How are India’s metro rail systems faring?

Captain Naveen Chandra

Resident of Bengaluru

There are over 200 cities in the world that have a metro system. London’s Metro is the oldest, operating since 1863. Shanghai Metro’s network with nearly 750km is the world’s largest today. It also has the highest annual ridership of 2.83 billion trips (in 2020).

India’s growth post-liberalisation ushered in faster economic progress. Metropolitan cities being the biggest job creators began attracting migrants and have grown fast. Higher incomes have led to unsustainable levels of motorization because most cities have narrow streets. Bus movement has become slow in heavy traffic and hence is losing efficiency, particularly over long commute distances. Indian cities have thus begun building metro systems to provide better public transport despite the very high costs.

Kolkata already had a metro system since 1984. India’s first modern metro opened in Delhi in 2002. Delhi metro has expanded very fast and is currently the largest metro system in India. India now has 15 operational metro systems with several more under construction or in planning stages.

So, it has been two decades since Indian cities began building and operating metro systems. It is thus a good time now to take stock and analyse their performances.

Let’s look at data from stats and figures for systems that have completed a phase or a major part of it and were operational for a year or more as of 2020.

Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru metros top in ridership per km, but none close to forecast numbers!

While Delhi Metro’s annual ridership is the highest among Indian cities, crossing a billion, it is also the one with the maximum length and coverage. However Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru do much better in terms of per kilometre ridership.

(Note: The figures referred to are from 2019-20, the last year before the pandemic since for the past two years, Covid has seriously dented the performance of all Metro Rail Transport systems worldwide due to pandemic restrictions). high investments made. A scrutiny of the established overseas systems indicates that all have well over one billion per year.

Only five out of the twenty Indian and Overseas systems have over 20,000 per km per day (Mumbai, Kolkata, Seoul, Tokyo and Mexico City). • Four have between 15,000 and 20,000. • Another five are between 10,000 and 15,000. • Three are between 5,000 and 10,000.

Table 1: Ridership Data of Indian Metros.

Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru’s ridership per kilometre numbers are well comparable to many global cities.

Check the ridership data for some large overseas systems.

Rather than total ridership, a comparison of average ridership per km per day is a better parameter since it shows the utilisation of the system more accurately for the • The remaining three are below 5,000 (all in India).

Mumbai Metro has the highest ridership per km in India and its system is just a small 11.4km solitary east-west line in the city that connects both its trunk suburban rail lines

Table 2: Ridership Data (Overseas Metros)

besides passing through the CBDs of Andheri and also intersecting the busy Western Express highway. However, it still only makes an operational profit and is yet to clear

its massive debts. Mumbai metro is currently under massive expansion.

Delhi Metro actually had good ridership per km (14,570 in 2016-17) but has slipped back by over 40% (8,543 in 201920) after fare increases in 2017-18. Another issue could be that some of the new routes and extensions were unviable, particularly the longer suburban extensions. A recent CAG report had the following observations:

“Out of the 13 corridors proposed for Phase-III, DMRC recommended two financially unviable corridors with negative Financial Internal Rate of Return” The average ridership achieved is thus 28.09% of forecast ridership, which is very poor. Those shaded on the table are below the average of 28.09%. Only Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai fared better than average in the opening year.

Metros running at loss

Table-4 shows the financials of Indian metro systems from their Annual Reports for 2019-20.

As can be seen, all metros have reported overall losses! Only Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai made operational profits.

“In four corridors, the Financial Internal Rate of Return was enhanced considering inflated Fare Box Revenue to meet the benchmark of eight per cent. ”

A comparison between the forecast ridership (as per DPRs*) against actual ridership after completion of phase proves none were close to forecast. Delhi Metro has a huge 43% share under non-fare-box revenues. However, the contribution from estate, rental etc. is small at just 10.4%. The rest (32.6%) is mostly from external projects and consultancy. This is likely to keep reducing as it has in the previous years (it reduced from Rs2,363.9 crores in 2017-18 to Rs2,014.1 in 2018-19 to Rs1,941.0 crores in 2019-20).

Table 3: Metro Ridership DPR Forecast Vs. Actuals

Table 4: Financials of the Indian Metro systems from their Annual Reports for 2019-20.

The declining trend is because other states are becoming less reliant on DMRC for project management as they gain experience building, operating and managing on their own.

India’s efforts to capture land values have not been successful. Hyderabad metro which recently completed its phase-1 has also not been able to exploit and capture much value from the huge parcels of land given to it by the state government as part of the PPP agreement.

In sharp contrast, Hong Kong and Tokyo easily make profits without even relying on any estate development since their ridership is very high. Their ridership is very high for one or more of these reasons: difficult city terrain, high cost of fuel, high cost of vehicle ownership, long commuting distances, lack of big city motorways, costly tolls etc that are natural barriers for use of private transport. Hong Kong and Singapore have estate development that contributes handsomely to their non-fare-box revenues.

How is Bengaluru’s Namma Metro doing?

It has been over four years since the completion of Namma Metro’s Phase-1. So, how is it performing?

BMRCL’s operating profit of Rs54.1 crores is a consolation but overall losses are on the high side. The bulk of Namma metro’s losses was due to finance costs and depreciation/amortisation.

Ridership per km is reasonably good, better than Delhi which has a much bigger network. Namma metro’s ridership needs to go up substantially if losses have to be cut down. Fare-box (i.e., ticket revenues) will be the key source of revenue accounting for a major portion of revenues (probably over 70-80%).

Non-Fare-box revenues are poor, in part due to BBMP’s ban on advertising on metro piers, portals and other such metro structures, but they need to go up to the maximum extent possible.

Getting Namma Metro on the road to good ridership and profitability

It seems clear that Namma Metro must rely mostly on fare box revenues and increase ridership substantially since capturing land value is going to be very difficult, even if land is made available for estate development. However, land is a scarce commodity in Bengaluru, particularly free government land for Namma Metro’s estate exploitation.

Another lesson is to research and plan extensions /additions very carefully, taking full consideration of the possibility of poor ridership.

Expansion /extension with huge scope of a hundred or more kilometres in one go in future phases is also to be avoided. Extensions/expansions are to be done after very detailed studies and simulations before routes are selected since lines with poor ridership can become a huge financial burden in later years.

While it is true that some lines will always lag behind others on ridership on almost all metro systems, all-out efforts need to be made to improve ridership on all lines.

It remains to be seen how other lines that will be opened soon would fare, particularly since work-from-home is now more or less an established business practice, besides COVID-induced reduction in commutes.

(Captain Naveen Chandra is a resident of Bengaluru, member of 'Praja' and a seasoned mariner.)

Rail-based urban transit systems are still the most viable mode of travel for our cities

Vikas Kumar

Managing Director Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

Rapid urbanisation is one of the primary challenges that our planners have faced over the years. It is estimated that by 2030, more than 40% of India’s population will be living in urban areas. And without a robust infrastructure for mass mobility, no urban centre can grow.

The growth of the economy and the increase in the number of employment opportunities can happen if a city has quality transportation options. In the case of Delhi NCR (national capital region), we have noticed how the metro came and transformed the economic landscape of the region. Within years, areas such as Dwarka, parts of Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabad became residential as well as commercial hubs because of easy metro connectivity. The markets of Old Delhi also got a new lease of life, as people could travel to these areas without worrying about congestion on the streets or parking hassles. Also, the Delhi Metro proved to be a glowing example of sustainable infrastructure development. In 2021, an estimated 5,16,000 vehicles were taken off the streets of Delhi because of the metro.

There has been a tremendous reduction in vehicular emissions as a result. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Delhi Metro has now triggered a metro revolution in the country’s other ever-expanding urban areas. Currently, over 770 -km of metro lines are operational in 20 cities across the country, making India one of the largest metro rail networks in the world.

Over a thousand kilometres of additional lines are being implemented across the country. The Delhi Metro also recognises its role as the biggest metro system in the country and is guiding almost all other metros in varying capacities. Right now, DMRC is involved in the construction work of the Mumbai and Patna metro projects. Other than the metro, a lot of focus is being laid on other rail-based solutions, which are smaller in capacity but can cater to the requirements of our tier-2 cities. Systems such as MetroLite and MetroNeo are in the planning stages for cities that are smaller in size with less population.

In Kochi, a very interesting project called the Water Metro is being implemented where metro-like mass transportation services with comfortable travel and enhanced safety will be offered utilising the adjacent water bodies. The ongoing Covid pandemic, however, has posed many new questions regarding the concept of mass mobility. With social distancing being the primary precaution needed to combat the virus, metro services across the globe have been severely impacted. Many people have reverted to their private vehicles to avoid the crowding in trains.

However, I would like to reiterate that the bene ts of the metro as a sustainable mass transit option cannot be questioned even in the current scenario. With adequate maintenance of hygiene and cleanliness by metro operating agencies and some discipline and cooperation from the passengers, rail-based urban transit systems are still the most viable mode of travel for our cities.

Dr. Brijesh Dixit is an acclaimed Railway Administrator, efficient infrastructure builder and urban transport professional. Presently heading Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. as Managing Director and leading the Nagpur and Pune Metro Rail projects from the front. He was associated with Indian Railway for over 30 years including association with Mumbai suburban and urban rail transport for over 15 years, at various levels covering planning, designing, constructing and maintaining large scale rail infrastructures & operation of services and administration of institutions on both Western and Central Railways.

In a recent conversation with Metro Rail Today, he shared the current status of various metro rail & urban transportation systems being implemented in Maharashtra under his leadership.

While Metros offer tremendous economic and environmental benefits to the city and Society but face a difficult long-term financial sustainability challenge that “ needs to be met successfully to sustain the metro project in a long run. Fare-box revenue is inadequate to meet all the apex. Therefore, the world over a lot of emphases is given to the Non-fare revenue.

First, kindly accept our heartiest congratulations on the opening of the long-awaited Pune Metro Rail Project. What are your next priorities and when the remaining sections of these lines will be commissioned?

Two lines of the Pune Metro Rail Project were inaugurated at the hands of Hon Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 6th March 2022. Of the total project length of 33.28km, 12 km section has been made operational. The proposed timeline for completion of the remaining sections of the Pune Metro is as follows: • Reach 1&4 (Phugewadi-Civil Court): 6.91km (June 2022) • Reach 2 (Garware-Civil Court): 2.38km (June 2022) • Reach 3 (Civil Court -Ramwadi): 8.37km (Dec, 2022) • Reach 4 (Civil Court to Swargate): 3.62km (March 2023)

Maha Metro has been recently appointed consultants for conducting a survey and traffic study of Phase 2 of the Pune Metro Rail Project. What’s the current progress of study? Please highlight new corridors/extensions planned under Phase 2.

Firstly, as part of Pune Metro Phase-I itself, two extensions of the North-South corridor have been approved by Govt. of Maharashtra. i) PCMC–Nigdi length about 4.5 km. ii) Swargate-Katraj underground length is about 5.5 km. They now need GoI sanctions for their execution. Secondly, Govt. of Maharashtra has given a mandate to Maha Metro for the preparation of DPRs for Pune Metro Phase 2 for six lines of about 47 km. They are: • Swargate to Khadakwasla: 13 km • SNDT to Warje: 8 km • Ramwadi to Wagholi: 12 km • Swargate to Hadapsar: 7 km • Hadapsar – Kharadi: 5 km • Vanaz to Chandani Chowk: 2 km (Total Length: 47 km)

PCMC

• Bhosari to Chakan: 22 km

Thirdly, PMC has given a mandate to Maha Metro for the preparation of DPR of Metro Neo on the earlier proposed route of circular HCMTR of the length of 36 km in the PMC area.

Fourthly, PCMC has given a mandate to Maha Metro for the preparation of DPR of Metro Neo on the earlier proposed route of circular HCMTR of a length of 28 km in the PCMC area. It has been submitted to Govt. of Maharashtra for approval.

The proposed corridors run along the major arterial roads of the city and will provide the commuters with clean, safe, and faster transit. The DPR study is progressing well and most of the required surveys have been completed. The draft DPR should be ready in about 3-4 months, after which the required approvals will be taken.

Are you also taking interest in Pune Metro Line 3 being implemented under the PPP model? When will this line be commissioned for the Public?

This line is being executed by Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA).

Maha Metro is currently working on the implementation of various metro rail projects in Maharashtra and consequently, you have a variety of issues on your plate. What do you think is the most important issue that has to be tackled while keeping the interests of the project in mind?

While Metros offer tremendous economic and environmental benefits to the city and Society but face a difficult long-term financial sustainability challenge that needs to be met successfully to sustain the metro project in a long run. Fare-box revenue is inadequate to meet all the apex. Therefore, the world over a lot of emphases is given to the Non-fare revenue. Sources such as Transit-Oriented Development (ToD), Land Value Capture, Property Development, etc. are focused upon in this aspect.

Also, Optimization of cost and avoiding time overruns are the most important factors to be tackled for the success of Metro Rail projects.

A large section of commuters is eagerly waiting for the commissioning of the Navi Mumbai Metro project. Please throw some light on the current status and completion target of Phase 1 of Line 1.

Navi Mumbai Metro project is being implemented by CIDCO. However, they have mandated Maha Metro to take care of the balance of work and Operations & Maintenance for a period of 10 years for Line 1 (From Belapur Pendhar of 11 km length and 11 stations). The Metro corridor from Central Park to Pendhar having a 5.20 km length with 05 stations has been completed and CMRS certification is obtained. The stretch is likely to be commissioned and opened to the public very soon.

What is the current status of the Nashik Metro Neo project and when the construction of this project will be commenced?

What is the current status of the procurement plan of Rolling Stock for this unique and ambitious project? ReplyMetro Neo is a very innovative concept being implemented for the very first time in the country and anywhere globally in this format. Govt. of Maharashtra has approved Nashik Metro Neo Project and it is currently with the Govt. of India at an advanced stage of sanction.

I am happy to tell you that, now Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, GoI has adopted Metro Neo for nationwide adaption and has issued standard specifications for that. Maha Metro will be implementing this project under the Make in India policy. A detailed procurement plan shall be worked out after GoI sanctions the project. However, a number of companies have expressed their willingness to manufacture the rolling stock and other equipment required for the project under the Make in India policy including BHEL Ltd, Titagarh Wagons Ltd, and Tata Motors Ltd, etc.

We can see that most Metro projects have missed their completion deadlines and consequent escalation in costs, how are you planning to mobilize funds for the projects?

I am very happy to say that both Pune Metro and Nagpur metro projects have not missed the deadlines except for some minor impacts due to the pandemic Covid. Nagpur Metro Projects with a network of 38 Kms is at the completion stage whereas Pune Metro has very recently started its commercial operation on 6th March 2022 after Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi had flagged off the maiden metro train. 12 km of the total 33.28 km have been opened for the public in Pune.

In both the projects, there is no major escalation of cost except for Land acquisition which has been acquired after the new LAPA Act, and foreign exchange and inflation beyond the provision of DPR during the intervening period.

With the growing population and the pressure on infrastructure in the Metropolis like Nagpur, Pune and Nashik etc., what would you advise urban planners on ways to ease urban mobility?

The urban planners should focus on the proper Land use policies including Transit Oriented Development (ToD), land value capture etc. so that the mass transit projects undertaken would have a long-term financial and environmental sustainability.

What is your take on our publications i.e. Metro Rail Today and Urban Transport News? Is there anything about the publications you think we could do better?

You are doing well and I wish you all the best.

Will speeds of Indian trains ever increase?

Development of Train 18 — Vande Bharat Express — the first semi-high-speed train of Indian Railways (IR), and the subsequent announcement of its large-scale proliferation with 400 rakes in three years, raised the hope that India would soon have a sizeable sector of such trains. The semi-high-speed sector is ill-defined but in the Indian context, stuck as we are in the mail/express train speed range of 110 to 130 km/h for decades, it would mean passenger train operation in the speed range of 160 to 200 km/h.

The reality, however, is far removed from the hope. IR has only a small stretch of track and allied infrastructure between Delhi and Agra which is fit for trains to run at 160 km/h.IR has been talking about running coaching trains at 160km/h speed for more than five decades since the 1960s and the timeline for achieving the number of times has been revised, embarrassingly, on several occasions. IR’s flagship trains, Rajdhanis and Shatabdis continue to ply at the same maximum speeds up to 130 km/h since their induction. Another important aspect which is perhaps as important, if not more, than the maximum speed of operation is the average speed of trains. It calibrates the capacity of IR to run passenger trains consistently at a good speed. Comptroller and Auditor General of India recently tabled a report in parliament, berating IR for not making any perceptible improvement in the running speed of mail/express trains despite spending a significant amount of `2.5 lakh crore on track infrastructure between 2008 and 2019. The report stated that the average speed of such trains in 2019-20 was only 50.6 km, which is less than a percent higher than what was registered a decade back. IR has talked about ‘Mission Raftaar’ since 2016-17, which envisaged raising the average speed of these trains from 50kmph to 75kmph by 2021-22. While the target has been missed by a mile, there appears to be no hope of achieving an average speed of even 60 Km/h in near future.

A project to increase the maximum speed of operation to 160 km/h on the Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai section is in hand for some years. While the declared target date of completion is March 2023, the project is not likely to see completion by then, or even by 2024. IR must look at its strategy closely as such default indicates some gaps in planning, financing and execution.

Let us see this from a global perspective. There are more than 20 countries where passenger trains run at a speed of 200kmph or more; there are many countries that have achieved this by upgrading their existing track, allied infrastructure and rolling stock, including tilting, to raise average and maximum speeds to the range of 150kmph and

225kmph respectively; but after the fiasco of the Talgo train trial drama, this may be a distant dream for IR. This is evident since so far as IR has not even formulated the guidelines for construction and maintenance of assets for speed beyond 160kmph, although R&D arm of IR, RDSO was assigned the task more than three years ago.

A glance at the timetable published by the IR (for the period July 2019-June2020) shows that even for trains like Vande Bharat, Tejas & Shatabdi expresses on different routes, there is a vast difference in actual average speeds. While the highest average speed is only 96 Kmph for Varanasi-New Delhi Vande Bharat, it is as low as 53 Kmph for Dehradun and Kathgodam Shatabdi. This is mainly on account of various permanent and temporary speed restrictions and operational factors like a number of halts & time allowances provided in the timetable for planned maintenance works and unforeseen incidents. Unless these impediments are removed in a time-bound manner, merely increasing the maximum speed will provide an only limited advantage in terms of the overall reduction in travel time in spite of prohibitive capital expenditure.

The average speeds remain low even with the induction of more powerful locomotives also because of differential speeds of various trains as all of them, including freight trains, share the same track with curves on which speeds are regulated and the maximum speeds are achieved only for a small time in a run. The impact of laying flatter horizontal curvature on average speeds is evident from the experience of the Mumbai and Madgaon section of the Konkan Railway which was originally built for 160kmph speed potential with flatter curves and hardly any permanent speed restrictions; on this section, Tejas express is able to achieve an average speed of 85kmph in spite it being non-electrified single line.

With multiple objectives of speed and capacity, IR sanctioned the project to increase the speed to 160kmph on the New Delhi-Howrah and New Delhi-Mumbai Central routes, to be completed by March 2023, at a cost of about Rs17,000cr. The scope of the project includes fencing, Automatic Train Protection System, Mobile Train Radio Communication and automated and mechanized diagnostic systems. A major portion of Rs17,000 cr is planned through institutional financing (about Rs16,000 cr) and till March 2020, no expenditure has been incurred. In addition, the cost of removal of all level crossings is funded separately. Under the circumstance, completion of these two works by end of this fiscal looks too far-fetched and there is a high risk of severe cost and time overruns.

It is conceivable that once this infrastructure is put in place, the maximum speed capability of Train 18 type rolling stock can be increased to 200kmph with minor inputs from IR engineers themselves. As for the increase in average speeds, IR should try out tilting in some Train 18s to assess its reliability in the Indian environment. With the fillip given in recent years to the construction of expressways, improvements in designs and comfortable speeds of cars, affordability of modern tourist taxis and higher penetration of air travel, IR will find it difficult to even retain its present share of passenger traffic. If the travel time of inter-city Shatabdi type day trains is not reduced by increasing the average as well as maximum speed, rail travel may no longer offer a significant journey time advantage over road, beset as it is already with an extra travel time to and from the station. Readers would recall that the Mumbai-Pune Shatabdi express had to be discontinued because of poor patronage after the commissioning of the Mumbai-Pune expressway. Similarly, unless the travel time of Rajdhanis is reduced drastically, making services like New Delhi to Mumbai and Howrah truly overnight, a similar scenario may emerge after the completion of new expressways.

It is obvious that irrespective of the road quality, a Ferrari will run only with the speed of an auto-rickshaw in Chandni Chowk; for the same reason, if IR is genuinely serious to run semi-high-speed trains on existing tracks, with a decent average speed, say around 120 km/h, then the whole eco-system needs a relook; improvements in rolling stock, particularly on reducing the gap between freight and passenger train speed, time-tabled running of goods trains, reliability of assets and completing the two projects of 160kmph, without much permanent speed restriction, expeditiously.

With a young and dynamic minister in charge of Railways, the time to act is now.

***

This article is co-authored by Mr. MK Gupta & Mr. Sudhanshu Mani. Gupta is a retired Member (Engineering) and Mani is a retired General Manager, Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Indian Railways. Both are independent rail consultants. The views expressed are personal.

Andhra Pradesh to develop ₹14,300 crore Visakhapatnam Metro project on PPP mode

Andhra Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (APMRCL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed for the implementation of metro rail projects in Andhra Pradesh state, is planning to develop a metro rail system in Visakhapatnam city on the public-private partnership modal. If things go as per the plan, then Visakhapatnam city will have a metro rail network in the next 8 to 10 years.

APMRC will submit the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Visakhapatnam, which is pegged at ₹14,300 crores, to the state government for approval. As per the new DPR, the metro rail will span about 76 km, passing through the city, in four corridors. The groundwork and survey have been on since 2015, but due to some delays in both the governments, the project has slowed down. This project is part of the commitment made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014, and it is a collaborative project of both the Centre and the State Governments.

"One corridor will be from Visakhapatnam Steel Plant to Kommadi Junction, spanning about 34 km, and the others are Gurudwara in Seethammdhara to Old Post Office with a length of about 5 km, Thatichetlapalem to Chinna Waltair of 6.75 km and Kommadi Junction to Bhogapuram airport, which would span over 30 km," said UKM Rao, Managing Director, APMRC. He said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is very keen on this project and monitoring it closely.

"The metro rail project is the need of the hour, as the city is growing exponentially. It is an affordable, swanky, safe, fast mode of transport, hassle-free, pollution-free, reliable, comfortable and energy saver. In India, there are close to about 29 cities, where there is metro rail. In about 15 cities they are already operational in phases and in others they are either in the construction phase or planning stage," said Rao. Talking about the efficiency and effectiveness of metro rail projects, he said that metro can ferry about 60,000 people in one direction in one hour. In Visakhapatnam, our estimate, once all the four corridors are operational, it would cater to about at least 5 lakh commuters on a daily basis. The Visakhapatnam metro will have two cars of 200 capacity each, which means it can ferry 400 passengers at a time. While in cities such as Delhi it is 400 per car. All the cars are driverless and will run on the remote control and each can run independently. So if one breaks down, the other can continue its journey.

The cars will run on electricity and operate on third rail technology, with traction at the bottom and not on the overhead. The duration of frequency for each train has been projected for 8 minutes, which can be adjusted to 5 minutes during peak hours and the proposed operational time has been fixed from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

According to DPR, the minimum average distance between each station in the first three corridors is around 1 km and even less at times and in the fourth corridor (Kommadi to Bhogapuram) the average is around 1.5 km.

"It has been seen that with the operation of the metro rail, there has been a spurt in the GDP at least by 8 to 10% in the cities, where they are operational. This is called transitoriented development, as development is directly linked to logistics and transport. Most importantly, metro travel is said to be the safest and most reliable mode of transport," rao added.

There is a provision for the construction of station buildings, with a minimum of six floors. While two floors will be used for the station's purposes and its utilities, the others can be let out for commercial space. This will also generate revenue, as in total about 54 stations in all the corridors are being planned. Moreover, the use of metro rails will bring down vehicular pollution and the load of vehicles on road.

“Once the DPR is approved, we will go for global tenders and the project will be built on public-private partnership (PPP) model. There will be some share from the Union and the State Governments, but the share component will depend on the offer and terms and conditions of the bidding company. The project will be leased out for 33 years and, as per a conservative estimate the break-even period is 15 years," said Rao.

According to him, the estimated project time is at least five years for the first three corridors and another three years for the fourth one. But the fourth one depends on the construction and operation of the Bhogapuram international airport.

Telangana Govt looking for private partner for ₹5,500 crore Hyderabad Airport Metro project

The Government of Telangana has reworked on the financial model for the proposed 30.7-km long Airport Metro Line which will connect Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad from Raidurg at Gachibowli. Now the government has decided to build the project under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) modal through a private infrastructure firm at an estimated cost of about Rs5,500 crore.

NVS Reddy, Managing Director of Hyderabad Airport Metro Limited, the special purpose vehicle formed to take up the project, has said that in the light of the “changed economic scenario” it was decided to tweak the ‘Concessionnaire Agreement’ in vogue to offer much “better conditions” to anyone coming forward to invest and build the Airport Metro project.

He said that this is an open offer on behalf of the government to any private entity willing to invest in the next phase of the Hyderabad metro rail project. The government is ready to offer more concessions than what L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited got in the building and operating of the first phase of the project built across 69-km through three major traffic corridors of the twin cities.

He informed that the ‘hybrid annuity model’ being planned for the Airport Line Metro is to be eased further with the government offering to provide financial assistance not only during the construction of the project but also in the first 5-10 years of operations.

“From the metro first phase experience, it was noticed that the concessionaires face tremendous financial pressure during this period as these are large capital expenditure projects with returns over a long term. At the same time, we do not want to do away with the ‘risk’ element for the private player totally,” Reddy said. "If the average cost of the steel, cement and other construction material is taken into account (not the current super-high rates), it is estimated that the metro second phase can be built at about Rs165 crore a kilometre from the usual Rs300 crore a kilometre cost likely for the kind of work done in the metro first phase," he added.

This is possible by reducing height of the elevated structures and considering not much land acquisition will be required as the line will passing on the road median and later along the Outer Ring Road (ORR). “The precise details of the initial financing, annuity payments and others will be worked out at the bidding stage. It is a real challenge to build large infrastructure projects in the present scenario,” he further said.

In September 2021, GMR Group had shown interest to invest Rs 519.52 crore in the proposed Airport Line Metro Corridor by 2024.

The proposed Airport Metro Corridor will connect Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to Raidurg through eight elevated metro stations at Bio-Diversity Junction, Nanakram Guda, Narsingi, TS Police Academy, Rajendra Nagar, Shamshabad, Airport Cargo and Airport Terminal. The detailed project report of this project was prepared by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRCL) in 2019. This new metro corridor will be developed under Phase 2 of the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project.

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In a recent interaction with Metro Rail Today, Vikramjiet Roy, Managing Director, Maccaferri India has shared his thoughts on various policies and initiatives of the Government of India being implemented towards the transformation of India's urban infrastructure.

Maccaferri has been working in the engineering and infrastructure industries for how long? Tell us about Maccaferri’s journey in the civil & construction Industry.

In India, Maccaferri was incorporated in 1998 as Maccaferri Environmental Solutions Pvt Ltd, a completely owned subsidiary of Officine Maccaferri, and has worked on more than 1200 projects throughout the country. During this time, we have set up plants in Ranjangaon (Maharashtra), Shirur (Maharashtra) and Una (Himachal Pradesh). With a strong team of more than 250 employees, we work towards solving complex technical issues faced by our customers. Maccaferri approaches each project with the objective of identifying, addressing and resolving the specific needs of the customer. We do not simply sell products: we strive to be the leading technical reference for designing and developing advanced projects. We are strongly committed to solving our clients’ problems by providing better solutions through attentive listening, innovation and collaboration. We work with both public and private sector organizations with some of our major clients being the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Airport Authority of India, IRCON, Indian Railways, Border Road Organization, Northeast Frontier Railway, Kolkata Port Trust, Public Works Department of various states in India, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Karnataka State Highways Improvement Project (KSHIP), R&B Departments, City Municipal Corporations, Water Resource Departments, J&K Flood Control Department, Maharashtra Maritime Board, State Irrigation Department, Gujarat Maritime Board, New Mangalore Port Trust and Mangalore.

What are the major hurdles you see in India when it comes to infrastructure projects compared to other global countries? What are the lessons to be learned?

The necessity of the hour is to align India's economic growth with the country's infrastructure capacity. Better infrastructure, both in number and quality, contributes to increased physical capital and human productivity, and hence to national progress.

To achieve smooth and quick growth, India requires considerable and timely investment in high-quality infrastructure. Well-developed infrastructure stimulates economic activity, frees up budgetary space by expanding the government's revenue base, and ensures that government investment is directed toward productive sectors. Infrastructure companies require a healthy bond market, prompt resolution of infrastructure disputes, optimal risk sharing through enhanced and balanced PPP contracts, and contract integrity and enforcement. India must guarantee that infrastructure and infrastructurerelated businesses have easy access to high-quality inputs at competitive pricing. Moreover, India requires long-term solutions that are more environmentally friendly than conventional solutions. India needs to build a green economy with sustainability at the core of its developmental plan.

In addition to the current provisions for public investments, efforts must be taken to channel opportunities for private engagement in the sector effectively. Although no combination of measures will ensure absolute rates of success for PPPs in all areas of infrastructure development, a well-thought-out set of reforms, if carefully executed, can build the groundwork for future growth and augmentation in the sector. Before the suggested reforms run out of steam, a deliberate effort must be undertaken to continually expand on them, through both rigorous periodic evaluations and careful procedures of execution.

What are the major issues faced by EPC companies engaged in major infrastructure projects in India?

The construction industry is the second most important

sector in India's economic and industrial sector, after only agriculture. A number of significant obstacles confront the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) industry, including lengthy delays in land acquisition, regulatory bottlenecks, and issues sourcing working capital funding.

Among EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) companies, a single project could be spread out over multiple teams from the engineering team to general contractors. Construction projects are large-scale collaborations that necessitate communication between all stakeholders involved. In case communication gaps arise, work tends to be very fragmented, and functioning can prove to be a major difficulty. This breakdown of communication not only lowers productivity but could also be financially costly.

Second, construction work is well-known for involving a huge amount of physical and manpower resources. Many hazards exist on construction sites for the workers who work there, and this is the most serious one I believe. The safety of workers should be prioritised and supported by industry practitioners and government policies.

Do you think that design and construction will become an outdated concept in the future as infrastructure becomes multi-functional?

With economic development and rapidly rising populations driving major urbanisation, the demand for new infrastructure is expected to skyrocket in the next decades. Other new challenges include changing demographics, rising expectations of businesses, service users, and the general public, as well as the need to reduce carbon emissions and waste. These factors all contribute to a dynamic and testing environment for the industry and those commissioning new projects.

The digital world is evolving at the same rate that innovators are keeping up with trends. The creation of smart cities exemplifies how development in infrastructure design and construction is not a one-dimensional idea. Looking at it from a macro perspective, a linked society extends beyond sensors in buildings and seeks to produce value by aiding with a variety of technologies such as automatic lighting, real-time social data collection, and multi-purpose apps.

How do you view the Indian government’s ambition to create Metro Railways, RRTS and HSR networks in the country?

The development of a country's railway infrastructure is one of the most crucial aspects of its progress. It is impossible to overstate the significance of transportation, which has been referred to as the "lifeline" of a nation. There have been several examples of how railway infrastructure has accelerated and improved the efficiency of a country's development. Moreover, good physical connectivity in the urban and rural areas is essential for economic growth. India, the world's seventh-biggest country with a population of more than a billion people, has one of the world's largest transportation industries and has made several critical decisions to modernise its rail transportation networks.

I have been following the RRTS project for a long time, and it is without a doubt a turning point for India's urban and regional growth in the next years. It will help to develop a rapid transportation network in tier 2 and tier 3 urban areas. The first high-speed rail line (HSR) is planned between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in western India, which will reduce travel time from the current eight hours to two hours, according to plans.

A new era in train connection will soon dawn in the country, owing to the planned Regional Rail Transit System (RRTS). Commuting trains with high speeds and frequencies would connect minor towns in Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh with the Gurugram-DelhiNoida rail network in the coming years. The new transit facility would improve connectivity while also boosting economic growth along the corridors and in the centre of the National Capital Region (NCR).

What are your takes on Govt. of India's 'Aatmnirbhar Bharat' initiative? Will this help India to achieve the '5 trillion economy' goals by 2025-26?

The government's economic packages are playing a crucial part in India's goal of being "self-sufficient. Aatmanirbhar Bharat is supported by five pillars: the economy, infrastructure, system, a lively demographic, and demand. We are unavoidably advocates for contributing to growth, specifically sustainable development because infrastructure is one of the cornerstones. By promoting 'Make in India Make for World,' Atmanirbhar Bharat paints a picture of India's ambitions to become a USD 5 trillion economy. Several projects, like the Bharatmala Project, the Paravatmala Project, and the Setu Bharatam Project, have already begun to enhance Indian infrastructure.

This goal can be achieved as a result of our integration into the global economy. The emphasis will be on infrastructure and manufacturing joint ventures, supply chain integration, and leveraging sovereign wealth funds.

French firm Systra to complete DPR for new metro rail projects in four cities of Gujarat

French consultancy firm Systra MVA has been given the responsibility to conduct the feasibility study survey and prepare the detailed project report (DPR) for proposed Metro rail systems in Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, and Jamnagar in Gujarat. The firm has to submit its draft DPR for these four cities to the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation Limited (GMRC) by end of 2022.

The Systra is preparing DPR for the two new kinds of mass rapid transit systems (MRTS) - Metro Neo and Metro Lite which are designed specifically for small and medium-sized cities.

“The feasibility studies will lay the foundation for constructing either Metro Neo or Metro Lite projects in these four cities and it will be much cheaper than the conventional metro-rail projects. The DPR is expected to be ready by the end of 2022,” said a senior official of GMRC.

According to the assignment, SYSTRA will not only conduct the detailed project feasibility survey & prepare reports for rail-based MRTS for all the four cities, but it will also identify the possible corridors for operating the metros, and conduct a traffic demand analysis and identify growth centers in each of these cities.

“High magnitude metro systems have given their high capacities and high costs, do not make a case for an appropriate mode to serve the mobility needs of Tier-2 of Tier-3 cities. The Government of India has developed new systems named Metro Neo and Metro Lite which will fit into medium to smaller cities and are expected to be efficient,” said the official. “Considering long-term development needs, the Gujarat government intends to develop such metro systems in four cities and GMRC has been entrusted with the task of implementing these projects,” he added.

“Compared to Ahmedabad metro, these projects will have metros with two or three cars instead of six. When train lengths reduce, the width of stations reduces and costs of the entire project come down. In other words, compared to Rs 300 cr spent on building one kilometer of phase-1 of the Ahmedabad Metro, then Metro Lite will cost approximately Rs 150 crore and Metro Neo will cost just Rs 100 crore. All these bring down the cost of constructing rail-based MRTS in smaller cities,” he further added.

The eco-friendly Metro Neo or Metro Lite projects will be similar in experience for commuters. The land requirement in Metro Lite and Metro Neo is less as stations are smaller in size. Secondly, in some portions, the metros will not need an elevated corridor and will run parallel to the road.

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