Metro Rail News Jan 2022

A Symbroj Media Publication

METRO RAIL NEWS ISSN 2582-2330 / Vol. VI / Issue 61 / Monthly / January 2022

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9. Ticketing and passenger info systems

4. Workforce diversity & technical skills gaps

10. Transport infra sustainability

5. Advanced signalling & telecom technologies

11. Improving passenger experience

6. Asset maintenance and predictive analytics

12. Mobility-as-a-service

13 Artificial Intelligence, ML, Blockchain & robotics in metro and railway

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Editorial Advisory Board WWW.METRORAILNEWS.IN

Vol. VI | Issue 61 | January 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

Yogesh Dandekar Founder: Sarg Design Studio LLP (Pune)

Ved Mani Tiwari President & COO Sterlite Power Transmission Ltd New Delhi (India)

Haru Imam Project Control Engineer Persons Corporation SaudiArbia (UAE)

Manas Ranjan Panda Sr. Rolling Stock Expert AYESA India Pvt Ltd. Lucknow (India)

Sanjay Kumar Agarwal Dy. General Manaer Metro One Operations Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai (India)

Digvijay Pratap Singh Chairman Main Mast Group

Dr. Ajeet Kumar Pandey Delivery Manager L&T Technology Services Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Chinmoy Pattanyak Head of APAC Center of Delivery & SW Center India (TCMS) at BOMBARDIER

Percy Bernard Brooks Project Management Specialist Faiveley Transport Rail Technologies Bengaluru (India)

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Contents January 2022 Issue #61

EDITOR'S NOTE

10

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

12

COVER STORY

21

12

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

23

27

30

Mr. Vinay Kumar Singh

Ms. Rajashri Teli

Siddharth Chatterjee

Managing Director NCRTC

Joint Managing Director HYT Engineering

Head of Structure Department at WSP Louis Berger India

FEATURED STORY

32

PROJECT OF THE MONTH

36

FEATURED PROJECT

39

ARTICLE

42

YEAR REVIEW

56

PRODUCT COVERAGE

65

COMPANY COVERAGE

66

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

68

JOBS

70

EVENTS

71

TENDER LIVE

72

30 54

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SWITCHES & TURNOUTS

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ELASTIC COMPONENTS

EDITOR NOTE

FROM THE DESK OF

MANAGING EDITOR

P

New hopes, ambition and efforts for a better tomorrow

rivate vehicles are choking cities roads, although only a third of India’s population is living in urban areas, according to the 2011 Census. It is expected that by 2050, nearly sixty percent of the total population will live in cities; this will put more pressure on transportation infrastructure. To add to the problem, experience has shown that one transportation system model might not work in all urban agglomerations. As incomes rise, more and more people will want to own vehicles and many will have more than one. According to a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysis of government data, it took India around 60 years to have 100 million registered vehicles, but just seven years to reach 200 million, according to a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysis of government data. Similarly, it took 55 years for India to have 10 million cars but the number tripled in just a decade.

We have added twice as many two-wheelers in the last 10 years as we did in the more than five decades previously.

Irrespective of the number of connectivity options available, most of the cities and their smaller counterparts are struggling to answer two questions - How to beef up its public transportation systems amidst rapid urbanisation and how to deal with the growing number of cars and two-wheelers.

Despite government efforts to improve urban connectivity, there are several issues in the way of rolling out an effective transportation network. India, the world’s thirdlargest emitter of CO2 in absolute terms presently, has committed to cut its emissions by one third from 2005 levels by 2030. This narrows the options for a viable mass transport system to be adopted for most of the cities.

While the demand for mobility will continue to grow at a rapid pace, the industry is increasingly becoming cognizant of the challenges that are arising because of this rapid growth—increased road congestion and dependence on fossil fuels leading to high air pollution. Efficiently managing the rapidly changing mobility landscape sustainably is the biggest question in front of various stakeholders across the mobility value chain. Multiple drivers such as electrification, ride-sharing, data monetisation, and connected cars are likely to change the way we perceive mobility today. These drivers will disrupt the current mobility ecosystem and provide new opportunities for disruptors to establish their presence in the market.

Additionally, the global and Indian automotive industry is undergoing significant changes across the value chain. The industry is ripe with disruptions across new technologies, business models, and rapidly evolving policies around emissions and incentives. A combination of prosperous consumers, increased government spending on infrastructure, and growing demand for freight movement are likely to drive this demand. At the same time, with an increase in demand for personal and commercial mobility as one of the key growth drivers, India would continue to grow in all major segments amidst huge infra push.

It gives me immense pleasure to bring you the first issue of the year has detailed coverage on all major aspects dealt with above. Realising Aatmnirbhar Bharat, Ushering new space for Rail Transportation, Year End Review, and other relevant topics shall keep you updated with all relevant information.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year - 2022. Please be safe, follow Covid guidelines and stay protected.

Managing Editor

Narendra Shah

Narendra Shah

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

Organised by

New Delhi - India

"The Evolution of Smart & Futuristic Metro Rail & Railways" Event Overview Indian Railways is among the world’s largest rail network with a network route length spread over 67,956 kms, with 13,169 passenger trains and 8,479 freight trains, catering to 23 million travellers and 3 million tonnes (MT) of freight daily from 7,349 stations. India's railway network is recognised as one of the largest railway systems in the world under single management.

While the modernization & expansion work on upgrade at many metro & railway stations has begun, work at some of the others will begin soon, the investment is being made in improving passenger experience and revenues. Hence we will be hosting the Rail Modernization Summit at New Delhi - India, this summit aims to gather more than 300+ government representatives, ministries, metro authorities, railway board, municipalities and global rail innovators with the motto of modernizing the Indian Rail Transport.

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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Metro Rail

The Yogi government is more likely to lay the project’s foundation stone before the state’s assembly elections. The total length of the project is estimated at around 27.84 km, and two elevated corridors have been proposed. The project is expected to be completed by 2024 with a total cost of Rs. 4672 crores.

IRCON International won Chennai Metro’s Line-4 contract worth Rs. 337 CR. IRCON International emerged as the lowest contender to supply and install standard gauge tracks for Chennai Metro’s 26.09 km Line-4, connecting Light House – Poonamallee Bypass through 30 stations.

The scope of this project includes track installation work at the 16 km under construction elevated section (Poonamallee Bypass – Powerhouse Ramp), 10 km underground section where ITD Cementation is the lowest bidder, and inside Poonamallee Depot, which was awarded for construction to Altis – VCL JV in October 2021.

HCC Records Delhi Metro Phase 4’s 1st TBM Breakthrough

TBM Triveni, a 73-meter-long, 6.52-meter-diameter Terratec Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) machine, began tunnelling in January 2021 from Vikaspuri Park Shaft, a distance of 1.4 kilometres, to construct the down-line tunnel.

Gorakhpur Metro Rail Project to Commence soon before Assembly elections

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PC-03: Larsen & Toubro was awarded for the 8-kilometre Rajendra Nagar – Patna Junction Railway Station stretch of Line2, including six underground stations.

L&T’s Bid & Final Contract Value: Rs. 1989 crore PC-04: Awarded to YFC – MCL JV for the 4 km Danapur – Patliputra Ramp and 4 km Mithapur Ramp – Khemni Chak elevated stations on Line-1. Financial bids for both packages (PC03 & PC04) were opened in July 2021, and the issuance of LOAs is a good indication that a basic loan agreement has been achieved with JICA – the project’s chief lender. Final Contract Value: Rs. 553.50 crore

At Krishna Park Extension Station, the HCC – VCCL JV’s tunnel boring machine S86 accomplished the first breakthrough of the 65.10 km Delhi Metro Phase 4 project for a 2.03 km underground extension of the 38.235 km Magenta Line (Line-8).

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) awarded HCC – VCCL the contract for building package DC-06 of the 65.10 km Delhi Metro Phase 4 project in January 2020, with a contract value of Rs. 489 crore and a 36-month deadline.

Before the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the government has announced the Gorakhpur Metro Project would commence shortly. The Public Investment Board (PIB) at the Centre has approved the first phase of the Gorakhpur Metro Rail project. With this approval, the construction work would start in Gorakhpur city.

On December 30 2021, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) awarded two major civil construction contracts for Patna Metro’s Phase 1 project to Larsen & Toubro and YFC – MCL JV.

L&T and YFC bags Contracts for Patna Metro Phase 1 Construction work

After one year of laying the foundation stone, 50% of the Agra Metro Rail Project has completed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on December 07 2020, laid the foundation stone of the Agra Metro Rail Project.

He even proclaimed that the elevated section of the project would be built at the cost of Rs.273 Crore. After one year of the announcement made by PM Modi, the structure of the metro station at Basai, Fatehabad Road and Taj Mahal East Gate has been erected. It signified that around 50% of the Phase-1 project had been completed.

As per the official statement, the work on the elevated section of the Agra metro will get completed by the year 2022. Moreover, the PMO is also seeking regular updates from the authorities about completing the Agra Metro Rail Project.

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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS total sanctioned project cost of Rs. 12020.32 Crores, of which Rs. 5434.25 Cr is to be financed through a loan. French Development Bank-AFD is a funding balance of 250 million Euros (approx. Rs. 1970 Cr).

The Afcons won the DC-09 Underground Work for Delhi Metro Phase 4

EIB approves loans of 450 million Euros for Agra’s Phase-1 Metro Project

After the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation opened financial bids, Afcons Infrastructure emerged as the lowest bidder for tunnelling contract DC09 of the Delhi Metro’s Silver Line through Chhattarpur.

Agra Metro Rail Project has got a loan of Rs. 3860 crore (approx. 450 million Euros) from the European Investment Bank for constructing and implementing Phase-1 of the Metro Rail Project on December 15, 2021. The Phase 1 project consists of two corridors. The objective of Agra’s new Metro is to make the city greener, business-friendly, user-friendly, safer etc.

Moreover, the project will also contribute to achieving the significant objectives of the Climate Action and Environment Facility, for example, climate change mitigation and social and economic infrastructure development.

This 6.51 km section will connect Kishangarh Station’s east end (chainage 5356.285) with a ramp (chainage 11867.000) west of Saket G Block Station through four stations: Chhattarpur (interchange with Yellow Line), Chhattarpur Mandir, IGNOU, and Neb Sarai.

Surat Metro loan agreements of Rs. 3464 CR. signed between DEA, GOI & German lender-KFW On December 18 2021, Loan agreements for Surat Metro Rail Project-1 were signed in New Delhi between the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Govt. of India and German lender- KFW for an amount of approx. Rs. 3464 Cr (442.26 Million Euros).

URC emerged as the Lowest bidder for the construction of CMRL’s Madhavaram Depot URC has gained the tender for constructing CMRL’s largest depot at Madhavaram. The depot will house many trains that will run under phase two. As per the official notification, URC has emerged as the lowest bidder and work is also expected to start from midJanuary 2022 and be completed within three years.

The upcoming depot would be the largest one covering an area of 27.8 hectares, even surpassing the already existing facility at Koyambedu, which is spread in 25 hectares of land. The Madhavaram depot will have facilities like inspection lines, a workshop for overhaul, stabling lines, a workshop for carrying out significant repairs of trains, cleaning roofs and interiors of trains, wheel profiling, etc.

Around 112 trains are expected to run in Phase-two of the Chennai Metro Project, and they will be so well equipped to be operated driverless. In the initial stage of the Metro, the number of coaches will remain three, and by the time, depending on the demand, three more coaches can also be added.

Afcons has completed the construction of Nagpur Metro Reach-2 Final Part Afcons Infrastructure has finally completed the construction of approx.

Two thousand segments of Kanpur Metro’s 7.144 km reach-2 (SitabuldiAutomotive Square). The 38.215 Km long Nagpur Metro Phase-1 Orange line project consists of seven elevated stations and a 4.375 Km double-decker viaduct which includes a four-level structure at Gaddigoddam square.

The Surat Metro Rail Project Phase-1 was sanctioned for 40.35km with a

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METRO RAIL NEWS | JANUARY 2022

13

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS 11,000 crores.

PM Modi also inspected the Metro Rail Project and took a metro ride from the IIT municipal station to Geeta Nagar

J Kumar Infra. and Sunder Cranes erected the first 28M U-girders for Mumbai Metro’s Line -9 Project On December 19 2021, J Kumar Infraprojects and Sunder Cranes built the first 28m U-girders to build the 11.38 km for Mumbai’s Metro Line 9 (Red Line) corridor using two large carriers-straddle.

The landmark incident was recorded between piers P162 and P163 in front of the showroom at Royal Enfield’s Mira Road’s Salasar Center Park. The nearest station was built in Sai Baba Nagar. Last month, J Kumar’s team built their first pier cap at Pier P162.

Joint Venture of Tata-Siemens will develop the metro corridor for Pune Metro The metro corridor from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar will be developed by two companies in a joint venture named TRIL Urban Transport Private Limited (a Tata Group Company) and Siemens Project Ventures GmbH (a subsidiary of Siemens Financial Services) under Public Private Partnership Route (PPP). The joint venture has formed a particular purpose company named Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited.

This is Kumar Keshav’s third extension in a row. In August of 2014, he was appointed for a five-year term. On August 17, 2019, he received his first two-year extension after five years of service. He was then given a six-month extension, with his term set to expire on February 16, 2022.

Kumar Keshav’s appointment has now been extended until June 30, 2022.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Kanpur Metro Rail Project segment on December 28. According to a press release from the UPMRC, Prime Minister Modi recognised the MD’s remarkable services. “The managing director of Uttar Pradesh Metro received a service extension from the government for remarkable work in providing worldclass metros to several cities in Uttar Pradesh,” according to the press release

The proposed elevated metro line will connect Hinjewadi Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park to Shivajinagar via Balewadi. The proposed route of 23.3 kms with 23 stations will be the first metro project in India under the New Metro Rail Policy.

PM Modi inaugurates Kanpur Metro with CM Yogi Adityanath & Minister of MoHUA Hardeep Singh Puri Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 28 2021 inaugurates the entire developed part of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project. The launch comes ahead of the Council elections in Uttar Pradesh. UP CM Yogi Adityanath and the Ministry of MoHUA Hardeep Singh Puri was also part of this inauguration.

The completed 9-km extended Kanpur Metro Rail Project from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel. The total length of the project is 32 km, and it is built at an estimated cost. Rs.

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The contract for the project’s electrical and mechanical system works by Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited has been bagged

by A consortium between Siemens AG, Siemens Mobility GmbH, Siemens Limited and Alstom Transport India Limited. The project is to be completed in 39 months.

UPMRC MD Mr. Kumar Keshav has been given a four-month extension by UP Govt The Uttar Pradesh government granted Kumar Keshav, the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) ‘s managing director, a four-month extension of service. His term was initially set to conclude on February 16, 2022. However, it was extended until June 30, 2022.

The PCMC-Phugewadi route of the Pune Metro route receives a safety nod Pune Metros’ the PCMC-Phugewadi elevated stretch, obtained approval from the Metro rail safety commissioner on Friday (CMRS). Last month, the CMRS inspected the entire line and the five stations positioned along with it. The authorization has made it possible for commuters to use the Metro.

The CMRS had also made some minor comments, according to MahaMetro officials, which would be implemented www.metrorailnews.in

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METRO RAIL NEWS | JANUARY 2022

15

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS soon. Next week, a close inspection of another high-priority section — Vanaz to Garware College — is planned.

“We have received authorization for the PCMC-Phugewadi route,” said MahaMetro’s general manager (PR), Hemant Sonawane. All major work between PCMC and Phugewadi stations has already been finished, except for some minor station work that will be done in the coming days. As a result, commuter services will be available soon

GR Infra bags a contract for Noida Metro Aqua Line Extension’s Work GR Infraprojects Ltd. (GRIL) was awarded the contract to build a 9.605-kilometre expansion of the Noida Metro’s Aqua Line from Noida Sector-51 to Greater Noida West’s Sector-2 on December 28, 2021, in 592.99 Cr.

arrangement.

With the successful installation of this special steel span, another milestone has been achieved in the construction of India’s first RRTS corridor between Delhi to Meerut. This is the first special steel span of the 17 km priority section from Sahibabad to Duhai, which is targeted to be commissioned by the year 2023.

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 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.

RRTS

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

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AFC Contract for Delhi – Meerut RRTS Awarded to Datamatics–AEP JV On December 24, Datamatics Global Services – AEP Ticketing Solutions (DMAEP-26A JV) was issued an Rs. 227 crore contract for the EMV-based open loop Automated Fare Collection (AFC) system for the 82.15 km Delhi – Meerut RRTS Line (Package 26A).

This is the fourth time of bidding for this segment (Package NGNC-01) of the 14.95 km eastern expansion of the Aqua Line (Sector 51 to Knowledge Park V), which the Uttar Pradesh government approved for construction in December 2019.

The Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) re-invited proposals in May, with a budget of Rs. 563.04 crore and a deadline of 24 months. In June, technical bids were opened, revealing three bidders.

Another special steel span of around 150 meter is underway just before the Ghaziabad RRTS Station where under construction RRTS viaduct is crossing over a road flyover and Delhi Metro viaduct together.

First Special Steel Span installed in RRTS Corridor at Ghaziabad NCRTC has successfully completed the installation of the first special steel span of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor over the mainline Indian railway crossing near Vasundhara, Ghaziabad.

This special steel span is 73 meter long and weighted around 850 tonnes. It has been installed on the piers of about 10 metre height on both side of the Indian railway tracks by using winch and roller

This new semi-high-speed line will support QR Code ticketing (both digital and paper QR) as well as EMV (Europay, Mastercard, Visa) open-loop contactless card ticketing based on NCMC (National Common Mobility Card) standards using a contactless bank card, phone, or smartcard.

Riders will be able to utilise QR code tickets purchased at ticket vending machines, ticketing booths, or produced digitally on the NCRTC's mobile app or website. For entrance to the executive lounge and boarding the Alstom trains' Business Class coach, Business Class passengers must validate twice on the concourse level and again on the platform level.

••• www.metrorailnews.in

COVER STORY

Realising Aatmnirbhar Bharat Overview: An Introduction Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan or the Self-reliant India campaign is the vision of new India envisaged by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. On 12 May 2020, PM Modi raised a clarion call to the nation giving a kick start to the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (Self-reliant India campaign) and announced the Special economic and comprehensive package of INR 20 lakh crores - equivalent to 10% of India’s GDP – to fight Covid-19 pandemic in India.

The aim is to make the country and its citizens independent and selfreliant in all senses. He further outlined five pillars of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat – Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography and Demand. The Finance Ministry further announced Government Reforms and Enablers across Seven Sectors under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan. The government took several bold reforms such as Supply Chain Reforms for Agriculture, Rational Tax Systems, Simple & Clear Laws, Capable Human Resource and Strong Financial System.

A brief History During its independence movement, India saw a push for political self-reliance, for swaraj (explained as self-governance

or self-rule). Thinkers of the time such as Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore also explained self-reliance in terms of a nation and the self. This included the discipline of an individual and the values in a society. With the foundation of educational institutes such as the Visva-Bharati University, Tagore also brought India closer to self-reliance in education. M.S. Swaminathan writes that in his youth, “like that of most others in India of the 1930s, was a period of idealism and nationalism. Young and old shared the dream of a free and self-reliant India. Purna Swaraj (total freedom) and swadeshi (self-reliance) were our goals...”.

Economic self-reliance and dependence The swadeshi movement (where Swadeshi is an adjective explained as ‘of one’s own country’) was one of the sub-continents most impactful pre-independence movements.

It was successfully implemented in the aftermath of the partition of Bengal in 1905.

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COVER STORY Indian nationalists emphasised economic self-reliance in the years leading up to independence, of which planning was an important part. The National Planning Committee of the Indian National Congress (INC) was formed in 1938 under INC president Subhash Chandra Bose.

The committee was multi-disciplinary and comprised well-known personalities from across the sub-continent. Bose lent his full support to the planning efforts to make independent India an economic unit, industrialised and self-sufficient.

However, there was much opposition to these plans, including non-cooperation by noted leaders like Gandhi & Nehru, who opposed the type of industrialisation being championed and labelled the committees efforts pointless. Another pre-independence effort to chart out the course for the economic development of independent India during its years of decolonisation was the Bombay Plan, penned down by J.R.D. Tata, G.D. Birla and A.Dalal among others. The Bombay Plan sought to make India self-sufficient by increasing the state’s role in all aspects of the economy, a stark contrast to 21st century India. In the following years India took cue from economic models in the Soviet Union, later becoming aware of other models such as those of South Korea, Taiwan and Brazil.

Independent India’s first major policy document, the Industrial Policy Resolution of 1948, echoed the “national consensus” regarding how India was to proceed as a nation. This national consensus called for a mixed economy and self-reliance.

Under Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, India’s Green Revolution and White Revolution (Operation Flood) paved the way for India to become self-sufficient and one of world leaders in producing various agricultural products such as milk and tea.

Defence Sector India has seen a shift in the principles governing its defence production— self-sufficiency was followed by selfreliance, which in turn saw changes such as an emphasis in public-private co-production and independent private production. In 1992 a Self Reliance Review Committee was formed under A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, then the Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister. The committee created an index, called the self-reliance index, to identify the degree of content

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that was made in India as a part of the total procurement. The ten year target to increase self-reliance in defence was never achieved. Further, this index did not take into account factors like critical components or sanctions during an actual conflict.

In 2000, K.Subrahmanyam of India’s National Security Advisory Board emphasised the need to distinguish between self-reliance and self-sufficiency in the defence sector. He laid emphasis that the most pragmatic way for India would be to go towards self-reliance and not self-sufficiency. This would lead to its own challenges such as the reliance and integrity of the supplier.

Detail The government’s vision for an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) is laudable. This is not a new idea, though. Indeed, self-reliance was a key reason for a newly-independent India to lay emphasis on a public sector that, over time, was present in virtually every sector- from aviation to zinc. During the 1980s, the emergence and development of India’s private sector were powered by buzz phrases such as ‘Importsubstitution’ and ‘Be Indian, Buy Indian’.

Especially in the past three decades, as India has opened up its economy in a calibrated manner, its large domestic market attracted investments across sectors. While market size is undoubtedly an important criterion, other aspects that make it easy to do business are just as critical. As a nation, India competes with other countries. In an increasingly globalised world, when investors (foreign or domestic) commit risk capital to India, they are making a conscious choice.

Other countries (e.g. Vietnam, Malaysia, Bangladesh etc.) may not have large domestic markets themselves but are attractive as hubs for manufacturing

products that are then exported around the world, giving a boost to the local economy.

Through sector-specific ‘liberalisation’ and ‘reforms’, Indian governments have, since 1991, been taking steps to attract investments into the country. Modifying the legal framework governing such investments and operations is a key enabling action. The results are visible, as India has become self-reliant in many areas.

Today, the nation exports many products and services to countries worldwideincluding the world’s most developed nations. But there are still many gaps

that need to be plugged. Electronics are embedded in almost every industry, but India as a nation is a long way off from being self-reliant in this strategic field.

Vital ingredients for the pharmaceuticals sector are also imported, as are telecom and defence equipment vital to our nation’s security.

For decades, governments and entrepreneurs have mistrusted each other. High levels of mistrust have also existed between private sector management and the labour force. In the context of India’s cooperative federal structure, as regional political parties have emerged and been elected to power, the chasm of mistrust between state and central governments too has generally widened. That is why sectors such as agriculture and education, which are both fundamental building blocks of any economy, continue to be shackled by many regulatory restrictions. India’s labour law regime also continues to be viewed as lacking the flexibility that exists in many other countries.

That India has the potential to grow rapidly is well-known. But to realise this potential, the nation needs to quickly

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COVER STORY bridge the widespread trust deficit and ensure that all stakeholders are aligned towards the overall purpose of the country’s overall development.

Given India’s large population, levels of illiteracy, weak healthcare infrastructure, wide income disparity and lack of a social security net, there is no silver bullet.

That is why, what is needed is a holistic approach that enables balanced, allround development of every component of India’s economyagriculture, manufacturing and services.

This kind of mindset will inevitably create competition amongst states to attract investment- and thus infrastructure, jobs and overall development. Such competition will force politicians, private enterprise owners, citizens, and other stakeholders to work towards a common purpose. We have started seeing this play out in bits and pieces in some parts of the country, but much more needs to be done by state governments,

• Introduction of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to attract manufacturers of mobile phones, electronic components and microelectromechanical systems to make in India.

• Changes to the Companies Act (e.g. decriminalisation of offences other than fraud or where the larger public interest is involved, removing imprisonment as punishment for minor offences, etc.)

• Changes to labour codes relating to Industrial Relations, Social Security, and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions. It is expected that these changes will give companies with less than 300 workers greater flexibility in retrenchment without obtaining prior government approval. The changes also restrict workers’ rights to strike work without giving 60 days’ notice.

•

Changes

to

the

Insolvency

and

capital outside India by listing their shares in specified foreign jurisdictions (without requiring listing in India as well).

• Allowing private sector participation in the space sector, including launching satellites, setting up control centers outside India, develop new systems and offer ‘Spacecom’ services around remote sensing, navigation, space exploration etc.

• Simplifying the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) process for certain projects.

• Changes to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations to make people more aware of the health risks of packaged foods and banning of e-cigarettes to ensure that our citizens can make better-informed choices around their health.

• Reducing ownership of firearms by decreasing the number of firearms allowed and the validity of the license.

Many of country’s laws had been formulated several decades ago when every aspect of society was very different.

The intervening period has seen myriad changes driven by technology, greater awareness of the environment and the imperatives to protect it, progress in the field of medicine and health care, etc. Perhaps the most significant change has been ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has fundamentally changed the way millions of people live and work.

given that the onus for formulation and implementation of many policies that are critical to creating a welcoming investment climate lies with them.

Here are 10 examples that clearly signal the government’s intent to make it easier for companies to do business in India and thus contribute to an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’:

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Bankruptcy Code.

• Allowing farmers to sell agricultural produce outside the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis reduces middlemen’s role and gives farmers the option to sell their produce at more remunerative prices.

• Allowing companies to raise equity

As our environment evolves, it is only natural that laws too will need to evolve in tandem to ensure that they remain relevant and effective.

As the policy-makers formulate new policies and enact new laws, they would do well to be guided by the line ‘Where the clear stream of reason has not lost

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COVER STORY its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit’ from Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s famous poem ‘Where the mind is without fear’. While modifying laws and framing new ones, the objective should be to enable and not just control.

created a conducive environment to push forward with bold structural reforms that will help transform India holistically, and not just facilitate lop-sided development.

Here are some additional areas that the government must urgently turn its attention to:

Athough, Make in India and Aatmnirbhar Bharat both campaigns initiated by the government aim towards strengthening the economy and help nation attain self reliance (aatmnirbharta) and become a major export hub using the manufacturing capabilities of the country through its vast workforce, both skilled and in enormous numbers for the outer world, there is categorical difference between the two.

(i) Enact specific data protection laws that are appropriate to India in light of the growing wave of digitalisation around us. Making tweaks is not enough; a comprehensive legal framework is needed. (ii) Eliminate the need for multiple regulatory filings by allowing companies to upload data to one location from where regulators can access what they need. This can go a long way in easing the compliance burden. A study by Teamlease has found that Indian businesses operate under the burden of more than 65,000 compliances, including 2,500 regulatory updates and 3000 filings in a year. (iii) Come out with a Direct Tax Code that reduces the need for frequent and largescale changes and thus provides a higher degree of stability and predictability to companies and individuals. (iv) Rationalise the GST regime by reducing the number of rates and further simplifying the compliance process. (v) The New Education Policy to encourage “critical thinking” in students and enable the creation of worldclass institutions of higher education in India is an excellent step. In order to accelerate this transformation, I believe the government must enable reputed foreign universities to set up campuses in India. Perhaps this can start with online access to classes- a phenomenon the pandemic has already forced on educational institutions. In addition to creating domestic R&D capabilities in areas such as robotics, AI, healthcare, etc., such a move can also help India conserve valuable foreign exchange in the form of the money spent by Indian students studying abroad- resources that can be deployed elsewhere.

Of course, building political consensus around such policies will not be easy. But the emerging context can be said to have

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Make in India & Aatmnirbhar Bharat

The Aatmnirbhar Bharat campaign, which on the one hand, focuses more on attaining greater self-reliance for the nation through various initiatives. The ‘Make in India’ initiative is somewhat a broader concept where the government is inviting producers across the globe to come and invest in the country.

Through the Make in India initiative the government wishes to showcase the immense opportunities lying with the Indian Sub-continent to the outer world in terms of an ideal location for production of varied goods required for global fraternity.

The Make in India campaign further, is a major national programme of the Government of India designed to facilitate investment, foster innovation, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property and build best in class manufacturing infrastructure in the country. The primary objective of this initiative is to attract investments from across the globe and strengthen India’s manufacturing sector.

It is being led by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. The Make in India programme is very important for India’s economic growth as it aims at utilising the existing Indian talent base, creating additional employment opportunities and empowering secondary and tertiary sector. The programme also aims at improving India’s rank on the Ease of Doing Business index by eliminating the unnecessary laws and regulations, making bureaucratic processes easier, making the government

more transparent, accountable.

responsive

and

Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi in his maiden Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, 2014 introduced the Make in India programme for the first time. He urged people across the globe to come and manufacture in India with a liberty to sell the finished goods in any part of the world. He asked the global fraternity to use the skill, talent, discipline and desire of the Indians to do something while giving the world an opportunity to come and make in India. The initiative was formally introduced on September 25, 2014 by Mr Modi at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, in the presence of business giants from India.

The focus of Make in India programme is on 25 sectors. These include: automobiles, automobile components, aviation, biotechnology, chemicals, construction, defence manufacturing electrical machinery, electronic systems, food processing, IT & BPM, leather, media and entertainment, mining, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, ports and shipping, railways, renewable energy, roads and highways, space, textile and garments, thermal power, tourism and hospitality and wellness. The initiative targeted 25 economic sectors for job creation and skill enhancement and transformed India into a global design and manufacturing export hub.

The ‘Make in India’ campaign has three stated objectives: • To increase the manufacturing sector’s growth rate to 12-14% per annum; • To create 100 million additional manufacturing jobs in the economy by 2022; • To ensure that the manufacturing sector’s contribution to GDP is increased to 25% by 2022 (later revised to 2025).

After the launch, India gave investment commitments worth Rs. 16.40 lakh crore (US$220 billion) and investment inquiries worth of Rs. 1.5 lakh crore (US$20 billion) between September 2014 to February 2016. As a result, India emerged as the top destination globally in 2015 for foreign direct investment (FDI), surpassing the United States and China, with US$60.1 www.metrorailnews.in

COVER STORY

billion FDI. As per the current policy, 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is permitted in all 100 sectors, except for Space industry (74%), defence industry (49%) and Media of India (26%). Japan and India had also announced a US$12 billion ‘Japan-India Make-in-India Special Finance Facility” fund to push investment.

In line with the ‘Make in India, individual states too launched their own local initiatives, such as ‘Make in Odisha’, ‘Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet’, ‘Vibrant Gujarat’, ‘Happening Haryana’, and ‘Magnetic Maharashtra’. India received US$60 billion FDI in FY 2016–17.

The World Bank’s 2019 Ease of Doing Business report acknowledges India’s jump of 23 positions against its rank of 100 in 2017 to be placed now at 63rd rank among 190 countries. By the end of 2017, India had risen 42 places on Ease of doing business index, 32 places World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index, and 19 notches in the Logistics Performance Index, thanks to recent governmental initiatives, which include converges, synergies and enables other important Government of India schemes, such as Bharatmala, Sagarmala, Dedicated Freight Corridors,

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Industrial corridors, UDAN-RCS, Bharat Broadband Network, Digital India.

Make in India has not yet achieved its goals. The growth rate of manufacturing averaged 6.9% per annum between 2014–15 and 2019-20. The share of manufacturing dropped from 16.3% of GDP in 2014-15 to 15.1% in 2019-20.

Summary & Conclusion Atmanirbhar Bharat which translates to ‘Self-reliant India’, is a phrase used and popularised by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and the Government of India in relation to the economic vision and economic development in the country. In this context, the term is used as an umbrella concept regarding making India a larger and more involved part of the world economy, pursuing efficient, competitive and resilient policies that encourage equity, and being selfsustaining self-generating.

The english phrase has been used by PM Modi since 2014 in relation to national security, poverty and digital India. The first popular mention in hindi came in the form of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ or ‘Self-Reliant India Mission’ during the announcement of India’s Covid–19 pandemic related economic package in

2020. Since then phrase has been used across ministries such as the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Defence in relation to press releases, statements and policies.

The government has also used the phrase in relation to India’s new National Education Policy and the 2021 Union Budget of India. The concept under the premiership of Narendra Modi has been adapted from previous explanations and usages of the concept in the Indian subcontinent.

The swadeshi movement was one of India’s most successful preindependence movements. The country’s former Planning Commission has used self-reliance as a phrase and concept in multiple Five-Year Plans of India between 1947 and 2014. Commentators have noted that India has been enacting policies and building institutions that promote self-reliance since the day it was created. Private companies and their products have been considered as fine examples of self-reliance in India encompassing sectors such as beverages, the automotive sector, cooperatives, the financial services and banking sector and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector.

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COVER STORY In the backdrop of the Coronavirus pandemic in India, the pandemic induced lockdown, and a pre-existing slowdown in the growth of the domestic economy and the economic impact of the pandemic, the government came out with an adapted idea of self-reliance.

On 12 May 2020, Prime Minister Modi used the hindi phrase popularly for the first time when he said, “the state of the world today teaches us that (Atma Nirbhar Bharat) “Self-reliant India” is the only path. It is said in our scriptures — EshahPanthah. That is — self-sufficient India.” While the speech was in Hindi, this reference by Press Information Bureau to both “self-reliance” and “self-sufficiency” caused some confusion. The Indian government came out with an economic package in the coming days labelled as the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Selfreliant India Mission) says the same, “atmanirbhar” can be translated as both self-reliance and self-sufficiency.

The adapted self-reliance or Aatmarnibharta that emerged was ready to associate with and challenge the globalised world, as opposed to past decades where there had been a wish

to disassociate, such as during the preindependence swadeshi movement and the matter of post-independence foreign aid. However, even swadeshi has been adapted with slogans such as ‘vocal for local’ while at the same time global interconnectedness is being promoted.

The government aims to reconcile this, Economist Intelligence Unit explains, “Modi’s policy aims to reduce domestic market access to imports, but at the same time open the economy and export to the rest of the world”.

Various Initiatives Prime Minister Modi used the phrase ‘self-reliance’ in June 2014 in relation to defence manufacturing for self-reliance in national security. He reiterated this over the years, including in 2018 and the need for India to make its own weapons. In August 2014 he connected self-reliance to Digital India and in September 2014 to making the poor self-reliant.

exclusionist or isolationist in nature. For India, self-reliance plays out as being a larger and more important part of the world economy. The concept requires policy-making that allows this to happen, including efficient and resilient policies and policies that encourage equity and competitiveness. It means being self-sustaining and self-generating.

This translates to creating “wealth and values not only for ourselves but for the larger humanity”. In March 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reiterated that the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign was not bringing back socialism or import substitution, rather the intention is to boost manufacturing. The five pillars of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ have been elucidated as— economy, infrastructure, technology-driven systems, vibrant demography and demand.

•••

Its proponents, including Prime Minister Modi and cabinet ministers for finance and law, have said that this self-reliant policy does not aim to be protectionist,

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Exclusive Interview with Mr. Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director, NCRTC

Mr. Vinay Kumar Singh Managing Director NCRTC

Metro Rail News Managing Editor Mr Narendra Shah conducted an email interview with Mr. Vinay Kumar Singh, MD, NCRTC. In which Mr Singh shared his ideas on the growing role of RRTS in the transport sector and threw light on the differences between RRTS and Delhi Metro Rail System. Mr Vinay talked about the upcoming technologies in metros like the Common Data Environment, 3D Models Virtual Reality, Continuous Operating Reference Station (CORS) etc.

He discussed that the RRTS are a boon for inter-city connectivity in the NCR region.

It will increase the overall productivity of the area by stimulating polycentric development, economic activity etc.

Here are the edited excerpts: Narendra Shah (NS): What major challenges do you see in the transport systems in the National Capital Region?

Mr. Vinay Kumar Singh (VKS): Connectivity options currently available in the National Capital Region (NCR) include time-tabled trains for intercity travel, Delhi Metro Rail, DTC Buses and taxis etc. Given the urban expanse of the region and concentration of economic activity in few central pockets, what is missing is a fast, reliable and comfortable mobility solution for

regional commute between urban and sub-urban nodes. This is the gap that the RRTS, a rail-based regional transit system is going to plug in.

Let us take example of Delhi-Meerut connectivity. Existing road connection between Delhi and urban nodes like Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Modi Nagar enroute to Meerut passes through congested roads prone to vehicle accidents, and any further widening of roads in this corridor will involve huge rehabilitation and resettlement issues.

The travel time from Delhi to Meerut city centre to city centre, even with private vehicles is more than 3 hours during peak hour traffic. Also, the existing rail transport has low frequency, lacks reliability and has high travel time. Further, as per published data, the line capacity utilisation of Indian Railways network on this route is more than 100 percent. Hence it is not feasible to increase the frequency of existing services significantly.

Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor will allow commuters to travel from Meerut to Delhi in less than an hour.

The requirement of better regional connectivity in the form of RRTS has been long identified as one of the most

Ghaziabad RRTS station www.metrorailnews.in

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW critical interventions required to achieve balanced and harmonised development of NCR. In line with the international experience, once operational, a high throughput system like RRTS will unlock economic development potential of the entire region, decongest the capital city, and integrate the NCR in true sense by providing transit connectivity to various urban and sub-urban nodes.

(NS): In what ways will the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) be different from Delhi Metro Rail system?

1st Special steel span of RRTS in Ghaziabad

(VKS): Metro train systems have revolutionised the way people travel and have enhanced the adoption of mass public transport systems within the geographical limits of a city. However, as I said earlier, RRTS will provide fast, safe, and comfortable mode of intercity commute in NCR. While implementing the RRTS, NCRTC is building a huge network of networks in the region. Several RRTS stations have been strategically planned so as to enable seamless integration with other modes of transport like metro stations, railway stations, inter-state bus terminals (ISBT), bus stands/ depots, etc. This will help people to travel seamlessly from one point to another and save significantly on travel-time.

If we talk of the difference from Metro systems, RRTS trainsets will have a design speed of 180 Kmph, and a resultant average speed of about 100 km per hour, which is three times faster than the current resultant average speed of Metro trains of 30-35 km per hour.

Further, RRTS trainsets, which are being designed and manufactured in the country, will provide features like comfortable 2x2 transverse seats, overhead luggage racks, USB/ electric charging for mobile/ laptops, onboard Wi-fi for infotainment, and one premium class coach in each train. Another important intervention that we have done is to enable the RRTS infrastructure, be it stations or trains, to carry patients on stretcher/ wheelchair in case of rare medical emergencies. I believe this facility will prove to be a life saviour for people on the corridor by providing them access to the most advanced medical facilities of the country.

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Tunnel Boring Machine for RRTS tunnels (NS): This was about the passenger experience, further, what are the differences in the underlying technologies that make RRTS first-ofits-kind in India?

(VKS): True, owing to the high design speed of 180 kmph, every sub-system of the RRTS has application of technology at a different level from its previous applications in India. Moreover, as a strategy we have adopted state-of-theart, future looking technologies across these sub-systems therefore making it a first-of-its-kind implementation in India.

For example, even in case of underground civil structures, tunnel diameter will be higher owing to provision of luggage racks in the coaches and higher speed.

Also, the viaduct girders are heavier and stiffer to support low tolerance track.

For low maintenance ballastless tracks for high speed, Austrian pre-cast track technology, which is considered one of the best available track systems globally, is being installed for the first time in the country.

If we talk of traction, Rigid Overhead Catenary System for design speed of 180

Under construction RRTS viaduct kmph is being installed for the first time in India.

We are implementing European Train Control System Level 2 (ETCS L2) signalling in RRTS, one of the most advanced signalling & train control system in the world. This will be for the first time in the world that combination of the latest ETCS Standard, the latest Digital Interlocking and Automatic Train Operation (ATO) over Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio will be deployed. ETCS Level 2 system will allow interoperability among different RRTS corridors.

Further, modern system-operated, Made-in-India rolling stock with high acceleration/ deceleration shall be used for RRTS which shall be different from Metro systems.

Last but not the least, for the first time in India, Metro services in Meerut, shall be operated on the same infrastructure of RRTS which is a different service altogether adding to the technological complexity.

(NS): Can you highlight any major innovations or advanced technologies being deployed in the RRTS

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

implementation?

(VKS): Certainly, making RRTS a technologically advanced system has been one of the core strategies since beginning. I have always encouraged my team to adopt best-in-class technological solutions for not only enhancing passenger experience but also in the implementation of the project.

We are using innovative IT enabled tools and modules, developed inhouse for various aspects of project implementation. The tool for project monitoring and management, called SPEED, developed by our own IT team has been refined iteratively with our own implementation experience and has become so effective that NCRTC is even supporting other public transit organisations to implement this tool for their project management.

In addition to SPEED, we are using many other technological solutions, which are helping us make implementation more effective and efficient. These include Common Data Environment (CDE) which

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helps teams collaborate and exchange documents on one platform with clearly defined workflows and Building Information Modelling (BIM) which is a virtual reality-based technology that provides a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of the RRTS project. BIM uses CDE to share intelligent 3D model and enables document management, coordination, & simulation on a real-time basis, forming a reliable foundation for decisions during the project lifecycle. With 3D models Virtual Reality (VR) views, everyone in the team knows from day one that what kind of structure they are going to construct, making the collaboration between designers and engineers in the field seamless and smooth. This helps us in saving time in resolving conflicts and reducing capex.

Another innovative technology that we implemented successfully, is use of Continuous Operating Reference Station (CORS) network with multiple Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) base stations which are located at stable locations and these stations operate 24

X 7 at a distance of 5 to 10 km along the corridor. This is an advanced technique which eliminates distance dependence, ionospheric and manual errors in surveys and enables availability of accurate reference points for installation of tracksystem, etc.

(NS): You have also served as CEO, HSRCL; Group General Manager, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited; Multiple and Key Positions in Indian Railways. How would you use your experience of working in these important portfolios for development of RRTS for NCR? (VKS): During my career spanning more than three decades, I consider myself fortunate to have worked in positions where in I could gather good understanding of advanced technologies in the railway sector in addition to enhancing my management knowhow.

In my current role, I have been given to spearhead the RRTS project which is probably technologically most advanced implementation being undertaken in the rail-based infrastructure sector in

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW the country. My past experience of developing the foundation of highspeed project in India has proved quite beneficial. For developing the right knack of leading project implementation, I give credit to my initial stints at Indian Railways and Delhi Metro.

Also, acknowledging how I have learnt throughout my career, I encourage employees across the board to keep learning new technologies and systems, provide opportunities to them for upskilling, remain open to new ideas and initiatives, and challenge the ‘status quo’. Further, in this organisation, I have tried to build a culture which prioritises a commuter-first approach in all our plans, strategies, and actions.

Pic : Delhi-Meerut RRTS Construction

I believe focus on selection and upskilling of a committed and passionate team can do wonders and we are working together to prove this with a timely and successful implementation of RRTS.

affordable housing. RRTS will entail a significant modal shift of passenger transport from road to rail, help reduce vehicular congestion, air pollution, and permanent migration to Delhi.

(NS): Do you think RRTS alone can be an ideal solution for mobility needs of a rapidly increasing urban population in India?

With multi-modal-integration as one of the core strategies, RRTS will lead to creation of a huge network-of-networks in the NCR and increase in share of public transport in the region.

(VKS): Well, certainly RRTS can pave the way as a transformative mobility solution that can play key role in providing sustainable solutions to resolve the multiple crises being faced by our urban centres. However, without a close and dynamic integration of transport and land-use planning, the problem can’t be solved in its entirety.

RRTS can be replicated to provide high-speed seamless connectivity to other urban agglomerations. If given a mandate, NCRTC will be glad to play a strategic role to support implementation of similar high-speed mobility projects in the country.

Currently, with Metro System commuters in NCR provide a “one-hour access” in a radius of about 30 Kms from the city centre. Once RRTS is operational, commuters will be able to travel in a radius of about 100 Kms within an hour. This average speed can be further increased to up to 125 Km/hr if we enable our stations for hopping services. Thus, with RRTS coming in, one can easily stay in their hometowns like Meerut, Ghaziabad, Modinagar, Manesar, Panipat and travel to Delhi within an hour, to access education, employment, healthcare and recreational facilities.

RRTS will enhance overall productivity of NCR leading to greater economic activity, encourage polycentric development in the region, and enhance reach to

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(NS): What is the time frame decided for completion of the first RRTS project of the country? Is there any plan regarding scale up of the project or any major development envisioned for the ongoing project?

(VKS): NCRTC has been given the mandate to implement eight RRTS corridors connecting the key nodes across NCR, with Delhi-Meerut, DelhiPanipat, and Delhi- Alwar being the three corridors to be developed in the Phase-1.

The Priority Section of 17 kms between Sahibabad to Duhai will be commissioned

by March of 2023. Commissioning of the full corridor from Delhi to Meerut, along with metro services in Meerut, will happen by 2025. While the target is to commission by March of 2023, but the

speed at which our teams are working, we are confident that we will deliver it before the schedule.

The progress of the project is attributed to the indomitable spirit of more than 14,000 workers & 1100 engineers working passionately at the RRTS sites, and cooperation of our key stakeholders Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), State Governments of UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, & Govt. of NCT of Delhi.

(NS): Shall definitely like to know your views about Metro Rail News.

(VKS): The country has seen successful implementation of metro rail projects across its urban centres. In addition, we will now be having multiple highspeed rail projects. In this scenario, a reputed publication like Metro Rail News, dedicated to the sector, is playing an appreciable role in keeping the key stakeholders & decision-makers connected, and abreast with the latest developments in the industry. The wide variety of topics the editorial team at Metro Rail News picks for every issue and the attention to detail with which they address each new story is quite impressive.

•••

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Exclusive Interview with Ms. Rajashri Teli, Joint Managing Director, HYT Engineering Metro Rail News Managing Editor Mr Narendra Shah conducted an email interview with Ms. Rajashri Teli, Joint Managing Director (J.M.D.), HYT Engineering. Ms Teli talks about her Journey and significant accomplishment so far.

Here is the edited excerpt: Q.1. Tell us something about your company which you are presently leading as the penultimate authority. What does it mean to you, and how does it feel. Kindly detail the OBS, including your position?

HYT engineering company Pvt Ltd was started in 1977 by our Chairman and My father, Mr Bhojraj Teli. HYT, since its inception, has always been involved in innovation and sophisticated technology.

HYTs two business verticals, one being manufacturing of special-purpose machine tools for rolling stock maintenance and the second being executing E.P.C. turnkey projects for railways, are both highly demanding and technology-driven verticals.

Till date, HYT has supplied over 800 machines to the railway sector and has more than 20 ongoing projects in the E.P.C. sector.

HYT proudly holds 99 % of the market share in Indian railways in the supply of C.N.C. surface wheel lathes and C.N.C. underfloor wheel lathes.

I joined the organisation in 2011 and became the whole time director in 2013. In 2021 I was appointed as the joint managing director.

I am equally proud and ecstatic to be leading this organisation.

Proud because HYT’s products and projects are ultimately building the nation and its economy, ecstatic because over the years HYT has built a very strong technical base and tremendous market goodwill. The future possibilities for the company within India and globally are boundless.

Ms. Rajashri Teli

Joint Managing Director HYT Engineering www.metrorailnews.in

HYT’s vision is to build railway projects, supply machine tools worldwide. Be Nation’s No. 1 project execution company and global leader in manufacturing special-purpose machine tools. Our products and projects are smart, economical and eco-friendly.

We aim to do so by developing SMART, Economical and Ecofriendly machines and Projects METRO RAIL NEWS | JANUARY 2022

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Review with Design and R&D team Q.2. You have also worked as Vice President SAFOP S.R.L. Please tell us something about the company. Is it a separate entity, a different firm or organisation or the conglomerate of the company you are presently working as vice - president?

SAFOP S.R.L located in Pordenone, Italy, is a separate corporate entity and a 100% subsidiary of HYT engineering company, India. With a manufacturing facility of 24,000 sq. mt., SAFOP has a history of almost 100 years. Like HYT It is also a special purpose machine tool manufacturing company. It has supplied over 1400 wheel maintenance lathes, 32 ft large lathes, balmatic machines to to Energy, Steel, Paper, Oil, Aerospace, Shipyard and Heavy Industries around the world. SAFOP has a strong market base in U.S.A., Europe and Russia.

SAFOP S.r.l became a 100 % subsidiary of HYT in 2019. There are so many learning lessons that I as a vice president have learnt from delegation of authority to process structuring, From complex manufacturing project planning to thorough prototype testing and much more. Together HYT and SAFOP aim to become the powerhouse of innovation, a hub for the exchange of ideas and the world leaders in development and su pply of machine tools.

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METRO RAIL NEWS | JANUARY 2022

Q.3. You are leading your family business now. May be it is a bigger responsibility to you. How are you taking this opportunity? Please tell us something about your major accomplishment or key success?

Well, I don’t like to look at it as a family business anymore. I look at the business as a professional who has got this tremendous opportunity to take the company forward to realise its full potential. Our moto at HYT is to make the company independent from its investors and to make it a process and data-driven company.

One of my biggest contributions to the company has been developing the organisation and making the units and departments self-driven rather than owner driven. This has improved the efficiency of the operations taking the company’s top line from Rs. 179.59 Cr. In 2015 to Rs. 505.84 in F.Y. 2020-21 with a very strong bottom line. Today HYT has a total team of 800 people, 5 manufacturing units in Pune, 11 service centres across India and branch offices in Delhi and Chennai. HYT has now been dynamically expanding in the exports division by recent supplies to south Africa, Bangkok and France. HYT has successfully completed the supply and commissioning of C.N.C. Underfloor wheel lathe machine in France for SNCF to maintain its highspeed trains.

Q.4. Would you like to share anything about your personal life, Your school days, education etc. Is there any dream you are too much pampered with and like to achieve in future?

I have always been patriotic. I always dreamt of joining the army or police force to serve my nation as a child. However, later in my teen years, my father explained the equal importance of building a nation as equal to protecting a nation.

That was when I realised how HYT engineering was helping the Indian economy by manufacturing import substitutes. Previously India imported wheel maintenance machines at huge prices. HYT indigenously developed these machines and offered them at very reasonable prices, which has ultimately led to saving hundreds of crores of foreign exchange for the country. HYT had adopted the “Make in India” right from 1991 when it manufactured India’s First made in India wheel lathe machine making the nation ‘atmanirbhar’ in wheel maintenance technology.

Q.5. Any failure or major setbacks in your career or projects supervised or taken. Would you like to speak of anything, If any?

A major challenge that I faced was back in 2013 when I was heading the company operations as a whole-time www.metrorailnews.in

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW CNC Tandem underfloor wheel lathe is an underfloor wheel lathe where two vehicle-mounted wheelsets can be simultaneously reprofiled in situ at the same time without removing the wheelsets of the rail/metros . The structure of the machine comprises of two under floor wheel lathes where one of the machine is fixed and the other is moving to accommodate variable center distance of the bogie .. Tandem underfloor wheel lathe Is the wheel lathe of the future and is specifically designed for the VandeBharat trains, Metros, Highspeed trains and the maintenance depots where high productivity is required with high number of wheelset profiling per day.

Q.8. What are the latest trends in the railway EPC industry?

Shop - Floor at production unit 1 , Pune director at the age of 24. At that time, most of the organisation was comprised by senior staff whose work experience in HYT was more than my age. So their hesitance and doubt were natural. But their apprehensions soon changed when together as a team we led the company to a growth of 65 % over last 6 years.

A second major setback I faced was in 2017 while developing a prototype machine. Again, a lot of time, money and efforts were already lost, and this prototype had started looking like a failure. It took as multiple “put out the fire” meetings to resolve the defects but ultimately, the final output was a massive success.

our advantage, we are in the midst of developing more advanced import substitute machines for the Indian railways, metros and Highspeed trains.

Our new C.N.C. Tandem Underfloor Wheel Lathe is one such product. The Automatic axle measuring attachment to our Vertical turning lathes has completely eliminated human intervention ultimately leading to improved accuracy and effective timesaving.

Automation and digitalisation are important but it’s important to understand that the age that we live in is a service age. Service is pivotal. I believe a golden product has zero value if not coupled with services.

The third and major setback was the pandemic. The uncertainty during 2020 and early 2021 had us wondering if HYT could come out on the other end.

Nationwide lockdown followed by a slow economy and volatile market conditions were making our fears come true.

This was a tough time for us but we as an organisation were tougher due to which HYT not only survived but also grew further.

HYT has already been the pioneer in providing value-based services like “MAAS - machine as a service”, “industry 4.0” along with complete comprehensive services for our products.

Q.6. As Joint MD what major activities you look after to in Hyt Engineering.

How does the organisation plan to expand the business, keeping the professional standards and being at par with globally competitive engineering conglomerates?

HYT has 20% of its revenue contributed through export sales and all the export machines are all C.E. certified, which makes HYT machines at par with the international standards. We have recently supplied underfloor wheel lathe machine to SNCF France with DEKRA accreditation for its highspeed trains, and we are proud to share that the machines is performing at its best.

Presently the key areas that I focus on are operations, financial planning, Product and business development.

I have spoken previously about HYT’s boundless potential to grow. With a strong technological base serving as

With HYT’s wide and reliable service network we look froward to adding more service based offerings, fundamentally adding more value to our product and eventually benefiting the customer.

Q.7. Could you explain to our readers about the tandem underfloor wheel lathe technology ?

Machine as a Service: Machines as a service is a prevailing business model and a better alternative for privatisation of maintenance process in the railway depots. In the model Machines of high value are leased for long term period inclusive of the operations, spares , manpower and guaranteed production is defined in the service contract . MAAS guarantees the output and maintenance.

In this model, Railways provide the input Material and the MAAS service provider guarantees the production. Railways in india are adopting it predominantly to convert the CAPEX to OPEX. Industry 4.0 - The maintenance depots of Railways and Metros are becoming smart day by day. Industry 4.0 is the enabler of enhanced control mechanisms, remote monitoring, predictive maintenance and superior safety features. The railways and metros have started adopting centralised and remote performance monitoring systems to have less dependency on traditional manual processes. This also reduces the requirement of manpower in maintenance yard and leads to manpower reduction and controlling the cost pertaining to spares and maintenance and also the breakdown time of machines.

Wheel Shop Automation for the Railway industry: The wheel shops of various railways zones should start implementing complete process Automation on its shop floor.

Overhead gantries, Turntables, automatic measuring stations, CNC controlled and traceability solutions are the main enablers for the Successful automation of wheel shop. The resultant benefits of wheel shop automation are reduction in manpower , increase in the productivity of wheel shop.it also has many safety features to avoid accidents on the shop floor.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Exclusive Interview with Siddharth Chatterjee, Head of Structure Department at WSP Louis Berger India Metro Rail News Managing Editor Mr. Narendra Shah conducted an email interview with Mr. Siddhartha Chatterjee, Principal Engineer (HOD) at Louis Berger India Pvt. Ltd. During this conversation, Mr. Chatterjee shared the journey and its prospects. Here’s the edited excerpt: Q.01. Tell us something about the project – BG Rail Link between Rishikesh to Karnaprayag (Package 3) that you are leading for Louis Berger?

Siddharth Chatterjee Head of Structure Department at WSP Louis Berger India

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Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) has spearheaded the implementation of the construction of the new 125 km long Broad-Gauge railway line from Rishikesh to Karnaprayag in the State of Uttarakhand in India. This new rail link will facilitate vastly improved mobility and connectivity for the residents of the State, in particular for those living in the mountainous areas and for those visiting the State for tourism and religious purposes. As you are aware, the new rail line will also cover the area known as “Char Dham” - the four highly sacred temples. The design and construction of the new line is being implemented in eight packages. Louis Berger SAS in a consortium with lead partner Geodata has designed the 14.263km long section of the line included in Package 3 and is presently supervising the construction of the same. This package includes over 9km of tunnels and 4 bridges (Bridge

nos. 4 to 7). Of these, we have showcased “Bridge No. 6” in Bentley’s “The 2021 Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure”.

Q.02. What makes the project so unique and challenging, as we have heard about it on many occasions?

This project is unique and challenging in many ways – a. It includes one of the longest railway steel truss bridges in India. b. The project is located near the fault zone of the Himalayan region.

Location wise it falls under the most critical seismic zone V as per the Indian seismological map. The near-fault effect is further assessed through a Site-specific Response spectrum. This has further enhanced the magnitude of the seismic force for design. c. There is very limited space available closer to the abutments to carry out bridge launching related activities. In addition, launching will be conducted over live traffic adjacent to abutments with very limited space. d. The steep and rugged mountainous terrain posed significant design challenges, especially foundations.

Innovative bridge construction techniques had to be formulated.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Q.03. What, according to you, have been the biggest challenges before you in this project? What for you is the completion status of the project. Would you please tell us specifically? Is there any task that remains incomplete from your side that might cost any delays for the project?

The design of a steel truss bridge of 125m in a very high seismic zone in itself is a very challenging task. In addition, it is located in very difficult rugged terrain where construction is extremely challenging. Hence, developing designs suited to the rugged mountainous terrain with construction-friendly and innovative techniques was a major challenge.

As of date, the design of all project components is complete, and GFC drawings have been issued. As far as construction is concerned, foundationrelated activities are ongoing at site along with fabrication of steel truss at fabrication yard.

With the design being completed and the construction of most foundations in progress, no cost escalation is foreseen.

Q.04. How important would this Rail Line Link be strategically for the country apart from tourism and Char Dham Yatra that it will certainly boost?

This new rail link between Rishikesh to Karnaprayag will undoubtedly boost tourism, and it will be a boon for people travelling for the ‘Char Dham Yatra’.

In addition, it is significantly going to improve India’s strategic position in border areas because the rail link will provide a faster and more reliable mode of transport for the movement of goods and people.

Q.05. To what extent has your contribution towards the rail line link that is being developed strategically and economically important for the country? Is your work limited to designing and constructing of bridges and tunnels only for this project?

During the design stage, we endeavoured to develop optimum design solutions in terms of project cost, ease of construction, and the least possible impact on the environment, given the

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environmentally sensitive areas that the rail line will traverse. Our role is presently only for the design of all elements of the project, and subsequent project and construction management Q.06. Which other major projects you are working upon of this magnitude and scale. Please tell us something about your company and your role in specific?

Louis Berger was founded in the United States in 1953 and, by December 2018, had grown into a US$ 1 billion global consulting engineering firm with over 6,000 staff worldwide. In December 2018, Louis Berger was fully acquired globally by WSP Global headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Today, we are therefore an integral part of WSP, with over CA$ 7.5 billion in annual revenues and over 55,000 professionals worldwide on six continents. WSP is ranked No. 1 in the world in transportation by ENR. Across the globe, we provide a wide range of services from concept and feasibility studies, design, project management and construction supervision often extending into the O&M stage across diverse sectors including Transportation (Highways, Bridges, Tunnels, Rail, Metro Rail, Light Rail, High-Speed Rail, Aviation, Ports), Property and Buildings, Industrial and Energy, and Environment. We are “Future Ready” and aim to bring “Solutions for a Better World”.

Some of the other landmark ongoing projects of WSP/Louis Berger in India are as follows: • Mumbai Metro Line 3 (33km, fully underground) • Mumbai Metro Line 4 (30km, fully elevated) • Bhopal Metro & Indore Metro (60km in total, part elevated, part underground) • Versova Bandra Sea Link in Mumbai (17km of marine roadway bridges) • Mumbai Coastal Road with significant reclamation works, sea walls, complex interchanges and marine viaducts • Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link with 11km of 4-lane twin tunnels and an iconic cable-stayed bridge of 350m main span • 9km long twin roadway Tunnels under River Brahmaputra in Assam

Q.07. Louis Berger is one of the well known global companies in the field of engineering, architecture, structural engineering etc. What had been your experience taking up a challenging Indian project as such? Do you feel need of any addl. Technological upgrade required at your part?

Louis Berger has previously executed several rail, tunnel and bridge projects worldwide, including in challenging mountainous regions.

This prior experience enabled Louis Berger to “hit the ground running” on this project, drawing on our experience and expertise across the globe. However, every project is unique in its own way and the present Rishikesh-Karanprayag project posed its own challenges, especially in terms of the high seismic zone and the difficulties anticipated with regard to construction, driving construction technique innovations. Therefore, this project has also been a learning experience, adding to our global knowledge database.

With the acquisition of Louis Berger globally by WSP in December 2018, the experience database on similar projects has grown six to seven-fold. We seek continuous improvement, including the innovative use of newer technologies. We are working on introducing 5D BIM for smoother progress during construction on the present project.

Q.08. Is there any message you would like to give to our readers?

At WSP/Louis Berger, we believe in being fully accountable and taking full ownership for the work that we execute on our projects. We understand the responsibility we must bear in the design and project/construction management of public-sector infrastructure works, especially using taxpayer funds in the most optimum manner. We believe in bringing our “Future Ready” approach to our designs and processes, factoring in aspects such as climate change into our designs. Above all, we stand for “zero tolerance” where Safety is considered, operate with the highest integrity and ethics, and work towards ensuring the best quality.

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FEATURED STORY

The making of fastest developed Metro Rail System in the country: Kanpur Metro Abstract In an all together new development of its kind the UPMRCL (Uttar Pradesh Metro rail corporation) after the inauguration of priority corridor of Kanpur Metro on Dec 28th 2021 by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi stated that trail run for priority corridor of Kanpur Metro beat Lucknow’s priority corridor trails by a margin of 69 days making Kanpur Metro the fastest developed Metro rail system in the country.

The unique record became the centre of attention also because the project was halted for four and a half months during the corona pandemic period. The Corporation claimed that it took 795 days for the Lucknow Metro to start. The construction of Lucknow Metro started on September 28, 2014, and trail run was conducted on December 1, 2016. While in Kanpur Metro project, the construction started on November 15, 2019, and first official trial will begin on 10th Nov 2021 post flag off by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. In total, it took only 726 days for Kanpur Metro to start trials.

The Kanpur Metro could achieve the feat as per officials of UPMRC for following reasons: (i) Used of Double T-girders to erect the station concourse - It was for the first time in India for the Metro project that girders were pre-casted at the factory floor and then brought to the construction site which was installed with the help of heavy lifter cranes. This method helped to save time. (ii) Utilizing the vicinity and non-congestion of lockdown – For Kanpur Metro the corona pandemic lockdown was utilized as an opportunity by expediting the construction in those areas of the Metro corridor which were often heavily congested during normal days. In order to ensure that labour were available during the corona pandemic, a labour colony was constructed. Facilities like food canteen, shelter with attached toilets and drinking water facilities were provided. Although, the project was halted for four and a half months in the pandemic arrangements were made for transportation facilities for those labourers who wanted to visit their villages to meet their dear ones. Such steps helped building the confidence and motivated the labourers to return and work for the project helping to complete it in a record time. (iii) Clear understanding with construction contractors –

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Confidence of construction contractors was gained. If the contractors had any issue, be it financial, material or anything else the contractors were asked to directly contact senior officials for immediate remedies. (iv) Maintaining a uniform standard for the entire project — A uniform standard for entire project has been maintained which means that almost every girder or pillar is similar, which helped contractors to expedite the construction fast.

Kanpur Metro priority corridor is 9-km-long and stretches between IIT-Kanpur and Motijheel with nine stations, while Lucknow Metro trail stretch had eight stations in 8.7- km-long stretch between Transport Nagar and Charbagh.The Kanpur Metro project is funded by the European Investment Bank.

Around 650 million euros (Rs 11076.48 crore) are being pumped into the project to construct two corridors, including a 23.7-kmlong stretch between IIT-Kanpur and Naubasta and 8.6- kmlong stretch between Agriculture University and Barra- sector 8. The entire cost of the Kanpur Metro project is expected to be realised within five years.

Detail Kanpur is arguably the biggest industrial city in Uttar Pradesh.

Spread across 300 sq kilometres, the city has grown at a tremendously pace, with its current population hitting over 30 lakh people. With an aim to provide Kanpur with planned development, a city that also has enormous historical and religious importance, the Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) was constituted under the UP Urban Development Act, 1973.

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FEATURED STORY was approved by the Uttar Pradesh cabinet in March 2016. The project is being implemented by the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (UPMRCL). The Kanpur Metro is also the first metro rail network in India to use double T-girders for a metro rail corridor, cutting down cost and time spent.

Route

Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated the completed section of the Kanpur Metro Rail project at around 1.30 pm, on December 28, 2021. The PM inspected the Kanpur Metro Rail Project and took a metro ride from the IIT metro station to Geeta Nagar. The completed nine-km stretch of the Kanpur Metro, is from IIT-Kanpur to Moti Jheel. Stations on the Kanpur Metro priority section, which was completed in a record two years’ time, include IIT-Kanpur, Kalyanpur, SPM Hospital, Kanpur University, Gurudev Crossing, Geeta Nagar, Rawatpur, GSVM Medical College and Moti Jheel Once fully operational, the Kanpur Metro would provide residents of the city access to a world-class transport system. Kanpur, an industrial city in Uttar Pradesh is home to over 41 lakh people and tit population is expected to reach 46.3 lakhs in 2021, making the metro network a much-needed infrastructure project.

To deal with the problem of rising number of registered vehicles in Kanpur and to provide efficient connectivity to its citizens, the authorities envisaged the construction of the Kanpur Metro.

Even though building a mass transit transport network in one of the oldest industrial and densely populated cities is no ordinary feat, this dream is set to become a reality for the citizens of Kanpur. Here is a look at all the important details of the Kanpur Metro.

Project The Uttar Pradesh government approved the Kanpur Metro project in 2016, while the centre gave a go-ahead to the project in 2019. The Kanpur Metro is jointly financed by the centre and the Uttar Pradesh government.

The detailed project report for phase-1 of the Kanpur Metro www.metrorailnews.in

The entire Kanpur metro route will be built in two phases. Under Kanpur Metro phase-1, a network spanning 32.385 kms will be built with two lines – the Red Line and the Blue Line. These lines will connect major public nodes and city cluster areas of Kanpur, thus, cutting down vehicular traffic and pollution. The transport network will also push demand for residential and commercial spaces along these corridors.

Metro Stations: Phase-1 Under phase-1, two corridors of the Kanpur Metro, the Red Line and the Blue Line will be built. The DPR for phase-1 pegs the total daily ridership in 2024 (when the proposed lines will be fully operational) at 9.4 lakhs, 10.8 lakhs in 2031 and 13.5 lakhs in 2041.

Metro Route Red Line To run between IIT Kanpur and Naubasta, the 23.785-km Red Line of the Kanpur Metro will have 22 stations. While 15.164 kms of this line would be elevated, the remaining 8.621 kms will be underground.

Station list on Red Line • IIT Kanpur • Kalyanpur Railway Station • SPM Hospital • CSJM University • Gurudev Chauraha METRO RAIL NEWS | JANUARY 2022

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• Geeta Nagar • Rawatpur Railway Station • Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital • Moti Jheel • Chunniganj • Naveen Market • Bada Chauraha • Nayaganj • Birhana Road • Kanpur Central Railway Station • ISBT Jhakarkati • Old Transport Nagar • Kidwai Nagar North • Kidwai Nagar South • Yashoda Nagar • Baudh Nagar • Naubasta

The Red Line, with 14 elevated and eight underground stations will pass through the heart of the city, covering several prominent nodes and educational institutions in Kanpur, which is counted among the most populous Indian cities and the largest one in Uttar Pradesh. While work on Kanpur Metro Red Line is scheduled to be completed by December 2024, operation on priority corridor has been started from December 2021.

Stations on 9-km priority corridor

Metro Stations on Blue Line

• IIT-Kanpur • Kalyanpur • SPM Hospital • Kanpur University • Gurudev Crossing • Geeta Nagar • Rawatpur • GSVM Medical College • Moti Jheel

•CSA University •GSVM Medical College •Rawatpur Railway Station •Kakadeo •Vijay Nagar •Dada Nagar •Barra-7 •Barra-8 •Jarauli

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Blue Line This 8.6-km elevated Blue Line corridor of the Kanpur Metro will run between Chandra Shekhar Azad University and Jaurali.

The Blue Line will have a total of nine stations. The tender for this project is yet to be passed. The corridor, with elevated and underground stations, will provide connectivity to various densely-populated residential areas in Kanpur, including Kakadeo and Govind Nagar.

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FEATURED STORY Estimated Cost The estimated cost of the Kanpur Metro project is Rs 11,076.48 crores. The project is expected to be completed in five years.

About 40 lakh people are expected to be benefitted by the new metro rail project.

Kanpur Metro work progress timeline 2015 September : Kanpur Metro Rail Corporation formed.

November : DPR for phase-1 is submitted to the state government by LMRC and RITES. 2016 March : Uttar Pradesh government approves phase-1 DPR. October : Following the centre’s approval for the project, the former urban development minister, M Venkaiah Naidu, laid the foundation stone for the project along with the then Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav, at Brijendra Swaroop Park in Benajhabar.

2017 July : Civil work started for phase-1.

September : Centre seeks changes in the DPR. December : New DPR is prepared.

2018 March : Uttar Pradesh cabinet approves Kanpur Metro project.

June : Finance Ministry gives in-principle approval to the Kanpur Metro.

September : DPR sent to the central government.

2019 February : Uttar Pradesh allocates Rs 175 crores in its budget, to start preliminary work; Centre approves Kanpur Metro project.

March : PM Narendra Modi lays the foundation stone for the Kanpur Metro project.

around one km, from IIT Kanpur to Kalyanpur Railway station for the priority corridor.

The nine-km stretch from IIT-Kanpur to Motijheel, which became operational on 28th December 2021 is part of the Red Line and it will connect some landmarks in Kanpur. It is termed as the priority corridor. Recall here that Noida, Ghaziabad and Lucknow are among the cities in UP with an operational metro network.

Summary While the entire project would take time to be completed, the government decided to proceed with the priority stretch, where the metro project is needed the most to relieve the city of traffic congestion. This priority stretch consists of nine metro stations.

The second stretch of Kanpur metro would connect Motijheel to Transport Nagar area, which is scheduled to have underground stations.

The plan is to run six metro trains on the 9km stretch of the priority corridor in the initial phase and then add another six more trains. The project is unique in terms of using new technology. The ‘regenerative braking’ technology used in the project will save energy. It would ensure that for every 1000 units used, about 35 to 45 per cent units would be regenerated.

The Kanpur Metro rail project, among other things proposes to provide about 56 USB charging points per train, talk-back button in case of emergency, long stop request button for the differently-abled. Further the train plans to use 100 per cent LED lights to reduce energy consumption. It would also have LCD panels for infotainment, along with CCTV cameras.

•••

July : LMRC invites tender for construction of elevated track and stations.

September : Afcons Infra awarded tender to construct nine stations along with tracks and elevated viaduct.

November : CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurates civil work for the Kanpur Metro.

2020 February : CM Yogi Adityanath allocates Rs 358 crores towards Kanpur Metro phase-1.

September : EIB to invest 650 million euros for the project.

2021 February : Uttar Pradesh budget 2021-22 allocates Rs 597 crores for Kanpur Metro Rail Project.

May : Initial work starts for the 8.621-km underground section of Kanpur Metro.

June : UPMRC completes the track laying work for a stretch of

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PROJECT OF THE MONTH

Vijaywada Metro: An ambitious Metro Project awaiting execution

Image for representation purpose Abstract

A

ccording to a report by Oxford Economics, a global survey organisation, Vijayawada is one of India’s top ten fastest expanding cities. It is a well-known industrial city producing vehicles, agricultural products, and consumer goods. In addition, rice and sugarcane cultivation is extensive throughout the year, making the district one of the country’s wealthiest rice bowls.

Vijayawada, earlier known as Bezawada during British days, is the second-largest city of Andhra Pradesh State. It is located on the banks of the Krishna River, and the famous Goddess Kanaka Durga Temple situated on the hill overlooks the entire city. The city is blessed with ‘Prakasam Barrage’ built by Sir Arthur Cotton about 120 years back, converting the city and surroundings very fertile and lush.

The City and the Urban Agglomeration population is 14.91 lakhs as per census of 2011 and is growing at a fast pace in the advent of the formation of the New State of Andhra Pradesh.

The population as per 2021 estimations is around 20.95 lakhs by taking the population of surrounding areas into account.

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copyright: neomind Vijayawada being situated in the middle of East Coast, connecting to North India through Central India, it has become the busy Railway junction having railway lines in five directions namely to Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Benguluru via Guntur and Machilipatnam. It is the highest earning railway station in Andhra Pradesh. The largest State transport bus station is also Vijayawada. Thus the city is well connected from all corners of the country and therefore has enormous pressure on the urban transportation within the city.

A World class mass rapid transit system, a metro rail system is a much-needed mode of public transport to meet the challenges of fast-growing traffic scenario in Vijayawada and the surroundings. Therefore, the Government has decided to introduce an elegant and modern Light Metro Rail system in the city. The Metro Rail System would provide the commuters a fast, convenient, safer, comfortable, efficient and reliable, pollution-free and eco friendly transport. This would enable the city achieve a sustainable growth from the social, economic and environmental perspectives.

On coming into commercial operations, the Proposed Light Metro System is expected to cater to a passenger capacity of about 5.0 lakhs daily in 2025 and gradually to increase to 12-15

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PROJECT OF THE MONTH lakhs by the year 2055.

Earlier in 2015, DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited) recommended for introducing Medium Metro system in two smaller corridors in the core city, of a total length of 26 km only.

However, the State Government decided to go for Light Metro system keeping in view of traffic demand during the next 30 years period and considering the travel needs to expand it to the Airport/ Gannavaram on one side and to the new Capital City Amaravati on the other side.

Station (PNBS), a bus station located at the southern side of Vijayawada city and beside the Krishna River. The proposed first line will follow Bandar Road from Pandit Nehru Bus Station to Penamaluru via Mahatma Gandhi road and the second run from PNBS along Eluru Road to Vijayawada Airport via Vijayawada

Development Ex-CM Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu planned a new capital for Andhra Pradesh, he planned to develop Vijayawada as a smart city & rolled out plans for metro in the city.

The metro project is implemented by a special purpose vehicle named as Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation.

Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation has been renamed as Andhra Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd after the Managing Director of AMRC suggested that it might be appropriate to change the name AMRC as APMRC so as toimplement the Metro Projects in other parts of the State.

The Metro rail project was proposed by N Chandrababu Naidu to reduce traffic congestion in the city. The project was awarded to E.Sreedharan led Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), keeping in view its successful execution of the Delhi Metro Rail project.

Survey work for the project began in 2014. RVR Associates was appointed to conduct household and traffic surveys. After completing these two surveys, topographical, environmental and soil surveys were also conducted.

A detailed project report on the Vijayawada Metro was submitted by the Principal Advisor of DMRC, E.Sreedharan to the Chief Minister. As a result, the AMRC floated tenders for the construction of two lines for the project on 28 November 2016.

Larsen and Toubro (L&T), Afcons Infrastructure Limited (AIL), and Simplex Infrastructures Limited (SIL) submitted bids for the project.

Detail Vijayawada Metro is a proposed light rail transit system in the Indian city of Vijayawada. The system is proposed to reduce traffic congestion in the city and consists of three corridors constructed in 3 Phases. Phase-I covers 24.5 km, phase-ll covers 12.50 Km, and phase-lll covers 28 km. The project was estimated approximately Rs. 15,000 crore. It was proposed in the form of light Metro which consists of 3 coaches.

Railway Station. An extension to Amaravati (state capital) is proposed in a subsequent phase. The project does not serve One Town area, where commercial locations such as KR Market, Vastralatha and the temple of Kanaka Durga are located.

The total length of alignment in 3 directions would be 66 km, as per the details mentioned below.

Funding

Phase

Line

Length

Stations

1A

PNBS-Gannavaram

24.5 Km

22

1B

PNBS- Penamaluru

12.50 Km

11

2

PNBS- Amaravati Total

28 Km 18 66.2 Km 51 Stations (Approx)

The corridor from Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) to Nidamanur is estimated to cost Rs. 969 crore (US$130 million), and the corridor between PNBS and Penamalur will cost Rs. 831 crore (US$110 million).

Network & Route The proposed interchange of two lines is Pandit Nehru Bus www.metrorailnews.in

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PROJECT OF THE MONTH German bank KfW agreed to provide a loan of Rs. 2,500 crore (US$330 million) to the AMRC in February 2017. The Andhra Pradhesh Government had previously considered taking a loan from JICA, but chose not to, as JICA’s loan proposal mandated that 30% of the loaned amount should used to procure rolling stock from Japan.

• Type: Elevated (4.7 km) & Underground (23.1 km) • Number of Stations: 18

Summary & Conclusion

Name of Stations : Gannavaram Bus Stand, Gannavaram, Yogashram, Airport, Kesarapalle, Velpuru, Gudavali, Sri Chaitanya College, Nidamanuru Railway Station, Nidamanuru, Enikepadu, MBT Center, Prasadampadu, Ramavarappadu Ring, Gunadala, Padavalarevu, Machavaram Down, Seetharampuram Signal, Besant Road, Railway Station East, Railway Station South, PNBS.

Vijayawada Light Metro is a Light Rail Transit (LRT) system with 2 lines and 51 stations proposed to be built in the city of Vijayawada and Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, by the Andhra Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (APMRC) earlier known as Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation (AMRC).

The project was originally conceived as a heavy-rail based mass rapid transit system (MRTS), and the Andhra Pradesh government signed an agreement with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to execute its 26.03 km Phase 1 project in September 2015.

The DMRC invited civil construction bids for both lines, but cancelled procurement due to its high cost and low ridership projections which were not in line with the Government of India’s new Metro Rail Policy In 2017-18, the state government opted for a Light Rail Transit (LRT / MetroLite). It now plans to connect Gannavaram – Vijayawada – Amravati in 3 phases with a 66.2 km network at an estimated cost of Rs. 15,000 crore, based on a recommendation by the SYSTRA – RITES – GOPA JV which submitted its revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) in April 2019.

Station Detail Phase 1A (Gannavaram to PNBS)

Phase 1B (PNBS to Penamaluru) Name of Stations : PNBS, Victoria Jubilee Museum, Municipal Stadium, Tikkle Road, Benz Circle, Auto Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Kanuru Centre, Tadigadapa, Poranki, Penamaluru.

Phase 2 (PNBS to Amaravathi Reservoir) Name of Stations : PNBS, Mahanadu, Krishna Canal Junction, Polkampadu, Undavalli Centre, Undavalli, Venkata Palem (East), Venkata Palem (West), Tallaya Palem, Mandadam, Uddandrayuni Palem, Lingaya Palem, The Square Station, Central Park Station, Ceremonial Space Station, Assembly Station, FG Station, GH Station, Amaravathi Reservoir Station.

•••

Key Features Operational : 0 Km Under Construction : 0 Km Proposed : 66.2 Km Vijaywada Metro Phase 1A Route Line-2 : Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) – Vijaywada Airport at Gannavaram • Length : 25.90 Km • Type : Elevated (23 Km) & Underground (2.90 Km) • Number of Stations : 22 Vijayawada Metro Phase 1B Route Line-1: Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) – Penamaluru • Length: 12.76 km • Type: Elevated • Number of Stations: 12 Vijayawada Metro Phase 2 Route Line-2: Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) – Amravati Reservoir.

• Length: 27.80 km

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FEATURED PROJECT

METRO NEO: A VIABLE AND CONVENIENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM electronic display.

Feeder Buses The length of the feeder buses is proposed to be around 12 to 13 metres. It would have a capacity to carry 60 to 70 passengers at a time. For power supply the coaches will operate on battery on the feeder routes and will also run on the Main corridors and get charged during running by overhead traction. The Feeder buses will run on the existing roads on two feeder routes-Satpur Colony via Garware to Mumbai Naka and Nashik Road via Nandur Naka to Shivaji Nagar.

Metro-Neo in Maharashtra’s Nashik: Metro-Neo in Nashik will have two corridors.

These are as follows:

Metro-Neo Project: An Introduction It is a Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) that aims to provide a comfortable, rapid, energy-efficient and less noisy transport medium in the city of Nashik. The project is proposed to be implemented by Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (Maha-Metro). In 2019, a feasibility report was made in consultation with the Nashik Municipal Corporation. The DPR (Detail Project Report) for the project has been prepared by M/s RITES Limited which, after approval of the State Government was sent to Government of India for sanction. The Report has identified a 32 km main route and a 24 km feeder route for the implementation of Metro-Neo project.

As per the feasibility report and DPR, the Metro Neo project at Nashik envisioned for a train service every two minutes. The main elevated corridors will have a capacity of 15,000 PHPDT (peak hour peak direction traffic). Metro-Neo stations are expected to be similar to other Metro rail stations and will house staircases, lifts, escalators, and information display for the passengers. The station entry and exit will be provided on both sides of the road.

(1) Corridor 1: A 10-km long route having 10 stations-- starting from Gangapur, Jalapur, Ganpat Nagar, Kale Nagar, Jehan Circle, Thatte Nagar, Shivaji Nagar, Panchavati, CBS and ending at Mumbai Naka.

(2) Corridor 2: A 22-km long route having 20 stations-- starting from DHRUV Nagar, Shramik Nagar, Mahindra, Shaneshwar Nagar, Trimbak Rd, Satpur Colony, MIDC, ABB Circle, Parijat Nagar, MICO circle, CBS, Sharda Circle, Dwarka Circle, Gayatri Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Upnagar, Nehru Nagar, Datta Mandir, and ending at Nashik Road.

CBS and Gaganpur will be common interchange stations for both the corridors

Electric Bus Coaches Metro-Neo service will comprise of electric bus coaches with a length of 18 to 25 metres. It will have a capacity to carry 180 to 240 passengers at a time. AC electric coaches will draw power from an overhead electric wire with 600-750 V DC supply for power supply. The buses will also comprise of automatic door closing system, level boarding, comfortable seats, passenger announcement system, and an information system with an

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FEATURED PROJECT

Why Metro Neo

(vi) Depot away from alignment

• Heavy Metro rail is economical for PHPDT greater than 15,000.

(vii) Cost reduction, No AFC, No PSD, small stations

• Bus transit system cater upto 5,000 PHPDT which is insufficient.

(viii) ATP signalling with anti collision features

• Rail based LRT, tram system address traffic requirement upto 15,000 PHPDT.

Broad Metro Neo Specifications • Dedicated RoW of 8m

• Peculiar requirement of Indian cities require an innovative and cost effective solution.

• Metro-Neo is India centric solution for tier 2/3 cities for 8,000 PHPDT and extendable upto 10,000

• Platform width of 1.12m, emergency side evacuation • Low floor rolling stock around 10T axle load • Caters PHPDT 8,000 and extendable upto PHPDT 10,000

• MoHUA has issued standard specifications in Nov 2020 for rubber tyred metro coaches running on OHE named Metro neo for use in tier 2/3 Indian cities.

Features of Metro Neo

• Upto 250 pax capacity for 24m coach and 200pax for 18m coach at AW3 loading • 750VDC OHE twin wire electrification. Coaches can run on battery where OHE is not feasible.

(i) Dedicated RoW at Grade (ii) Tyred electric coaches on concrete slab (iii) Length of coaches 18 m or 24 m

• ATP signalling with anti collision features and central control, CCTV surveillance inX stations Above standards ensure the quality, safety, punctuality and comfort levels at par with heavy Metro.

(iv) Can run on battery upto 20 Km (v) Safety and comfort at par with Metro

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FEATURED PROJECT Cost aspects of Metro Neo (Nashik DPR @ 2019 level) compared to Nagpur Metro actual costs

is an innovative transport system, which will be implemented for the first time in India in Nasik by Maha Metro. It is seamless, fast, reliable and cost effective. It will provide travel experience of international Sr. Metro Neo Heavy Metro Sub - System Description standards at par with Metro systems. It is No. (Rs. Cr/KM) (Rs. Cr/KM) an articulated / bi-articulated trolley bus 1 Viaduct Smaller viaduct 31.5 36 system with overhead electric traction.

Concourse eliminated, platThe buses will be air-conditioned with 2 Stations 4.4 55 forms height is reduced an automatic door closing system, level 3 Track No track 0 9 boarding, comfortable seats, passenger announcement and an information system 4 Traction & PSI 4.5 11 with an electronic display.

5 Rolling Stock Tyred electric coaches 7.5 26 ATP signalling with anti 6 Signalling 0.5 10 The Metro Neo would be a state-of-art, collision comfortable, energy-efficient, minimal 7 Depot Less depot area 2 5.5 noise pollution and environment-friendly 8 Misc. Utilities 1 4 system. It has been designed to negotiate sharp curves and steep gradient with Smaller Stations with opti9 Telecom & Security 1.5 5 minimal requirement of rehabilitation. The mal telecom services system can be upgraded to Light Metro 10 Ticket vending (AFC) No AFC gates 0.5 3 with incremental cost input in future as per traffic demand. It is an innovative 11 Taxes, Contingencies, design, charges etc., 18.5 57.5 and pioneering project in India and will be the first MRTS to run on rubber tyres.

Total (Approx) INR 71 222 The government of India on 21.08.2019 Few examples of Metro Neo Transport system globally constituted a committee, under the chairmanship of Dr Brijesh • Zurich (Switzerland) Dixit, MD of Maha Metro, for standardization of detailed • Riyadh University, Saudi Arabia specifications for a Rubber-Tyred Mass Rapid Transportation • Lyon City (France) System to implement it across India.

• Salzburg (Austria) In another development, Kakatiya Urban Development • San Francisco (USA) Authority (KUDA) has asked Maha Metro to prepare the DPR Nashik Metro Features

Neo

Project

Key

• 2nos of Lines (Corridor 1 is 22km, Corridor 2 -10 km)- Total Length 32 km.

• Number of stations -29; Number of depots - 1.

• Total Project Cost (DPR)- Rs.2,100.60 Cr ≃ (Rs 71 Cr per km).

• DPR already approved by the Government of Maharashtra (GOM).

• Project currently under sanction of the Government of India (GOI) Various other cities under consideration for implementing Metro Neo in India (i) Warangal (Telangana) (ii) Bamnoli Village to Kirtinagar in Delhi (iii) Nashik Conclusion Metro Neo is a trolleybus system with overhead electric traction, which runs on elevated or at-grade cement roads. It www.metrorailnews.in

of Warangal Metro. Maha Metro recommended the use of Metro Neo technology and prepared the DPR accordingly. As a result, it saved Rs 2,000 crore of KUDA and made Warangal Metro feasible. KUDA has submitted the Report to Telangana Government, which will forward it to the Central Government after vetting it.

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HSR: Future of Indian Rail

Indian Railways: Reform, Perform & Transform Abstract The National Rail Plan – 2030, published by Indian Railways, discusses the future of Indian Railways, which the Ministry of Railways in India envisages for freight and passenger transportation in India by the year 2030. In addition, the transformational Plan of Indian Railways has been elaborately discussed in Nation Rail Plan Policy – 2030.

The plan is to create a ‘future ready’ Railway system by 2030.

The NRP aims to formulate strategies based on operational capacities and commercial policy initiatives to increase the modal share of the Railways in freight. The plan’s objective is to create capacity ahead of demand, which would also cater to future growth in demand right up to 2050 and increase the modal share of Railways to 45% in freight traffic and continue to sustain it. All possible financial models, including PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP), are being considered to achieve this objective.

The main features of the National Rail Plan are: • Formulate strategies based on both operational capacities and commercial policy initiatives to increase the modal share of the Railways in freight to 45%.

• Reduce freight transit time substantially by increasing the average speed of freight trains to 50Kmph.

• As part of the National Rail Plan, Vision 2024 has been launched for accelerated implementation of certain critical

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projects by 2024, such as 100% electrification, multi-tracking of congested routes, upgradation of speed to 160 kmph on Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai routes, upgradation of speed to 130kmph on all other Golden Quadrilateral-Golden Diagonal (GQ/GD) routes and elimination of all Level Crossings on all GQ/ GD route.

• Identify new Dedicated Freight Corridors.

• Identify new High-Speed Rail Corridors.

• Assess rolling stock requirement for passenger traffic and wagon requirement for freight.

• Assess Locomotive requirement to meet twin objectives of 100% electrification (Green Energy) and increasing freight modal share.

• Assess the total capital investment that would be required along with a periodical break up.

• Sustained involvement of the Private Sector in areas like operations and rolling stock ownership, freight and passenger terminals development/operations of track infrastructure, etc.

Implementation of the NRP has already commenced. The Indian Railways has identified and prioritised a large number of projects designated as Super Critical, Critical and Coal/Port connectivity for completion as per the Vision 2024 document, which is a subset of the National Rail Plan.

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ARTICLE RITES has developed the plan – AECOM JV with timelines and strategies for developing and upgrading the Indian Railways’ main-line, high-speed rail (HSR) system and dedicated freight corridors (DFCs).

RITES – AECOM JV started preparing the report back in December 2018 and the Ministry of Railways finalised it in January 2021 after taking recommendations from all stakeholders.

The timelines mentioned in it are odd and not aligned with what the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) is already pursuing. For example, it suggests developing 6 corridors (eg. Mumbai – Nagpur HSR) with a target of 2051, but the NHSRCL has over the past 6 months already set into motion the development of their detailed project reports (DPRs) by awarding contracts for survey & traffic study work.

The detailed plan objectives shared by the Government is as under:

multi-tracking of congested routes, up-gradation of speed to 160 Kmph on Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai routes, upgradation of speed to 130 Kmph on all other Golden Quadrilateral-Golden Diagonal (GQ/GD) routes and elimination of all level crossings on all GQ/GD routes.

High Speed Rail Timeline (Phasing) India’s National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) has already set into the motion the following 6 new high speed rail corridors in addition to the Mumbai – Ahmedabad HSR (Bullet Train) which is presently under construction.

• Delhi – Agra – Lucknow – Varanasi • Delhi – Chandigarh – Amritsar • Delhi – Udaipur – Ahmedabad • Mumbai – Nasik – Nagpur

• To create capacity ahead of demand by 2030, which in turn would cater to growth in demand right up to 2050 and also increase the modal share of Railways from 27% currently to 45% in freight by 2030 as part of a national commitment to reduce Carbon emission and to continue to sustain it. Net Zero Carbon emission by 2030.

• A yearlong survey was conducted over hundred representative locations by survey teams spread all over the country to assess the actual demand in freight and passenger sectors.

• Forecast traffic growth in freight and passenger year on year up to 2030 and on a decadal basis up to 2050.

• Formulate strategies based on both operational capacities and commercial policy initiatives to increase modal share of the Railways in freight to 45% by 2030.

• Reduce freight transit time substantially by increasing the average speed of freight trains from 22Kmph to 50Kmph.

• Reduce overall cost of Rail transportation by nearly 30% and pass on the benefits to the customers.

• Map the growth in demand on the Indian Railway route map and simulate the capacity behaviour of the network in future.

• Based on the above simulation, identify infrastructural bottlenecks that would arise in the future with demand growth.

• Select projects along with appropriate technology in both track work, signalling and rolling stock to mitigate these bottlenecks well in advance.

Within the National Rail Plan, ‘Vision 2024’ has been launched for accelerated implementation of certain critical projects by 2024 such as 100% electrification,

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• Mumbai – Hyderabad • Chennai – Mysuru In fact earlier this month, NHSRCL invited bids for 2 survey related packages encompassing the Varanasi – Howrah line as well, taking the number of corridors in the proposal stage to 7.

The NRP report proposes the following 13 corridors (existing and extensions) with a combined total of 7897 km to enhance HSR outreach and provide connectivity to other towns en route.

Sr. No.

Year

Corridor & Approx. Length

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

2026 2031 2031 2031 2031 2041 2041 2051 2051 2051

11

2051

12

2051

13

2051

Mumbai – Ahmedabad (508 Km) Delhi – Ayodhya – Varanasi (855 Km) Delhi – Ahmedabad (886 Km) Varanasi – Patna (250 Km) Patna – Kolkata (530 Km) Hyderabad – Bangalore (618 Km) Nagpur – Varanasi (855 Km) Mumbai – Nagpur (789 Km) Mumbai – Hyderabad (709 Km) Patna – Guwahati (850 Km) Delhi – Chandigarh – Amritsar (485 Km) Amritsar – Pathankot – Jammu (190 Km) Chennai – Bangalore – Mysuru (462 Km)

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ARTICLE HSR Phasing The above mentioned recommended and proposed corridors have been prioritised for development based on need and demand forecast. Proposed HSR phasing is described in table below :

Amritsar – Delhi – Jaipur – Ahmedabad – Mumbai – Hyderabad – Bengaluru – Chennai on HSR corridor and all the major towns of North, West and South India shall be connected with 1 HSR Corridor. This will help in boosting the regional economy.

• Additional HSR line is proposed between Nagpur and Varanasi by extending the Mumbai – Nashik – Nagpur HSR Corridor.

This shall connect Mumbai with Varanasi which will further connect with Delhi – Varanasi – Patna – Guwahati HSR corridor.

Indian Railways: Need for Transformation

High Speed Rail Development Suggestions The NRP report highlights the following suggestions for new corridors to meet growing passenger demand and optimise high-speed rail connectivity between major cities / commercial / economic centres.

The below information from the NRP report has been posted verbatim: • Delhi-Chandigarh-Ludhiana-Jalandhar-Amritsar HSR Corridor is recommended to be extended to Jammu via Pathankot to enhance regional connectivity and give an economic boost to the Jammu and Pathankot Region. It will cater to the religious tourism potential of Vaishno Devi Shrine and other places.

Public transport is vital in India due to its large population and expansive lands. The railway is one of the most efficient and economical methods of transport for both passengers and goods. They are the economic lifeline of India, with the volume of passengers using it in their daily commute.

With India’s rapid economic growth and its ascent as a global industrial hub, the Government of India has realised the big potential of Indian Railways in contributing to the mass transportation of goods and people and the necessity to modernise the railways infrastructure with an emphasis on comfort, optimisation and safety.

Even though Indian Railways has been regarded as the lifeline of independent India, it had been plagued with multiple plights. Primitive maintenance methods, ageing track and machinery, outmoded rolling stock technology and increasing railway accidents were some grave issues apart from safety and hygiene.

Some staggering data revealed that one-fifth of the total

• Delhi- Agra- KanpurLucknow- VaranasiHSR corridor is recommended to route via Ayodhya due to Religious Tourism Potential.

• Delhi- Agra- KanpurLucknow- VaranasiHSR corridor is also recommended to be extended to connect Patna and Kolkata.

• Additional HSR Line from Patna to Guwahati via Katihar and New Jalpaiguri thereby connecting Guwahati with Delhi Varanasi Kolkata HSR Corridor.

• Additional HSR Line between Hyderabad and Bengaluru by extending Mumbai Hyderabad HSR Line. This shall connect Mumbai with Chennai and also will bring North India from Jammu –

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ARTICLE length of railway track in the system needed replacement but was not being done for many decades. Continuous use of old and weakened track led to metal fatigue and fractures causing major accidents, rail fractures increased from 4,517 in 198081 to 6,272 in 1987-88, resulting in severe speed restrictions.

As many as 690 railway bridges were in distress. 2,119 out of 26,277 broad and meter gauge coaches were overaged and required immediate replacement but the required number of new coaches were simply not available. Similar had been the condition of almost all sections involved in rail traffic, transportation and management leading to an overall leading to a pathetic condition of Indian Railways.

the implementation of high-speed train programs across the country, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCI) is the agency undertaking development of freight corridors around the country and Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) is engaged in railway stations upgrade and development programs.

How did Railways manage to come to a year that recorded 0 deaths due to rail accidents in 2019 from 2,400 deaths between 1990-1995? The past few years have been exceptional for the Indian Railways, from eliminating deaths caused by rail accidents to inaugurating ‘Dedicated Freight Corridor’ to boost transport to introducing semi-high speed fully air-conditioned trains operated by private operators.

Feasibility studies for five high-speed rail corridors were conducted between 2009 and 2010. A ‘Diamond Quadrilateral’ has been planned to connect Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,and Chennai with a high-speed train network. The Indian Government conducted joint surveys with a Japanese government team in 2014, finally approving a corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The new high-speed service will use a Japanese Shinkansen system and rolling stock. The cost of procuring the technology is estimated to be around Rs. 110,000 crore. India and Japan signed agreements for the project in December 2015; the Japanese Government will fund 81% of the total cost with a soft loan fixed at a nominal interest rate.

Infrastructure plays a major role in rail accidents. From rail fractures to weak bridges, deaths due to rail accidents remained a major cause of concern for the country. However, for the first time in history, India managed to record 0 deaths due to rail accident in 2019. Ensuring mega blocks for maintenance, using modern machinery, removing all unmanned level crossings, signalling modernisation, and delegating more power to field level officers made this feat possible.

Some of the key developments initiated, planned and completed for Indian Railways towards Government’s effort to make it a future centric transport system is outlined as under: High-Speed Rail

With these initiatives, Indian Railways is sure to experience a transformation in passenger experience and freight and transportation, which certainly can be stated to be a longawaited and required move.

A special committee has recommended the trains be run on an elevated corridor for an additional cost of Rs. 10,000 crore, to avoid the difficulties of acquiring land, building underpasses and constructing protective fencing. Indian Railways will operate the corridor for a five-year period after its commissioning and afterwards will be turned over to a private operator. Construction work of the corridor began in 2017 and will be completed by 2028.

Summary & Conclusion

Semi-High-Speed Rail

The Indian Government is undertaking several initiatives to upgrade its aging railway infrastructure and enhance its quality of service. The Railway Ministry has announced plans to invest Rs. 5,000,000 crore (equivalent to Rs. 53 trillion or US$700 billion in 2020) to upgrade the railways by 2030.

Upgrades include hundred percent electrification of railways, upgrading existing lines with more facilities and higher speeds, expansion of new lines, upgrading railway stations, introducing and eventually developing a large high-speed train network interconnecting major cities in different parts of India and development of various dedicated freight corridors to cut down cargo costs within the country.

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ARTICLE A semi-high-speed rail network will be introduced for connecting important routes, including Delhi–Agra, Delhi–Kanpur, Chennai– Hyderabad, Nagpur–Secunderabad, Mumbai–Pune–Solapur– Hyderabad and Mumbai–Goa. Initially, the trains will operate at a maximum speed of 160 km/h, which will be increased to 200 km/h after the rails are strengthened and fenced off. The Gatimaan Express began services on April 5, 2016, after safety clearances were obtained on its first route.

Conversion to High-Speed Passenger and Freight Corridors IR will convert 10,000 km passenger and freight trunk routes in to High-speed rail corridors of India over 10 years with total investment of Rs. 20 lakh crore (equivalent to Rs. 24 trillion in 2020) and annual investment of Rs. 2 lakh crore (equivalent to Rs. 2.4 trillion in 2020) from 2017-2027, where half of the money will be spent on converting existing routes into high-speed corridors by leap-frogging the technology and the rest will be used to develop the stations and electronic signalling at the cost of Rs. 60,000 crore (equivalent to Rs. 720 billion in 2020) to enable automated running of trains at 5–6 minutes frequency.

Dedicated freight corridors of 3,300 km length will also be completed thus freeing the dual use high demand trunk routes for running more high-speed passenger trains.

Modern Locomotive Factories In 2015, plans were disclosed for the construction of two locomotive factories with foreign partnerships in the state of Bihar, at Madhepura (electric) and at Marhowra (diesel). The diesel locomotive works will be jointly operated in a partnership

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with General Electric, which has invested Rs. 2,052 crore for its construction and the electric locomotive works with Alstom, which has invested Rs. 1,293.57 crore. The factories will provide IR with 800 electric locomotives of 12,000 horsepower and a mix of 1,000 diesel locomotives of 4,500 and 6,000 horsepower each.

In November 2015, it was announced IR and GE would engage in an 11-year joint venture in which GE would hold a majority stake of 74%. IR would purchase 100 goods locomotives a year for 10 years, beginning in 2017; the locomotives would be modified versions of the GE Evolution series. The diesel locomotive works will be built by 2018; GE will import the first 100 locomotives and manufacture the remaining 900 in India from 2019 onwards, also assuming responsibility for their maintenance over a 13year period. In the same month, a Rs. 20,000 crore partnership with Alstom to supply 800 electric locomotives from 2018 to 2028 was announced.

Indian Railways is now moving to manufacturing high-end aluminium self-propelled 160 km/hour indigenous Make in India coaches that require no locomotive and are 10% cheaper than the comparable imports. The first such self-propelled train, Train 18, was rolled out in October 2018. It is estimated to be 40% cheaper than foreign-built trains.

Railway Coach Refurbishment Railway coach refurbishment project aims for the refurbishment of 12 to 15 years old coaches at Carriage Rehabilitation Workshop in Bhopal to enhance passenger amenities and fire

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ARTICLE safety measures.

Bio-toilets in all trains

Mumbai–Pune hyperloop is a proposed 1000 km/hr Hyperloop system that will take 14 minutes compared to current 3 hours to commute between these two cities while carrying 10,000 commuters per hour (5,000 in each direction). The route is found feasible and can be made operational by 2026 as per the Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted to ‘Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority’ (PMRDA) by ‘Virgin Hyperloop company’ in January 2018.

Commuters and cargo will travel in pods traveling in the nearvacuum tubes at the speed of 1,000 km/hr. DPR provided three feasible terminal end-points options in Mumbai, namely Dadar, Santacruz and the international airport. Currently, 300,000 people commute between these two cities daily in 110,000 vehicles (including 80,000 cars and 6,000 buses).

Infrastructure: Station Redevelopment, Tracks & Geostrategic Border Rail Lines

In 2014, IR and DRDO developed a bio-toilet to replace directdischarge toilets, which was the primary type of toilet used in railway coaches. Upgrade of all trains to bio-toilet was completed by the end of FY 2018-19.

The direct discharge of human waste from trains onto the tracks corrodes rails, costing IR tens of millions of rupees a year in rail-replacement work. Flushing a bio-toilet discharges human waste into an underfloor holding tank where anaerobic bacteria remove harmful pathogens and break the waste down into neutral water and methane, which can then be harmlessly discharged onto the tracks. IR plans to completely phase out direct-discharge toilets by 2020 or 2021.

All-new coaches were installed in 2016, with older rolling stock to gradually becoming retrofitted. After Comptroller and Auditor General of India found 200,000 complaints related to the foul smelling and blocked bio-toilets, IR announced that it will add 80,000 bio-toilets (each costing INR 1 lakh) in FY 2018-2019 and will start installing much improved ‘Vacuum Bio-Toilets’ (each costing INR 2.5 lakh) as well. By Feb 2018, over 100,000 biotoilets have been installed and the project is on target to have 100% biotoilets by 31 March 2019.

Hyperloop Mumbai–Pune hyperloop

Station redevelopment Under a INR 1 trillion initiative, 600 railway stations will be redeveloped by monetising 2700 acres of spare railway land under the Rs. 1,070,000 crore plan undertaken by Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation by converging it with the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation and Smart Cities Mission in collaboration with Ministry of Urban Development, Rail Land Development Authority and National Buildings Construction Corporation. Following monetisation of land, Rs. 680,000 crore will be used for the commercial development, Rs. 280,000 crore for station redevelopment and the remaining Rs. 110,000 crore (US$15 billion) as surplus with the Railways. Initially A1 and A category stations will be prioritised. To begin with 22 stations will be developed by end of 2018.

In the first batch, IRSDC invited proposals in March 2018 for redeveloping 3 stations over two years, including the Chandigarh railway station, Bijwasan railway station and Anand Vihar railway station costing Rs140 crore, Rs310 crore and Rs206 crore respective.

Tracks : Dedicated freight corridors There are 2 under implementation and 4 approved DFCs with many more planned. DFC will convert existing and implement new DFC as High-speed rail corridors of India.

Geostrategic Border Rail Lines Ministry of Defence (MoD) a list of at least 15 new geostrategic rail lines to be constructed. In 2012, MoD had identified following 14 geostrategic new rail lines to be built near China, Pakistan and Nepal border for the rapid and easier deployment of troops while simultaneously undertaking development of 73 similar geostrategic India-China Border Roads (ICBR) roads as border rail and road transport development in India is lagging much behind China: China has built lines up to Shigatse in Tibet, with plans to connect it to Nepal www.metrorailnews.in

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ARTICLE and further to India. After these lines proposed by MoD in 2013, GoI approved the initial surveys of all 14 lines in 2014, of which at least 12 surveys had been already completed by 2014. Later additional “Bilaspur–Manali–Leh line” was also added to the list of strategic lines.

In 2016, the ‘Final Location Survey’ (FLS) at the cost of INR 345 crore for 4 lines to be taken up in the first phase was approved by the Cabinet, funding has been already provided by MoD and railway is undertaking survey of Missamari–Tenga–Tawang, Bilaspur–Manali–Leh, Pasighat–Tezu–Rupai and Lakhimpur– Bame–Silapathar lines. Undulating terrain of young Himalayas and difficult geological conditions affect the pace of survey.

Sr. No. 1 2 3

Line

Length

Murkongselek–Pasighat– 227 km Tezu–Rupai line Missamari–Tenga–Ta378 km wang line Lakhimpur–Along–Silap249 km athar line

Border

State

China (Eastern sector)

Arunachal Pradesh, Assam

China, Bhutan (Eastern sector)

Arunachal Pradesh, Assam

China (Eastern sector)

Arunachal Pradesh, Assam

4

Bilaspur–Manali–Leh line 498 km China, Pakistan (Western sector) Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh

5

Jodhpur – Jaisalmer Line Doubling

Pakistan (Western Sector)

Rajasthan

6

Pathankot – Leh Line

China, Pakistan (Western Sector)

Ladakh, Punjab

7

Tanakpur – Jaulijbi Line Tanakpur – Bageshwar Line Jammu – Akhnoor – Poonch Line Patti – Ferozepur Line

Nepal (Central Sector)

Uttarakhand

(Central Sector)

Uttarakhand

8 9 10 11 12 13

Anupgarh – Chattargarh – Motigarh – Bikaner Line Jodhpur-Agolai-Shergarh-Phalsund Line Jodhpur-Jaisalmer Line (Doubling)

Western Sector

Jammu & Kashmir

Pakistan (Western Sector)

Punjab

Pakistan (Western Sector)

Rajasthan

Pakistan (Western Sector)

Rajasthan

Pakistan (Western Sector)

Rajasthan

Public transport is vital in a country like India owing to its large population and expansive lands. The transportation industry in India is one of the most diverse comprising of Rail, Air, Water, and Road. It accounts for 6.4% of the GDP and is vital to the economic growth of the country.

One of the key areas of the transport industry is the rail network which spreads across 67,956 km making it the largest in Asia and the fourth largest in the world. Under the solitary management of Indian Railways, it comprises 13,169 passenger trains and 8,479 freight trains in operations from 7,349 stations. The gross revenue of Indian Railways for FY-22 (until June 2021) stood at INR 39,655.25 crores while freight earnings stood at INR 33, 241.75 crore accounting for 84% of the total revenue. Earnings by the passenger segment stood at INR 4,921.11 crores being the second major contributor of the total revenue.

The railway is one of the most efficient and economical methods of transport for both, passengers and goods. They are the economic lifeline of India with the volume of passengers using it in their daily commute. Additionally, they play a vital role in transporting goods like coal, metals, petroleum, chemical manures, and food grains. Even the automobile industry heavily relies on Indian Railways as the preferred carrier.

imperative in keeping the sector functioning smoothly by enabling operations, management, maintenance of railway tracks and electricity lines, services, testing, construction activities, and procurement of materials.

The Government has also pushed for significant initiatives to boost the railway industry. The National Infrastructure Master plan (Gati Shakti) will help India’s growth story. By doing away with silos of departmentalism, the infrastructure roadmap will see faster and efficient completion. Gati Shakti is expected to increase the cargo handling capacity of railways to 1600 MT by the year 2024-25 thus accelerating the construction of two dedicated freight corridors. Even metro works have picked up and we can see India having a top-notch multi-modal transport hub in the coming years. These efforts will see greater last mile connectivity and increase the pace of economic prosperity.

Furthermore, the Central Government’s National Monetization Pipeline (NMP) is a strategic move that will shore up India’s overall development and bridge the infrastructure deficit. A rise in alternative financing for infra development will not only create a wealth of employment opportunities but, most importantly, strengthen the nation’s economy. It is also expected to lead to an increase in the railway’s potential to carry goods at a higher speed and a short turnaround time with enhanced efficiency.

These factors will lower the high logistical costs and drastically reduce carbon footprint as well.

The Indian Railways had also unveiled a National Rail Plan (NRP) for India – 2030 which aims to create a ‘future ready’ railway system by 2030. It will look to create capacity ahead of demand and cater to future growth in demand right up to 2050. In July 2021, the South Central Railway zone announced infrastructure development by doubling the maximum permissible speed to 100 km per hour on the Godavari Bridge. The initiative gave a major boost to the Indian Railways on infrastructure modernisation.

The Indian Railways has taken several measures in improving the infrastructure and the quality of services and by 2030 the railway upgrades include hundred percent electrification of railways, upgrading existing lines with more advanced facilities, up-gradation of railway stations, developing a large high-speed train network interconnecting major cities in India and developing various freight corridors within the country. In a recent report by IEA, it was stated that Indian railways will account for nearly 40% of the total global rail activity by 2050.

To conclude, India’s Railway Transport is getting support and advancements from the Government. On the subject of becoming the world’s largest Railway entity, the Government’s initiatives have been designed for the benefit of the supporting businesses. Never has there been a better opportunity for railways to propel themselves to be the top transport sector in the world.

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Indian Railways is an assets-heavy entity and it requires a punctual maintenance schedule, hence the value chain is

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ARTICLE

T

Ushering new scenario in Rail Transportation in the Country

he transformation that has taken place in Indian Railways in last few years has been an amazing journey—something that the country has rarely witnessed. It started with policy changes effected by the Transformation Cell of the Ministry of the Railways that resulted in process, structure and culture reforms. These transformative changes have led to a change in organisational behaviour, helping to galvanise over a million employees nationwide to perform better. Productivity has improved, as has the image perception of the railways. Ultimately, all this has translated into improved service delivery for customers and has prepared Indian Railways to be the engine of economic growth and development of the country.

The Indian Railways is the world’s fourth largest transport system that carries more than 8.3 billion passengers and transports over 1,160 million tonnes of freight every year along a massive track network that runs nearly 70,000 route kilometres.

The 166-year-old government-run corporation is also one of the biggest employers in the world with about 1.3 million employees spread across the country, under a single management.

As the Indian economy focuses on future growth models, its railway system has been an integral part of this, undergoing a phased transformation since January 2017. The railways are set to progress towards a modern, efficient, and digitised network with a focus on improving insights, efficiencies, and capabilities.

By 2030, the Indian government plans to spend US$70 billion to upgrade its railway network into an electric and digitised platform. It is also opening up the state-owned conglomerate to private companies for operating passenger trains, manufacturing coaches and locomotives, and redeveloping railway stations.

While funds have been allocated to revamp various railways projects, the Indian Railways continues to face three big challenges—underinvestment for the creation of infrastructure, people management, and the need for technology upgrade.

Manoeuvring infrastructure challenges The biggest challenge facing the Indian Railways is infrastructure development across a huge network that covers

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North, South, East, and West of India. A high volume of freight and passenger traffic makes it a busy and congested transport system. The Golden Quadrilateral and its Diagonals of about 10,000 kilometres route connecting the four major metros of India (Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai), and other Highly Utilised Networks of about 23,000 kilometres, together carry nearly 96 percent of the nation’s freight and passenger traffic.

The congestion has resulted in extremely low average speeds of about 23 kilometres per hour (kmph) for freight trains and about 55 kmph for mail express trains.

Over the past 70 years, traffic carried on the Indian Railways has gone up 17 times, but the network expanded only by about 26 percent. The inadequate expansion of the network has led to a reduction in the railways’ market share of freight business from about 80 percent in the 1950s to about 25 percent in 2017. Similarly, the share of passenger business has come down to about 10 percent in 2017, even as the unmet demand for passenger business in 2017-18 was around 100 million passengers.

For travel from New Delhi to Mumbai, one needs to book tickets two to three months in advance because of high demand and limited availability. At the same time, if a coach is designed for 80 passengers, it is very often occupied by 200-250 people who are travelling unreserved but with a ticket. Fares have not increased in 15 years. For mainline passengers, fares are as low as 51 paise (about half a Rupee or around one U.S. cent) per passenger kilometre (pkm); for the suburban passenger, the fare is 21 paise per pkm.

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ARTICLE management system whereby almost 80 percent of the data on its 1.3 million employees has been digitised. It is expected that in 2020, all human resource functions will be managed through the digital platform.

Another development, which was also initiated by Railways, is that 60 percent of railway offices are now on an e-office platform, simultaneously improving transparency and sustainability through reduction in paper use.

Copyright: Siemenx

Currently, the railways have mixed traffic—passenger and goods—on the same track. Passenger trains run on timetables while goods trains do not. Priority is often given to passenger trains while the goods trains languish in the yard until they get clearance to journey on the track, often leading to long delays.

Sometimes goods trains get delayed by two to three days, which not only holds up the delivery of goods, but also impacts the turnaround of the trains and sends mixed messages to would be shippers. At the core of the problem is underinvestment in infrastructure development. But plans to bring about focused, economically viable expansion are afoot, as dedicated freight lines on the Eastern and Western routes of the Indian Railways network are also being built. Private modern passenger train operations are being planned. While freight corridors are expected to be commissioned over the next two years, the private passenger train operation may become a reality by the end of 2022.

Digitisation The other big challenge facing the Indian Railways is technology upgrade, especially in signalling and rolling stock, to make its operations independent of human alertness for safety on one hand, and digitisation of the network for better asset management on the other. The transformation of freight networks is taking place as the railways build independent freight corridors to carry goods, and unfold a 3,500 route km rail network in places where freight density is high. It is expected that over the next two years, the corridors of Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata will be able to run freight trains at 100 kmph.

Today, the procurement of goods and works worth US$25 billion has almost completely moved to an e-platform. This has led to greater transparency, as well as helped to shorten the procurement cycle and bring down procurement costs.

The railways have also introduced a human resource have

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In order to tide over the late and, hence, unplanned arrival of passenger trains, the Indian Railways partnered with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to develop a Real Time Train Information System (RTIS). Nearly 50 percent of locomotives fitted with a been global positioning system (GPS) which is connected via satellite. With the help of two satellites, the location, status, and speed of trains are updated every 30 seconds. This realtime information is integrated and helps in controlling train movement and allows for better utilisation of network capacity and the railway stations. The RTIS also helps in monitoring the performance of drivers, and system alerts are generated if the driver is not following the speed limit. By the middle of 2020, all the locomotives will be fitted with a GPS device which will be mapped onto RTIS and monitored through satellite, optimising network capacity.

Plans are also in place to run electric trains and increase the average speed of current trains. By March 2024, the Indian Railways expects all of its railway tracks to be electrified, and that would make it the first railway network in the world to achieve 100 percent electrification. The pace of electrification is about 6,000 route kms per year, with 60 percent of the network electrified so far.

Technologies are also being upgraded for high-powered electric locomotives, and all the electric locomotives are adopting regenerative braking (i.e., when brakes are applied to stop the train, regenerated electricity will be fed back to the system). The railway expects to run only energy-efficient electric trains in five years’ time, all of which will have regenerative braking.

In the Union Budget 2019-20, it has been estimated that an investment of Rs 50 lakh crores would be needed for railway infrastructure between 2018-2030. Railway projects are not conceived/executed on State/Union Territory basis.

Investment in Railways is mobilized from a mix of sources including budgetary and extra budgetary resources through institutional finance and Public Private Partnership (PPP). A part of investment in the area of completion of tracks, rolling stock manufacturing and delivery of passenger/freight services is envisaged through PPP.

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ARTICLE Few major projects planned & taken up by Indian Railways towards its modernisation and transformation is as under : 1. Adarsh Station Scheme: Around 1250 stations have been identified for upgradation under Adarsh Railway Station Development Scheme across all the states. ‘Adarsh’ Station Scheme has been started since 2009-10 and presently, upgradation of Railway stations are taken under ‘Adarsh Station Scheme’. Since then, 1253 stations have been identified for development under ‘Adarsh Station Scheme’ out of which 1149 stations so far have been developed under ‘Adarsh Station Scheme’ and remaining stations are targeted to be developed by 2020-21. Various passenger amenities which, inter-alia, include improvement to façade of the station building, retiring room, waiting room (with bathing facilities), separate waiting room for ladies, landscaping of circulating area, earmarked parking, signages, Pay & Use toilets, Foot Over Bridge, ramps at entry to station etc. are proposed to be provided at Railway stations which are identified for development under this scheme as per the respective category of the station and the works for which are funded under Plan Head ‘Passenger Amenities’.

Upgradation / modernization of stations on Indian Railways is a continuous and on-going process. Works for improvement of passenger amenities are undertaken depending upon need, volume of passenger traffic and inter-se priority, subject to availability of funds Funds are not allocated separately for Adarsh Station Scheme and the works are carried out under various passenger amenities works under Plan Head–53 ‘Passenger Amenities’.

2. Environmental friendly technologies: (i) Use of Renewable Energy i.e. Solar Power and Wind Power – At present Indian Railways (IR) utilizes about 202 megawatt (MW) of renewable power. (ii) Provision of energy efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting – 100% railway stations, service buildings and about 89% of residential quarters have been provided with LED lights. (iii) Provision of Bio-toilets in coaches- Nearly 2,30,000 Biotoilets have been installed in 64,000 passenger coaches. (iv) Blending Bio-Diesel with High Speed Diesel (HSD) – Blending of 5% Bio-Diesel in HSD for diesel locomotive was started in June, 2015.

3. New Railway projects: At present 498 Railway projects including 188 New Lines, 55 Gauge Conversion and 255 Doubling Projects are in different stages of execution/planning/ sanction. The total length of these projects is 49,069 km costing Rs 6.75 Lakh Crore.

Above projects include:• 188 New Line Projects of length 21,295 km, costing Rs.3.87 lakh crore, out of which, commissioning of 2,622 km has been achieved and expenditure of Rs.85,536 crore incurred up to March, 2019.

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• 55 Gauge Conversion Projects of length 7,275 km, costing Rs.56,135 crore, out of which, commissioning of 3,573 km has been achieved and expenditure of Rs.19,640 crore incurred up to March, 2019.

• 255 Doubling Projects of length 20,500 km, costing Rs.2.32 lakh crore, out of which, commissioning of 2,784 km has been achieved and expenditure of Rs.48,342 crore incurred up to March, 2019.

The average annual expenditure in New line/Gauge Conversion/Doubling Projects in 2009-14 was Rs.11527 crore, which increased to Rs.26,022 crore, during 2014-19, which is 126% more of average of 2009-2014.

Further, allocation of Budget for 2019-2020 is Rs.30,198 crore, which is, 162% more with respect to average annual budget outlay of 2009-14. The timely completion of any Railway project depends on various factors like quick land acquisition

by State Government, forest clearance by officials of forest department, shifting of infringing utilities (both underground and over ground), statutory clearances from various authorities, geological and topographical conditions of area, law and order situation in the area of project site, number of working months in a year for particular project site due to climatic considerations, encountering unforeseen conditions like earthquake, flooding, excessive rains, strikes of labour, orders of Hon’ble Courts, situation and conditions of working agencies/contractors etc.

All these factors vary from project to project and site to site and affect the completion time and cost of the project, which is finally worked out at the completion stage.

In the overall interest of the nation and to ensure that projects are completed in time without cost overrun, lot of monitoring is done in Railways at various levels (field level, divisional level, zonal level and Board level) and regular meetings are held with the officials of State Government and concerned authorities to resolve the pending issues that are obstructing the progress of projects. To ensure that projects are completed even before time, Railway has adopted the concept of incentives to the contractor in the form of bonus clause in contracts which will further enhance the pace of execution of projects. For capacity enhancement projects, etc. institutional financing has been done by arranging loan of Rs 1.5 lakh crore, which has increased Railways’ capacity for committed fund provision for essential projects.

4. Automatic Train Protection System: The Indian Railways is planning to cover its entire network of 68,000 route km with the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system in a phased manner. As a pilot project, the system would be implemented on 650 route km of the golden quadrilateral corridor connecting the four metros – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Automatic Train Protection system (ETCS Level-2) has been included in the Works Programme 2018-19 for implementation for complete 60,000 RKMs on Broad Gauge network of Indian Railways subject to expenditure on this project to be made only after following due processes/mandatory approvals and sanctions. This will provide technological aid to Loco Pilots for avoiding Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD) and over speeding.

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Copyright: Siemenx

5. Redevelopment of Other Railway Stations: Ministry of Railways have planned for redevelopment of railway stations through Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC), Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) and other Central Government agencies. All major stations on Indian Railways have been entrusted to these agencies for undertaking the techno-economic feasibility studies. Based on the outcome of the feasibility studies the stations are planned to be taken up for redevelopment, in phases.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the redevelopment of Railway Stations

by Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC) as Nodal Agency and main Project Development Agency, through simplified procedures adapting various business model and for longer lease tenure of upto 99 years. Thus, paving the way for large scale modernisation and ensure world class infrastructure.

available at the railway stations. IRSDC is taking up redevelopment of around 600 major Railway stations across the country. With an overall size of more than 1 lakh crore, the program is one of the largest PPP program undertaken in the country. The facilities proposed in a redeveloped station include congestion free non-conflicting entry/exit to the station premises, segregation of arrival/ departure of passengers, adequate concourse without overcrowding, integration of both sides of the city wherever feasible, integration with other modes of transport systems e.g. Bus, Metro, etc., user friendly international signage, well illuminated circulating area and sufficient provision for drop off, pick up & parking etc.

RLDA has also entered into an MoU with Massouri Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) for redevelopment of Dehradun Railway Station. Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has signed an MoU with National Highway Authority of India in April-2019, for redevelopment of Ajni (Nagpur) station as a Multi-modal Hub. Station redevelopment program is first of its kind and complex in nature and requires detailed technofinancial feasibility studies and various statutory clearances from local bodies etc.

5. Solar Panels on Railway Stations: Indian Railways has plans to provide 500 MW rooftop solar plants by 2021-22. Most of this work is being done in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode (Developer mode) by private partners, in which Railways do not have to incur capital expenditure. Work of provision of Solar panels on trains is also being done by private partners.

Redevelopment of stations is planned through leveraging commercial development of vacant land and air space in and around railway stations, i.e. station redevelopment projects shall generally be cost neutral to Railways.

Works for redevelopment of Habibganj (Bhopal) and Gandhinagar stations have been completed. Ministry of Railways is redeveloping Bhubaneshwar Station in cooperation with Govt of Odisha.

The phase is expected to be of approximately Rs 6000-9,000 Crore in size.

Railway Board has devised an innovative plan to provide these amenities through PPP model by leveraging the real estate

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ARTICLE Indian Railways plans to install solar energy panels in other stations depending upon site availability and feasibility. So far, tenders for 248.46 MW capacity have been awarded by Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL) and are under different stages of execution. This will cover the rooftops of Railway station platforms shelters and various other Railway buildings. So far 95.67 Mega Watt (MW) of Rooftop Solar Power has been installed on various Railway buildings, including 835 Railway stations.

7. Semi High Speed Projects: The Indian Railways will implement a Rs 18,000-crore project to operate trains at a speed of 160 kmph on the busy DelhiMumbai and Delhi-Kolkata routes by upgrading infrastructure.

The Indian Railways’s target is to operate high speed trains in two categories — at 160 kmph on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata routes, and up to 320 kmph under the ongoing bullet train project between Mumbai-Ahmedabad. Currently, the average maximum speed of trains on various routes is 99 kmph and the recently introduced Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express touches an average speed of 104 kmph on the DelhiKanpur section.

In August this year, the Government has given its approval for increasing the speed of the Delhi-Howrah route (including Kanpur-Lucknow) to 160 Kmph’ at a total cost of Rs. 6,685 cr by 2022-23. This will ensure improved speed, service, safety and create capacity. As part of Mission Raftaar, Indian Railways is working in mission mode to improve the average speed of trains across the network. Increasing the speed of the Delhi-Howrah Section to 160 Kmph will ensure upto 60% increase in average speed of passenger trains and doubling of average speed.

The 1,525 Kms long Delhi-Howrah Route passes through 5 states, namely Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The travel time between New Delhi and Howrah will be reduced by 5 hours, now making it a fully overnight journey. Increasing the maximum speed of the Delhi-Howrah route will also give further impetus to semi-high speed trains like the Vande Bharat Express. It will allow such trains to unlock their full potential and travel at a speed of 160 Kmph, to ensure passengers have best in class speed and service. In addition, it has been found that the safer LHB coaches too can be made fit for this speed. The scope of the project includes fencing, Automatic

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Train Protection System (ETCS 2/TPWS), Mobile Train Radio Communication, and automated and mechanised diagnostic systems, which will considerably enhance safety and reliability.

Besides the above main inputs, the policy also requires removal of all level crossings which are being eliminated otherwise under a separate plan head.

The entire project has been structured on a new approach of route wise single composite work with single agency execution, and complete funding through Extra Budgetary Resources – Institutional Finance (ERB-IF). With improved funding, better coordination, economies of scale, and induction of state of the art technology, the project will be completed in 4 years from the date of approval. Furthermore, work along the line will be planned with minimum disruption of traffic, ensuring passengers and businesses are least affected during the construction phase.

The project will help boost employment during the construction phase with more than 3.6 crore mandays to be generated directly. It will also help kick start an economic multiplier that will give a boost to growth in all states. The project will also lead to an increase in throughput on the route by 30-35%, paving the way for PPP models in the future.

As a part of Mission Raftaar, Government has also granted similar approval for the Delhi-Mumbai route, which together with the Delhi-Howrah route account for 29% of passenger traffic and 20% of freight traffic. Railways is also working to cover the complete Golden Quadrilateral and Diagonals of Indian Railways, which consist of 16% of the total Indian Railways Network, but account for 52% of total passenger traffic and 58% of total freight traffic.

8. Reconstruction/Strengthening of Railway Bridges:

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ARTICLE Indian Railways has sanctioned 4,168 bridges for repair and strengthening this year at an estimated cost of Rs 809 crore. As on 01.04.2019, there are 1,50,746 Railway Bridges on Indian Railways’ network. There is a well-established system of inspection of railway bridges in Indian Railways. All the bridges are inspected twice a year, one before the onset of monsoon and one detailed inspection after the monsoon by the designated officials. Repair / strengthening / rehabilitation / rebuilding of railway bridges is a continuous process and is undertaken whenever so warranted by their physical condition as ascertained during these inspections. As on 01.04.2019, a total of 4168 Bridges are sanctioned for repair / strengthening / rehabilitation / rebuilding.

9. Linking Capitals of All North Eastern States by Rail Network: Government has planned to connect all State Capitals of North Eastern States (except Sikkim in which case, in first phase, new line work has been sanctioned up to Rangpo) with Indian Railways’ rail network without PPP mode. The capitals of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura States have been connected by Broad Gauge (BG) rail network.

Great emphasis has been given by Central Government during last 5 years towards quick execution of infrastructure and safety projects and funding to the infrastructure projects has increased considerably on Indian Railways. The average annual expenditure in New Line / Gauge Conversion / Doubling infrastructure projects during 2014-19 was Rs. 26,022 crore per year as against Rs. 11,527 crore per year during 2009-14 which is around 126% more than during 2009-14. Similarly, the average budget allotment per year for North Eastern States was Rs. 2,122 crore per year from 2009-14. However, it increased by 161% to Rs. 5,531 crore per year for this region during 2014-19.

In Arunachal Pradesh, a BG railway line was commissioned in February, 2015 upto Naharlagun (suburban city of Itanagar) and first Broad Gauge (BG) train was started on 20.02.2015 from Naharlagun (Itanagar) to New Delhi. Long pending and delayed work of Bogibeel Bridge on Brahmaputra river was completed in 2018 leading to further reduction of rail travel distance from Dibrugarh to Naharlagun (Itanagar) by 705 km (via Guwahati).

First BG trial train to the State of Tripura (Agartala) was started on 13.01.2016 and first BG passenger train (long distance) was introduced to Delhi on 31.07.2016. In some States, the progress of new line projects of Capital connectivity has been affected mainly due to delay in land acquisition and law & order issues.

All these Capital connectivity projects being in hilly terrain of Himalayas involve large number of tunnels and major bridges including very tall bridges in a very challenging geological environment.

Works of new BG lines have been taken up by Railway through Government of India fund to connect the remaining Capitals of North Eastern States i.e. Meghalaya (Shillong), Manipur (Imphal), Nagaland (Kohima), Mizoram (Aizawl) and Sikkim (Gangtok).

Detail with present status of these projects are as under: (i) Manipur: The project of BG line connectivity from Jiribam to Imphal (110.62 km) in Manipur State was sanctioned in 2003-

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04. The latest anticipated cost of the project is Rs. 13,809 crore and expenditure of Rs. 8,487.74 crore has been incurred up to March, 2019. The section from Jiribam to Vangaichungpao (12 km) was commissioned in March, 2017 and works from Vangaichungpao-Tupul-Imphal (98.62 km) have been taken up throughout the length. (ii) Mizoram: The project of BG line connectivity from Bhairabi to Sairang (51.38 km) (suburban city of Aizawl, the Capital city of Mizoram) in Mizoram was sanctioned in 2008-09. The latest anticipated cost of the project is Rs. 5,021.45 crore and the land could be made available in 2014-15 and work speeded up from 2015-16 & the expenditure of Rs. 2,671.85 crore has been incurred on the project upto March, 2019. The construction work has been taken up throughout the length of project and 87% tunneling work has been completed and the work on 6 tall bridges has been taken up. (iii) Nagaland: The project of BG line connectivity from Dimapur (Dhansiri) – Zubza (Kohima) (82.50 km) (suburban city of Kohima, the Capital city of Nagaland) in Nagaland was sanctioned in 2006-07. The latest anticipated cost of the project is Rs. 3,000 crore and the work speeded up from September, 2018 and the expenditure of Rs. 729.89 crore has been incurred on the project upto March, 2019. The construction work has been taken up throughout the length of project. For complete commission of the project, the work of acquiring balance land in 8 km length has been taken up (ownership disputes). Target for completion for complete project is 3 years after complete land is handed over to Railways. (iv) Meghalaya: Two projects of BG line have been taken up for Capital connectivity of Meghalaya (a) New BG line from Tetelia – Byrnihat (21.50 km) in Meghalaya was sanctioned in 2006-07. The latest anticipated cost of the project is `1,532 crore and the work speeded up from 2014-15, 10 km length of the project falling in Assam State from Tetelia to Kamalajari got completed in October, 2018 and expenditure of `581.32 crore has been incurred upto March, 2019. Some organization is stating that a railway connectivity may lead to influx of outsiders and this has led to local resistance to this project in Meghalaya. Target for complete project is 2 years after complete land is physically handed over to Railways. (b) New BG line from Byrnihat to Shillong (108.40 km) was sanctioned in 2010-11. The latest anticipated cost of the project is Rs. 6,000 crore and the expenditure of Rs. 261.03 crore has been incurred on the project up to March, 2019. Some organization is stating that a railway connectivity may lead to influx of outsiders and this has led to local resistance to this project in Meghalaya.

Final Location Survey has not been allowed (by local people) to be conducted in around 5 km length and also not allowing to fix center line pillars in alignment. Hence, target for completion not fixed, as the same would be decided, once the entire land is physically handed over to Railways. (v) Sikkim: The project of BG line connectivity from Sivok to Rangpo (44.39 km) was sanctioned in 2008-09. The latest anticipated cost of the project is Rs. 4,085.69 crore and the expenditure of Rs. 645.77 crore has been incurred on the project

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ARTICLE upto March, 2019.

The project suffered on account of delay in handing over of encumbrance free forest land by Government of West Bengal. However, now the work has been started on the land handed over so far. Still 26 structures falling in Railway alignment need to be shifted by Government of West Bengal, which is hampering the progress of work. Target for completion of complete project is 3 years after complete physical possession of land is given to Railways.

10. Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors: (i) Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) is from Ludhiana to Dankuni (1318 Kms Ludhiana to Sonnagar and 538 Kms Sonnagar to Dankuni) and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) is from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT) to Dadri (1504 Kms); (ii) Western DFC passes through States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra and Eastern DFC through States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Both EDFC and WDFCs are targeted for commissioning in phases by year 2022.

Conclusion For the first time in the history of state-owned Indian Railways, the colossal task of modernisation involves infusion of private capital. The bidding process for the operation of private passenger trains has been initiated. This is expected to bring in investment of about US$3 billion for running 150 train sets.

The social benefit of the Indian Railways is evident in the government’s reluctance to raise passenger fares in the past 15 years.

service delivery to customers while taking care of its employees.

The focus on employee training and motivation, along with process improvements through privatisation and digitisation, and the development of requirement-driven infrastructure serve as an example of transforming the old railway systems into a modern, service-oriented organisation. As the Indian economic engine revs up, the railways is playing its part in nation building.

The path is right; and the Indian Railways is well on track to get modernised and become the true engine of economic growth for the nation.

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The Indian Railways is encouraging private firms to offer modern rolling stock for customers seeking a different experience. DelhiMumbai and Delhi-Kolkata sectors are also being upgraded to operate passenger trains running at 160 kmph, which will allow private operators to run modern trains and reduce journey time by 20-30 percent. For this process, the organisation hopes to get state-of-the-art technologies from private operators.

Funding of freight corridor projects is being provided by the World Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Starting with South Central Railways, the Indian Railways has proactively undertaken numerous transformative initiatives to upgrade its railway infrastructure and enhance its quality of service. Through its metamorphosis, the Railways has improved

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YEAR REVIEW

Year End Review 2021: Economy shows sign of recovery from Covid Introduction The year 2020 witnessed turmoil due to Covid-19 pandemic which emerged as the biggest threat to economic growth. Indian economy witnessed a sharp contraction of 24.4 per cent in Q1 and 7.3 per cent in Q2 of FY 202021. To convert Covid pandemic related challenges into opportunities, a series of measures were required to be taken by the Government to improve the economic situation, including the interalia announcement of the Atmanirbhar package amounting to Rs.29.87 Lakh Crore. Targeted interventions were made to support the economy and livelihood.

The pace of structural reforms were also being expedited.

The major reforms undertaken under the Atmanirbhar package include Credit guarantee for MSME loans, sectoral structural reforms, policy on strategic disinvestment of CPSEs, reforms in public procurement, setting up of Empowered Group of Secretaries and Project Development Cells for facilitating investment, reduction in compliance burden and single window system for clearances.

In addition to structural reforms taken up, these measures assisted the economy in its early revival. The Country, which was not producing N-95, PPE Kits, ventilators, etc. prior to Corona pandemic started producing the same and even catering to world markets to became self-reliant.

Government started the vaccination drive in January 2021 and indigenously developed Covaxin vaccine in its fight against Covid pandemic. As on date more than 150 crore Covid doses have already been administered in India. This has saved the lives of people and set momentum for early recovery of the economy.

As a result of cumulative efforts, the Indian economy has started showing sign of recovery with GDP growth rebounding to 20.1 per cent in Q1 and 8.4 percent in Q2 of 2021-22. Several high frequency indicators like E-way bills, rail

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freight, port traffic, GST collections and power consumption have demonstrated a V-shaped recovery in the economy.

Industrial Performance Industrial sector performance during 2020-21 declined considerably, by -8.4%, mainly due to nationwide closure of industries by the Government to limit the impact caused by Covid-19 pandemic on public health from March 2020 onwards.

The Mining & Manufacturing sectors were majorly impacted as they declined by -7.8% & -9.6% respectively, whereas Electricity generation sector declined by -0.5%.

The cumulative Index of Industrial Production for April-October, 2020 declined by 17.3 percent. However, various measures undertaken by the Government including vaccination & the structural reforms and resilience of the Indian industry helped early revival of the economy, which led to surge in IIP for same period in 2021 by 20.0 per cent.

Similarly, the Mining, Manufacturing, and Electricity sector have registered growth of 20.4 percent, 21.2 percent, and 11.4 percent respectively during the same period.

Trends in Growth of Eight Core Industries

The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) measures the performance of eight core industries i.e. Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Petroleum Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity. The industries included in the ICI comprise 40.27 per cent weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

During 2020-21, the ICI growth rate was -6.4 per cent compared to average growth rate of 3.0 per cent during last 3 years i.e. 2017-18 to 2019-20. The rate of growth has been robust during the current financial year (April to October, 2021-22) i.e. 15.1%. Out of Eight Core sectors, six of them have shown double digit growth with Cement and Steel sectors leading the pack with growth rates of 33.6% & 28.6% respectively.

Whereas, Crude Oil & Fertilizers sector growth remain muted in the same period i.e. (April to October, 2021-22). These shows the revival of core industries.

Year Review: Metro & Railways in 2021 Urban rail transit in India plays an important role in intracity transportation in the major cities which are highly populated. It consists of rapid transit, suburban rail, monorail and tram systems.

According to a report published in 2021, a total of 2,636 million people travel www.metrorailnews.in

YEAR REVIEW annually in metro systems across India's thirteen major cities, placing the Country as one of the busiest urban rapid transit hub in the world in terms of ridership. The combined length of 741.7 kilometres of metro systems in India makes it the fifth longest in the world with in operation.

Various Suburban Rail Systems in Development

Despite Pandemic, Year 2021 saw some important development in Metro and Urban Rail Transit in India which is summarized as under :

Few Important Initiatives taken by Government to develop Railways (Year-2021)

Metro Rail System under development in the Country

• In October 2021, India and Nepal signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), for a proposed US$ 3.15 billion railway line project, to connect Kathmandu and the Indian border town, Raxaul.

• In June 2021, the Central Government approved the implementation of a 235 km semi high-speed rail corridor between Pune and Nashik in Maharashtra. The cost of building this project will be Rs. 16,039 crore.

• In June 2021, the Central Government approved a Rs. 25,000 crore five-year plan to use 4G technology to modernise communication networks in railway stations and improve the safety and security of train journeys.

• Indian Railways has logged the highest ever electrification of sections covering 6,015 Route Kilometer (RKM) in a single year during 2020-21. More than 5 times electrification was achieved during (2014-21) last seven years as compared to during 200714.

List of lines (Extension Accorded)

• In April 2021, Indian Railways completed the arch closure of the under-construction Chenab Bridge which is the world’s highest railway bridge. Chenab Bridge is 1315 m long and will be 35 meters higher than Eiffel Tower in Paris. The total cost of the bridge is estimated to be Rs. 1,486 crore and the design life of the bridge is said to be 120 years.

• In FY21-22, the Indian Railways announced to complete several projects. The Railway Ministry identified 56 projects in various railway zones that have been completed by FebruaryMarch 2021.

• Under the Union Budget 2021-22, the government allocated Rs. 110,054.64 crore to the Ministry of Railways.

• In February 2021, Minister of Railways Mr. Piyush Goyal dedicated 88 Railway projects to the Country worth Rs. 1000 crore in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Karnataka.

• In February 2021, Indian Railways called for ‘Request for Qualification (RFQ)’ for redeveloping New Delhi railway station

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YEAR REVIEW • In July 2021, the South Central Railway zone announced infrastructure development by doubling the maximum permissible speed to 100 km per hour on the Godavari Bridge. The initiative gave a major boost to the Indian Railways on infrastructure modernisation.

• In July 2021, Indian Railways executed remodelling of Gangapur City Yard to boost the speed of railways between Delhi and Mumbai route.

• Since the launch of first ‘Kisan Rail’ service on August 7, 2020, the Indian Railways have operated a total of 1,040 Kisan Rail services by transporting 3.38 lakh tonnes of consignment across 72 routes in the Country until July 30, 2021. under a public-private partnership, with an estimated project cost of Rs. 5,000 crore.

• In July 2020, the Ministry of Railways has invited Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for private participation in operating passenger train services across 109 Origin Destination (OD) routes. As part of the plan, the railways will introduce 12 trains in FY23, 45 in FY24, 50 in FY26 and 44 more in the next fiscal, taking the total number of trains to 151 by the FY27. The project would entail private sector investments of about Rs. 30,000 crore.

• A 'New Online Vendor Registration System' has been launched

by Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO), the research arm of Indian Railways, to have digital and transparent systems and procedures.

• The Ministry of Railways plans to monetise assets including Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors after commissioning, induction of 150 modern rakes through PPP, station redevelopment through PPP, railway land parcels, multifunctional complexes (MFC), railway colonies, hill railways and stadiums.

Following are some of the major investments and developments in India’s Railways Sector in the Year • In November 2021, Indian Railways announced expected commencement of operations of about 102 semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Expresses by 2024, with at least 10 new trains scheduled to launch by August 2022 that will connect 40 cities.

• In October 2021, Indian Railways announced a plan to establish 500 multi-modal cargo terminals under the ‘PM GatiShakti’ programme, with an estimated outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore in fourfive years. Through this plan, the government plans to integrate various modes of transportation for seamless movement of parcel and bulk cargo (e.g., coal and steel).

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• The Indian Railways is likely to deliver 58 super critical as well as 68 critical projects worth more than Rs.1,15,000 crore in the next few years. 27 super critical projects will be completed by December 2021, while two projects will be handed over by March 2022. 29 super critical projects—spanning 1,044 kms and costing Rs. 11,588 crore have been commissioned. Four projects worth Rs. 1,408 crore have been completed and the remaining projects are targeted for completion by March 2024.

• In July 2021, the Ministry of Railways received bids from the private and public sectors to operate 29 pairs of trains with about 40 modern rakes, entailing an investment of Rs. 7,200 crore.

• On July 25, 2021, the Indian Railways Station Development Corporation (IRSDC), a nodal agency of the Ministry of Railways spearheading the re-development of railway stations across the Country, claimed that the two railway stations will be redeveloped at an indicative cost of Rs. 1,285 crore in four years.

• The Indian Railways has decided to undertake electrification of Broad Gauge (BG) rail lines in a mission mode and is likely to complete the process by 2023-24. Of the 64,689 kms of broad gauge route, 45,881 kms has been electrified and the remaining 18,808 kms route is yet to be electrified. About Rs. 21,000 crore is estimated to be spent on electrification of the remaining BG routes.

• As of May 2021, the Indian Railways loading stood at 73.45 million tonnes (MT) including 35.62 MT (coal), 9.77 MT (iron ore), 3.38 MT (food grains), 2.22 MT (fertilisers) and 3.15 MT (cement, excluding clinker).

• As of May 5, 2021, Indian Railways commissioned Wi-Fi at 6,000 railway stations.

• In May 2021, the Government of India and European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a finance contract for the second tranche of www.metrorailnews.in

YEAR REVIEW US$ 182.30 million for the Pune Metro Rail project.

• In January 2021, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi flagged off the world’s first double-stack, long-haul container train from New Ateli in Haryana to New Kishanganj in Rajasthan.

• In January 2021, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) has announced that it has exported 125 cars to Nepal via the Indian Railways. The export is claimed to be eco-friendly and the firstever by the company. With this step, the company is aiming to reduce carbon footprint by 20,260 tonnes.

• Under Urban Transport Mission, the metro coaches which were earlier imported from Spain, South Korea, and China, are now being manufactured within the Country. Their quality is at par with international standards and also being exported to Australia and Canada.

Apart from these, The Indian Railways completed eight major capacity enhancement projects by taking advantage of the coronavirus lockdown. These projects included three super critical projects with a combined length of 68km, three critical projects with a combined length of 45km, upgradation of the entire 389km railway line from Jhajha in Bihar to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction in Uttar Pradesh and a new 82km port connectivity line to Paradip. As a part of the Railways’ plans to upgrade its network, the Ministry announced that all nonAC sleeper coaches will be replaced by AC coaches for trains running 130 kmph. This move has been taken as a technical necessity for high-speed trains with the bonus of improving passenger experience.

The expansion of various metro rail projects in the Country (Till Dec, 2021) is summarized as under: Details of proposals received from various State Governments/ Union Territories (UTs) for implementation of Metro Rail / Metrolite / MetroNeo / RRTS projects which are in various stages of Appraisal / Approval

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YEAR REVIEW On the socio-political front clearly, the historic step of abrogating Article 370 which came into effect in 1950 and Article 35-A which came into effect in 1954, figure high on the list of successful achievements of the present government which paved the way for an undisrupted and unified India, envisioned towards progressive growth and self-reliance.

National Common Mobility Card The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) is a card issued by the government of India that enables citizens to pay multiple kinds of transport charges like Metro, Tollgate or bus travel etc., across the Country.

To ensure a seamless travel across urban rail and various other transportation systems in addition to retail shopping and purchases, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) came out with the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) Program.\ The Union Ministry of Urban Affairs have been working on it since 2006, when it was envisaged as part of the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP). This will help in higher digital payments penetration, savings on closed loop card lifecycle management cost and reduced operating cost. The rich data insights may be used by operators for business intelligence leading to efficient operation. NCMC's new ecosystem will further help government in digitization of low value payments and reduced cost for the entire ecosystem. As of 2021, only two metro systems in the Country have been equipped with NCMC, namely Delhi Metro and Bengaluru's Namma Metro.

Summary & Conclusion The year 2021 was not an easy breather for the present government led by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. From Covid-19 to border standoff with China to the farmer’s protest to the challenge of reviving the sunken economy, the government throughout the year seemed to remain busy and trying to make transformational efforts on multiple fronts. To achieve the same Modi government continued taking important step one by one to overcome the challenges and attain solidarity of the nation while trying and strengthen the economy at the same time.

Few landmark decisions

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After Kashmir’s special status gone, vide a Presidential order and a historic decision on the floor of the Parliament on August 5, 2019, people from anywhere in India can now buy property and permanently settle in the state, thereby opening ways for development of the state and adding it to the mainstream community.

With revocation of Article 370, the ball was set rolling for the return of Kashmiri Pandits who were forced to flee their homes in 1990. From banning instant ‘Triple Talaq’ and making it a criminal offence, defining the nation’s first menstrual hygiene protocol, amending the Medical Termination Pregnancy Act of 1971, giving women reproductive rights over their bodies and increasing the foetal gestation period from 20 to 24 weeks, welcoming more women recruits in the NCC, to banning commercial surrogacy, the Modi government has walked the talk on women oriented issues. And more importantly, the recent decision to raise the marriage age for women from 18 years to 21 years, has been like the much needed icing on the cake.

Foreign Policy Again, among other things, significant headway was made in 2021 on the foreign policy front as well. For instance, while the Quad was initiated in 2007, it was only in 2021 that the first, serious, leader level, Quad summit was held to thwart Chinese policy of expansionism and aggression that neither India nor like-minded nations have taken kindly to. One of the other big achievements of the Modi government was, forcing China to undertake a syncronized and organised disengagement, starting February 2021, post the Galwan stand-off.

Be it the surgical strike in 2016 or the Balakot strike in 2019, or for that matter the Galwan disengagement, the present government seemed to successfully project a long awaited image of a ‘Strong Nation’ before China driven by the ‘India First’ approach with the right mix of muscularity and soft diplomacy. In fact, at the Glasgow summit in 2021, the Country’s commitment to climate justice, with India’s stated goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2070, showcased India’s stand over global climate concerns.

Year 2021 also witnessed some major developmental works

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YEARTENDERS REVIEW LIVE

across the nation. For Uttar Pradesh it had been memorable.

The state witnessed some of the most remarkable works being accomplished and initiated which included restoration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, inauguration of priority Corridor of Kanpur Metro in record time making it the fastest metro to be developed in the Country, dedicating the Purvanchal Expressway to the nation, the commissioning of Saryu Canal and laying the foundation stone of Jewar airport and Ganga Expressway apart from other massive infra push in various other sectors in the state.

Other Initiatives The present government has also made significant strides tireless efforts for uplifting India’s farm community. The government has been transferring cash directly to farmers, as is evident from the Rs 6000 per year that is paid to over 10 crore farmers, under the PM Kisan scheme. Over Rs 1.62 lakh crore has been paid via PM-Kisan, since its inception, in December 2018.

From just 255 million tonnes in 2012-13 to 297.5 million tonnes in 2019-20 and 305.43 million tonnes in 2020-21, is a vindication of how India’s self-sufficiency, with exportable surplus in the foodgrain space adding to India’s economic heft.

Besides agriculture, the huge surge of FDI inflow of $82 billion in FY21, can be stated to be a vote of confidence from global investors, in the Modi government’s structural reforms. India’s forex reserves surged to over $642 billion in June 2021 and that was a new high too. Speaking of the economy, there is no denying the fact that initiatives under Atma Nirbhar Bharat had

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a multiplier impact on consumption, growth and jobs with the GDP growing by 20.1% and 8.4% in the June and September quarters of 2021, respectively. Despite the Covid second wave, India’s rebound has been Swift and sharp with most global rating agencies and the IMF predicting between a 9.5% to 10% GDP growth for India in FY-22, amongst the highest worldwide.

Year 2021 also saw some of the most historic reforms during the pandemic to shape a new India, better equipped to deal with a post-Covid global order, with more than Rs 18 lakh crore transferred via direct benefit transfer (DBT) across various welfare schemes for the poor. The Gati Shakti master plan to spend Rs 110 lakh crore on nearly 7,000 projects across sectors such as transport, communications, urban development, energy and water, is another brilliant move. This includes projects like the Rs 3.66 lakh crore Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, the Rs 1.08 lakh crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor and the Rs 1.09-lakh crore North South Dedicated Freight Corridor, amongst others.

The year also witnessed some of the major developments in metro and railways which iterates government’s commitment to development Indian Railways a future ready transport system by 2030.

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YEAR REVIEW

NCRTC’s journey in the year 2021

N

CRTC is implementing India’s first RRTS corridor connecting regional nodes of Meerut and Ghaziabad with Delhi. The 82-Km long corridor will bring down travel time to less than 60 minutes that consumes 3-4 hours presently.

With a design speed of 180 Kmph and an average speed of 100 Kmph, RRTS is aimed at bringing people and places closer in the National Capital Region (NCR) and offer fast, safe, reliable, comfortable, efficient, seamless, and sustainable transport solutions.

The year 2021, despite the adversities brought by spread of COVID-19, was a tremendous year with regards to the progress of Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project. Much was achieved and a lot of work gained pace. Some of the major highlights of the year have been captured below: Civil Construction• NCRTC began construction of Duhai depot at the beginning of the year. Duhai depot will play an essential role to manage operations of 17 km long priority section of the corridor having five stations: Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai depot. The depot will have stabling lines, maintenance facility, automatic train washing plant, driver training centre, back up operational control centre and depot control centre.

• The elevated portion in Delhi for RRTS corridor starts from Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station, passing over Barapullah Flyover and crosses Yamuna River to reach New Ashok Nagar RRTS station. To connect the elevated structure, the construction work in Delhi picked momentum this year. While the first pier of the elevated section of RRTS corridor in Delhi was constructed in June, since then, numerous pillars have been established and now viaduct is being constructed near Ashok Nagar RRTS station. The year 2022 will see construction at a rapid pace in Delhi with the city getting ready for India’s first Regional Rail.

• The first bridge that is being constructed, which is parallel to DND, has also seen heightened activity and well foundations for the same are being done at a rapid pace. The 1.3 km long RRTS bridge will have 32 piers and 44 m long spans to connect these piers.

• This year was also marked by the beginning of construction work at underground stations. Apart from elevated section, the construction of the underground section of RRTS corridor began with concreting of Diaphragm

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YEAR REVIEW

wall (D wall) of stations in Delhi and Meerut. To construct an underground station, first D wall is to be constructed, thereafter concourse and platform levels are constructed.

In Delhi, at Anand Vihar, the construction of launching shaft for Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) – ‘Sudarshan’ commenced for tunnelling work. With this milestone, construction of this underground section for RRTS corridor entered the next stage.

• NCRTC has successfully completed the installation of the first Special steel span of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor over the mainline Indian railway crossing near Vasundhara, Ghaziabad.

This Special steel span is 73 meter long and weighed around 850 tonnes. It has been installed on piers of about 10 metre height on both sides of the Indian railway tracks by using winch and roller arrangement.

• State-of-the-art, low maintenance RRTS Track laying started between Guldhar and Duhai. It began with the arrival of rails and currently rail welding is in progress. All these will contribute to the final stages of the priority section which will take final shape in the coming year - 2022.

• Under “Make in India” guidelines, a precast track slab factory was established at Shatabdi Nagar in Meerut by NCRTC. NCRTC is using Ballast less tracks for 180 kmph design speed of RRTS trains. Since there is no certified ballast less track available in India for this speed, NCRTC opted for “Pre-cast Slab Track System” for RRTS track.

• Production of modern trainsets for Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor commenced at a factory in Savli, Gujarat

by NCRTC. These trainsets are using stateof-the-art, next-generation technology for comfortable commuting experience.

The production of 40 trainsets (30 trainsets for RRTS train of six coaches each and 10 trainsets for MRTS (Mass Rapid Transit System for local transit in Meerut) train of three coaches each) are being done. The trainsets are scheduled to arrive in 2022 for the trial runs that are slated to begin next year.

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• Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) have been indigenously developed in India for the first time by NCRTC this year. PSDs, which were imported so far, will now be manufactured in our country. PSDs have become a vital component of modern transportation infrastructure. These act as a security barrier between the platform/ train/track and commuters, besides helping in better crowd management at the stations. To begin with, Duhai Depot will be the first RRTS station to be installed with indigenous PSDs. • Production of lifts and escalators began this year and next year will see installation of these, beginning from Duhai depot.

• The RRTS project is asset intensive and hence, management and maintenance of its assets through well-defined and coordinated processes plays a key role in the success of the project. NCRTC is

implementing an Integrated Real-Time Enterprise Asset Management System (iDREAMS) which would ingest real-time data from different sources and other subsystems such as BIM, GIS, IoT, OCC, SCADA, BMS etc. during the design and construction phase. iDREAMS would bring digital transformation in the way rail assets are being managed in India.

• All the 5 RRTS stations in the priority section have started taking shape. Cross arms of Sahibabad and Ghaziabad have been established that has shaped concourse level of both stations. For Ghaziabad station, I-girders were installed for the construction of platform level. The work of concourse and platform level at Guldhar and Duhai stations has begun. At Duhai depot, the construction work of Operations and control centre (OCC), stabling and inspection lines of RRTS trains have begun. The coming year

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NCRTC and SECI, jointly, intend to maximize the use of blended renewable energy such as solar power etc. for meeting full energy requirement of RRTS corridors.

• In pursuit of its vision to contribute towards a clean and green environment, NCRTC is striving to achieve the highest rating of IGBC certifications for all RRTS stations. Solar panels for harnessing green energy will be installed on all RRTS installation.

Stakeholder EngagementTo engage with the stakeholders, NCRTC conducted multiple Community Interaction Program (CIP) and Nukkad Natak (Street Play) in Ghaziabad and Meerut. will see construction being completed to a level of running trials and eventually launching operations.

high speed of RRTS operations.

• NCRTC this year, started setting up five Receiving Sub Stations (RSS) for power supply in the entire corridor of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS. An RSS (Receiving Sub Station) is being constructed at Ghaziabad to supply power to the priority section

• The year saw NCRTC move to a new corporate office – GatiShakti Bhawan, located at INA Market in Delhi.

where electricity will be drawn from the grid of UPPTCL (Uttar Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited). The RSS will convert it to 25 kV and 33 kV capacity with the help of transformers thereby ensuring continuous power supply to the RRTS train and station respectively. With this, RRTS is moving towards operationalising the project.

• NCRTC also began installation of Overhead Equipment (OHE) on the viaduct in the 17 km long priority section.

In the priority section, erection of 30% masts have been completed, while balance is in progress. Under the first phase of the process of OHE installation, masts were erected on the constructed RRTS viaduct.

The entire setup of OHE (Over Head Equipment) ensures a continuous and smooth collection of electricity (current) in the trains. These are an improved version of the 25 kV traction system, specially designed and being manufactured for

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Other milestones

• NCRTC is in the process of finalising the vendor for Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) which will offer QR Code based ticketing (Digital QR & Paper QR) and EMV (Europay, Mastercard, Visa) & RuPay Open Loop contactless card based on NCMC (National Common Mobility Card) standards. Thus, RRTS commuters will be able to use any NCMC card issued by any Metro or Transport Authority or Financial Institutions in the country.

• NCRTC is also in the process to finalize an O&M partner by 2022 for first RRTS corridor. The agency will be responsible for comprehensive Operations & Maintenance (except Rolling Stock and Civil structures maintenance), and Station management for the 25 stations.

The opportunity has been structured as a direct O&M contract based on gross-cost bidding. This is a revolutionary approach in making the public urban transport system sustainable.

Green Energy-

• A series of Nukkad Natak were organized at casting yards of RRTS to create awareness about benefits of following traffic rules and social awareness among construction workers about Covid-19 vaccination and benefits of following COVID appropriate behaviour at construction sites.

• NCRTC team, with support of an NGO, brought in senior health officials of UP Government, WHO, and UNESCO, for a health awareness program in outskirts of Meerut. The program included discussions on role of women in developing a healthy society, healthy lifestyle, importance of immunization, nutrition, Covid-19 vaccination, psychological support, and a quiz to check awareness with regards to healthcare issues.

Presently, more than 14,000 workers and 1100 engineers are working tirelessly on the 82 km long RRTS corridor where in about 1200 piers of the elevated section have been erected, more than 50 km of foundation work and approximately 14 km of viaduct have been completed. Trial runs on the priority section is expected to begin in 2022 with trains arriving in the city soon.

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• NCRTC signed MoU with SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India) to harness blended renewable energy for RRTS.

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PRODUCT COVERAGE

Eaton’s 9PX Lithium-Ion UPS Makes Power Management Easier

E

aton has announced the addition of a lithium-ion variant to its successful 9PX UPS range. When compared to its leadacid cousins, lithium-ion batteries provide several advantages, including longer battery life, faster charge time, and lower weight. In addition, the new 9PX UPS offers “set and forget” simplicity with power ratings from 1.5 to 3 kVA and a variety of software tools to enable intelligent management at scale. Eaton offers numerous capacities and rackmount and tower form factors to accommodate any deployment need.

The 9PX is intended for a range of use cases, including remote edge and SMB server rooms. The 9PX is compatible with the Gigabit Network Card (NETWORK-M2), UL and IEC qualified for cybersecurity standards.

In addition, Eaton’s Intelligent Power Software works with all major virtualization platforms and cloud orchestration technologies.

The 9PX lithium-ion UPS comes with power ratings ranging from 1 to 3 kVA, low and high voltage options, and up to four external battery modules for extended runtime. In addition, the 9PX lithium-ion UPS provides the same dependable features as that of the 9PX lead-acid UPS, including load segments for prioritized shutdown, remote power on (RPO), remote on/off (ROO), and output relay ports for increased control capabilities.

The 9PX lithium-ion UPS is 20% lighter, and the extended battery module (EBM) is 40% lighter than 9PX lead-acid models. In addition, the lithium-ion EBMs are 1U and take-up 50% less rack space than the 2U lead-acid EBMs.

The 9PX lithium-ion UPS provides 80% to 120% more runtime at full load compared to lead-acid batteries. With Lithium battery technology, easy integration with virtualization environment and cyber security standard qualified remote management, the newly launched 9PX Lithium UPS offers a set it and forget it deployment towards fast-growing edge infrastructure to build a trusted connection world.

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65

COMPANY COVERAGE

About Protecon BTG

P

rotecon BTG is a Project Management Consulting services company with proven ability and experience to deliver Project Management Expert Services to help organizations and their people achieve Successful Project Deliveries and to deliver End-to-End Construction Claims and Disputes Resolution Services to help organizations achieve Successful Project Closure.

they forge with each of our clients. Protecon BTG contributed to 1st Bullet Train Project Between Mumbai to Ahmedabad which demonstrates preposition of Expertise you can trust in.”

Protecon BTG’s Major client and Projects

Protecon BTG has Partnered with many big players establishing its credibility, calibre and Expertise in numerous significant projects and Protecon BTG came into existence on 25 has worked on national and international level September 2013 with a motto of “Bridging projects making it a well-known name in the the Gap”. Over the years, we have achieved industry. sustainable and organic growth. Today, Protecon BTG is proud to be acknowledged and trusted Protecon BTG client portfolio includes – TATA for the quality of services and capabilities of the Steel, RITES, Wipro, National High-Speed Rail professionals.

Corporation Ltd. (NHSRCL), National Capital region transport corporation Ltd. (ncrtc), JSW According to Protecon BTG what makes Infrastructure, Simon India, ATKINS, FERNAS, them stand out is their commitment to inject AIR LIQUIDE, IIFC and many more.

Substantial and Measurable Value into the customer’s value-creating process and our Protecon’s major Indian projects include: unparalleled attentiveness to the relationship

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COMPANY COVERAGE • 1st Bullet train project between Mumbai & • Coal to ammonia project, Air Liquide Global – Ahmedabad, India Indonesia Vision and Mission

• Mundra LPG Terminal Project, India • City gas distribution network for Jalandhar & Ludhiana Gas, India

Our Vision and Mission is to become the most trusted Project Management Consulting Services Company of the world by adding • Paradip Haldia LPG Pipeline Project, India maximum & measurable value to each and every assignment/ Project we undertake and Protecon’s major international projects giving sincere attentiveness to the relationship include: we forge with each of our clients. These shall be consistently and consciously engrained into our • Sewage Treatment Unit at Nine Offshore work habits. platforms, ZADCO – UAE Future plans of Protecon BTG • Cooling Water Network at Zirku Island, ZADCO – UAE Protecon BTG has aspirational goals and is set to open new offices in the Middle East and • Gas Treatment plant-II at Khurmala, KRG – Iraq North America.

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AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Protecon BTG and Wrench Solutions have collaborated to create India’s first digital project delivery management platform for rail and metro projects.

P

rotecon BTG Pvt. Ltd. has joined hands with Wrench Solutions to develop a white label digital project delivery management platform. The platform, known as SMARTPMS, is based on the Wrench SmartProject technology, with contributions from Protecon BTG. Protecon BTG has a lot of experience with industry best practices that are followed all over the world.

Protecon BTG decided to establish a platform to deliver realtime information regarding project health, including early warning and delay notifications, to serve our customers better.

We first intended to construct our in-house platform. However, after reviewing Wrench’s offering and discovering that it already included essential features, we chose to white-label Wrench’s SmartProject technology. Forecasting/target setting at the lowest level, real-time project monitoring, auto-alerting, 24X7 mobile access to project information for all stakeholders on a single platform, dashboards with drill-down facility for all Project Management Processes, progress photographs with date-time stamps & geo-tagging, online management of NCRs/RFIs/RFCs, drone-based monitoring, and integration with SAP/Primavera/BIM, among other features, are included in the platform.

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METRO RAIL NEWS | JANUARY 2022

“We were able to tailor our SmartProject technology to Protecon’s specific requirements in just over a month thanks to Protecon’s deep knowledge of the industry,” I am certain that Protecon BTG will now be able to greatly assist their customers in reducing the risk of project delays and cost overruns,” said KV Daniel, CEO – Wrench Solutions.

“The future belongs to managing Megaprojects within the least minimum cost and optimum time,” said Pankaj Rastogi, CEO of Protecon BTG. The industry will benefit significantly from SMART-PMS in properly scheduling, monitoring, and controlling their projects. It will undoubtedly bring the best practices used by the major players to the country. We hope to provide tremendous value to our clients’ organizations with the assistance of Wrench.”

•••

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JOBS

Metro & Railway Job Openings

S. No.

Organisation

Descrip on

Last Date

1.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corpora on (BMRC) Limited

·Chief Engineer - 01 ·Deputy Chief Engineer - 04 ·Execu ve Engineer - 04 ·Asst. Execu ve Engineer - 05 ·Assistant Engineer - 34 ·Sec on Engineer - 46 ·Assistant Execu ve Engineer (Survey) - 02 ·Assistant Engineer (Survey) - 06 ·Junior Engineers - 23 ·Chief Engineer (Designs –Viaduct & Elevated sta ons) - 01 ·Addi onal Chief Engineer / Deputy Chief Engineer (Designs Viaduct & Elevated sta ons) - 02 ·Deputy General Manager (Arch) - 01 ·Execu ve Engineer Design (Viaduct & Elevated Sta ons) - 02 ·Manager(Arch) - 01 ·Deputy Manager (Arch) - 02 ·Assistant Execu ve Engineer, Design (Viaduct & Elevated Sta ons) - 02 ·Asst. Engineer –Design (Viaduct & Elevated Sta ons) - 03 ·Sec on Engineer- (Arch) - 02 Sec on Engineer- Design - 03

17 Jan 2022

1.

Gujarat Metro Rail Corpora on (GMRC) Limited

●Chief General Manager (Civil/ Track/ Contract) – 02 Posts ·Sta on Controller / Train Operator (SC / TO): 71 posts ·Customer Rela ons Assistant (CRA): 11 Posts ·Junior Engineer: 3 Posts Maintainer: 33 Posts

17 Jan 2022

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METRO RAIL NEWS | JANUARY 2022

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EVENT

Metro and Railway Industry Events Calender Dates

Event Name

Venue

January 19– 22, 2022

Short Course on Tunnelling

Le Méridien, New Delhi

Feb 02- 04, 2022

Indian Railways Sourcing Week 2.0

Virtual

Feb 04, 2022

PowerGen India

IECC, PRAGATI MAIDAN, NEW DELHI, INDIA

Mar. 23-25, 2022

7th Smart Cities India 2021 Expo

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India

Mar. 23-24, 2022

Geo Connect Asia 2020

Singapore

Mar 08-10 2022

RailTech Europe 2021

Digital event

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 2-3, 2022

7th Smart Ticketing & Digital Services Forum

Virtual

June 22 nd -23rd, 2022

Rail Live 2022

Quinton Rail Technology Centre, Warwickshire, UK

July 07, 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

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METRO RAIL NEWS | JANUARY 2022

71

TENDER LIVE Metro Rail VALUE

TENDER DETAILS

LOCATION

Corrigendum : Supply Of Inverter Module Of Aux Converter For Medha Rake Of Kolkata Metro As Per Medha Price List Code No. Sp676201037.

West Bengal, India

Refer Document

21-12-2022

Ramp And Works Other Than Diaphragm Wall Of One Underground Station At Thiruvanmiyur Metro In Corridor-3 Of Cmrl Phase-Ii Projec

Tamil Nadu, India

INR 606.00 CR.

07-04-2022

Construction Of Five (05) Ug Stations At Kmc(Kilpauk),Sterling Road, Nungambakkam, Gemini(Anna Flyover), Thousand Lights And Thousand Lights Cross Over Box And Works Other Than Diaphragm Wall Of Two Ug Stations At Royapettah Chetpet Metro In C3

Tamil Nadu, India

INR 1176.00 CR.

14-03-2022

Construction Of Five Ug Stations At Thapalpetti, Moolakadai, Sembiyam, Perambur Market And Perambur Metro And Crossover At Sembiyam And Works Other Than Diaphragm Wall Of Two Ug Stations At Madhavaram Milk Colony And Murari Hospital In Corridor-3.

Tamil Nadu, India

INR 927.00 CR.

21-02-2022

Madhya Pradesh, India

INR 8.00 CR.

16-02-2022

Tamil Nadu, India

Refer Document

16-02-2022

Madhya Pradesh, India

INR 8.00 CR.

16-02-2022

Gujarat, India

Refer Document

Refer Document

Karnataka, India

Refer Document

10-02-2022

Supply, Installation, Testing And Commissioning Of E & M Works For 15 Elevated Stations- Koteshwar Road, Vishvakarma College, Tapovan Circle, Narmada Canal, Koba Circle, Juna Koba, Koba Gam, Gnlu, Pdpu, Gift City, Raysan, Randesan, Dholakuva Circle, Infocity And Sector-1 In Connection With Gujarat Metro Rail, Phase – Ii, Package Em - 01”

Gujarat, India

INR 85.99 CR.

10-02-2022

Supply, Installation, Testing And Commissioning Of E & M Works For 15 Elevated Stations- Koteshwar Road, Vishvakarma College, Tapovan Circle, Narmada Canal, Koba Circle, Juna Koba, Koba Gam, Gnlu, Pdpu, Gift City, Raysan, Randesan, Dholakuva Circle, Infocity And Sector-1 In Connection With Gujarat Metro Rail, Phase – Ii, Package Em - 01”

Gujarat, India

INR 85.99 CR.

10-02-2022

Construction Of 132kv Sc Metro Depot To Ecotech8 Ecotech10 Line And 132kv Sc Ecotech8 Ecotech10

Uttar Pradesh, India

INR 84.50 CR.

08-02-2022

Provision Of New Traction Substation And Up Gradation Of Power Supply System At Geetanjali And Esplanade, Renovation Of Noapara Traction Substation And Replacement Of High Conductivity Steel Rail By Composite Aluminium Rail Between Jatin Das Park & Rabindra Sarobar Of Metro Railway Kolkata.

West Bengal, India

INR 84.50 CR.

08-02-2022

Gujarat, India

INR 14.67 CR.

03-02-2022

Design, Supply, Implementation, Support And Maintenance Of Project Management Information System And Its Ongoing Enhancement For Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Project Design, Manufacture, Supply, Testing, Commissioning Of Standard Gauge Metro Rolling Stock (Electrical Multiple Units) (78 Cars) And Training Of Personnel Design, Supply, Implementation, Support And Maintenance Of Project Management Information System (Pmis) And Its Ongoing Enhancement Of Madhya Pradesh Metrol Rail Project Supply Installation Testing And Commissioning Of Electromechanical Works For 15 Elevated Stations - Koteshwar Road, Visvakarma College Tapovan Circle, Narmada Canal, Koba, Circle, Juna Koba, Koba Gam, Gnlu, Pdpu, Gift City, Rayasan, Randesan, Dholakuva Circle, Infocity And Sector In Connection With Gujarat Metro Rail, Phase- Ii Package Em-01.

Expression Of Interest For Development Of Painting Of Interior & Exterior Car Panels From Interested Renowned Players Having State Of The Art Facilities For Metro Applications.

E-Tendering For “Design, Supply, Installation, Testing And Commissioning Of Two Sets Of Synchronized Pit Jacks For Lifting Three Car Trains And Two Sets Of Synchronized Mobile Jacks For Lifting Three Car Trains For Surat Metro Rail Project”

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METRO RAIL NEWS | JANUARY 2022

DEADLINE

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TENDER LIVE High Speed Railway TENDER DETAILS

LOCATION

VALUE

DEADLINE

Corrigendum : Design And Construction Of Civil And Buildings Works Including Testing And Commissioning On Design-Build Lump Sum Price Basis For Double Line High Speed Railway For Mumbai

Delhi, India

Refer Document

07-04-2022

Construction Of Tunnelling Works Including Testing And Commissioning For Double Line High Speed Railway Using (Tbm) And (Natm) Between Mumbai Underground Station At Bandra-Kurla Complex (Mahsr Km. 0.773) And Shilphata(Mahsr Km. 21.150) In Maharashtra

Maharashtra, India

Refer Document

02-03-2022

Construction Of Tunnelling Works Including Testing And Commissioning For Double Line High Speed Railway Using Tunnel Boring Machine (Tbm) And New Austrian Tunnelling Method (Natm) Between Mumbai Underground Station At Bandra-Kurla Complex (Mahsr Km. 0.773) And Shilphata (Mahsr Km. 21.150) In The State Of Maharashtra For The Project For Construction Of MumbaiAhmedabad High Speed Rail.

Maharashtra, India

Refer Document

02-03-2022

Indian Railway TENDER DETAILS

LOCATION

VALUE

DEADLINE

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.Tkj-Cpyz Sections Along With Loco Tcas Fitment Works In 106 Nos. Of 160kmph Electric Locos In Connection With Achieving Speeds .....

Multi Location

Refer Document

23-02-2022

Supply Of Computer Paper, Size- 15 Inch X 12 Inch 3 Part., 38.1 X 30.5 Cms., 70 Gsm, Is. No. 12766/97.2] Carbon Paper Quality- Base Paper Shall Be Type-A To Is9055/79 With Amendment 1. The Base Paper Shall Be Coated On One Side With Suitable Carbon Ink Necessary To Give The Required Manifolding Characteristics. The Coating Shall Be Smooth, Uniform And Free From Smudginess And Tendency To Separate As Flakes When Used. Mass Coating Shall Be 6 Plus 1 Gm/Sq.M. Manifolding Characteristics [ Minimum N.....

West Bengal, India

Refer Document

07-02-2022

Delhi, India

INR 630.00 CR.

03-02-2022

Uttarakhand, India

Refer Document

03-02-2022

Request For Proposal 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

Delhi, India

INR 1.00 CR.

03-02-2022

Selection Of Digital Entertainment Service Provider For Delivering Content On Demand Service On Build Own Operate Model For Indian Railway.

Multi State, India

Refer Document

Refer Document

Supply And Application Of Gps Based Public Address And Passenger Information System (Pa&Pis) And Led Destination Board In Lhb Type Pantry Car Of Indian Railways.

Uttar Pradesh, India

Refer Document

28-01-2022

Supply Of Jerk Free High Tensile Centre Coupler With Semi Permanent Head And Balanced Draft Gear For Fitment Of Self Propelled High Speed Train Set "Train 18" Of Indian Railway, As Per Drawing/Set List No. : Mp22cbct18 Version 0, Packing Instruction: No Special Packing Required. The Protruding, Threaded Portion, Gauges And Loose Items Etc. If Any Are To Be Protected With Suitable Covering To Prevent It From Damage. However Transit Damage If Any Shall Be At The Cost Of Supplier.

Punjab, India

Refer Document

24-01-2022

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 Supply Of Single Car Test Rig Complete Along With All Accessories As Trolley, Hose Pipes With Coupling, Gauges Etc. As Per Escort Drg. No. 3kb 1944 Or Similar (The System Is Suitable For Twin Pipe Graduated Released Air Brake Testing Of Bg Coaches As Per Testing Procedure In Indian Railway)

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Transport Corporation of India Limited TCI House, 69 Institutional Area, Sector 32, Gurugram - 122001 | Tel.: +91 - 124 - 2381603-07 E-mail Id: corporate@tcil.com | Website: www.tcil.com | CIN: L70109TG1995PLC019116 Find Us on

TCIL Customer App.

END OF TRAIN TELEMETRY Server Station

GSM Satellite

EOT HOT

Features

In Collaboration with Inteletrack South Africa

Tracking Of SBU Via GSM Network Logging In SBU and CDU Emergency Brakes From Last Wagon Service Brakes From Last Wagon Air Generator Last Wagon Brake Pressure Display Train Integrity Is Insured Speed Of Locomotive And Last Wagon Length And Change In Length Of Train Master Unit CAB 1

Slave Unit CAB 2

Demonstrating In front of Honourable “PM Sri Narendra Modi Ji” At Rail Vikas Shivir in Surajkund Hariyana

EoT Unit

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