length of 1,26,511km (Dec 31, 2021), Indian Railway (IR) carried 1.2123 billion tonnes of freight and 8.086 billion (808.6 crore) passengers during fiscal year ending March 2020, making it the world’s largest passenger carrier and fourth-largest freight carrier. What this also means, from an operational analytics standpoint, is a lot of data. However, Indian Railways currently lack abilities to use this data to derive accurate, contextual, and actionable insights for its business.

Applications of Data Analytics in Railways Data analytics technologies and techniques provide a means to analyse data sets and draw conclusions about them which help organisations make informed business decisions. Big www.metrorailnews.in

COVER STORY data analytics is a form of advanced analytics, which involves complex applications with elements such as predictive models, statistical algorithms and what-if analysis powered by high-performance analytics systems.

There is a whole range of opportunities which IR can explore in the area of big data analytics.

Some of these applications include customer experience, train scheduling, timetabling, improving security at railway stations, automatic charting, network optimisation, crew management, inventory management, and IRCTC ticket management. The existing data from the passenger reservation system, operating control, CCTV cameras at stations, maintenance depots and stores can be used intelligently to yield business benefits in the above areas. Current IT systems such as the realtime train information system (RTIS), the nation train enquiry system (NTES), and the control office application (COA) are some examples where data is being used to derive useful information.

One significant area where the use of data analytics is crucial is asset management. Asset management includes conducting an inventory of system assets, providing adequate staffing and training, performing preventative maintenance, and demonstrating adequate funding. In order to meet these requirements, an organisation must identify its needs and costs and develop long-range financial plans. This is called asset management planning. It consists of developing a plan to reduce costs while increasing the efficiency and the reliability of the assets.

Asset management in Indian Railways Asset maintenance is part of part of asset management and involves condition monitoring of different assets through IoT devices. Indian Railways is a custodian of significant asset base.

Indian Railways asset base includes approximately: • 126,511 Track Kms • 45,881 Route Kms of Electrified Track • 3,207 Route Kms of Automatic Signalling • 12,729 Locomotives • 2,93,077 Freight Wagons • 76,608 Coaching Stock • 7,500 Stations.

Indian Railways maintains huge terabytes of asset data. Using connected IoT sensors, historic data and analytics, the data can be turned into useful information to improve asset utilisation and availability. As of now, some efforts have been made to improve asset availability by adopting better maintenance strategies. These efforts have been made in departmental silos www.metrorailnews.in

and lack a comprehensive approach. There is an opportunity to take a collective initiative to improve overall asset utilisation on Pan-India basis.

Existing condition monitoring and data collection systems in IR 1. Signalling Systems: Through data loggers, the health of gears such as track circuits, point machines, axle counters and other internal circuits, is monitored and SMS are generated for various fault alerts. Furthermore, out of 7,500 stations, more than 5,500 stations have been equipped with Wi-Fi facilities.

Though the capabilities exist, they are not utilised to the full extent. It is required that a more rigorous approach should be adopted to collect all kinds of asset data through sophisticated sensors and modern data analytics techniques be used to reduce maintenance requirements.

2. Rolling Stock: Indian Railways is envisaging converting its ‘freight examination yards’ into technology-driven ‘Smart Yards’ for automatic detection of faults / defects / deficiencies in freight wagons. The automatic defect detection equipment of a Smart Yard shall provide advance data about hot axles and wheels, wheel flats, wheel profiles and diameter, load imbalance, loose and hanging parts, etc. even before the rake arrives at the maintenance yard. It will then use this information for objective fault assessment and proactive staffing, thereby, reducing turnaround time while boosting safety and improving productivity.

3. Locomotives : Remmlot enables health monitoring as well as fleet management of locomotives. The system monitors various operating parameters to achieve fuel saving and helps in analysis in case of untoward incidences. Electric locomotives have developed a remote diagnostic system (RDS). This GPSbased system monitors the current location of a locomotive and generates SMS-based alerts to maintenance staff with respect to isolation of key sub-systems. The system also has the capability to monitor traction motor voltage, status of auxiliary METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

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COVER STORY machines like compressor, traction motor blower, etc. However, the existing system generates alarms only on isolation.

• Strategic maintenance planning and creation of reports for easy accessibility of asset information.

4. Over-head equipment (OHE) : Oliver ‘G’ is an over-head line inspection system with video recording and GPS tracking for improving the reliability of OHE. However, mostly manual inspections of OHE are done and various parameters are measured at regular interval unless there is any change in track parameters or there has been any OHE modification work.

• Distribution of tablets to field maintainers and direct access to asset data and maintenance requests from central system through existing Wi-Fi facility, thus removing paperwork.

5. Track: The existing system for monitoring the health of the track includes OMS Car, TRC Run, Oscillograph Car and other field inspections. Indian Railways is working towards introduction of an Integrated Track Monitoring System that shall consist of: • Track parameters recording system • Full rail profile and wear measurement system

Indian Railways must absorb these huge banks of data and capture them in a national intelligence model; one that can serve this data-driven railway in a cohesive, safe and costeffective manner.

Reasons for emphasis on IoT & Big Data As the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big data gets more pervasive, industrial engineers are looking at new possibilities on how the technology can be leveraged for greater business impact. The rail industry is in a position where it can exploit the potential of industrial IoT and evolve without substantially increasing its investments in infrastructure.

• Rear Window Video Recording of track • Video recording of track components and analysis by image processing for status of track components • Other Transducers/Sensors.

Though several systems have been installed for data collection and condition monitoring for different assets, the analytics capacity of these systems is very limited. Furthermore, all these data collection systems work in technical silos, each with its own acronym, making it difficult to integrate data to acquire useful information.

Creating a data-driven Railway A lot of work is required to be carried out in the area of data collection, data management and data service provision so that the benefits of data analytics can be reaped for improved asset reliability. Some pointers are: • The creation of a supplier ecosystem with IoT-based capability • Data collection across all asset types and provision of new data collection equipment and platforms • The opportunity for managed services through a single service integrator • Integration of asset data, operation data, asset data and maintenance using adequate interfaces • Easy mechanism to exchange asset data throughout the lifecycle of assets • Decision modelling and risk analysis tools to identify bottlenecks • Raise maintenance alerts for different assets to enable safe, efficient and effective delivery of the operational railway

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Below narrated are five different ways in which IoT & Big Data can and has started redefining the railways and metro transportation bringing in increased efficiency and enhanced passenger experience: 1. Greater Reliability and Safety: A train that suddenly breaks down on the track can ruin the day of its passengers, lead to delays across the network, and essentially throw the entire system off-gear. However, recent developments in preventive maintenance practices prompted by IoT & Big data have helped to revive the reliability of even the oldest assets. By integrating IoT sensors crucial components like brakes, wheel sets, and engines, trains become more sensitive to their operations for more efficiency.

Maintenance of rail tracks also benefits from IoT. By deploying sensors across track systems, operators can be on top of track stress and conditions, temperatures, and other variables that have predictive values for maintenance teams. If problems with wagons and tracks can be identified proactively, the operators can take pre-emptive actions for safer operations.

2. Fewer Maintenance Delays: Undesirable downtime due to sudden repairs can soon be a thing of the past for the railways.

Predictive and preventive maintenance is feasible and more effective in the IoT era. Smart sensors and analytics across the train engine, coaches, and tracks allow rail systems to be remotely checked and repaired before a small issue magnifies into huge trouble. Asset health monitoring through IoT insights implies less of maintenance delays and helps in extending the life of rail infrastructure.

3. Advanced Analytics for Streamlined Operations: The operators can control their trains more efficiently by tracking them across networks and processing the data using analytics.

Some companies also employ IoT to check the flow of passengers—those waiting at the stations, travelling in each train coach, and the times when the passenger flow is the highest.

Analytics on such data can guide operators on optimisation of travel schedules as per commuters’ needs and demands.

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COVER STORY Weather also affects rail system in a region. It can impact the condition of rolling stock and its regular operations. The IoT savvy operators have started to incorporate predictive weather modelling in their operations to be ready for and avoid service interruptions caused by adverse weather conditions.

4. Restructured and Optimised Passenger Experience: Consumers have fast adapted to digitalisation in the retail and banking space. The transport industry, including rail companies, is also transforming to meet passenger expectations with superior services. They offer e-tickets, scheduling information, and other solutions to travellers via smartphones and emails.

IoT can help take this experience a step ahead. It can help operators personalise the travel experience for individual passengers. For instance, services can be priced differently for different travellers as per the frequency of their travelling.

Rail operators can enjoy greater passenger loyalty using IoT systems to understand customer experience history and make improvements for a more comfortable and convenient journey.

5. Better Product Development in the Industry: Rail OEMs and operators can leverage IoT not only for better operations with the given infrastructure but also in the manufacturing processes of locomotives, wagons and train coaches. Conventional engineering solutions were not devised to support systems of systems. There can be delays and constraints in production when the process entails developing a requirements definition and then following it up with design, build, and tests.

Feedback on manufacturing processes is an inherent part of product development with the Internet of Things concept.

Engineers can use analytics with operations and performance data to derive valuable, actionable insights. This helps them understand the manufacturing procedures more dynamically and enhance final product’s quality sooner than in traditional methods. Continuous engineering and IoT can help to quicken the delivery of more sophisticated and connected products in the rail industry.

In a nutshell, IoT is bringing together two families of technology: (i) Enterprise IT for improved resource planning, customer relationship management, and decision support systems. (ii) Operations technology to monitor and manage field equipment, production, and manufacturing processes To be viable stakeholders and innovative contributors in the digital future, rail companies will need to make essential changes in their strategies. And the time to push further with the IoT is now.

Smart Trains and Connected Railway With the advent of autonomous vehicles and improved cargo management the industrial ‘Internet of Things’ has a major impact on the transportation industry. One area that has seen less coverage is the connected railway. The fact that trains

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operate at such high speeds through tunnels and extreme weather conditions, presents real challenges when it comes to deploying IoT systems. But advances in networking have made smart trains a possibility, and one that could provide significant benefits when transporting goods, providing comfort for passengers and increasing operators’ return on investments.

Legacy infrastructure is gradually being replaced by train management systems in which trains become interconnected communication hubs, transmitting data among themselves and to network control centers, and receiving instructions from control centers. Machine-to-machine communication, with some help from the cloud, enables operators to utilise equipment, tracks and stations more efficiently, while dramatically reducing safety risks.

Safety: Key area of Concentration • Safety of course is a primary element of IoT applications and solutions when it comes to train management. One safety use case is on-board train location and detection systems that enable trains to be ‘aware’ of the positions of other trains. This reduces the risk of collisions while allowing trains to operate safely in close proximity to one another.

• Speed monitoring and control is another important safety application. Systems have been developed that can display train velocity for drivers and report speeds back to central control systems. On-board monitoring systems are interconnected with outdoor signalling systems that can regulate train speeds or even remotely command trains to stop based on track conditions, the positions of switches, the presence of other trains on the track and other factors.

Rail and Metro experts across globe arguably state that there are three major systems within railroads that automation and the IoT can bring significant benefits: Signalling, Interlocking and Level Crossings Control.

Signalling Systems control the movement of a train by remotely adjusting train speed and braking. More traditional signalling systems are based on radio-frequency identification along the train track, but wireless train to ground signalling is getting more and more common in both railroad and metro systems.

Interlocking avoids conflicting movements on the tracks at junctions and crossings by using red and green light signals.

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COVER STORY The interlocking system works in conjunction with the signalling system to prevent a train from getting a signal to proceed if the route is proven to be unsafe. The IoT can further improve the system’s level of automation and its integration with the signalling system. Level crossings control is the third system that impacts safety on railroads. Studies reveal that IoT can help decrease the accidents related to level crossings significantly deploying cameras and sensors for increased safety.

Other Benefits • The automation of toilets can significantly reduce the cost incurred by the train operator and, at the same time, provide a better service to passengers who will less likely find a toilet out of order. Currently, most train operators are unable to determine the status of the on-board toilets in real time and a significant amount of manual checking is required.

• Management of the video recordings on board. Many rail operators have to send personnel on board their trains to manually pick up the hard drive when video recordings are requested by a law enforcement agency for investigation of an incident.

• Food and drinks can be easily refilled at the upcoming station if data is available in real time regarding the items sold.

• Temperature can be remotely controlled to avoid issues with refrigerators that might not be working at all times but whose temperature is critical to preserve the food quality over time.

• Predictive and preventive maintenance can dramatically increase the percentage of times a train is in use rather than sitting in a maintenance or repair shop, and also improve the passenger experience and safety.

Summary & Conclusion The Internet of Things (IoT) is a term widely used in today’s discussion about emerging technological trends. Definitions vary, but common characteristics include: • Intelligent devices with unique identification codes • Communicating with multiple devices • Devices include electronics, software, sensors, and potentially actuators • Operation within the (Internet-) network infrastructure • Real-time analytics For the railway and metro industry, this is not a new concept; elements of IoT are integrated into every modern train with multiple control units managing technical systems while communicating with each other. Examples include the mechanical and electrodynamic brake system, and the train control unit as a ‘master’ of the information infrastructure in a train. This is true for both train-based and wayside systems.

However, in the past, the focus has been predominantly on the function of the individual sub-systems. Rarely have the

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information processing systems on the train been leveraged as a source of valuable information and insights.

This had significant consequences: 1. Sensors were deployed sparingly, only as far as necessary for the individual system function.

2. Data collection acted only as a support for maintenance crews for fault-finding purposes.

3. Only recently have trains begun collecting and communicating information to the wayside for further use to a larger extend.

4. Flexibility and the possibility for upgrades have been neglected. This makes addition of an intelligent system on a train—or even a few additional sensors—an effort-intensive exercise for integration and (re-)certification.

What makes the concept of IoT in railway systems even more challenging is the access/ exposure to the internet, which may leave rail systems vulnerable. However, it must be remembered that internet access in rail systems must be allowed only under well defined and controlled frameworks to ensure seamless safety and security.

The increasing use of the Internet of Things (IoT) has profound implications across industries including the railways. Sensors, devices, systems, and applications are integrated on smart networks and work in a collaborative and cohesive railway ecosystem to enhance passenger safety, improve asset reliability and efficiency, and lower capital and operating expenses. The shift from legacy infrastructure to building a holistic, cloudbased train management system is the way forward for railway organisations if they are to use assets, tracks, equipment, and stations resourcefully and significantly bringing down safety threats.

Potential Impact of IoT on Reliability and Safety Achieving an increase in reliability and safety parameters by even a few percentage points is a rare statistical event, given that both these factors are already performing at very high levels. Despite this high-performance rate, incidents where a train must be taken out of service or is delayed, may create problems. Passengers may not be able to reach their connections in time or may be delayed in reaching their destinations. Given the domino effect of a single delayed train, extensive rescheduling may have to be undertaken across the whole network. To some extent, the current schedules maintain reserves to accommodate such delays, which means that the infrastructure is not used as efficiently as it could have been and the service to passengers is not as good as it should be. On the safety side, while trains generally offer one of the safest modes of transportation, there is a consensus that every person harmed is one too many, and that safety must improve continuously.

Hence, IoT should not be used to collect data on accidents, but to collect data based on which the probability of accidents can be reduced. Some areas where a further investigation for IoT-based solutions might be fruitful to improve reliability and safety include:

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COVER STORY • Monitoring of failure-prone systems on locomotives, such as the engine or electrical systems can increase the reliability significantly.

• Supervision of mechanical systems such as running gear and track. The failure of mechanical systems causes several hundred deaths per year, which could be significantly reduced.

Collecting acceleration data from bogies will, in many cases, make the identification of potential track failures possible • Train doors could be monitored to see if they are properly closed. However, this would require operational changes as well, since passengers often leave doors open or even cling to the outside of the train in case of overloaded trains.

• Warning systems (light/acoustic) in case a train nears areas, which are prone to accidents with people crossing the tracks.

• Monitoring of bridges regarding material stress or dynamic behavior to detect changes indicating future failure • Monitoring the speed of trains by GPS-driven speed measurements. Evaluating the speed profiles to validate the adherence of drivers to speed limits, but also to have real time train location to optimise traffic.

Major Challenges in enhancing competitiveness of Railways:

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efficiency

and

1. Deploying consistent Safety Standards 2. Ensuring streamlined asset availability 3. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions 4. Mitigating operating and maintenance costs 5. The augmenting capacity of the rail network The various segments of rail operations that IoT and Big Data Analytics can improve: 1. Machine to machine communication 2. Signalling systems 3. Wayside Communication 4. Level Crossings 5. Station Information 6. Endpoint security Best Practices for deploying IoT and Big Data in Railways 1. To integrate IoT to make it future proof 2. Identify areas for IoT and Big Data implementation 3. Demarcate what aspects can be outsourced 4. Partner with an experienced service provider Various advantages of using IoT and Big Data • Improved Operational efficiency • Enhanced Automation www.metrorailnews.in

• Higher Safety Levels • Better Passenger Experiences • Reduced Risk of Downtime The creation of smart, environment and user-friendly mobility systems is among the high priority directions in the evolution of transport worldwide. Rail transport is recognised as a vital part of this process. Meanwhile, radical advancement in the business environment, facilitated by ICT technologies, requires the existing business models and strategies adopted by rail operators to be brought up to date. The thorough understanding of the concept of digital transformation is paramount in the development of rail transport in the New Economy.

Digitalisation, as an ongoing process of convergence of the physical and virtual world, is bound towards cyber-physical systems and is responsible for innovation and change in multiple sectors of the economy.

The main technologies and solutions which have accelerated digital transformation in the railway sector in recent years are: • Internet of Things (IoT) • Cloud Computing • Big Data Analytics (BDA) • Automation and Robotics.

The adaptation to the new conditions of the digital economy is visibly marked by the emergence of the concept Industry 4.0 as well as, recently, Railway 4.0 and Digital Railway. Mobile applications, e-ticketing, digital train control, signalling and traffic management, digital platforms for predictive maintenance are the key areas of digitalisation in the rail sector.

New products and services are becoming an integral part of the operations of railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and manufacturers for the industry. As such they contribute to the creation of added value for multiple stakeholders in public transport initiatives, which facilitate the implementation of new concepts of mobility.

••• METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In a Conversation with Mr. Pankaj Rastogi, CEO, Protecon BTG Metro Rail News Managing Editor Mr. Narendra conducts an online one-toone interview session with Mr. Pankaj Rastogi,CEO, Protecon BTG. Mr. Rastogi is an IIT Roorkee Alumni, accomplished Toastmaster and Visionary Leader possess 35+ years of rich and diverse experience with companies like Engineers India Limited (EIL) in India, Qatar Petroleum (QP), Petrofac International Limited (PIL) in Oman, HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited, India, Ausenco PSI, Chile, INPEX Corporation, Indonesia and Dana Gas, Egypt. Pankaj has been associated with several projects of major national and international companies in India, Iran, Algeria, Qatar, Japan, Tunisia, UAE, Oman, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia and Egypt.

Here are the edited excerpts:Narendra Shah (NS): Project management consulting is very much similar to a project management Consultant or General Consultant or Engineer’s role on the project. Do you agree with the statement? Please share your elaborative views on this and the challenges of PMC in the current environment.

Pankaj Rastogi (PR): The Project Management Consulting to Project Management Contract, the relationship is somewhat like the juice within a fruit.

The project management contract is the contractual agreement between the project management consulting organization and its customers. Basically, the owners are delegating their own role for the unbiased or the opinion of third party. They are looking for the expertise. Therefore, they engage a PMC or a General Consultant or Engineer and like any other contract, the owner often select the best suited type of contract for the project and negotiate the terms accordingly. Furthermore, these could be fixed rate contracts or cost reimbursable or any other type of contract.

delivered within a contract they would be termed as project management consulting. Coming to the challenges in the current environment, see that most of the project management consulting organizations currently are driven by the technical engineers only and they forget the business part of management which involves too many things.

When we talk about project management, there have to be experts on the business part of project management itself, such as planning, monitoring, budgeting, invoicing, safety, dispute resolution, contract management, quality control, health and safety etc.

NS: Also, tell us why Customers / Owners should consider you a different consultancy service?

PR: we are different in several ways, and that’s our USP. First of all, we only provide business part of the project management; and leave the technical decisions to the engineers of the General consultants or Engineers. Secondly, all our key officials have vast and rich international experience in the field of project management, and we bring the best international practices to the table and that makes us very different.

Thirdly, we have a

deep understanding of various types of contracts. I mean, by virtue of working internationally, we know what kind of contracts are applicable for which project and what favours a client. Additionally, we have developed our own resources and we continue to develop our own resources through our company program, which is our business vertical. Altogether, we call it Bridging the Gap Program, BTG program that is in collaboration with IIT Rookie and we train the young engineers to become project professionals. We try to use in-house trained engineers on projects, so they know exactly what we stand for and our services is consistent

Mr. PANKAJ RASTOGI, CEO PROTECON BTG

However, the services which are to be

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW and of highest quality. So that’s what makes us different than others.

NS: What is the motto and mission of your company? How do you address increasing challenges like customized solutions in successful project management consulting services in today’s competitive market?

PR: Our vision is to become the most trusted project management consulting services across the world. And how do we do it? This is by adding the maximum and measurable value in each and every project or assignment we do. And how do we achieve it ultimately is by giving sincere attentiveness to the relationship which we forge with our clients. And we try to maintain all these and our work habits.

We don’t just leave it to chance. And with regard to our efforts to accomplish these, we strive hard to follow the best international practices. Every project we do be it small or beat big, we try to bring the best practices in the world. And over the years we have built an organization where people are motivated to work and they are motivated to give their best.

We have partnered with wrench solutions which is the first of its kind and this brings all the stakeholders involved in the project on a single platform and this is a completely integrated project management information system which is unique. we have several management systems and project management systems prevailing in the market, but this is the only one which is completely integrated and since Protecon has a vast experience with the best practices, we bring the best experience and we have tried to infuse all of it into this package.

We call it a SMART-PMS. NS: Project Quality Standards, final product, service specification are essential components of any effective project plan today. What is your say in this regard? In what ways do you ensure quality service deliverables to your clients?

PR: These are the basics of the effective project planning. Now any project plan has to encompass all the components in such a way that it captures the tiniest

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of the details of a project. We can’t leave anything to chance. So, these components need to be system driven, these need to be identifiable and measurable. Otherwise, we just do the things and without realizing where we are, or we might design something which cannot be measured. Now that’s where we fail. Now to ensure the quality of

services, we never compromise on best practices. I keep on repeating this word best practices because that’s the key and that’s our USP. Now I would like to repeat that our in-house systems and training programs always help us in delivering the highest quality whatever the project management services we provide. We are system driven and we are expertise

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW driven in the sense we have the expertise, and we are training people continuously and we deploy them to get the best out of everyone.

NS : In a short span of time, Protecon BTG Pvt. Ltd. has been bestowed with some important projects like MumbaiAhmedabad HSR etc. In what segments you are providing your services to India’s first bullet train project?

PR: We have been very fortunate and it’s a great honor to be associated with the India’s first bullet train project which is Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project, most prestigious project in the country at the moment; that what started as a support to the Master Implementation Program. They came to us, and they said that just help us in developing the master implementation program which we did, and this eventually evolved into a complete envelope of project services.

Therefore, from project planning point of view, we take care of complete project planning, scheduling and monitoring of the complete project. All the functions of this segment are with us and for the cost part, we provide them all the corporate cost estimation and quantity surveying. We do the constructability, do the quantity analysis and do the cost estimation for them. We also provide a very important support to them in terms of the contract management during the contract execution segment. We are also helping NHSRCL to develop their own Project Management Information system using Oracle’s Unifier.

NS : Please tell us something about SMART-PMS. In what ways is it beneficial for the modern project management requirements?

PR: We had decided sometime back to develop a platform to deliver the real time information because we always struggle to do the things in Excel or in Primavera as a standalone systems. They were all disjointed and anywhere in the world there is no platform which provides all these things in one single platform. I’ve been there for 40 years. The other senior people have been in this business for over 25 years. And all of us wanted that there should be a platform which includes everything on the same platform. We have first intended to develop it on our

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own and we started it; and along the way we started reviewing various things in the market and we came across WRENCH solutions and they are offering something similar but not a comprehensive thing.

We saw it as an opportunity and we have partnered with them; we chose to white label arranged technologies platform called SmartProject and customize it to suit our requirements.

We upgraded it to become the SMARTPMS. So, what does it do? It is the forecasting and target setting at the lowest level of the real time project monitoring, the complete document management system, complete correspondence management system and the best part is auto alerting and the 24/7 mobile access of project information to all the stakeholders; whomever we authorize will have access to their mobile on this platform. Now all this is provided on a single platform with different dashboards with drill down facility for all the project management processes. For all the stakeholders we have the progress photographs, date time is stamped so this can be even used for certification, this can be used for the non-conformance reporting systems or RFIs. All these processes or documents or reviews of approvals can be raised through this platform; it also has something very unique which is integration with dronebased monitoring system, SAP, Primavera and with BIM. Now, construction industry will significantly benefit from SMARTPMS because it takes care of all the functions of the project management and by using it, they can do accurate and timely planning, scheduling, monitoring especially and can control their projects effectively.

NS : Today’s consultancy services are very elaborative and need a vast array of compliances to be accomplished.

Services like settling land disputes, end-to-end management of claims & arbitration etc. need to be addressed.

Do you render your services in all these segments?

PR: As I mentioned earlier that our USP is that we provide business management part of the project management for every project needs. So, a well thought

of system provides the necessary checks and balances for all the comprehensive.

Now a simple example which can be understood is raising an alert when a document comes to a client and they have to respond it within a certain time, Now the system should be able to raise an alert if we are defaulting on the time so as for the project to complete in timely manner. This is the smallest of the example that our system should be able to raise an alert every time when somebody is defaulting, every time when there is a delay we should be able to capture it. We cannot ignore anything.

So that’s how we work. Now coming to the settlement, the time is settlement of all the disputes and claims as we move along the project. The best way to keep a project on track will always ensure that project remains dispute free.

We do assist in setting up the realistic targets for the land acquisitions in most of the projects you would see that they said that they are acquiring the land but with no set targets. But for example, for the bullet train project we did set the targets.

Of course, they are likely to fail sometimes depending on external agencies involved in that. But we have to set the realistic targets and process for them; and we are continuously monitoring them, and we also do tell this information into the related project activities because the work has to progress based on the available length.

We set up the systems for claim management and dispute resolutions. we also stand as expert witnesses during the arbitration proceedings, and we also have a liaison with a legal company to provide the legal support to them because we are not a legal company. So, the legal support is provided by the legal company.

NS : Which major problem do you face with most of the projects in India? What can be a proper solution to ensure timely completion of projects, which is undoubtedly a primary concern for Indian projects?

PR: The biggest problem we face in most projects in India is the lack of understanding about the project management function in the owner’s

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

organization. This is the challenge we face. Most of them are not aware about the prevailing practices of business management. So, what happens? Like whatever we bring to the table, they don’t understand it. So as a result, they end up writing very poor or one-sided contract. It starts from there that the contracts which are quite arbitrary at times, and they become very difficult to handle or to implement. And there is a complete lack of appreciation for the various stakeholders. There will be some small players in the project, and we try to undermine them, but we need to accord due respect to all of them. Now, this is something which is the biggest challenge. Apart from implementing the right project planning and very robust system for project monitoring, the proper solution to ensure timely completion of the project is to draft the contract as per international standards, and they should be fair to both the parties. To all the parties involved, they cannot be one sided. It’s not that only client owns it. There are various stakeholders and they’re all working towards the success of the project. So, we have to recognize

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that.

NS : Please tell us something about agile methodologies, a term we often come across in project consultancy services.

Is there any project you are using this technology working presently?

PR: Agile methodologies are like a common term which is drilling in the market these days, but these are primarily used and aimed for software development projects. These methodologies are very useful in an environment where the requirement is continuously evolving or changing with the time like the clients are not sure that eventually what product they want so as they go along the way they find new things and the agile methodologies are able to take care of those changes as they go along the way; and also, they are able to deliver the big projects and smaller chunks.

So here if I am changing my requirement midway, I am wasting a lot of material which I might have already bought so that’s why we don’t apply agile methodologies

to the large construction project. We go as per the very comprehensive work breakdown structure on a reasonably accurate project to scope.

NS: Please tell us something about your master implementation program and project recovery services sighting major accomplishments, if any.

PR : In fact, we can certainly boast about it. We have a team of expert project planners and strategies. We develop the master implementation program; what we typically do is we typically get to the bottom of the scope of project. We study the execution. Either we develop or we study the execution methodologies, contracting strategy, organization structure. So, we study all that, and that’s how we develop the work breakdown structure. And now this forms a basis for running the constructivity studies, the productivity analysis; because all these things, they form the basis of developing an effective project planning master implementation program.

Once these are developed, then we

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW develop a comprehensive master implementation program and we do it with complete resource loaded on it so that we don’t leave anything to chance.

Now we have developed the master implementation program for several projects, and of course, most notably, which we did recently was for Mumbai Ahmedabad High-Speed Railway. This is one of the most challenging tasks because it’s a huge project involving enormous amount of money and it has several interfaces.

But at some point, if a project is slipping, we enter into between, do the postmortem, and then try to develop a plan so that we can recover the project in a reasonable time.

We cannot assure that the project can be recovered to the same targets as they were said before. But whatever the reasonable time is, we assess that and advise our clients.

So first we check what are the current statuses, whatever the prevailing delays are, and what are the underlying causes of these delays. And thereafter we come up with a detailed program so as to complete the remaining work on time, and we do it with a reasonable target and we do all this with the completely resource and level schedules.\

NS : What has been the success rate of dispute resolution and construction claims for your organization? Do you match international standards?

PR: We are very fortunate that our success rate for the dispute resolution and construction claims has been more than favorable. We have provided services to some national companies as well as international clients, and we have secured success for all our clients. Incidentally, we do not only match the international standards, please remember we do better than that because we provide a complete comprehensive package, because we provide services on time related matters, cost related matters and even on technical matters. And as I mentioned before that we stand as expert witness in front of the team of Arbitrators. We have

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India’s No.1 Magazine done that for many of our clients that we go as technical experts and defend our case. We have done that, and we are very much used to do that and that is an area which we have developed for ourselves.

There is no company in our country at least that who does all these as an entity.

Narendra Shah (NS): Please share your views about metro rail news. Any message to our readers?

for METRO & RAILWAY Industry Thriving since 2015

Pankaj Rastogi (PR): I’m a very keen reader of Metro Rail News and I’m associated quite closely with it now.

In fact, I must say I have written a few articles for them. Metro Rail News is actually doing a great job in providing updates on all the happenings in the field of rail industry which I mean, I don’t think there’s any other platform which does that. It not only provides updates on the latest happenings, but also provides details on latest projects undertaken by various railways.

The best part which I like about it is that it provides all the news about the developments taking place in terms of technologies, in terms of the support to the project management or development across the world which can be used by the Indian industry, Indian railway industry.

And my simple message to the readers would be please keep feeding to the news because the Metro Rail News would benefit a great deal with your inputs.

Please keep feeding all the things which you are doing in your projects in your professional life; so that becomes a news and then we can collectively benefit from it. And I sincerely wish a grand success to Metro Rail News for the coming years.

India's leading Monthly Magazine and News Portal on Metro & Railway Sector

•••

For Adverting & Premium Services

+91 8076369858 +91 9354443916 Email:

METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Exclusive Interview with Mr. Raj Kumar Chairman & Managing Director, Rodic Consultants Metro Rail News team conducts an email interview with Mr Raj Kumar, Chairman & Managing Director, Rodic Consultants. Mr. Kumar talked about his Journey, vision and A-TOM (Advisory for Transaction, Organizational Support & Management).

Here are the edited excerpts:Q.1. Rodic Consultants Pvt. Ltd. is one of the most trusted brands in the infrastructure consulting category in India. How does it feel to be the lead person of a fast-growing company as such? What have been the efforts to achieve the feat?

It is indeed an honour to be recognised as a leader after serving the sector with dedication, passion, commitment and excellence for more than 2 decades in the infrastructure consulting space.

We started our Journey in the year 2000, and we have been successfully catering to our clients with state-ofthe-art engineering solutions. Today, Rodic has a proven track record of timely completion of projects across sectors like highways & bridges, tunnels, railways & metros, hydropower, power & energy, urban & industrial development, water & environment, multi-modal transport etc. Our wide gamut of services includes detailed engineering and design, project management and advisory services. In a span of 21 years, RODIC has been a preferred consultant for many reputed organisations such as NHAI, NHIDCL, DFCCL and various state governments.

Timely and cost-effective project delivery and exceptional commitment to client service are key value propositions offered by us.

Q.2. The organisation has achieved several milestones in a short span of time since its incorporation. Are you satisfied with the growth trend of the company or is there anything you feel could have been achieved in a better and more rewarding manner?

With a great deal of humility, I am proud to state that RODIC’s achievements speak for themselves as we have now established a firm foothold in virtually all www.metrorailnews.in

Mr. Raj Kumar

Chairman & Managing Director, Rodic Consultants

infrastructure sectors. While this objective continues steadfast, we are now focused on breaking fresh ground. It is our vision to take RODIC to new heights and transform it into an international brand.

We aim to develop as one of the premier engineering consultants of the world. I, therefore, believe that the best of RODIC is yet to come.

To solve today’s sustainable infrastructure challenges demands a broader approach – beyond the “project” – for optimisation across the entire lifecycle, we have recently introduced a one-of-its-kind business unit, A-TOM (Advisory for Transaction, Organizational Support & Management). A-TOM has been curated to handhold infrastructure clients/ projects in the entire lifecycle of the project, program or portfolio. With this, Rodic Consultants, in the forthcoming times, will have the ultimate business advantage of being the firm in the end-to-end block offering of services, solutions and sectors from concept to commissioning. We are eyeing for online business of Rs 100 Crore for the year 2022 from this new business unit.

Q.3. Please tell us something about the background of the company. Your motto, vision etc. which helped you lead the company to the position it is at present. Is there been any specific

objective you started with, shaping the organisation?

Rodic Consultants Private Limited was established in the year 2000 to offer state-of-the-art engineering solutions as per client requirements. Our vision is to become the most preferred, worldrenowned infrastructure consulting and engineering organisation setting new industry benchmarks. With a proven track record of timely completion of projects across sectors like highways & bridges, tunnels, railways & metros, multi-modal transport, advisory services, we are now recognised as leaders in the infrastructure consulting space. Last but not least, we have moved from strength to strength, and it is only because of that one underlying philosophy, “Be passionate about what you do and make yourself indispensable to the industry”.

Q.4. Apart from advisory services, what are your other expertise and domains which you cater to and are best in the industry in terms of providing services?

As mentioned above, we have recently launched a one-of-its-kind business unit, A-TOM (Advisory for Transaction, Organizational Support & Management).

It has been curated to handhold infrastructure clients/projects in the entire lifecycle of the project, program or

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW portfolio. The service offerings of A-TOM shall comprise strategic interventions like preparing vision documents including growth master plan, project study documents such as feasibility study; go-to-market strategy including market intelligence and feedback; transaction advisory including business planning and bid process management, Program Support Office (PSO) / Project Portfolio Management (PPM) including project prioritisation cum monitoring and risk management, procurement plans and strategies including contracts management, data visualisation and analytics, etc.

Another important domain where Rodic is extensively enhancing its footprints is Digital Transformation. Transforming traditional Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) into man-tech enabled consulting using technology as a critical component of the business to improve functional and strategic processes by data-driven decisionmaking.

Rodic’s digital transformation has provided a unified communication channel that allows all Rodic employees, including those at the corporate, headquarter, regional offices, and site teams, to communicate in real-time. This has bridged the gap between field and office personnel, resulting in enhanced collaboration between different divisions, alignment of different experts on requirements, and boosted the efficiency of the operation in the construction project on which Rodic worked. An integrated communications platform keeps everyone in the loop and cuts down on its time for critical information to travel across company divisions.

With the demand for construction services increasing rapidly and the construction workforce aging, efficiency and enhanced production can be the difference between an overworked crew and a productive crew. When compared to those who relied on traditional solutions, digital technologies have improved decision management, improved on-site operations, and boosted automation, resulting in a 50 percent improvement in productivity.

Q.5. We shall like to know your views about the National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity recently launched by GoI. How do you see the ambitious plan bringing about significant changes in infrastructure

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

development in India? underground structure with ballastless tracklinking work, signaling and telecommunications with CBTC System Overhead Electrification andtraction work and Station Buildings with modern amenities. Our ongoing projects include Bid Process Managementand Project Management Consultancy Services for Mumbai UrbanTransport Project(MUTP) III and Independent Engineering Services for Pune Metro Line 3(HinjewadiShivajinagar).

Q.9. You are known to have a very robust CSR policy advocating to an inclusive development of communities across regions. We would like to know few of your initiatives and success stories?

It is our constant endeavour to give back to society through our various initiatives.

We believe that our business exists for reasons that are bigger than making profits. In the wake of the pandemic, we have developed a first-of-its-kind oxygen monitoring system for Uttar Pradesh, which helped the local authorities monitor real time oxygen supply to hospitals and combat its shortage. The platform closely monitors and tracks the location of vehicles assigned with the task of oxygen supply to the hospitals in real time. In addition to our own professionals, we roped in more than 100 national shooters as volunteers for conducting and facilitating of monitoring oxygen supplied in Uttar Pradesh. To address the concerns of liquid oxygen shortage, we have also procured and supplied 20 MT of an empty cryogenic container, imported from Dubai to the state of Bihar , Jammu & Kashmir and Tamil Nadu for transportation/storage of liquid oxygen as part of our humanitarian efforts.

Q.10. Please tell us something about your Multimodal Transport and Intelligent Transport System (ITS). Will you categorise yourself differently in the domain compared to other key companies offering services in the segment?

RODIC has continuously strived to innovate and design better models of infrastructure aimed at improving the qualityof life for the end-users. While Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) implementation for cities essentially offers a highly capable and automated transitmanagement platform that could pave the way to upgrade service delivery

standards and operational efficiency, ITS forhighways ensure the higher efficiency of the infrastructure and enhanced safety and security of commuters. Our experts at RODIC, have thecapability to cover all aspects of ITS for all transportation modes and all relevant infrastructure.

RODIC provided review of ITS design, supervision of implementation including quality check and systemtesting, training /technology transfer, supervision of Operations & Maintenance services for EASTERN PERIPHERALEXPRESSWAY PROJECT. ITS broadly includesthe Toll Management System (TMS) and the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS). The TMS shall allowmultiple modes of toll payment including nonstop RFID tag and stop-and-go smart cards based Electronic TollCollection, cash and other methods of digital payment. The ATMS includes Cameras, LED signboards, data collectionsystems to collect data related to weather, traffic volume by class, vehicle speed, vehicle weight monitoring andvehicle location.

In case of an incident, the Emergency Response Vehicles are dispatched from the control roomusing a Wireless Communication System.

Inaugurating theIntelligent Transport System {ITS} of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on 23rd December 2021he said,”It is a great event in the history of Indian infrastructure(development),”According to Gadkari, the ITS is a revolutionary state-of-the-art technology that will achieve traffic efficiency by minimising traffic problems, prompting efficient infrastructure usage, enriching users with prior information about traffic and reducing travel time as well as enhancing safety and comfort of commuters.

Q.11. We would like to know your views about Metro Rail News. Any message you would like to give to our readers?

Metro Rail News is an informative and the ‘go to’ source for all the updates on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) related updates from metro railways, mass rapid transit system, rapid rail, light metro rail, high-speed rails, rail coach factories and other related industries in India. The magazine also provides whitepapers, industry leaders’ exclusive interviews, and detailed analysis pieces. We at Rodic, would like to wish the esteemed publication all the best for their continued support.

•••

www.metrorailnews.in

EVENT

In a conversation with Mr. Ankur Jain Managing Partner, Swastik Overseas Metro Rail News team conducts a oneto-one interview session Mr. Ankur Jain, Managing Partner, Swastik Overseas.

Mr. Ankur Jain, Managing partner Swastik Overseas, is a graduate from Delhi University and pursued Masters in Finance from Amity University, Delhi NCR. Later on he worked for few financial institutions like American Express and Citi Bank before joining his family business. He is now a renowned Industry Leader and has more than 17 Years of experience in the Metro & Railway Industry.

Swastik Overseas was established in 1950 as a family-owned trading business, further expanding to manufacturing stainless steel utensils in 1969. The company established multiple manufacturing plants in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Bhiwadi by 1993. In 2002 the group expanded its business in the Oil & Gas sector and became the most preferred service provider in the Industry. In 2005, Mr. Jain added a new arm to Swastik Overseas in the form of Railway & Metro Infrastructure.

Here are the edited excerpts:Q.1. Please tell us about your journey so far and your biggest challenge and how you overcame it?

The journey so far was of course not very sweet as it looks like. In 2005 we started a new arm in the company venturing into the railway and metro sector. Coming from a finance background and then dealing with machines was the first challenge which I faced. The last 17 years has always been a learning process for us and we’re still learning about the new technologies in the Industry. How I overcome these problems or issues - we always looked at it as an opportunity to learn, attended a lot of exhibitions and seminars and met with lot of people in the Industry.

Mr. Ankur Jain Managing Partner, Swastik Overseas

for the last two years wherein we did a lot of brainstorming with my colleagues in the company and we have identified a number of areas wherein, with the current policies and projects envisaged by the Indian government/Railways like Mission Raftaar, Semi-high speed Rail network, High speed Rail Network, where we see a lot of potential. We have actually ventured out into Rail Infra Monitoring which is a very niche area.

We have tie ups with many companies worldwide who are providing monitoring equipment and services. This is one of the areas on which we are majorly focusing on to improve upon because at the end of the day, it is all about speed.

When we talk about enhanced speed, the infrastructure which railway network is currently having, has to be monitored accordingly to avoid any further calamities.

After the successful execution of Automated Wheel Axle Assembly Line at ICF Chennai awarded to us by Tata projects and the Pune Metro project awarded to us by Maha-Metro, we have now also started focusing on EPC Contracts opportunities.

Q.2. Please tell us about your new initiatives that you are planning towards your business expansion.

Q.3. How did the company face the Covid-19 setback? What had been your strategy towards growth & profitability during the period?

We have been planning the new initiatives

It was not a very good time or situation.

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The situation was such that everybody I heard of in the Industry, whether in India or abroad, suffered from this pandemic, including myself in person. If you ask me, I lost my father because of Covid – 19; when the founder of the company goes away, it itself is a big setback to the company. But one thing was very clear when this pandemic started, my father did not want to follow the trend which the other companies in the Industry had adopted.

There was no layoff in our company. In fact, since the pandemic started, we have hired about ten people in the company.

We did not cut anybody’s salaries; instead, we gave a raise to every employee last year. My father’s vision was very clear that these people are dependent on this company and the way it is feeding you, it is feeding their families too. If you do not help them, who will?

So that was one of the support or confidence, I would say, my father gave to the company and because of which I feel that when you support your people, they see confidence in the company and they work accordingly. That was one of the areas we were quite blessed with. I would say that business wise we did not face any issues. We expanded multiple folds. In the last two years, we’ve done more business than what we did in the last five years. So that way we were in a good position.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Q.4. What is your opinion about the Make in India and Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan? In what ways you are making efforts to promote it?

I personally feel that the word itself says it all. When you graduate, your parents always want you to be independent.

So, I have always linked Atma Nirbhar to independence. Why should we be dependent as a country of 130 crore people? Why should we be dependent on anybody else for supply of technologies?

Why can’t we do it ourselves? I’m really happy the way the current government is promoting these policies. It is not only generating jobs for our people, but we are also able to retain our people in the Industry in India who go outside India for a better lifestyle.

We took action in favor of this Abhiyan especially in ICF Chennai Project and Pune Metro Project where more than 50% of the equipment/Supplies under scope is being executed from India. We are in process of executing various projects viz CMRCL projects, KMRCL projects and others.

I personally feel that if I’m buying a product from outside the country there is a financial loss to the country in the form of forex going outside the country.

I’m very happy with the initiative taken by the current government.

There is an online trend Make in India, Make for the World. We have many companies as our partners and our next step would be to bring them to India for manufacturing of their product range.

Manufacturing in India would be viable for them to sell globally rather than manufacturing in their own facilities. So taking it forward globally, I don’t see a reason why they should not do it as it would be profitable to them also.

Q.5. Swastik Overseas was established in 1950, and It’s been seven decades; how do you feel leading this company?

My grandfather belonged to Panipat, post-partition he came to Delhi, and it was altogether a different experience to just keeping the name alive which was set up by our forefathers. It is a proud moment for me carrying the legacy of our family name in the Industry. People know you by your name. That is really big.

Q.6. Please tell us about some major accomplishment in the OEM sector.

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

And how has been the company performance in the Metro Railway sector?

Swastik Overseas started as a trading company. It has always been a trading company. So it was much easier for us to promote or get into trading in the railway sector also. But over a period of last 17 years, we have grown from a trader to a service provider and then eventually to a solution provider. You can very well see in the RRTS project which was awarded to Bombardier Transportation (now Alstom Transport). Swastik Overseas is supplying most of the equipment required by them making us a solution provider for them.

We are providing solutions to Bombardier Transportation (now Alstom Transport) especially in a project which is being executed for the first time in India – Semi-High Speed Rail network, and this is a big accomplishment for us. This is something I personally feel very proud of our company, that from a trader we have grown into a solution provider and we’re providing all kind of services. I mean, probably some part of the manufacturing is happening outside the country but then with the Make in India initiative which we’ve taken up in the company we are manufacturing a lot of products which is being supplied for this project in India.

High Speed Rail Network is also always on the chart but since MumbaiAhmedabad project is being funded by the Japanese government and there are certain restrictions towards the source of manufacturing or the country of origin. But yes, we are discussing with National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. regarding the Delhi-Ahmedabad and Delhi- Varanasi projects for which I really hope that there should not be such restrictions we look forward to get opportunity to provide equipment/ solutions for these projects.

Q.7. In our country the first High-speed project itself, Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-speed Rail project is funded

by Japan – JICA, and there are some restrictions, so do you think the next project will not have those kind of restrictions?

We can only hope because till the time these projects are not officially awarded, it will be very difficult to comment on what will be the restrictions that will be put on these projects. I have personally

seen Shinkansen in Japan, it is really a piece of excellent technological work. Of course, for the first time these companies would want to have a safer mode of maintaining these rolling stocks.

Q.8. How are you promoting the modern-day urban transport system globally, being a trusted name for railway and metro sector?

India is still considered a developing country, yet as of today more than 700 km of Metro line is already operational and close to about 1000 km of Metro line is under construction. There is a vision of making it the world’s biggest Metro network. It is not just the research done by us, there are a lot of global companies who are eyeing on India as a potential market. The way Swastik has expanded in this Industry, we are well-known in the Industry both globally and in India.

The partner companies feel absolutely comfortable working with Swastik, so that the promotion of their companies/ product range and/or any kind of a TOT which is being planned is easy for them, so I think we are in a good state wherein companies approach us to promote them in India.

Q.9. In Union Budget 2022, Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman said that we will get 400 new Vande Bharat train sets in next three years and also mentioning the innovative way to build the Metro rail system. Being an industry leader what is your comment on that?

I feel very proud and excited. Four hundred ‘Vande Bharat’ is great. It’s a huge potential. What we see for the Industry when we’re talking about Mission Raftaar, increasing speeds on these tracks and with the Vande Bharat Semi-High Speed, there’ll be a lot of requirement for maintaining these rolling stocks. So, when we say maintaining, then there’ll be more depots and more equipment required.

New initiatives in the Metro sector, is another area we are trying to focus on, because there’s a lot of latest technology applicable. Space is always a concern in India, with the Tier ‘A’ cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, this is another area which we are working on to make sure that in limited space, depot or a Metro rail can be maintained. The space constraint is resulting in bringing in new technologies and new ways of maintaining rolling stocks.

•••

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PROJECT OF THE MONTH

Balanced work to be completed soon: Navi Mumbai Metro Overview The Navi Mumbai Metro projects received formal approval on 29 April 2010, and a public hearing on 21 May 2010 reported no major objections to the plan. CIDCO was named as the implementing agency of the Belapur– Pendhar–Kalamboli–Khandeshwar line, under the Indian Tramway Act 1886, by the Government of Maharashtra on 30 September 2010.

The metro’s foundation stone was laid on 1 May 2011 by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, and general foundation work on the system’s first phase commenced in October 2011. In March 2012, CIDCO released the metro’s complete master plan, including a proposed connection to the Mumbai Metro. In February 2017, RITES submitted an interim detailed project report (DPR) for Lines II, III and IV of the Navi Mumbai Metro.

In February 2013, thousands of villagers in the Navi Mumbai area protested against CIDCO’s inaction on local housing developments and its failure to provide restitution for locals affected by infrastructure projects. The protesters pledged to shut down the CIDCO head office and all development projects in the region. This was stated to include the metro project and any progress on the airport project.

Introduction The Navi Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit system under construction in the Indian city of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The planning and construction of the Navi Mumbai Metro is being overseen by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO). The system is planned to consist of five rail lines covering a total distance of 106.4 kilometres. The foundation stone for the project was laid on 1 May 2011; following construction delays, the metro’s first line was projected to open in 2020. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which caused lockdowns, curfews, and lack of labour, which resulted in several delays in construction, the deadline is pushed to 2022 for completion of the first line (Line 1) of Navi Mumbai Metro. The metro’s technological infrastructure and rolling stock are being provided by Ansaldo STS, Tata Projects and CSR Zhuzhou.

Project Specifications Construction The 23.40-kilometre Line 1 consists of 20 stations. The proposed route will link CBD Belapur, Kharghar, Taloja, Taloja MIDC,

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Kalamboli, Kamothe and the Khandeshwar railway station, terminating at the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport.

In mid-2012, CIDCO awarded the Rs. 321 crore contract for the construction of the 11.1 km section from Belapur to Pendhar to a consortium of Sanjose (Spain), Mahavira Road and Infrastructure (Navi Mumbai), and Supreme Infrastructure (Mumbai). The original deadline to complete the project was in 2016. This was later extended to mid-2017 and then mid-2018.

By January 2017, only 60% of the work on the stations had been completed. Finding the progress of work to be unsatisfactory, CIDCO sent a notice terminating the contract to the consortium on 11 January 2017. On 1 March 2017, CIDCO floated new tenders to construct 11 stations along the Belapur-Pendhar section. The previous contractors had completed 60% of the work on the stations. The new contract with worth Rs. 141 crore.

Line 1 is planned to be developed in 3 phases: Phase I

Terminal

Length

Belapur-Kharghar-Taloja-Pend11.10 Km har

Stations

Cost

11

Rs. 1,985 crore

II

MIDC Taloja-Kalamboli-Khandeshwar (extension to Airport proposed)

10.30 Km

8

Rs. 1,509 crore

III

Interlink between Pendhar and MIDC

02 Km

1

Rs. 574 crore

23.40 Kms

20

Rs. 4068 crore

Total

Infrastructure An international consortium of companies including Ansaldo STS, Tata Projects and CSR Zhuzhou will provide the electrical and mechanical systems for the first phase of Line 1. Ansaldo will conduct systems integration and supply train control systems, METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

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PROJECT OF THE MONTH telecoms, fare collection systems and equipment storage. The metro’s standard gauge network would be electrified at 25 kV AC, with power provided via an overhead catenary.

• Aug 2019: Metro trial run between Panchanand to Pendhar of Line-1 proposed to start from 5 September. Line 1 expected to be fully operational by mid-2020.

Rolling Stock

• Sep 2019: Between Panchanand and Pendhar metro line of 11 km, 83% work done on station, some track laying done. Trial run started on 3 km of ready track. Stations stated to be ready by December 2019. Full trial run on 11 km of track proposed to start in January 2020.

In 2014, the Chinese company CSR Zhuzhou signed a contract with CIDCO to supply rolling stock for the first phase of the metro’s Line 1. The three-car trainsets is 64.6 metres long and 3.1 metres wide, with a passenger capacity of around 1,100 and a maximum speed of approximately 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph). The trains feature stainless steel bodies, air-conditioning and LED lighting.

Network

• Sep 2020: Due to COVID-19 pandemic, which caused lockdowns, curfews and lack of labour in construction, City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) pushed deadline for completion of Navi Mumbai Metro Project to 2024.

• Sep 2020: Construction work resumed.

• Jan 2021: MahaMetro to complete Navi Mumbai Metro’s Line 1.

• Apr 2021: Tenders invited for Navi Mumbai Metro construction of balanced works for Line 1.

• May 2021: City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) successfully completes first trial run of Navi Mumbai Metro from Kharghar Metro Station to Taloja Depot.

• Jun 2021: Bids invited for Access Control System at 11 elevated stations of Navi Mumbai Metro’s Line 1.

• Jul 2021: MahaMetro to operate and maintain Navi Mumbai Metro’s Line 1.

• Aug 2021: Trial run of Navi Mumbai Metro’s entire Line 1 from Central Park Metro Station to Pendhar Metro Station proposed to be conducted by Research Design and Standard Organization (RDSO) on 28 August.

The Navi Mumbai Metro is planned to consist of five lines, totalling 106.4 kilometres in length. As of 2017, Line 1 of the metro is under construction, with operation projected to commence in 2022.

Line 1 All the phases of Line 1 will be constructed and funded by CIDCO. Lines 2 and 3 will be funded by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority respectively. The total cost of Line 1 is estimated to be Rs. 4,068 crore.

Time Line • Dec 2018: Work of elevated corridor almost complete, 50% work on signalling completed and 68% station related work done.

• Mar 2019: Two sets of much-awaited 3- coach metro train for Navi Mumbai Metro arrived at Mumbai Port from China.

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

• Aug 2021: Research Design and Standard Organization (RDSO) successfully conducted trial run of Navi Mumbai Metro from central park Metro Station to Pendhar Metro Station, and began Oscillation Trial and Emergency Braking Distance (EBD) trial of the metro conducted in two phases with a purpose to test the dynamic behaviour of the rolling stock in different conditions regard to safety, stability and quality rides. These two trials to continue till mid-September, as of 31 August.

• Sep 2021: Research Design and Standard Organization (RDSO) successfully conducted Oscillation Trial and Emergency Braking Distance (EBD) trial of the metro. City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) confirms the partial opening of the metro by December.

• Oct 2021: The stretch of Line-1 of Navi Mumbai Metro from Pendhar to Central Park in Kharghar is proposed to be opened

by December.

• Nov 2021: Navi Mumbai Metro gets Interim Speed Certificate from RDSO for Line-1.

• Jan 2022: To begin commercial operations, Safety trials for Line-1 were conducted on 17-18 January by the Commission of www.metrorailnews.in

PROJECT OF THE MONTH Railway Safety (CMRS).

Type: Elevated

Summary & Conclusion

Line-3: Taloje MIDC – Pendhar

Navi Mumbai Metro is an urban Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) with 1 line being built to serve the area of Navi Mumbai (Belapur, Kharghar, Taloja & more) in Maharashtra by City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).

(This line is an extension of Line-1) Estimated Cost: Rs. 1750.14 cr Length: 3.87 km Stations: 3 Type: Elevated

Construction work for Navi Mumbai Metro’s 11.10 km Phase 1 line from CBD Belapur to Pendhar with 11 stations started in November 2011 and is expected to be completed by 2023 owing to delays in receiving key approvals, poor project management by the operator and contractors involved, and a lack of general interest by the state government.

Although the Maharashtra government has released a 106.40 km master plan comprising of 6 lines, it is unlikely that it will be followed. New metro lines are expected to be announced in the coming years influenced by the construction of the Navi Mumbai Airport in Ulwe.

In June 2019, Navi Mumbai’s City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) had given in-principle approval to entrust DMRC with implementing the city’s Line-2 and Line-3 after which DMRC began locally recruiting in October for various posts.

Project Detail • Top Speed: 80 kmph • Average Speed: 34 kmph • Track Gauge: Standard Gauge – 1435 mm • Electrification: 25 kV, 50 Hz AC OHE • Signalling: Cab Signalling/Distance to Go • Operational: 0 km • Under Construction: 11.10 km • Proposed: 95.30 km • Estimated Daily Ridership: 1 lakh (2027) • Rolling Stock: 24 coaches (8 train-sets x 3) supplied by CRRC

Line-4: Khandeshwar – Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) (This line is an extension of Line-1) Estimated Cost: Rs. 1270.17 cr Length: 4.17 km Type: Elevated & Underground Major Contractors Package

Contract

Contractor

GC

General Consultant

Louis Berger (Balaji Railroad System)

RS System

Signalling, Telecommunications, Automatic Fare Collection

Ansaldo STS

System

Electrical & Mechanical Works

Ansaldi STS – Tata Projects – CSR Zhuzhou

Depot

Construction of Taloja Depot

J Kumar – CRTG JV

CA 1

Construction of 4.91 km viaduct from Khargar Sector 14 – Pendhar

NCC Ltd.

CA 2

Construction of 4.34 km viaduct from Belapur to Khargar Sector 14

J Kumar Infraprojects

CA 12

Construction of 6 stations at CBD Belapur, Sector 7, CIDCO Science Park, Utsav Chowk, Sector 11 & Sector 14

San José Constructora – Mahavir Roads – Supreme Infra JV

CA 13

Construction of 5 stations at Central Park, Pethpada, Sector 34 Kharghar, Panchanand & Pendhar

San José Constructora – Mahavir Roads – Supreme Infra JV

NM-Geo

Geotechnical Investigation for Line-2 and Line-3

Zed Geotech Pvt. Ltd.

Detailed Design Consultant (DDC) for NMDD-01 Line-2, Line-3 and Khandeshwar Depot

Routes (Under Construction) Line-1: CBD Belapur – Pendhar • Length: 11.10 km • Estimated Cost: Rs. 3063.63 cr • Type: Elevated • Depot: Taloja • Number of Stations: 11 • Station Names: CBD Belapur, Sector 7, CIDCO Science Park, Utsav Chowk (Khargar), Sector 11, Sector 14, Central Park, Pethpada, Sector 34, Panchanand, Pendhar

24 (8 x 3) metro coaches (Rolling Stock) CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd

NM1-C-01

Balance construction work at Kharghar Village, Kendriya Vihar, Utsav chowk, Belpada, RBI Colony & Belapur Terminal Stations

Tender Cancelled

J Kumar Infraprojects

•••

Future Network Line-2: Taloje MIDC – Khandeshwar (This line is an extension of Line-1) Estimated Cost: Rs. 2820.20 cr Length: 7.12 km Stations: 6 www.metrorailnews.in

METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

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FEATURED PROJECT

City’s awaited transport system waiting for momentum: Pune Metro

Overview Pune has witnessed enormous industrial growth since 2000.

Rapid urbanisation in the recent past has put the city’s travel infrastructure to stress. With an increase in small scale, medium scale as well as heavy industries, the traffic in the city is rising at alarming rates. The roads in the city, while being narrow, cater to various kinds of vehicles simultaneously. Such roads, at an optimum can carry 8,000 peak hour peak direction traffic (PHPDT). Being a densely populated area, Pune’s traffic needs cannot be met by road-based system and additional flyovers.

Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd. (PMPML), the public transport provider that operates buses and BRT services in Pune has failed to meet the transport needs.

This has mainly contributed to an unhealthy growth of vehicles on roads. According to reports published in April 2018, the number of vehicles registered in the city stands at 3.62 million surpassing the population of the city. Such a high density of traffic has put the urban transport system in Pune under severe stress leading to longer travel time, increased air pollution and rise in number of road accidents. In light of this, a strong

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

public transport system has been discussed in Pune since the early 2000s. Initially, Skybus Metro, a prototype suspended railway system developed by the Konkan Railways, was being considered on a 7.5-km route between Swargate and Pune Railway Station. However, following a tragic mishap in September 2004, the project took a back seat.

On 15 August 2008, the preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) work was undertaken by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and submitted their report. In 2010, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) delayed submitting the proposal to the Union government to make provisions in the annual budget for the project. The initial project consisting of two lines with a combined length of 31.25 km was approved by the State in June 2012. However, it received the final approval from the Central Government only on 7 December 2016, almost 4.5 years later. PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone on 24 December 2016. MahaMetro is implementing the two lines, viz. the partly elevated and partly underground Line 1 from Pimpri & Chinchwad to Swargate and the completely elevated Line 2 from Vanaz to Ramwadi. MahaMetro expected to complete the project in 2021. Days after the foundation stone for the www.metrorailnews.in

FEATURED PROJECT lines was laid, PMRDA approved Line 3 (Hinjewadi Phase-I, II, III - Shivajinagar) on 29 December 2016. The project will be implemented by PMRDA on a PPP basis. It was approved by the State on 02 January 2018 and by the Centre on 7 March 2018.

Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority and Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) had proposed to take over the Metro project, which was declined by the PMC and PCMC. The opposing representatives said that the Metro rail is going to be implemented by Special Purpose Vehicle.

Instead, the civic bodies suggested inclusion of PMRDA in the SPV to increase the reach of the Metro rail. PMRDA will execute only Line 3 i.e. Shivajinagar to Hinjewadi (Phase-I, II, III) line. They will follow PPP model for the project. For the implementation of the initial two lines, the former Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation was reconstituted to form Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MahaMetro).

Project Specifications Pune Metro is a metro rail based rapid transit system under construction to serve the city of Pune, India. The system comprises 3 lines with a total length of 54.58 km. The 16.59 km Line 1 PCMC Bhavan – Swargate will be elevated between PCMC Bhavan to Range Hills, from where it will run underground. Line 2 will run from Vanaz to Ramwadi covering a distance of 14.66 km on an elevated viaduct. Lines 1 and 2 are expected to be operational by the End of January 2022. The 23.33-km elevated Line 3 will run from the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park in Hinjawadi via Balewadi to Civil Court. All three lines will align at the Civil Court interchange station.

Swargate corridor would be named the Purple Line. The agency stated that the colour purple was chosen because it represents happiness.

Line

Opening Date

Network In August 2019, Mahametro announced that the Vanaz to Ramwadi corridor would be called the Aqua Line as it passes through the Mula-Mutha riverbed. The PCMC Bhavan to

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Length Sta(Km) tions

PCMC Swar16.59 Bhavan gate RamAqua 2022 Vanaz 14.66 wadi Civil HinLine 3 2023 Court 23.33 jawadi Pune 54.58

Purple 2022

The foundation stone for Lines 1, 2, 3 were laid by Prime Minister of India in December 2019. The first two lines with a combined length of 31.25 km and are being implemented by the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MahaMetro), a 50:50 Joint Venture of the State and Central Governments.

Line 3 will be implemented by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and the Joint Venture between Tata Realty and Siemens on a Public–Private Partnership basis.

On 18 December 2018, PM laid the foundation stone for Line 3.

Construction on Line 3 was started in January 2020.

Terminals

14 16 23

ImpleOperamenttor ed By Maha- MahaMetro Metro PMRDA

TBD

53

Rolling Stock Rolling stock for the metro has been proposed to be procured by floating competitive international tenders with company bidding the lowest to be awarded the contract. The company winning the contract initially will be manufacturing 104 coaches to form 26 trains each with four coaches. The rolling stock will have the following specifications:

METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

41

FEATURED PROJECT Passenger capacity Coach Type Length Width Height Axle Load Seating Arrangement Driver Trailer 21.64 m coach (DTC) 2.90 m 3.90 m 16 tonnes Motor coach (MC)/Trailer 21.34 m coach (TC)

StandTotal ing

Seating 43

207

250

50

220

270

Longitudinal

In August 2019, Mahametro announced that Titagarh Firema had won the bid to supply 102 aluminium bodied coaches for the project.

compared to the allocations in the previous fiscal 2017–18.

Summary of budgetary allocations

Cost & Budgetary Allocations

Fiscal Year

Cost The MahaMetro lines were estimated to cost Rs. 11,522 crore, a hike of Rs. 653 crore from the 2014 estimate. The PMC and PCMC have been proposed to bear 5% of the cost each year, while the state government and the central government will each bear 20% of the cost. The remaining 50% will be obtained as loans.

The state government’s share of 20% includes the expenses of acquiring land, including government land, at market price. The delay in the execution of the project has resulted in an upward revision of Rs. 700 crores in the draft civic budget for 2015-16 presented by Municipal Commissioner Kunal Kumar.

On 17 September 2016, the central government had approved a proposal seeking loan of Rs. 6,325 crore from the World Bank and China-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for the project. However, as of March 2018, MahaMetro was negotiating loans worth Rs.4,500 crore and Rs. 2,000 crore from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French Development Agency (AFD). On 28 January 2019, the Department of Economic Affairs on behalf of the Centre and the AFD signed a facility framework agreement to extend bilateral funding of Rs. 2,000 crore.

Budgetary Allocations Financial year 2015–16: The central government made an allocation of Rs. 126.58 crore and the state government allocated Rs.174.99 crore. The budget allocation raised high hopes for the city’s most awaited project but failed to keep the momentum, since apart from re-assurance nothing major happened that year.

Financial year 2016–17: The central government made an allocation of Rs. 10.2 crore and the state government allocated Rs. 45 crore of the total Rs. 180 crore allocated for Pune and Nagpur metro projects. The citizens of Pune were disappointed with the budget, stating that the government had no interest in addressing Pune’s needs. The opposition protested against the State government for sidelining Pune, and that the Nagpur metro was being carried out speedily while Pune project has not even started.

Financial year 2018-19: The central government made an allocation of Rs. 1,322 crore and the state government allocated Rs. 130 crore, a hike of Rs. 822 crore and Rs. 20 crore, respectively,

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

Budgetary allocation Union

State

Total

2015-16

126.58

174.99

301.57

2016-17

10.2

45

55.2

2017-18

500

110

610

2018-19

1,322.00

130

1,452.00

Summary & Conclusion Pune Metro is an urban Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) with 3 lines under construction in the city of Pune, Maharashtra by Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA).

31.254 km Pune Metro Phase 1 project’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) with 2 metro lines and 29 stations was prepared & submitted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in July 2009, revised in January 2013, August 2014, and finally once again in November 2015 to reflect current prices.

Although the State Government approved the project in 2012, it had run into red tape, politics and opposition from local NGOs & activists over its mostly elevated nature. The project received a final approval from the Union Government’s Cabinet on December 7, 2016.

In addition, the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority is developing a 3rd line, mostly elevated, connecting Hinjewadi – Civil Court on the public–private partnership (PPP) model. In September 2019, PMRDA signed a 35-year concession agreement to develop the line with a consortium of TRIL Urban Transport Private Limited (a Tata Group Company), and Siemens Project Ventures GmbH (subsidiary of Siemens Financial Services).

Pune Metro Phase 2 project’s detailed project report (DPR) has not been prepared yet, but is expected to comprise of new corridors and extensions of existing metro lines to Katraj, Chandni Chowk, Kharadi, Hadapsar, Loni Kalbhor, Katraj, Khadakwasla, Warje.

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FEATURED PROJECT Project Detail • Top Speed: 80 kmph • Average Speed: 34 kmph • Track Gauge: Standard Gauge – 1435 mm • Electrification: 25 kV, 50 Hz AC OHE • Signalling: Communications-based Train Control (CBTC) • Operational: 0 km • Under Construction: 54.584 km • Approved: 4.41 km • Proposed: 26.464 km • Estimated Daily Ridership: 6 lakh (Phase 1) & 2.6 lakh (Line-3) in 2027 • Rolling Stock: 104 coaches (26 train-sets x 4) to be supplied by Titagarh-Firema for Phase 1 Under Construction Lines (Phase 1 + Line3) Line-1 (Purple Line): Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) – Swargate • Length: 16.589 km • Type: Elevated & Underground • Elevated: PCMC – Range Hills Ramp: 11.570 km, 9 stations • Underground: Range Hills Ramp – Swargate: 5.019 km, 6 stations • Depot: Range Hills (13.27 hectares) • Number of Stations: 14 • Station Names: PCMC, Tukaram Nagar, Bhosari, Kasarwadi, Fugewadi, Dapodi, Bopodi, Khadki, Range Hill, Shivaji Nagar, Civil Court, Budhwar Peth, Mandai, Swargate Line-2 (Aqua Line): Vanaz – Ramwadi • Length: 14.665 km • Type: Elevated • Depot: Hill View Depot at Kothrud (12 hectares) • Number of Stations: 16 • Station Names: Vanaz, Anand Nagar, Ideal Colony, Nal Stop, Garware College, Deccan Gymkhana, Sambhaji Park, PMC, Civil Court, Mangalwar Peth, Pune Railway Station, Ruby Clinic, Bund Garden, Yerawada, Kalyani Nagar, Ramwadi Line-3: Hinjawadi – Civil Court • Length: 23.33 km • Type: Elevated • Depot: Maan Village (20 hectares) • Number of Stations: 23 • Station Names: Megapolis Circle, Embassy Quadron Business Park, Dohler, Infosys Phase II, Wipro Phase II, Pall India, Shivaji Chowk, Hinjewadi, Wakad Chowk, Balewadi Stadium, NICMAR, Ram Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Balewadi Phata, Baner Gaon, Baner, Krushi Anusadhan, Sakal Nagar, University, R.B.I., Agriculture College, Shivaji Nagar and Civil Court.

Approved Lines

(PCMC) – Nigdi • Length: 4.41 km • Type: Elevated • Number of Stations: 3 • Station Names: Chinchwad, Akurdi, Nigdi Proposed Lines Line-1 Extension (Purple Line): Swargate – Katraj • Length: 5.464 km The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for PCMC – Swargate Line1’s extension to Katraj suggests a 5.464 km underground route to be built with an estimated cost of Rs 4283.72 cr. Three new stations are proposed at Pushmangal Chowk, Shankar Maharaj Mutt and Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park. These could alternately be built at Gultekadi, Saibaba Nagar and Katraj.

Line-3 Extension: Shivaji Nagar – Kadam Wakwasti Length: 18 km Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is currently preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for extending the Hinjawadi – Shivaji Nagar Line-3 by 18 km to Loni Railway Station (Kadam Wasti Grampanchayat) in eastern Pune.

Line-4: Swargate – Pul Gate Length: 3 km Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is currently preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for this short new line.

•••

• Line-1 (Purple Line): Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

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FOCUSSED SYSTEM

Going Smart with Predictive Maintenance: Asset Management in Railways

Image copyright: virtual vehicle Abstract As one of the most asset-intensive industries globally, the rail industry invests nearly 20% of its revenue in asset maintenance to ensure safe operations. What’s more, significant challenges such as spiralling maintenance costs, narrow maintenance windows, non–availability of talent for remote condition monitoring, and heightened customer expectations, plague the industry. Therefore, railways are moving from the traditional scheduled maintenance strategies to asset condition-based predictive maintenance to enhance utilization, reduce costs, and safeguard the durability of their railway networks.

Predictive maintenance involves deploying sensor-based diagnostic monitoring in real-time for assets and sub-systems that provide enough time to act - based on the recorded condition parameters. It is important to understand the various ways through which railways can use next-gen digital technologies such as remote sensors, edge computing, IoT platforms and Big Data analytics to formulate predictive maintenance strategies. Understanding the impact of such strategies in driving signficant improvements in reliability, asset availability cost eficiency, and customer satisfaction also is of greater importance.

Need of Predictive Maintenance Analysis in Railways In railways equipment failures can result in fatal consequences;

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METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

unplanned outages and unreliable operations can severely impact revenues as well as customer satisfaction and safety.

Time-based traditional maintenance strategies fail to capture the exact state of an asset, and lead to unnecessary maintenance and high operating costs. Hence, needless to say that predictive maintenance is a hot button issue in the rail industry today. The approach allows users to monitor assets continuously, proactively identify probable defects, and initiate necessary maintenance work before an asset fails, enhancing system availability and reducing maintenance costs. Sensors placed along railway tracks or mounted onboard rolling stock help railways remotely capture critical parameters associated with rolling stock as well as fixed infrastructure - in real-time.

Along with asset-related data, other data like weather and geographical conditions can also be captured to enable superior asset management. The data captured across the network of sensors is fed into a predictive model, enabling proactive maintenance operations to eliminate unplanned downtime of assets.

The benefits do not end there. Accurate forecasting of spare parts requirements through predictive analytics helps cut down on their procurement and shipping costs. Accurate insights into manpower requirements also help drive precise maintenance crew scheduling. Predictive maintenance solutions also play a critical part in supplier contract negotiations. They provide www.metrorailnews.in

FOCUSSED SYSTEM relevant data such as warranty information, supplier details, traceability and demand forecasting to help railway companies negotiate the best price, including terms and conditions for the new contract.

time, data management and analysis needs are growing. To turn this enormous data into actionable insights, major railroad companies are turning to cloud-based IoT and Big Data technologies.

Four major approaches of a successful predictive analysis

Big Data analytics can help connect the dots across the entire rail network such as rails, bridges, stations, and so on.

It enables the railways to develop predictive algorithms from heterogeneous data sources, real time communications, and scalable data structures which helps in obtaining rapid insights from disparate sources of information to help improve asset availability and service levels, reduce service delays due to unplanned outages, and implement smarter maintenance strategies.

Roadblocks: An Introduction

Ascertaining how can railways develop a successful predictive maintenance strategy following four approaches can be stated to be important: • Identify data needs: Most current systems in rail organizations are incapable of meeting the data requirements needed for predictive maintenance. One of the first steps is to obtain the data required for the solution development process using a top-down approach. Clearly defining the business objectives allows solution developers to drill down and pinpoint the required data.

• Define the right system requirements: This is the most crucial step in developing a predictive maintenance solution.

It is important to define the scope of the solution and identify business-critical needs and parameters for prediction. A wrong system can lead to unsuccessful outcomes and limit user confidence.

• Blend data analytics with domain expertise: While data scientists help develop predictive algorithms, rail domain expertise is essential to guide data scientists in building the right algorithm aligned with specific business needs.

• Create an environment for value-addition: The scope of a predictive management solution goes beyond predicting failures to predicting several business scenarios, deploying suitable prescriptive actions and improving maintenancerelated performance indicators. These include suggesting the next maintenance activity, just-in-time inventory planning for replacement of parts, identifying systems that need an upgrade in their design due to their continued poor performance, and so on.

Smart Maintenance Strategies: Role of Digital Technologies It is clear that adopting relevant emerging technologies such as sensors help achieve new levels of success and efficiency across the rail industry using predictive maintenance strategies.

But with the sensor data volumes growing phenomenally over www.metrorailnews.in

Despite the promise of predictive maintenance strategies, many rail organizations continue to delay investing in them.

The reason seems to be an obvious one - It is difficult to shift from traditional, scheduled maintenance to a predictive model in one leap. Nature of maintenance practices, resources, as well as geographic and weather conditions vary from region to region, as a result of which trains and networks are designed and developed to meet specific requirements – a major barrier to the adoption of predictive maintenance.

The additional challenges that include may be summarized as under: (i) Developing confidence in the predictions: Rail companies that are in the initial stages of IoT implementation are facing the challenge of ’false alarms’. To mitigate this, along with accurate predictive algorithms, it is necessary to incorporate noise correction methods. (ii) Meeting regulatory compliance demands: Safety is paramount to railway transportation, leading to regulatory constraints on the asset maintenance and certification procedures. (iii) Developing the required tool kit and desired skill set: Predictive maintenance requires the deployment of latest technologies, making it difficult to create large scale skill sets in new technologies within the organization. Similarly, it is also important to develop the necessary skills to understand the METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

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FOCUSSED SYSTEM

TM

InnoMetro Global Platform for Metro

predictions and historical data and correlate the facts to drive accurate asset status, what-if analysis and improved decisions. (iv) Need for large capital outlays: Railways typically deal with a large asset base that operates in harsh operational conditions. Migrating large scale operations from traditional to predictive maintenance demands huge investments in terms of time, money, and technology along with meticulous planning.

Next-gen IoT Platform-based Predictive Maintenance A software that can predict failures and trigger maintenance workflows and interventions need extensive access to high-quality data from multiple sources such as diagnostic vans, wayside sensors and so on. To produce rapid ROI while transforming the maintenance procedures completely, the solution must be truly flexible, scalable and integrated to meet dynamic requirements.

It is believed that an IoT-based platform with the following capabilities is best-suited to monitor and analyze asset health data for metro & railways: • Data capture and management: The platform should host a diverse range of sensors to capture asset data from various condition monitoring devicesirrespective of the data format, data source, or the type of sensor. This raw data can be processed at the edge and stored in databases or file systems, depending on the type.

• Analytics and business intelligence: The platform should use the available sensor data along with other relevant data to develop meaningful insights using various analytics tools such as machine learning algorithms for anomaly detection and real-time warnings, predictive asset health assessment, stream analytics and so on. With dashboards based on historic asset condition data and predictive analysis of sensor data, the platform will enable business intelligence and drive superior decision-making.

• Integration with enterprise applications: The platform should seamlessly integrate with enterprise asset management (EAM), data warehouse, and other enterprise IT systems using standard middleware platforms to create a united view and trigger events and workflows for subsequent activities.

• Cloud-enabled: The platform should be deployed on the cloud to allow for scale and adjustments based on changing business requirements.

Summary Rail customers today demand flawless, reliable, and safe services. For railways catering to these growing expectations requires the deployment of next-gen digital technologies to redefine and re-imagining several organizational processes in addition to upskilling its workforce. As a result, the time is ripe for data analysts, computer professionals, and rail domain experts to collaboratively drive predictive monitoring strategies through digital technologies such as IoT, Big Data technologies, and sophisticated predictive analytics algorithms.

•••

Rail Innovations

2nd Edition

InnoMetro 2022

A Global Platform to Showcase Innovation & Technology for Metro, Railway, RRTS, High-Speed Rail & Allied Industries.

Date

28

29

30

April | Venue : Virtual

Why Attend • Get ready to witness the most unforeseen event of the era.

• Interact one-on-one with key industry decision makers.

• Generate more leads and win new business opportunities.

• Get insights into latest innovations & technologies.

• Be a part of informative panel discussions and sessions.

• Connect with like-minded people and meet new potential partners.

• Make global connections and international business tie-ups.

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priyanka.sahu@metrorailnews.in www.innometro.com

ARTICLE

Circuit Protection For The Rail And Mass-Transit Industry Today’s railways make great demands of all onboard electrical systems. From power semiconductors used to drive motors to the many auxiliary systems for HVAC, instrumentation, and control applications, the need for fast-acting circuit protection has never been greater.

Circuit protection for the rail and mass-transit industry As OEMs develop products for different and diverse markets in rail and mass transit applications, Eaton Bussmann fuses are keeping up to speed with a comprehensive and global range of DC traction fuse links to meet the latest challenges. Designed specifically to withstand the rigors of rail operations, the range is just the ticket for protecting vital equipment from overcurrent and short circuit events.

The Eaton Bussmann circuit protection product range falls broadly into three categories: • Main electrical feed, i.e. catenary/pantograph and third rail applications • Auxiliary power and distribution, i.e. HVAC, motors • Instrumentation and control, such as relays, lights, controls, and meters • High-speed fuse-links for heavy rail applications We provide a range of high-speed fuse-links for heavy rail applications in main electrical feeds such as catenary high wire or pantograph high wire. There is also a range of fuse-links for third rail applications, including:

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• • • • • • •

170E series 170M series ABWN series SF75X series SF100X series KB series Auxiliary power and distribution

For high-speed protection in both light and heavy rail applications, we offer a range of fuse-links to protect heating, lighting, and motor circuits that feature extremely low let through and very high DC voltage capacity in highly inductive loads. Products include:

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• • • • • • • •

FWK series FWL/FWS series SF75X series NC series RC series NBC series WC series CH127 series (Fuse holders)

Converter fuse-links We provide products for all AC/DC and DC/AC power conversion applications, especially in IGBT inverter circuits with DC link voltages up to 1000Vdc. These include:

• 170M series • SF75X series • IGBT fuses Drive fuse-links We also provide a range of drive fuse-links for the protection of all AC/DC and DC/AC power conversion circuits, including 170M series and SF75X series.

Instrumentation and control We can supply a range of fuse links and fuse holders to protect those important onboard systems, including relays, lighting, controls, and meters. Products include: • • • • • •

DMM series FWL/FWM series WRC series 054 series CHM series ( Fuse holders) CH127 series (Fuse holders)

Signaling and infrastructure We also supply a comprehensive range of products to provide circuit protection in signaling and infrastructure applications, including: • Medium voltage fuse-links • Specialist DC fuse-links • A standard range of fuse links, holders, and bases • Enbray contactors

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ARTICLE

Workforce Diversity: Helping Industries & Organisations Grow

Image Copyright : Networkrail Abstract Workforce diversity means similarities and differences among employees in terms of age, cultural background, physical abilities and disabilities, race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation. No two humans are alike. People are different in not only gender, culture, race, social and psychological characteristics but also in their perspectives and prejudices.

Society had discriminated on these aspects for centuries.

Diversity makes the workforce heterogeneous. In the current scenario, employing a diversified workforce is a necessity for every organisation but to manage such a diversified workforce is also a big challenge for management. Workforce diversity is strength for any organisation but people still stick to their views related to caste, religion etc and so consider diversity as a problem but if managed properly, can increase productivity.

In transportation and telecommunications technology in short we can say that day by day the world is becoming a global village due to globalisation. In this interdependent global economy, an American might drive to work in a car designed in Germany that was assembled in Mexico, components made in the United States and Japan that were

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fabricated from Korean steel and Malaysian rubber. From Indian perspective also, the world has now recognised India as one of the prime economic driver in the global scenario. Various companies are coming India to explore this opportunity. In order to survive in this type of cut throat competitive world the organisations have to hire an effective and efficient workforce that can handle such a competitive environment. Employing diversified workforce is a very essential for every organisation.

In the current scenario the organisations that employ quality and competitive workforce regardless of their age, attitude, language, gender, religion, caste can only compete at the marketplace.

Human resource is an important asset for any organisation.

Capital and physical resources, by themselves, cannot improve efficiency or contribute to an increased rate of return on investment.

Workforce Diversity It is through the combined and concerted efforts of people that monetary or material resources are harnessed to achieve organisational goals. But these attitudes, efforts and skills have

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ARTICLE to be sharpened from time to time to optimise the effectiveness of human resources and to enable them to meet greater challenges. Without employees, the organisation cannot move an inch. Therefore, the management of this resource is also an important issue. Human resource management is concerned with managing ‘human aspect’ of the organisation in such a way that organisational objectives are achieved along with employee development and satisfaction.

Each individual is different from each other because of their different religion, educational background to which they belong, age and the perception. When different types of people in terms of thinking, perception, generation come together to work at the same place then definitely a situation may come where all these different types of people may not agree at the same point. At that point, of time it is going to affect the interpersonal relationship among people.

Impact of Workforce on Productivity

employees. Gender discrimination is also a major problem at Indian workplace.

Cordial interpersonal relationship among the employees is one of the major ingredients for smooth functioning of an organisation. An organisation is a network of people who work together to achieve some common objective and if this network has some loopholes then it would be very difficult for any organisation to achieve those objectives effectively.

Interpersonal Relationships Productivity shows whether the activity of an organisation is efficient and effective. Though the terms like productivity, efficiency and effectiveness are used together and practicians sometimes alternate their meanings, however we must not identify productivity with efficiency and/or effectiveness.

Productivity requires both efficiency and effectiveness, because a certain activity will not be productive if it is only efficient,

Image Copyright : UPMRC Due to the increased rate of globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation we can view the change at our workplace also, gone were the days where the people of same age, same professional qualification, same experience and same religion come together to work in an organisation. Now day’s females are also working in the equal ratio with males. Next aspect that affects the work climate is language. People may speak different languages at workplace because of different geographical region to which they belong. Due to which the people may find some problem. Employees coming from various geographical regions with their different mindset create contradiction among

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but not effective, or effective, but not efficient. Productivity in economic position is defined as the relation between output and input.

Input element in an organisation consists of resources used in the product creation process, such as labour, materials, energy. The output consists of a given product, service and the amount of both. The amount of output per unit of input (labour, equipment, and capital). A measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system, etc., in converting inputs into useful outputs is known as productivity. There are many different ways

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ARTICLE of measuring productivity. For example, in a factory productivity might be measured based on the number of hours it takes to produce a good, while in the service sector productivity might be measured based on the revenue generated by an employee divided by his/her salary.

Advantages of a diversified workforce An organisation’s success and competitiveness depend upon its ability to embrace diversity and realise the benefits. When organisations actively assess their handling of workplace diversity issues, develop and implement diversity plans, multiple benefits are reported such as: (i) Diversity stimulates innovation and productivity and creates a world-class culture that can outperform the competition. (ii) A multicultural organisation is better suited to serve a diverse external clientele in a more increasingly global market. Such organisations have a better understanding of the requirements of the legal, political, social, economic and cultural environments of foreign nations. (iii) In research-oriented and hi-tech industries, the broad base of talents generated by a gender-and ethnic- diverse organisation becomes a priceless advantage. It goes with the opinion that creativity thrives on diversity. (iv) Multicultural organisations are found to be better at problem-solving, possess a better ability to extract expanded meanings, and are more likely to display multiple perspectives and interpretations in dealing with complex issues. (v) Organisations employing a diverse workforce can supply a greater variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources. (vi) Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences in suggesting ideas that are flexible in adapting to fluctuating markets and customer demands. (vii) A diverse collection of skills and experiences (e.g. languages, cultural understanding) allows a company to provide service to customers on a global basis. (viii) A diverse workforce that feels comfortable communicating varying points of view provides a larger pool of ideas and experiences.

A diversified workforce is a latest and current trend in every organisation today. Moreover, the major concern for every organisation is to improve its productivity because organisations are economic activity and can only survive by competing in this cutthroat competitive world by increasing their profits. Due to the diversified workforce in some or the other way, people are facing lot many problems at the workplace.

In most of the cases a diversified workforce may experience less cooperation from some of their colleagues but to achieve the organisational goals each member must be effective in terms of its functioning in the particular department. Hence, ways

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should be sought to manage the diversified workforce in such a way that people can easily work with the diversified workforce and can bring quality results altogether.

It can be summarised that an organisation’s major objective is to earn profit and to enhance its productivity. It is imperative to mention that employing diversified workforce is the very essence in today’s scenario but to manage such a diversified workforce is a big challenge in front of the management.

Hiring a diversified workforce in any industry will definitely lead to improved productivity, but may prove to disaster if the same workforce is not managed properly. Below mentioned are few general steps of managing a diversified workforce in a multidimensional industry today: • Encouraging the use of common language in the organisation among the employees.

• By conducting various motivational and mentorship programs.

• By keeping the channels of communication open among the employees and employers.

• By encouraging employee participation.

• For improving productivity quality has to be maintained and for enhancing quality one should continuously work towards skill development.

Technical Skills Gap: An Overview Skill Gap is the difference between the skills required on the job and the actual skills possessed by the employees. The skill gap presents an opportunity for the company and the employee to identify the missing skills and try to gain them. Employees are recruited by companies to work on fulfilling company objectives. Hence, people with the correct skill sets are recruited by companies. However, often it happens that employees lack certain knowledge & training which creates a skill gap. Because of this the employee is unable to perform the complete job. The technical skills gap is the lack of technical competence in an employee to perform any task requiring technical skill.

Tech Skills Gap and Tech Skills Shortage Tech skills gap and Tech skills shortage, these two terms describe two similar yet distinct challenges that the global industry is facing today. Many people mistakenly use them interchangeably. The tech skills shortage describes a pressing manpower issue faced by the entire tech industry. It is used to describe the global shortage in qualified personnel for tech positions. This shortage is felt in nearly every profession in the tech world. The tech skills gap is an entirely different issue altogether. This terminology describes the difference between individual’s existing skill set and the skills that the industry needs them to have to effectively perform their job roles. Gaps exist among many fresh graduates whose alma maters didn’t give them the practical skills they need for tech jobs as well as among experienced professionals who didn’t learn the latest programming languages.

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Image Copyright : Sydney Metro Forward-thinking companies that understand the value of retaining their workforce are already tackling this issue. Most companies globally are investing in reskilling and upskilling their workforce, devoting significant resources to ensure that their employees have the skills that the companies need to succeed. Infosys for e.g; has increased its reskilling efforts by 150 percent during the last year, focusing on training in the fields of cloud technology, AI, machine learning, data analytics, IoT, user experience, and digital networking.

Bridging the Gap and Fixing the Shortage Upskilling and reskilling are two pedagogical approaches to solving the tech skills gap and the tech skills shortage.

Upskilling is focused on upgrading the skill sets of individuals who already have tech skills to those newer tech or soft skills that are in high demand. For example, a mainframe specialist would be trained in cloud computing, or an IT specialist would become a cyber analyst at a NOC. As the individual already has formidable tech skills, retraining them would require less of an effort than training someone with no tech experience.

Upskilling also has the added benefit of retaining experienced employees and their knowledge within the organisation instead of hiring new ones, which is a difficult and costly effort given the skills shortage. Another example may be upskilling a talented software engineer about to get promoted to team leader to learn soft skills like empathy, leadership, and feedback.

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Reskilling is an entirely different matter. This discipline is about taking individuals who work in a different, non technological domain and giving them the knowledge and skills needed to enter the tech world and land their first tech job. An example of reskilling would be a tour guide who saw the travel industry hurt and decided to become an entry-level data analyst.

As the COVID-19 pandemic’s disastrous effects on the economy have put entire sectors out of business, reskilling is increasingly considered a high-impact method of restarting people’s careers and making a living once again. Each reskilled individual, once employed, reduces the tech skills shortage by one. Governments and enterprises need to launch initiatives that enable the reskilling of millions.

Benefits of Skill Gap Analysis Identifying skill gaps benefits companies as it ensures that the workforce is well trained, knowledgeable and better equipped to perform the job. Skill gaps are identified through the process of skill gap analysis • Helps to improve and define an individual’s skills the company needs.

• Points to the critical skills employees need to work on.

• Helps in the recruiting process as it defines the need for skills or interests which current employees don’t possess.

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ARTICLE Skills gap solutions • Better training of employees.

• Giving the employees better resources which will help them improve their knowledge.

• Hiring a third party with the required skill to execute the job

Further, the railway sector in India aims to aspire about 1.5% to the country’s GDP by building infrastructure to support 45% of the modal freight share of the economy. The Indian Railways clocked a 3% increase in freight revenue in 2020-21, and the quantum of goods loaded grew by 1.93%.

• Two Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC), one on the Western route (Jawaharlal Nehru Port to Dadri) and another on the Eastern route (Ludhiana to Dankuni), have been fast-tracked.

• Recruiting better-skilled employees Indian Railways: Need of Workforce Diversity & Technical Skills Gap India has the fourth-largest railway system in the world, behind only US, Russia and China. The railway sector of India has 123,542 km of total tracks over a 67,415 km route and about 7,300 stations. The railways run close to 13,523 passenger trains and 9,146 freight trains daily on its network. In the fiscal year ending March 2020, Indian Railways carried 8.1 billion passengers.

In addition, the railway sector in India has successfully and transported 1.23 billion tonnes of freight in FY 2020-21, which is 1.93 % higher compared to last year’s loading for the same period. Indian Railways is the single largest employer in India and eighth largest in the world; employing close to 1.3 mn people.

• The railway sector in India has the highest ever planned capital expenditure of $29.5 bn in 2021-22 • The average speed of freight trains increased to 45.6 kmph in March 2021, marking an 83% increase over the previous year • Railway Electrification works completed on a total of 6,015 Route kms during 2020-21

• Vision 2024 has been envisaged to achieve targets of 2024 MT freight loading by 2024 • Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project sanctioned at a total cost of $15 bn • The railway sector of India aims to electrify the entire network by 2023 which will lead to annual energy savings of $1.55 bn • Broad gauge railways network stands at 64,689 Route kms, of which 71% is electrified • India Railways is focused on 2,843 km dedicated freight corridors by June 2022 and redevelop 123 railway stations into world-class transit hubs • Indian Railways has commissioned Wi-Fi at 6,000 Railway stations across the country • In order to achieve its green mission, Indian Railways has solarised more than 960 stations across • 1806 Kisan Rails run on 153 routes (upto 24.12.2021) and carried around 5.9 lakh tones of agricultural products • 2000 Km of railway network to be brought under Kavach, the indigenous world-class technology and capacity augmentation in 2022-23.

• 400 new generation Vande Bharat Trains to be manufactured during the next three years.

• 100 PM GatiShakti Cargo terminals for multimodal logistics to be developed during the next three years

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Newly remodelled yard at Vadodara

image copy right :railpost.in

Conclusion Based on the analysis it can be easily summarised that in a globalised economy today industries and organisations can’t improve or develop if the workforce isn’t experienced or skilled in these changing dynamics. As the findings state: social skills – such as persuasion, emotional intelligence and teaching others – will be in higher demand across industries than narrow technical skills, such as programming or equipment operation and control to managed a diversified workforce. In essence, technical skills will need to be supplemented with strong social and collaboration skills’.

For a mammoth organisation like Indian Railways with such a size and scale amidst future challenges of modernisation and technological upgrade need of a diversified and talented work pool with least skill shortage becomes mandatory. The vast number of users and a huge group of stakeholders associated with industry demand critical efforts on skill up-gradation, skilling, up-skilling and re-skilling. Indian Railways like most of the rail systems has already started working towards it. This would not only help the rail industry address operational and project challenges but also would make it more attractive to potential future challenges and goals.

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Opportunity & Challenges in India’s First High-Speed Rail Project Overview The 534-km Rs 01 trillion MumbaiAhmedabad High-Speed Rail project that will operate trains with average speeds of 200-250kmph will be a game-changer in terms of interurban connectivity and establish India as a market for such technologies.

Japan, which has matured in evolving such technologies and is seeking opportunities for investments, is providing a loan that would cover 80% of the estimated project cost at 0.5% interest, with a 15-year moratorium followed by a 35-year payback period.

While it is of great value that the nation has both financial and technological support from Japan for building this line, multiple challenges need to be overcome, illustrated as under: 1. Issues Related to Route design (a) Detailed Alignment Choice: Detailed alignment choice is one of the major concerns, especially when it is overground, keeping in view land acquisition challenges versus providing access to the population along the corridor. If the alignment goes closer to urban growth areas to provide access, there would be issues of land acquisition, pulling down buildings, the possibility of destroying heritage structures etc. (b) Location of Stations: The location of stations is an important issue to be addressed. Various questions relating to whether the stations should be the city centre connecting existing railway stations, or in an adjacent station, or periphery of an urban node need to be answered judiciously.

The trade-offs are providing better access and connectivity versus costs due to land and structures. From a long-term point of view, being in the periphery of an urban node, apart from reducing costs, could help generate urban growth around the station and even in shifting the centre of gravity of the urban area. In the short run, however, traffic ramp-up will take time.

This would be required to be mitigated through excellent feeder services.

The specific location of the terminal station in Mumbai is still courting controversies. The Maharashtra government does not seem willing to give land in a major commercial growth node, as requested. Instead, the state government is suggesting that the station could be located in the land that belongs to the railways. This could have implications on the catchment at the Mumbai end. (c) Number of Stations: In general, for MAHSR, there would be a demand for more stations. While this will increase the

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Image Copyright : Japan railway

catchment, it could reduce the average speed due to a higher number of stops. One way around this would be to have different service categories like fast (stopping at all stations) and super-fast (only at major cities). It should be noted that the bigger catchment will be from the smaller cities that may not have access to airports. For example, while an AhmedabadMumbai passenger may still consider air a viable option, the high-speed train is a great boon for the Anand-Mumbai or Ahmedabad-Vapi passenger. Having stations with connectivity to airports like at Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Mumbai will increase catchment of long distance air passengers who could then connect to the cities in this corridor and vice-versa.

2. Evacuation facilitation: At each station, it would be important to have fast and multiple means of evacuation, to increase the catchment and propensity to travel. (a) To begin with, efficient bus services, as well as accessible parking lots for private vehicles, should be provided. (b) In Mumbai and Ahmedabad, where metros are under construction, it would be important to provide seamless metro connectivity. (c) At major stations, where passengers could move to other trains, the transfer must be seamless.

3. Land Acquisition: This is a critical issue, especially where the alignment would veer off from existing railway lands. The challenges can be best addressed by the line going over the ground, where the actual acquisition would be limited to the footprint of the pillars. Designs would be required to be developed in such a way that the footprint is minimised.

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ARTICLE Experience from land acquisition for transmission lines and metro corridors would come in handy.

4. Human Resource Development: It would be important to train a large number of Indian engineers and managers for design, construction and operations at standards that would be essential for high-speed rail, including for stringent safety standards. It would also be important to train Japanese senior management, who need to spend considerable time in India to train and oversee the required activity. The Japanese managers would need to be oriented towards Indian conditions and the prevalent professional culture. In recognition of this, as part of the project, a large training centre is being put up. Along the same lines, IIM Bangalore is setting up an India-Japan Study Center with the mission of improving India-Japan mutual understanding and complementary skill building in the domain of management including for infrastructure.

5. Future Expansion: It would be useful to have a perspective on how the expansion of this line would happen. Once the proof of concept of High-Speed Rail is established, there would be demands for expansion. In an earlier proposal, the line was actually to go beyond Mumbai to Pune, but was not found to be viable initially. Such visioning would be useful in bringing greater support from the government of Maharashtra.

Introduction In 2022, as India marks its 75th year of independence, Indians were expected to experience the thrill of a bullet train ride.

But the railway minister recently said that the likely date for Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed rail project has been pushed back by several years—to 2026, perhaps. The project is entangled in land acquisition battles and construction delays.

Crucially, by 2026, only a 50 km stretch between Surat and Bilimora in Gujarat—a mere 10% of the overall 508-km corridor— is expected to be up and running. Pilot runs would commence on this stretch, with the train clocking a speed of 300 km per hour; much faster than any train currently operational in India, but far slower than the global benchmark for high-speed trains.

Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) The plan for the MAHSR corridor was first set into motion in 2013.

In 2014, a study was commissioned, and the final report was submitted in July 2015 by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The Japanese government also agreed to fund the project via loans offered at concessional rates. The Union cabinet approved the project in December 2015. An agreement was signed with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The project was inaugurated in 2017 and was scheduled for its first run in 2022.

It is the first and only approved bullet train till now. It will connect Gujarat’s capital with India’s financial capital, Mumbai. It will pass through three districts in Maharashtra, eight in Gujarat and will cut through Dadra and Nagar Haveli. National High-Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) is the implementing agency of the project. So far, the NHSRCL has completed the final location survey and geotechnical investigation and has obtained the statutory clearances.

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Other High-Speed Rail Projects According to a report, the Union budget 2022-23 may announce a New Delhi to Varanasi high-speed rail corridor. A MumbaiNagpur corridor is also likely depending on the clarity with regard to funding. The NHSRCL is in the process of preparing detailed project reports for at least five more proposed corridors: Delhi - Ahmedabad, Delhi-Amritsar, Mumbai-Hyderabad, ChennaiMysore and Varanasi-Howrah.

Importance of High-Speed Rail Projects (HSR) After the Metro train projects, the bullet train project is considered as a second transport revolution. The reasons can be detailed as under : • Global Experience: The HSR has an economic multiplier effect. Since the introduction of the first Shinkansen in Japan in 1964, high-speed trains have proven to be an undeniable technological, commercial and popular success. Many countries like the UK, France, Germany, Spain, China and, most recently, the US have adopted the technology.

• Role of the trains in India’s development: In India, trains have played a significant role in shaping the growth of the domestic economy since the late-1800s. Currently, Indian Railways operates one of the largest rail networks in the world—transporting more than 22 million passengers a day and moving more than 1.2 billion tonnes of goods every year. The high-speed rail network, once in place, is expected to further catalyse India’s economic growth and act as a stimulus for the development of satellite towns.

• Improve India’s GDP: According to a study conducted by the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Hamburg in 2008, cities that are connected to HSR systems tend to witness a rise in their gross domestic product (GDP) by at least 2.7 percentage points compared to their neighbours that do not have an HSR station. The reason for the differential was improved market access with faster and more efficient commuting.

• Technological Revolution: The HSR corridor will pass via Thane creek in Mumbai, which is a protected sanctuary housing mangroves and a population of flamingos. In order to avoid disturbing this habitat, the rail corridor has been proposed to traverse through a 21 km tunnel, of which 7 km will be under the sea. Several new technologies are expected to be used for the first time in India to surmount this construction challenge.

Similarly, Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology will also be deployed for the first time in a railway project in India.

• Cleaner Transport Mode: According to the International Association of Railways (UIC), high-speed rail is eight times more energy-efficient than airplanes and four times more efficient than automobile use. It will also decrease greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.

The project is also expected to create a lots of employment opportunities, increase economic activity, boost productivity and improve mobility.

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Image Copyright : Japan railway

MAHSR : Various Challenges Challenges in Land Acquisition: Land acquisition has been completed in most stretches that fall within Gujarat and Dadra Nagar Haveli, especially after the Gujarat High Court dismissed a string of petitions filed by farmers. But the rail corporation is facing significant challenges in acquiring land in Maharashtra, especially in Palghar and Thane districts. In Palghar, the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 protects the Adivasi community’s access to land and resources as most of the land here belongs to tribal people and communities belonging to scheduled caste. Land acquisition, whether for a public or a private purpose, often requires prior community consent via the Gram Sabha. The villagers fear displacement and financial insecurity. An estimated 14,884 households stand to lose their land and over 37,000 trees are slated to be cut down.

Significant engineering Challenges: NHSRCL also has to tackle significant engineering challenges, particularly in the final leg of the corridor, which will enter Mumbai from under the sea.

challenges even if it is privatised.

• A project report by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad estimates that at least 1 lakh passengers at fares approximately Rs. 1,500 per 300 km would be required daily for the project to make investments even. Considering the low airfares in India, it is challenging.

• The estimated cost of MAHSR is Rs. 1.1 lakh crore, which is massively expensive. Though India receives funding from Japan (81%), the power demand and up-gradation of existing infrastructure will be more costly. Hence, India cannot afford such enormous public expenditure now, especially when India is facing the Omicron threat.

Steps required for speedy implementation of HSR projects in India 1. The government has to understand that the water-forest-land is an asset for the Adivasi community, it is their identity and culture. Hence, the policymakers and administration should give priority to systematic, sustainable development work.

Other Challenges:

2. State governments need to be actively involved in the land acquisition process to get clearances faster.

• With the advent of new technologies like Hyperloop Transportation Technologies , which proposes making travel as fast as 760 miles per hour, investing a humongous capital on bullet trains seems like an outdated investment.

3. Ideally, the Central government should complete the impediments of the MAHSR before announcing any other bullet train projects. This can help prevent of diversion of attention and resources, which usually slow things down.

• The Indian Railways is in a worrying state. There is a need to strengthen the present infrastructure of the railways. At this time, the operation and maintenance of HSR will pose many

4. The government has to push for technology transfer of HSR. This is because there is no mention of the transfer of technology anywhere in the agreement.

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ARTICLE The HSR projects will revitalise India’s smaller towns and cities by opening up avenues for mixed land use, tourism and business opportunities.

Though India is ready for bullet trains, land acquisition policies and others are not ready to welcome the development.

Hence, India needs to reform those policies that hinder the HSR projects.

Summary & Conclusion Since the introduction of first Shinkansen in Japan in 1964, high-speed trains have proven to be an undeniable technological, commercial and popular success. Many countries since then have adopted the technology and invested in what today has become a vast network of high-speed rail lines. Most notable among them being countries like U.K, France, Germany, Spain, China and most recently U.S.A, Australia and South Africa among others. In India after a long wait of more than seven decades post-independence, the 508 km long first MumbaiAhmedabad High Speed Rail project is still underway, there are countries that have in the past adopted HSR and are now in the process of expansion because its efficiency resulted in a positive long-term spillover effect in the regions served by it.

Though, the opinion-makers may question the suitability of developing an expensive infrastructure such as HSR at a time when the world economy is unstable. But the silver lining is that by focusing on developing a project like this right now can reap long term socio-economic benefits that in turn can elevate India’s position as a stable and sustainable economic power in the times to come.

Below mentioned are some of the economic benefits India’s Bullet Train project can generate and with an overall impact on its people.

The long-term economic impact of the HSR project It has been observed globally that countries or cities that have HSR network are more competitive and are better positioned to attract tourism, businesses, jobs, and skilled workforce.

Countries like Japan, Germany, France, UK, South Korea, USA and Russia that have successfully adapted the HSR technology and have seen an upsurge in their economic status. As a developing economy, India’s chances of matching up to these bigger economies can get a boost with the completion of Bullet Train project as it will not only put India at a higher pedestal of technology & connectivity but also open doors for more foreign investment, development of new businesses and enhanced lifestyle for many.

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Image Copyright : Japan railway

1. Travel Time: HSR world over have proven to be a great time saver. Because they are reliable and promise faster and efficient transportation of passengers, it helps them save time, energy and money. With the completion of the MAHSR project, the travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be brought down to under 02 hours, which otherwise by road is around 8-9 hrs (depending on the traffic situation) and by plane is 4-5 hrs (including time taken to reach the airport from the destination, check-in, boarding, total flight & landing time) right now. People who often commute between these two states for business or work purpose can this way reach their destination much faster, carry out their work and even return to their hometown in much lesser time and at lower cost. To top it, they can save some energy for the next day’s grind as well- all in a days’ time.

Being stuck in traffic for longer hours adds stress to daily life that often leads to lower productivity. With ease of connectivity that the HSR project offers, people working along the belt of the corridor can take a sigh of relief. Also, the money saved here can be pumped back in the businesses, which can in turn help boost the economic prospects of not just individuals but also that of the country’s overall economy.

2. Free from weather constraints: In India, during monsoons water logging leads to traffic congestion and road blockages everywhere and being stranded on the road for hours becomes a norm. With people spending most of the time stranded on the roads, not being able to reach their destination on time, flight cancellations, train delays, meetings getting cancelled and other chaos especially in big metropolitan cities like Mumbai.

All this leads to a loss of a lot of money not just for individuals or businesses but to overall economy as well.

Bullet train although, may not be the ultimate solution to dealing with the monsoon situation in the country and nor does it promise to provide answer to commute woes during monsoon but since it can operate in all weather conditions, it can indeed

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ARTICLE provide some relief in the traffic congestion situations during not just monsoon but any other weather problem like hail, storm etc.

HSRs generally, are not subject to road congestions so they operate on schedule every day without delay- especially during peak travel time or rush hours. A strong case for this has been built by Japanese Bullets Trains, which are globally known for their punctuality and known to run efficiently during all seasons. Such is the reputation of the trains that when a delay happens even by a matter of seconds, it makes for national headlines and apologies to the passengers are issued. It does help that the technology being used to lay the tracks, designing of the train and other matters related to its operations is worldclass. Confidence can be drawn from the fact that a similar operational & management efficiency is expected in India with the completion of the project since it’s the same Japanese technology that will form the base of country’s first Bullet Train project. With more and more people reaching their destinations on time and without any hassle, it will become another reason for enhanced productivity at work and money being pumped in the economy.

3. Economically viable and beneficial in long Run: Not just people, but even cities along the line of the corridor are expected to have greater connectivity and experience a jump in their socio-economic status. All the 12 stations of the project -- BKC, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati – are expected to gain big time with the completion of the project. HSR projects in various countries has successfully spurred the revitalisation of smaller towns and cities and bridged the gap between metropolitan and tier 1, 2 and 3 cities by opening up avenues of not just commute but also of mixed land use, employment, tourism and business.

Here are some benefits of making inroads in smaller towns with Bullet train and how it can foster economic development in smaller cities and towns along the project route: An HSR project like Bullet train can link cities together into an integrated region that can then function as a single stronger economy. For example; Vapi is famous as the city of chemicals.

As the largest industrial area in Gujarat in terms of small scale industries, the kind of impact it can make to the economy of not just Gujarat but that of the country can be imagined if it has better connectivity to a financial hub like that of Mumbai. Faster connectivity between the two cities using the HSR can give a jump to the demand for the products being produced in Vapi, which can lead to a positive effect on the entire production chain. With the similar model replicated for all the other cities along the length of the HSR project corridor, one can expect nothing but a great deal of economic surge in the country.

Greater need for production means increased need for labour and other workforce. An HSR project can have a direct as well indirect impact on the labour market as well. Direct impact can be seen from the skilled workforce that would be required immediately for the work related to the project.

According to an estimate, the bullet train project is expected to create 4,000 direct job opportunities, along with 35000 to 40000 indirect jobs. Approximately, 40,000 construction workers are also expected to be employed during the set up

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period of Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train. MAHSR will also give rise to the tourism industry along the corridor. Be it Upvan Lake in Thane, Arnala Fort in Virar, Wilson hills in Vapi or Gira Falls in Bilimora, the corridor is filled with numerous tourist attractions.

It also includes historical sites like Pavagadh Fort (Anand), Surat Castle (Surat), Lakshmi Vilas Palace (Vadodara) among many others. Places like Dang Darbar in Bilimora, Dashashwamedh Ghat in Bharuch, Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati will make popele witness the true culture of these places. Advent of Bullet Train will catapult the tourism sector of this area resulting in giving boost to the hospitality industry as well.

Moreover, the HSR Stations will also act as destination spots and will enhance the economic activities. From mixed use realestate development to hospitality & tourism and from needing labour in big and small industries that will eventually come up in the area to the need for engineers, architects, designers, manufacturers, skill development & training, logistics, marketers etc. It will also offer workers a wider network of employers to choose from. Surge in jobs would mean more influx of money which in a way can help the economy at both state and country level to grow as well. For someone running businesses in both Mumbai & Ahmedabad, HSR project will not only make travelling between the two cities easy but also cut on the cost and time that they’d incur while travelling through roadways or airways.

Seating Arrangement in High Speed Rail

4. Promoting Skill Development: For any country to climb up the ladder of social & economic prosperity, its human resource can be a critical and essential determinant. Low skills perpetuate poverty and inequality whereas skill development can reduce unemployment, raise income and overall improve the standard of living of people and communities. Therefore, a project like the Bullet Train India makes a lot of economic sense as it is not only going to open up doors for employment generation but also skill development for the existing as well as potential workforce.

With new innovative projects and technologies coming into the country, a lot of potential for the young workers to upgrade their skills, learn newer ways of working and have

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ARTICLE a critical scaffolding can be envisaged that can help them move ahead in their careers and plan for a better future for themselves and their families.

For the Bullet Train project in particular, both India and Japan is going to play a major role in helping train the employed workforce of the project to develop skills that make more economic sense. As part of the transfer of technology, employees will be sent to Japan as well as be trained here in the country.

Since, the technology used for the project is coming from Japan, gaining mastery of the tools, technology, material and systems will help the workforce to adapt effectively to higher global demands going forward. It will increase their prospect to stay relevant in the constantly changing landscape of technology and have access to better and improved systems and procedures which when applied to any field can yield benefits.

Along with this, in order to establish smooth operations of MAHSR and to generate a work force that is effective& equipped with high level of knowledge, NHSRCL is developing a world-class HSR Training Institute in Vadodara, Gujarat. At its completion, the institute is expected to become the hub of knowledge, technology for skilled engineers and operators who will be at the core of delivering excellent service quality. The HSR Training Institute will be imparting training through customised training programs for fields as diverse as Construction, Project Implementation & Management, Operations, Maintenance, and Customer Care among others.

5. Self Reliance, Make in India: Another interesting aspect of the project is giving thrust to the ‘Make In India’ initiative.

The amalgamation of Japan’s technology and India’s expertise in creating world-class parts can prove to be a boon for the project. As part of Transfer of Technology (ToT) aspect of the project, for the parts that are to be made in India, Japan will share their blueprints and methodology behind their creation with their Indian counterparts. Further then, India, under the ‘Make in India’ scheme, will then replicate and recreate these elements related to the project as per the terms of the plan.

It is through the promotion of these two drivers that India will set up manufacturing facilities in the country, generate new jobs, upgrade the skills of its existing workforce, give a boost to allied industries (steel, cement, electrical components & infrastructure etc.) and get a toehold on the new and upcoming technologies being used by Japan. While the technical prowess will be brought in from Japan, Indian companies will play a major role in India-level requirements such as creation of parts as well as fitting the tracks when complete. Target items for ‘Make In India’ & ‘Transfer of Technology’ mainly include in the field for Track Works, Electrical Work, Civil Works. The various sectors in India that would be directly benefitted are : •

OHE Steel Mast

•

Rail Turnover Prevention Device

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•

Embedded Inserts

•

Cement Asphalt Mortar (CAM)

6. Boom in Real Estate: A project like Bullet train needs support of an equally world-class infrastructure. With the increase in passenger movement along the length of the project corridor, it is but given that other big small real-estate projects like schools, townships, commercial hubs, industrial buildings, independent houses, big and small retail and commercial shops, office complexes, entertainment hubs, Hospitality (highways, railway sheds etc). will also come up. With so much of economic activity happening around these towns, a boom in the real-estate market of these areas cannot be underestimated. No doubt, there will be plenty of development opportunities along the 508 km route of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project.

With more people coming and staying in areas near HSR a boost in business of ancillary industries and other amenities in the mix like malls, shops, hospitals, educational institutes, hostels, hotels, restaurants etc., will also have to be developed.

This again leads to a better economic prospect for the country.

7. Social leveller: The HSR development overall will bring in positive results for those involved in the process directly or indirectly. Right from project beneficiaries to those who will be providing construction or any other kind of support, improved standards of living await on the upside. Improvement and better opportunities for livelihood is at the center of the planning of the HSR project, therefore, one can expect a more efficient economy going forward. For those who have given up their personal land for the project, an upliftment from their previous lifestyle beckons. With more money flowing in the family, they can provide better education to their children and increase their prospect of a prosperous life ahead.

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JOBS

Business Opportunities & Challenges in Station Redevelopment and Commercial Development of Railway Land

Overview Indian Railways initially plans to redevelop 400 stations across 100 cities with approximately 2,700 acres of encroachment free land available for commercial development in multiple phases.

The program has an outlay of over INR 01 Lakh crore. The successful execution of a program of this scale requires detailed execution roadmap, learning from global and comparable programs, proper organisation and governance structure, new and suitable capabilities, robust analysis and modelling, funding, and continuous interaction with large number of stakeholders.

While the program will continue to evolve and incorporate innovations and feedback, the first set of stations are already in the public domain for bidding. The multiple facets of station development initiative and to lay out the current and potential thinking about this program for all interested participants and stakeholders is detailed under which covers an introduction to the program, learnings from other parts of the world, various modes of station development being deployed by the Indian Railways, program details of the first set of stations available for bidding under PPP (Public Private Partnership) and learning on PPP opportunities, challenges and key imperatives to make this program a successful one.

The highlight of various aspects of Station Redevelopment Program in India is as under: • Many Railway systems across the world have or are trying to redevelop and transform Railway stations. In addition to the passenger experience, redeveloped stations also contribute to the revenue. Ancillary revenues contribute up to 20 percent of the total revenues in many Railways systems.

• The Indian Railways is taking many paths to achieve the station redevelopment goal. These include a modified form of Swiss challenge model (PPP), PPP through traditional model, collaboration with state governments, G2G arrangement, and collaboration with PSUs, Ministry of Defence (MoD), Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), other ministries and agencies.

Modified Swiss Challenge model is the selected mode for the first set of 23 stations, which have approximately 140 acres of commercial land available and more than 3.3 million footfalls daily. In addition, IRSDC (Indian Railway Station Development Corporation Limited) is redeveloping another 12 stations through traditional PPP and EPC (Engineering Procurement Construction) models.

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• PPP programs and the challenges encompassing them have been studied in the past. The Indian Railways is pursuing PPP at a large scale through this program. This report highlights perspectives on making PPP work by highlighting learnings from many programs.

• Successful execution of the station redevelopment program needs well-defined organisation structure, capability building, funding, O&M (Operations and Maintenance) plan, fine-tuned revenues and cost models, policy and phasing of stations proposed under redevelopment.

• Each stakeholder is important in such a program and knowing their point of view can be helpful for right design and successful execution.

Introduction The Indian Railways is one of the largest railway systems in the world and continues to be one of the main vehicles for the socio-economic development of the country. According to an article by Press Information Bureau of Government of India, a rail system is six times more energy-efficient and four times more economical than a road system. Rail construction costs are approximately six times lower than road construction costs for comparable levels of traffic.

The Indian Railways accounts for approximately one percent of the Gross National Product (GNP) of India and is the backbone of freight needs of the core sector. It also provides six percent of the total employment in the organised sector directly and an additional 2.5 percent indirectly.

The Indian Railways has achieved impressive business in both freight and passenger traffic. However, Indian economy is witnessing many changes like evolving government policies to push for renewable energy, new economic activities requiring shorter and responsive supply chains, and increased development in transportation across various sectors such as aviation, roads and shipping. Massive investments are now required to expand Railway infrastructure and make the Indian Railways a modern transportation vehicle to remain relevant in this changing landscape. Investments are required across all elements, including capacity augmentation, debottlenecking, safety measures and passenger amenities. Capital and capabilities to manage many of these investments and projects are scarce. In this context, projects like redevelopment of Railway stations are unique. They provide an opportunity under www.metrorailnews.in

ARTICLE PPP that leverages private capital and capabilities and provides good returns to Railways and develop one of their core assets— Railway stations.

Emerging Challenges

Commercial Development Opportunity & Challenges

The setting up of RLDA and IRSDC has brought about fresh thinking, innovation and market-driven concepts into the ageold railways. Nevertheless, many challenges persist and need urgent attention.

of

Railway

Land:

Business

India has a long history of development of railways. Over the past 180 years, a huge network of rail lines and stations have been developed. Rail networks were brought into the centre of cities, and as a result, the city centres further got intensified and cities spread outward. Over the decades, rail stations emerged as significant urban nodes with commercial developments all around, attracting heavy traffic congestion and strained infrastructure. Even so, these centrally located areas, owing to their intrinsic characteristics, have also become expensive locations. Large tracts of land acquired by the railways in the yesteryears for operational, residential and other purposes have now become prime real estate. Buildings have either become obsolete, derelict or even abandoned. Currently, Indian railways has a portfolio of around 43,000 hectares of land and is perhaps the largest land holder in the country.

Rail Land Redevelopment The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) was set up in 2007 for the development of vacant railway land for commercial use for the purpose of generating revenue by non-tariff measures.

Land which is not required for operational purposes in the foreseeable future were identified by the zonal railways and the details advised to the Railway Board. Such plots of land then were handed over to the RLDA by the Railway Board in phases for commercial development. The first batch of 13 sites was entrusted to the RLDA for commercial development by the Ministry of Railways in February 2007. Till date, around 100 plots of land have been entrusted to the RLDA by the ministry.

A variety of commercially viable mechanisms, including publicprivate partnerships, would be employed by the RLDA to get these lands developed on commercial lines so as to generate maximum revenue. While the city gets more built space and old/ outdated properties get redeveloped, the railways would be in a position to increase their internal revenue generation for deployment in other operational areas. A win-win for several stakeholders is envisaged.

Rail Station Redevelopment While on the one hand, an initiative has been taken to utilise the vacant lands/ redevelop lands where dilapidated buildings exist, the rail stations themselves are also in for a major revamp. The Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) was set up in 2012 with the objective of developing/ redeveloping the existing/ new railway station(s) including upgrading passenger amenities by new constructions/ renovations and redevelopment of the station buildings, platform surfaces, circulating area, etc, to better standards for serving the need of the passengers. A total of 12 projects have already been initiated up by the IRSDC. An international design competition has also been floated recently for the stations of Gwalior, Nagpur and Bengaluru (Byappanahalli). Further, an ideas competition called SRIJAN (Station Rejuvenation Initiative by Joint Action) for 635 railway stations has also been initiated.

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• Rail Station Heritage: While railway quarters and other buildings surrounding railway stations are either in an abandoned state or dilapidated and ready for redevelopment, many stations themselves are pieces of valuable architectural heritage which merit conservation. In fact, as per the Heritage Inventory of the Indian Railways, there are over 70 buildings/ stations of the railways in the heritage category. It is a good idea to modernise the physical infrastructure of the railway stations and provide for more space and better amenities, but at the same time, there is an urgent need to also conserve the heritage buildings and precincts. The challenge is not mere restoration but long-term maintenance of these as also to integrate new buildings and facilities with the old.

• Informal Sector in the Precincts: Almost all railway station precincts are highly crowded, congested and intensely developed. Invariably, the stations attract huge numbers of daily wage labourers, poor migrants, informal sector vendors and a wide variety of transportation modes. Frustrating traffic snarls around railway stations are a common occurrence.

Railway stations are generators of huge economic momentum and have many forward and backward economic linkages.

Tackling the livelihoods of the poor population living off the railway stations is a major challenge to be addressed. This can neither be simply wished away nor wiped away.

• Surrounding Infrastructure Plug-in: Seamless entry and exit of freight, passengers and a wide variety of vehicles are essential for the success of the functional performance of railway stations.

Further, with redevelopment, the surrounding densities are bound to rise manifold. Rail land development/redevelopment, as well as station development/redevelopment, calls for a careful plug-in and integration of people, vehicles, and land uses. In many cases, the conflicts between motorised and nonmotorised modes of transport cause a spiral of problems; the mix of buses, taxis, tempos, cars, scooters, rickshaws, carts, cycles and pedestrians all go to create a complex web. Also, integration of the local metro train, the local (suburban) train and the long-distance train is also a challenge. Long-term and short-term parking and drop-offs are also another part of the problem that needs resolution.

• Real estate Industry Issues: For a variety of reasons, the real estate industry in the country has been in the doldrums for a long. The enactment of the Real Estate Regulatory Act and the introduction of the GST regime is yet to bring about the transparency required in operations fully. Added is the highrisk weightage attached to the real estate industry for raising capital. Further, the Railway’s policy to only lease out the property and not to sell out on a freehold ownership basis has its own implications.

• Approval Glitches: The system of approvals for real estate projects in the country is quite a maze. Lack of clarity, delays,

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ARTICLE going around from pillar to post to various departments, and lack of certainty makes the entire process cumbersome and can easily throw the financials into a quandary. ‘Ease of Doing Business’ has to improve further.

• Market viability beyond Arithmetic: It is good to undertake financial market viability studies and assessments in advance.

However, the market reality could always be different as real estate markets are known to be defiant, particularly in recent times. When markets do not respond to the offerings the way they were envisaged, the spiral of delays, overruns and financial upset can take place. Therefore, while the initial arithmetic can be fine, the reality could be risky.

• Personnel Issues: The RLDA and IRSDC initiatives of the Government of India can be seen as bold and disruptive policy departures. The implementation calls for marketsavvy commercial approaches and not the conservative and conventional bureaucratic mindset. Running these organisations with conventional railway staff on deputation for a short period would not take them far. Appropriate personnel and compensation packages need to be developed to attract and retain the right kind of technical, financial and managerial drivers to steer the organisations towards their desired goals.

• Towards Smart Urban Rail Nodes, need for Integration: Rail lands and stations are an integral part of the city. There is a strong interdependence and correlation between the city systems and the rail properties. They have historically so far been working mostly in isolation of each other and, therefore, remotely connected. Further, redevelopment has to be seen beyond architecture and urban planning. There is also a need for integration of policies across ministries; railways, urban affairs, tourism, culture, commerce and finance. There is enormous economic potential in the development of smart urban rail nodes which can contribute to employment, civic development, urban aesthetics, municipal health and wealth creation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to integrate policies, institutions, professions and instruments so as to tap this potential for wholesome national development.

Digital Solutions in Station Redevelopment For smooth passenger flow, different types of traffic simulations can identify potential hotspots of pedestrian congestion at stations. Hence, the effective planning of space including location of retail centers can be done using such simulations enhancing the customer experience. As for safety, data analytics and artificial intelligence can be used to make stations more secure along with integrated security systems.

Digital solutions can also be used to enhance the passenger experience. Currently, most of the digital solutions are limited to travel planning and booking stages. Another important element is to develop sustainable infrastructure. The infrastructure design should adhere to the green building concepts, which imply alternate sources such as solar should be used for power and heating purposes. Energy-efficient lights, waterless urinals and use of biodegradable material are few features of green buildings that can be deployed at stations.

Digital Features

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The Leela Gandhinagar is built over the revamped Gandhinagar Capital railway station.

The new digital features used in station redevelopment can be stated as under: • Station Information & Navigation App for railway stations to get F&B, retail, parking and other station information.

• Integration of digital screens embedded in train windows for work and entertainment.

• Kiosk for ticket booking/status check.

• Digital ticket checking machines.

• Digital platform for onboard food and beverage order.

• Tourist information App. • Information on connecting public transport.

Summary & Conclusion One of the most ambitious and visible programs launched by Government of India and Ministry of Railways is redevelopment of Railway stations through PPP model. This would be done by exploiting the commercial development of spare Railways land and ploughing back the surplus for redevelopment of stations.

The behemoth station redevelopment plan has an outlay of more than INR 1 lakh crore, offering opportunities to private sector players, both Indian and Foreign, to participate through various public-private partnership modes and to various government agencies. Overall, Indian Railways has more than 8,000 stations, many of which it intends to redevelop to better standards and passenger’s facilities. Currently, the stations are classified into seven categories based on annual earnings from passenger traffic. Of these, around 400 railway stations are classified as A1 and A category stations where passenger earnings are high due to their location in metros, important tourist destinations, and pilgrimage centers. Hence, they are prioritised for redevelopment. The Railway Board has created a database for these 400 stations and has made it available on its website.

Real estate available at Railways stations for one of the stations, is a key asset that the Railways plans to leverage to fund this

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ARTICLE journey. The 400 Railway stations, across 100 top cities of India, will be offering approximately 2,700 acres of prime encroachment free land for commercial development along with the Railway stations development.

In addition to A1 and A stations, Indian Railways has many other significant station assets. Prime among these stations are those located on commuter routes in metros. Railway stations like Churchgate and Chanakyapuri stations can offer once in a lifetime redevelopment opportunity. While the focus of this report is largely on A1 and A category stations as they have been initiated first in the program, Indian Railways intends to move comprehensively on all other stations through appropriate models.

Station Redevelopment in Multiple Phases The Indian Railways plans to roll out the redevelopment program for these 400 stations in multiple phases, with 23 stations in the first phase, about 50 stations in the second phase and remaining stations subsequently.

The Indian Railways has set up the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) as a specialised agency to anchor some of the redevelopment projects through EPC or PPP mode. The IRSDC is developing 12 stations through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and through EPC models. The Indian Railways intend to speed up redevelopment projects for the 400 A1 and A category stations and involves multiple agencies, including all Zonal Railways. As announced in Rail Budget 2015-16, the stations will be opened for redevelopment on ‘as is where is’ basis.

(i) Encroachment-free land with clear titles (ii) Hundred percent FDI allowed (iii) Forty-five years lease period (iv) Bidding by consortium allowed (v) Transparent and objective selection process Key Elements of Station Redevelopment • Below mentioned are 12- Key elements of a successful station redevelopment program: • Safe and secure passenger movement • Cleanliness and hygiene • Ease of access to stations • Customer experience – Holistic customer service, comfort and safety • Commercialisation – Revenues from NF and RE • Character of the city – Welcoming gateway to the city • Digital solution • Green sustainable infrastructure • Passenger communication • Smooth passenger flow • Individual and organisation capability development • Stakeholder Management (e.g local authorities)

Leasing of Land The Indian Railways intends to lease out spare Railways land for a period of up to 45 years to private entities for commercial development and use the surplus generated to modernise and maintain the railway stations.

This will have dual benefits: New and modern amenities will be provided at railway stations, and world-class infrastructure will be developed in the vicinity of these stations. Some of the amenities envisaged include segregating arriving and departure streams of passengers, surface or basement parking, seamless accessibility for the specially abled, swipe ticket entry machines, well-lit circulating area, clean and modern washrooms, free and paid Wi-Fi options, pharmacy, ATMs, CCTV with integrated security system, medical facilities or standby ambulances, LED lights, ramps for differently abled, tourist information and facilitation center, F&B and entertainment facilities, hotels, lounges and conference facili- ties along with basic amenities.

The Indian Railways is also taking various steps like appointment of nodal officers with dedicated teams in each zone and partner- ships with state governments for expedited clearances to ensure timely and hassle-free implementation of the program. All these steps should encourage the private sector to participate in the program enthusiastically.

Salient Features of Station Redevelopment Program in India

Conclusion Indian Railways is going through a transformational change.

Some of the major benefits and opportunities related with Station Redevelopment program can be concluded as: (i) Investment in stations development need to be undertaken in a planned and integrated manner. This is because it takes time to develop the overall assets. (ii) Customer interest has to be kept foremost in any design and redevelopment. (iii) If done well, Railway stations can become an iconic landmark of the city. (iv) Use of technology is both an imperative and an opportunity. (v) PPP is successful for assets which have high commercial viability.

••• www.metrorailnews.in

METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

63

EVENT

Metro & Railway Job Openings

S. No.

Organisation

Descrip on

Last Date

· Chief Engineer / Chief Engineers /

1.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL)

Advisors (Retired) – 04 Posts · Assistant Manager (Property

21/02/2022

Development) – 06 Posts

· Senior Section Engineer (Traction,

2.

Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MAHA Metro)

Power Controller) – 01 Post · Junior Engineer (Electrical) – 04 Post · Junior Engineer (Signal and

14/02/2022

Telecom) – 04 Post · Junior Engineer (Mechanical) – 01 Post

3.

64

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL)

METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

· General Manager (Finance and Accounts)- 01 Post

17/03/2022

www.metrorailnews.in

EVENT

Metro and Railway Industry Events Calender Dates

Event Name

Venue

Mar. 23-25, 2022

7th Smart Cities India 2021 Expo

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India

April 27 & 30, 2022

Short Course on Tunnelling

April 28-30, 2022

InnoMetro 2022

Virtual

May 11-12, 2022

Asia Pacific Rail 2021

BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand.

31st May-02nd June 2022

28th International Exhibition for Track Technology (iaf)

Münster

June. 1-2, 2022

Geo Connect Asia 2020

Singapore

June 2-3, 2022

7th Smart Ticketing & Digital Services Forum

Virtual

June 21-23, 2022

RailTech Europe 2021

Digital event

June 22 nd -23rd, 2022

Rail Live 2022

Quinton Rail Technology Centre, Warwickshire, UK

July 7 2022

ROLLING STOCK NETWORKING

Derby Velodrome

Sep. 20-23, 2022

InnoTrans 2020

Berlin, Germany

Oct 24-26, 2022

Smart Transit USA

Denver, US

Nov 08-Nov 10, 2022

Intermodal Europe 2021

RAI AMSTERDAM

June 04 - 07, 2023

UITP Global Public Transport Summit

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Sep 05-06, 2023

8th Railway Forum

Berlin, Germany

www.metrorailnews.in

Le Méridien , New Delhi

METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

65

TENDER LIVE Metro Rail TENDER DETAILS

LOCATION

VALUE

DEADLINE

Supply , Installation, Testing, Commissioning And Training Of Electrical ,Fire Protection And Vac Works For 18 Elevated Stations From Power House Station To Poonamallee Bypass Station Including Viaduct Between The Stations (Ch 10027.102 To Ch 25928.186), Approach Ramp, Including Poonamallee Depot For Corridor 4 Of Chennai Metro Rail Project Phase-Ii

West Bengal, India

Refer Document

05-04-2022

Design, Supply, Installation, Testing And Commissioning Of Two Sets Of Fully Automatic Train Wash Plant For Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-I

Gujarat, India

Refer Document

26-03-2022

Construction Of 7.553 Kms Elevated Viaduct And 7 Nos. Of Stations (Incl. E&M, Architectural Finishing, Roofing, Plumbing, Signage, Etc.) From Sector-1 To Mahatma Mandir (Ch. 31945.443m To 39498.302m, Package C3) In Connection With Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project, Phase-2

Gujarat, India

Refer Document

24-03-2022

Procuring Services For Social Media Related Activities And Creation And Publication Of Creative For Bhopal Metro Rail Project And Indore Metro Rail Project

Gujarat, India

INR 89.38 Lacs

22-03-2022

E-Tendering For “Design, Supply, Installation, Testing And Commissioning Of Two Sets Of Fully Automatic Train Wash Plant For Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-I”

Gujarat, India

INR 3.84 CR.

16-03-2022

Through G.R Pad Renewal In Between Kmuk And Kkvs Station In Up & Dn Line Of Metro Railway ,

West Bengal, India

INR 1.68 CR.

16-03-2022

Improvement Of Ballasted Track And Blt On Up & Dn Line From Km16/18 To Km16/06 Including Points &Crossings Along With Improvement Of Drainage System In Connection With Removal Of "Psr" Under Sse/Pway/O&M/South Of Metro Railway Kolkata

West Bengal, India

INR 1.04 CR.

16-03-2022

Through Fittings Renewal In Sharp Curves Of 4 Degree & Above (Cibp Of Only Inner Rail Of Curves) In Between Kmuk And Kkvs Station In Up & Dn Line Of Metro Railway.

West Bengal, India

INR 1.04 CR.

16-03-2022

“Design, Supply Installation Testing & Commissioning Of Two Sets Of Fully Automatic Train Wash Plant For Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-I.

Gujarat, India

Refer Document

Refer Document

“Design, Supply Installation Testing & Commissioning Of Two Sets Of Fully Automatic Train Wash Plant For Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-I.

Gujarat, India

Refer Document

Refer Document

Construction Of 10.559 Km Elevated Viaduct And 11 Nos. Stations (Excl. E&M, Architectural Finishing And Roofing) From Bheshan Dead End (Ch. -949.63m) To Majura Gate Station (Ch. 9090m) Including Viaduct Ramp To Depot Entry Near Bheshan For Surat Metro Rail Project Phase – 1, Corridor-2 (Package 1)

Gujarat, India

Refer Document

14-03-2022

E-Tendering For “Design, Manufacture, Supply, Installation, Testing And Commissioning Of Two Numbers Each Of Electric Bogie Tractors, Electric Shunter And Battery Powered Shunting Locomotive For Surat Metro Rail Project” As Lot I And Lot Ii*

Gujarat, India

Refer Document

14-03-2022

Design, Manufacture, Supply, Installation, Testing And Commissioning Of Two Numbers Each Of Electric Bogie Tractors, Electric Shunter And Battery Powered Shunting Locomotive For Surat Metro Rail Project

Gujarat, India

INR 14.80 CR.

14-03-2022

Construction Of 10.559 Km Elevated Viaduct And 11 Nos. Stations (Excl. E&M, Architectural Finishing And Roofing) From Bheshan Dead End (Ch. -949.63 M) To Majura Gate Station (Ch. 9090m) Including Viaduct Ramp To Depot Entry Near Bheshan For Surat Metro Rail Project Phase – 1, Corridor-2 (Package 1).

Gujarat, India

INR 14.80 CR.

14-03-2022

66

METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

www.metrorailnews.in

TENDER LIVE Metro Rail TENDER DETAILS

LOCATION

VALUE

DEADLINE

Design, Manufacture, Supply, Installation, Testing And Commissioning Of Two Numbers Each Of Electric Bogie Tractors, Electric Shunter And Battery Powered Shunting Locomotive For Surat Metro Rail Project”

Multi Location

Refer Document

Refer Document

Supply Of Standardisation Of Guard Rail In Dum Dum Tollygunge Section Of Metro Railway, Kolkata. Taking Out Existing Guard Rail Posts Of Different Rail Sections Erected On Base Plate Fixed On Blt By Holding Down Bolts And Nuts Including Removal Of Base Plate And Holding Down Bolts And Nuts Etc. By All Contractor's Labour, Tools And Plants, Materials, Machineries Etc. Complete In All Respects. The Rate Also Includes Loading, Unloading, Transportation By Trolley Or Any Other Means With All Ascen.....

West Bengal, India

INR 6.83 CR.

08-03-2022

Replacement Of Cast Iron Spigoted Socketed (Ciss) By Cast Iron Double Flanged (Cidf) Pipeline From Noaparacarshed To Central (Upto Km 7/14), Metro Railway, Kolkata

West Bengal, India

INR 2.18 CR

08-03-2022

Tr-02/2022 For Construction Of 132kv Dcds Overhead / Underground Transmission Line From 220kv S/S Indore-Ii (Jaitpura) To Rss Isbt/Mr-10 For Power Supply To Metro Rail Project At Indore Including Design Of Monopoles (Turnkey Work On Sor Rate)

Madhya Pradesh, India

Refer Document

07-03-2022

Development/Improvement Of Non-Motorised Transport (Nmt) Initiatives And Station Oriented Developments Of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. Including Junction Improvements In Stretch From Aluva To Vadakekkotta (Epc Mode Package -Ii)

Kerala, India

Refer Document

07-03-2022

Design, Supply, Installation, Testing And Commissioning Of Ballastless Track From Motera To Mahatma Mandir And Gnlu To Gift City In Elevated Section Including Connecting Lines To Depot Along With Ballasted/ Ballastless / Embedded Standard Gauge Track, Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project, Phase Ii

Gujarat, India

Refer Document

05-03-2022

Contract For “Design, Supply, Installation, Testing And Commissioning Of Ballastless Track From Motera To Mahatma Mandir And Gnlu To Gift City In Elevated Section Including Connecting Lines To Depot Along With Ballasted/ Ballastless / Embedded Standard Gauge Track, Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project, Phase Ii”

Multi Location

Refer Document

05-03-2022

Annual Contract For Modern Communication Stations And Website Maintenance For Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited.

Maharashtra, India

Refer Document

04-03-2022

Annual Contract For Modern Communication Stations And Website Maintenance For Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited.

Maharashtra, India

Refer Document

Refer Document

Supply, Intallation, Commissioning Of Ips System For 4 Line As Per Rdso Drawing & Rdso Spec.No. Rdso/Spn/165/2012 Ver.3.0 Or Latest And Modules As Per Metro Railway Drawing No. Cste/M.Rly/Misc./001/15, With 200ah Vrla Battery Set As Per Drawing.

West Bengal, India

Refer Document

01-03-2022

Design, Supply, Installation, Testing And Commissioning Of Ballastless Track From Sarthana To Dream City In Elevated And Underground Sections Including Connecting Lines To Depot Along With Ballasted / Ballastless / Embedded Standard Gauge Track For Corridor-I, Surat Metro Rail Project, Phase 1

Gujarat, India

Refer Document

28-02-2022

Execution Of Aluminothermic (Skv) Welding Of Rail Joints With Other Ancillary Works From Km(- )01/04 To Km 07/14 (Up & Dn Line) Between Dum Dum And Central Station Inside Rts Box Tunnel And Elevated Portion Of Metro Railway, Kolkata.

Multi Location

INR 1.78 CR.

28-02-2022

West Bengal, India

INR 2.52 CR.

28-02-2022

Improvement Of Points & Crossings On Blt By Converting Existing M7 Assembly To M1a Assembly For 1 In 10 Points & Crossing From Noapara To Kcen (Including) Of Metro Railway, Kolkata.

www.metrorailnews.in

METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

67

TENDER LIVE INDIAN RAILWAY TENDER DETAILS Supply Of Non Asbestos Based Organic Brake Pad For Lhb Coaches Equipped With Disc Brake System On Indian Railways [One Lh And Rh] To Drawing/ Specification Rdso Spec. No. Rdso/2013/Cg-01 [Rev-0] Amendment-01.

LOCATION

VALUE

DEADLINE

Karnataka, India

Refer Document

28-02-2022

Consultancy Services For Development Of Freight Terminals Over Indian Railways And Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation India Limited.

Delhi, India

Refer Document

28-02-2022

Supply Of Usfd Testing Of Rails And Welds As Per Need Based Concept Of Usfd As Per Indian Railway Standard Specification For Ultrasonic Testing Of Rails And Welds, Revised- 2012 (With Latest Correction Slip) Issued By Rdso" In Madar - New Palanpur Section Under The Jurisdiction Of Cgm/Ajmer Unit Of Dfccil

Gujarat, India

INR 3.42 CR.

25-02-2022

Provision Of Indian Railway Kavach ( Formerly Known As Train Collison Avoidance System) (Ir Kavach) Over Ndls-Pwl, Ex.Tkj-Cpyz & Lko-Ex.Cnb Sections Of Northern Railway Including Provision For Double Distant Along With Interlocking Of Required Block Section Lcs In Lko-Ex.Cnb Section & Provision Of Stm4 / Telecom Towers At Stations Wherever Not Available In Ndls-Pwl & Ex.TkjCpyz Sections Along With Loco Tcas Fitment Works In 106 Nos. Of 160kmph Electric Locos In Connection With Achieving Speeds .....

Multi Location

INR 3.42 CR.

23-02-2022

Open E-Tender For Deployment Of Food Safety Supervisors(Fss) And Lab Testing Of Cooked Food And Raw Material, Etc. For A Period Of Two Years, At 50 Kitchen Units Of Indian Railway Catering And Tourism Corporation Ltd.

Multi Location

Refer Document

21-02-2022

Supply Of Computer Paper, Size- 10 Inch X 12 Inch -1 Part., 25.5 X 30.5 Cms., 70 Gsm, Is. No.12766/97.Specification: 1] Paper- 70 Gsm 2] Is No. 12766/97. With Monogram. 3] Perforation: Sprocket/Round Holes On Both Sides And Free From Chips. 4] Monogram: Diameter-2.5cm. 5] Colour Scheme- 10 Inch X 12 Inch-1 Part. The Monogram Of Indian Railway Should Be Printed At The Top Left Hand Corner Keeping 2.5 Cm. Space From The Left Edge And 1.0cm From The Top Edge In Three Solid Colours Red, Yellow And B.....

West Bengal, India

Refer Document

21-02-2022

Loading, Unloading And Transportation Of Railway Materials From Different Re Project/Depot And Rly. Division Of Indian Railways To Various Sites/Re Depot Of Ghy-Lmg Rly. Section Under Gr.257 Re Project.

Multi State, India

INR 48.83 Lacs

18-02-2022

Delhi, India

INR 630.00 CR

17-02-2022

Tamil Nadu, India

INR 630.00 CR

17-02-2022

Chhattisgarh, India

Refer Document

17-02-2022

Uttar Pradesh, India

INR 1.30 CR.

17-02-2022

Corrigendum : Rfp For Selection Of Digital Entertainment Service Provider Desp For Delivering Content On Demand Cod Services On Build Own Operate Boo Model For Indian Railways The Bidder Has To Quote Annual Mg Amount For 10 Years Reserve Price Is Rs 63 Cr Per Yr Road Transportation Of 1.56 Lmt Coal From Mcl Talcher Area Mines To Rajathgarh Nergundi Railway Siding And Loading In Wagons Of Indian Railway Rakes For Onward Transportation To Paradip Port For Ntecl Vallur Supply Of 132 Kv Outdoor Oil Filled Current Transformer Of Ratio 400-200/5a For Indian Railway Including All Accessories And Fittings Required For Erection And Commissioning. Rdso Specification No. Ti/Spc/Psi/Ct/0210 (07/2021) Or Latest. Make Rdso/Core Approved Vendors.

Supply , Installation And Commissioning Of One Set Of Equipment / System For Measurement/ Determination Of Stress Free Temperature Of Lwr/Cwr For Indian Railway And Executing The Work Of Measurement/Determination Of Stress Free Temperature Of Lwr/Cwr And Further Analysis For Taking Maintenance Decisions For A Period Of One Year Which Will Cover All Seasons Of The Year Or 500 Kilometers Whichever Is More. (In Varanasi Division)

68

METRO RAIL NEWS | February 2022

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