Urban Transport Infrastructure September 2020 by Urban Transport News

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VOL. II / ISSUE 11 / BI-MONTHLY / SEPTEMBER 2020

infrastructure

Cover Story UP Metro: Promoting green and state- of-art Mass Rapid Transit Systems in Uttar Pradesh Published by Scan from here to read online version

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Managing Director, UP Metro Rail Corporation

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URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE / SEPTEMBER 2020 / VOL. II / ISSUE 11

REGULAR COLUMNS

Editorial Advisory Board

Editor’s Note

Subscription Form

Round Up

Urban Rail Progress Report

Major Contracts Awarded in 2020-21

Leaders Feedback

23 INTERVIEW 19 29 36

Managing Director, Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (UPMRC)

Mr. Alain Spohr

Managing Director, India & South Asia, Alstom Transport India Limited

Dr. Amudhan Valavan

Executive Director, TECHSACS

Ms. Sebnem Tugce Pala

EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE

Mr. Kumar Keshav

UP Metro: Promoting the state of the art Mass Rapid Transit Systems in Uttar Pradesh

Future of Mobility in the context of COVID19 Pandemic

By Urban Transport News, New Delhi

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

Public Policy Specialist, UC Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC)

Dr. Mangu Singh

Managing Director, Delhi Corporation Limited (DMRC)

Metro

Rail

NEW ANNOUNCEMENT

Virtual Exhibition & Summit on Rail Infra and Mobility Business 2020

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CONTENT 

39 Fresh entries for the next Edition “November 2020” is opened till 20 October 2020.

INDIAN RAILWAYS

It’s full steam ahead to green India’s railway network…

United Nations Environment Programme

IN SPOTLIGHT

Ar. Priyanka Kumar A renowned Urban Planner and the winner of Urban Infra Architect of the Year 2020 Global Award Urban Transport News

AUTOMATED TRANSPORT 27

Automated transport could propel development forward. Can we turn the vision into reality?

Michael M. Lokshin, Lead Economist and David Newsom, IT Professional

E-MOBILITY 45

METROLITE (LRTS)

Will Modern Trams (Metrolite) be successful in Indian Cities? Megha Naidu, Transport Planner and Architect

COVID-19 & TRANSPORT

Cycling: A Post-COVID Scenario

Priyanka Kumar, Urban Planner and Shreya Mishra, Intern, RCUES

Delhi EV Policy: A Review

Ramit Raunak, Electric Mobility Enthusiast

Evolving Trends in Charging Infrastructure Planning for Electric Vehicles in India Anshika Singh, Student and Dr. Parveen Kumar, Sr. Manager, WRI Cities

INDUSTRY EVENTS

Event Calendar 2020

Editorial Calendar 2020-21

How To Make Public Transport Safe PostCOVID? Tripti Deshpande Research Analyst, CSTEP

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SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

Urban Transport Infrastructure Magazine

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Our distinguished advisory board has been assembled to guide Urban Transport Infrastructure journal to become even more representative of urban mobility & infrastructure industry. Members have been invited from the highest levels of the industry and academic/research institutions to ensure high quality content so that the journal can continue on its path of success.

Dr. Vinay Maitri Professor & Dean School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi

Dr. Richa Chowdhary Associate Professor University of Delhi, New Delhi

Karuna Gopal Smart Cities Advisor Foundation for Futuristic Cities, Hyderabad

Dr. Annapoorna Ravi Media & Comm. Expert Public Affairs Centre (PAC), Bangalore

Dr. Surabhi Singh Associate Professor Institute of Management Studies (IMS), Ghaziabad

Ar. Priyanka Kumar Urban Planner Regional Centre for Urban & Environmental Studies, Lucknow

Dr. Vivek Vaidyanathan Urban Transport Scientist Center for Study of Science, Technology & Policy (CSTEP), Bangalore

R. Sethuraman Sr. EPC Advisor Chennai

Sudhanshu Mani, IRSME Urban Rail Expert Ex-GM/ICF, Indian Railways, Chennai

Dr. Kamal Soi Road Safety Expert Member-National Road Safety Council, New Delhi

Dr. Valavan Amudhan Public Transport Expert Executive Director-TECHSACS

Ishan Chanda Dy. Manager DIMTS, New Delhi

Mehjabeen Economist & Policy Expert Hyderabad

Sanjam Gupta Director Sitara Shipping Limited, Mumbai

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

Ad. Sanndhya Pillai Maritime Lawyer SSS Maritime Services & Consultancy (P) Ltd., Mumbai

MC Chauhan, IRSEE Railway Expert Ex. Chairman â&#x20AC;&#x201C;KMRC, Ex. GM/NCR, Indian Railways

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Vol. II / Issue 11

SEPTEMBER 2020

Managing Editor’s Message

Mamta Shah Managing Editor Vinod Shah Head - Communications Surya Prakash Circulation In-charge Anushka Khare Associate Editor Naomi Pandya Digital Media & Design Executive Krishtina D’Silva Sr. News Editor (Global News) Urban Transport Infrastructure Magazine is published bi-monthly by:

The Unlock 4.0 guidelines announced by the Government of India that prompted reopening of metro rail services have not just proved to be beneficial to the common man gripped by the Covid-19 crisis induced economic woes, but also brought forth the resilience of both public and private institutions in meeting the challenge gradually. The Government of India has taken these unlock initiatives after weighing in all aspects of the situation.

Urban Transport News F-35, First Floor, Pankaj Grand Plaza, Mayur Vihar Phase-I, New Delhi-110091 Tel: 011-4248 4505, +91-9716 4545 05 E-mail: editor@urbantransportnews.com Web: www.urbantransportnews.com

The resumption from 7 September of metro services that put the country on the world map of modern public transport system, in many cities has been flawless yet cautious. The Centre has taken a calibrated decision to resume metro services which were shut since 24 March and prepared their managements which work under supervision of the states to meet the needs of the ordinary public.

Subscriptions: Urban Transport Infrastructure Magazine is sent without obligation to professionals and key opinion leaders working in urban transport industry in India and other countries. However, publisher reserves the right to limit the number of copies. Cover Price: Print ₹ 300.00, Digital- ₹100.00 Annual: Print ₹ 1800.00, Digital: ₹ 500.00 All subscriptions payable in advance. Print circulation available in India only. © All rights reserved. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. For reprint, circulation in outside India, please contact: editor@urbantransportnews.com Edited and published digitally by Mrs. Mamta Shah, Managing Editor from F-35, First Floor, Pankaj Grand Plaza, Mayur Vihar Phase I, New Delhi-110091, India.

ISSN 2581-8023 Disclaimer: The facts and opinions expressed by the authors/contributors here do not reflect the views of editorial team or editorial board of Urban Transport News/Urban Transport Infrastructure Magazine.

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At the same time, the Government has taken enough care to see that the metro services don’t spread the virus in any manner. All the metro coaches and stations are thoroughly sanitized and the staff provided with PPE kits, and passengers are thermal-screened at the entrances and compelled to wear face masks and maintain physical distance. The metro rail authorities are closely monitoring the health and hygiene of the commuters through random surveys, to assess the impact of the metro on the Covid spread. Interestingly, around 90% commuters have opted for cashless payments. the successful reopening of metro services would stand as an example of India’s top class Covid response on public transport. That augurs well for the gradual opening up of other services like airlines, railways and RTC buses in different states. The same safety standards can be emulated by these authorities as well and we are sure people will cooperate in equal measure. These public transport services cannot be shut forever, though the virus spread continues to be alarming at many places. A tough balancing act is indeed. Please share your valuable feedback on the content of this Journal so that we can improve and provide more useful information in our future editions. Stay Safe and Stay Happy! Mamta Shah Managing Editor editor@urbantransportnews.com SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

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ROUND UP ď ˇď ľ

HIGHLIGHTS JUL-AUG 2020 July 2020 Railway Board approves funds for City Centre II-Airport stretch of Kolkata Metro expansion project | Metro Rail The Railway Board has approved funds worth Rs 5,27 crore for City Centre II-Airport stretch of Airport to Kavi Subhas via Rajarhat corridor of the Kolkata Metro Expansion Project. DFCCIL achieves progress of more than 56 percent for Western Corridor | Freight Rail Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) has achieved a physical progress of more than 56 per cent for the Dedicated Freight Corridor Project (Western Corridor). DFCCIL achieves progress of more than 60 percent for Eastern DFC | Freight Rail Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) has achieved a physical progress of more than 60 per cent for the Dedicated Freight Corridor Project (Eastern Corridor). Maharashtra Govt. and MRVC signs agreement for MUTP-III projects | Suburban Rail The Government of Maharashtra and Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Limited (MRVC) signed a Subsidiary Finance Agreement (SFA) for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) - Phase III on July 9, 2020. UP Govt. releases funds for Delhi-Meerut RRTS Phase-I in Uttar Pradesh | Regional Rail The Government of Uttar Pradesh has released funds worth Rs 1,000 million for implementation of the Delhi-GhaziabadMeerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Project- Phase I. GMDA submits DPR to finance department for HUDA City Centre-Cyber City Metro | Metro Rail The Gurgaon Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has submitted the detailed project report (DPR) to the Finance Department, Government of Haryana for the HUDA City Centre-Cyber City Metro Rail Project. Work on Packages III & IV of Dwarka-Manesar expressway project to complete by December 2021 | Road Transport The construction work on Packages III and IV of the Dwarka-Manesar Expressway Project (Northern Peripheral Road Project/Gurgaon-Dwarka Expressway) is expected to be completed by December 2021. RVNL commences track works on Kavi Subhas-Hemanta Mukherjee stretch of Kolkata Metro expansion project Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) has commenced track laying works for 5 km long Kavi Subhas-Hemanta Mukherjee stretch of Airport to Kavi Subhas via Rajarhat Corridor for the Kolkata Metro Expansion Project. Maha-Metro to submit DPR for Warangal Metro Neo to KUDA by end-September | Metro Rail Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) is likely to submit the detailed project report (DPR) for the Warangal Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project (Metro Neo) to the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA) by endSeptember 2020.

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SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

ď ľď ˇ ROUND UP Work on underground section of Janakpuri West-RK Ashram corridor of Delhi Metro Phase-IV | Metro Rail Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) commenced construction work on 7.74 km long underground section of Janakpuri West-RK Ashram Corridor of the Delhi Metro Rail Project - Phase IV on July 17, 2020. Work on Mumbai Metro Line 2B to complete by December 2022 | Metro Rail The construction work on the Mumbai Metro Line 2B Project (DN Nagar-Mankhurd-Mandale) is likely to be completed by December 2022. SC approves implementation of Agra Metro project | Metro Rail The Supreme Court of India has given its approval to Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) for the implementation of the Agra Metro Rail Project. European Investment Bank approves proposal for providing funds for Kanpur Metro Phase-I | Metro Rail The European Investment Bank (EIB) approved the proposal of providing funds worth Rs 56,610 million (EURO 650 million) for the Kanpur Metro Rail Project-Phase I on July 15, 2020. Ghaziabad Development Authority seeks funds for two metro projects in Uttar Pradesh | Metro Rail The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has sought funds from the Government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP) for two metro projects, viz. Vaishali-Mohan Nagar Metro Project and Noida Electronic City-Sahibabad Metro Rail Project. Final DPR prepared for Gurgaon-Faridabad Metro | Metro Rail The final detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared for the Gurgaon-Faridabad Metro Rail Project. Trial runs for Mumbai metro lines 2A, 7 to be conducted by December 2020 | Metro Rail The trial runs for the Mumbai Metro Line 2A Project (Dahisar-DN Nagar) and Line 7 (Andheri East-Dahisar East) are likely to be conducted by December 2020. Karnataka inaugurates Tunnelling work for Reach-6 of Bengaluru Metro Phase-II Project | Metro Rail The tunnelling work for Reach-6 of the Bengaluru Metro Rail Project - Phase II commenced on July 30, 2020. UP Govt to raise funds worth Rs 29 billion from HUDCO for Ganga expressway project | Road Transport The Government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP) is expected to raise funds worth Rs 29,000 million from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) for the Ganga Four-Lane Expressway Project (Phase I).

August 2020 Work on Phase 3A of Delhi airport expansion project to complete by December 2023 | Airport The construction work on Phase 3A of the Delhi Airport Expansion Project is likely to be completed by December 2023. Zed Geotech commences geotechnical investigation works for Navi Mumbai Metro Phase II, III | Metro Rail Zed Geotech Private Limited commenced geotechnical investigation works for the Navi Mumbai Metro Rail Project Phase II and Phase III. Commercial operation on Bhopal, Indore Light Metro to commence by August 2023 | Metro Rail The commercial operation on the Bhopal Light Metro Rail Project and the Indore Light Metro Rail Project is likely to commence by August 2023. State grants approval for preparation of DPR for Gurugram-Faridabad elevated road project | Road Transport The Government of Haryana has granted approval to the Haryana Public Works Department (PWD) for preparation of detailed project report (DPR) for the Gurugram-Faridabad Elevated Road Project. Haryana Govt. cabinet approves DPR for HUDA City Centre-Cyber City Metro | Metro Rail The Haryana Cabinet approved the final detailed project report (DPR) for the HUDA City Centre-Cyber City Metro Rail Project on August 13, 2020.

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

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ROUND UP  NHAI forms SPV for financing, construction, operation of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway | Road Transport The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has formed a special purpose vehicle (SPV), viz. DME Development Limited, for financing, construction and Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Project. DMRC commences preliminary work on metro bridge over river Yamuna for Delhi Metro Phase-IV | Metro Rail Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has commenced preliminary work on the fifth metro bridge over river Yamuna under Majlis Park-Maujpur stretch of the Delhi Metro Project - Phase IV. ADB approves funds for Delhi-Meerut RRTS Project | Regional Rail The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved funds worth Rs 74,805.5 million (USD 1,000 million) for the DelhiGhaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Project on August 18, 2020. NOIDA Authority allocates funds for Noida Sector 51-Knowledge Park V Metro under budget 2020-21 | Metro Rail The New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) allocated funds worth Rs 2,210 million for the Noida Sector 51-Knowledge Park V Metro Rail Project under its budget 2020-21 on August 18, 2020. State proposes to implement Bhopal-Indore expressway as ‘priority corridor’ in Madhya Pradesh | Road Transport The Government of Madhya Pradesh has proposed to implement Bhopal-Indore Six-Lane Controlled Expressway Project as a ‘priority corridor’. MMRCL completes tunnelling work for BKC-Dharavi stretch of Mumbai Metro Line 3 | Metro Rail Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) completed the tunnelling work for 1.5 km long Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC)-Dharavi upline stretch of the Mumbai Metro Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ) on August 19, 2020. Bids cancelled for manufacturing of 44 rakes of Vande Bharat Trains | Semi High-Speed Rail The Ministry of Railways has cancelled the bids for manufacturing of 44 rakes of Vande Bharat Express (Train-18) trains. MMRDA to take over O&M works of Mumbai Metro Line 1 | Metro Rail Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is likely to take over operation and maintenance (O&M) works of the Mumbai Metro Line 1 Project (Versova -Andheri-Ghatkopar) soon. AIIB signs loan agreement for Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III | Suburban Rail The Government of India (GoI), the Government of Maharashtra, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Limited (MRVC) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) signed a loan agreement worth Rs 35,000 million (USD 500 million) for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-III) -on August 24, 2020. Railway Board approves implementation of CSMT-Panvel elevated corridor under MUTP-IV | Suburban Rail The Railway Board has approved implementation of the 55 km long Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)Panvel fast elevated corridor on Harbour line under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) - Phase IV. NMRC finalises DPR for Noida Sector 142-Botanical Garden Metrolite | Metro Rail Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) has finalised the detailed project report (DPR) for the Noida Sector 142-Botanical Garden Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project (Metrolite). JDA proposes land acquisition for Jaipur north corridor ring road | Road Transport The Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) proposed the acquisition of land for development of the Jaipur Ring Road Project (Northern Corridor) on August 25, 2020. Trial run commences on Reach-4 of Bengaluru Metro Phase II | Metro Rail The trial run on 6.29 km long Reach-4 of the Bengaluru Metro Rail Project Phase II commenced on August 27, 2020. Tunnelling work completed for Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro Phase-I | Metro Rail Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) Limited completed the tunnelling work for the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro Rail Project -Phase I on August 25, 2020.

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SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 URBAN RAIL PROGRESS REPORT

India’s Urban Rail Network AT A GLANCE

OPERATIONAL NETWORK System

# As on 31st August 2020

Network Length (km)

Metro Rail

677.4

Monorail

19.5

Tram

38.0

Suburban Rail

2593.5

Regional Rail (RRTS)

High Speed Rail

Total Network:

3328.4

UNDER CONSTRUCTION System

Network Length (km)

Metro Rail Metrolite Suburban Rail Regional Rail (RRTS) High Speed Rail Total Network:

1060.18 0 79 188.15 508 1637.84

NEW APPROVED System

Network Length (km)

Metro Rail Metrolite/MetroNeo Suburban Rail Regional Rail (RRTS) High Speed Rail Total Network:

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

626.67 69.85 252.96 103 0 1052.48 WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

URBAN RAIL PROGRESS REPORT  UNDER CONSTRUCTION METRO PROJECT

METRO RAIL PROJECTS

Project

OPERATIONAL METRO RAIL NETWORK Project

Network (km)

Kolkata Metro (West Bengal)

102.2

Ahmedabad Metro (Gujarat)

6.5

Mumbai Metro (Maharashtra)

180.0

Bangalore Metro (Karnataka)

42.3

Meerut Metro (Uttar Pradesh)

20.0

Chennai Metro (Tamil Nadu)

45.0

Nagpur Metro (Maharashtra)

76.5

Nashik Metro Neo (Maharashtra)

32.0 11.0

Delhi Metro (Delhi)

347.6

Gurgaon Rapid Metro (Haryana)

11.7

Navi Mumbai Metro (Maharashtra)

Hyderabad Metro (Telangana)

69.2

Patna Metro (Bihar)

31.39

Pune Metro (Maharashtra)

39.92 40.35

Jaipur Metro (Rajasthan)

9.6

Kochi Metro (Kerala)

23.8

Surat Metro (Gujarat)

Kolkata Metro (West Bengal)

33.2

Total Network:

Lucknow Metro (Uttar Pradesh)

22.9

Mumbai Metro (Maharashtra)

11.4

Project

Mumbai Monorail (Maharashtra)

19.5

Dholera Metro (Gujarat)

100.0

Nagpur Metro (Maharashtra)

24.5

Delhi Metrolite (Delhi)

40.85

Noida Metro (Uttar Pradesh)

29.7

Mumbai Metro (Maharashtra)

Kolkata Tram (West Bengal)

38.0

Nagpur BG Metro (Maharashtra)

Total Network:

734.9

UNDER CONSTRUCTION METRO PROJECT Project Agra Metro (Uttar Pradesh)

Network (km) 29.4

1060.18

NEW APPROVED METRO PROJECT Network (km)

87.6 268.63

Thane Metro (Maharashtra)

29.0

Gurugram Metro (Haryana)

30.0

Total Network:

556.08

UNDER CONSIDERATION METRO PROJECT Project

Network (km)

Ahmedabad Metro (Gujarat)

95.32

Bangalore Metro (Karnataka)

80.0

Coimbatore Metro (Tamil Nadu)

147.0

Bhopal Metro (Madhya Pradesh)

28.0

Ghaziabad Metro (Uttar Pradesh)

11.0

Chennai Metro (Tamil Nadu)

118.9

Gorakhpur Metro (Uttar Pradesh)

27.5

Delhi Metro (Delhi)

103.9

Jewar Airport Metro (Uttar Pradesh)

90.0

Noida Metro (Uttar Pradesh)

3.8

Hyderabad Metro (Telangana)

3.1

Indore Metro (Madhya Pradesh)

31.5

Jammu Metro (J&K)

23.0

2.3

Srinagar Metro (J&K)

25.0

Jaipur Metro (Rajasthan) Kanpur Metro (Uttar Pradesh) Kochi Metro (Kerala)

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32.4 2.0

Varanasi Metro (Uttar Pradesh) Visakhapatnam Metro (Andhra Pradesh)

SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

19.35 80.0

 URBAN RAIL PROGRESS REPORT

HSR/SEMI-HSR/RRTS PROJECTS HIGH SPEED RAIL NETWORK Project

Network (km)

Executing Agency

Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR corridor

534.0

NHSRCL

Under construction

Mumbai-Nagpur HSR corridor

743.0

NHSRCL

DPR under progress

Mumbai-Hyderabad HSR corridor

711.0

NHSRCL

DPR under progress

Delhi-Varanasi HSR corridor

865.0

NHSRCL

DPR under progress

Delhi-Ahmedabad HSR corridor

886.0

NHSRCL

DPR under progress

Chennai-Mysore HSR corridor

435.0

NHSRCL

DPR under progress

Delhi-Amritsar HSR corridor

459.0

NHSRCL

DPR under progress

Delhi-Mumbai HSR corridor

1384.0

HSRCIL

Feasibility study completed

Mumbai-Chennai HSR corridor

1334.0

HSRCIL

Feasibility study under progress

Chennai-Kolkata HSR corridor

1670.0

HSRCIL

Pre-feasibility study under progress

Delhi-Kolkata HSR corridor

1447.0

HSRCIL

Feasibility study under progress

Mumbai-Kolkata HSR corridor

1961.0

HSRCIL

Pre-feasibility study under progress

Delhi-Chennai HSR corridor

2184.0

HSRCIL

Feasibility study under progress

Total Network:

Status

14613.0

SEMI HIGH SPEED RAIL NETWORK Project

Network (km)

Executing Agency

Status

Ahmedabad-Rajkot Semi HSR corridor

227.0

G-RIDE

Pune-Nashik Semi HSR corridor

231.7

MAHARAIL

DPR completed

Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod Semi HSR corridor

530.6

K-RAIL

DPR completed

Total Network:

989.3

Feasibility study completed

REGIONAL RAIL TRANSIT SYSTEM NETWORK Project

Network (km)

Executing Agency

Delhi-Meerut RRTS Smart Line

82.15

NCRTC

Under construction

Delhi-Panipat RRTS Smart Line

103.0

NCRTC

DPR approved

Delhi-Alwar RRTS Smart Line

106.0

NCRTC

Under construction

Total Network:

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

Status

291.15

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INFRA BUSINESS REPORT 

MAJOR CONTRACTS AWARDED IN 2020-21 Project Name

Contractor

Tender Value

Work

RRTS

L&T Infrastructure Engg.

₹6.75 Cr.

Consultancy services for design of three RRTS stations (Udyog Vihar, Sec-17, Rajiv Chowk) of Delhi-SNB-Alwar RRTS corridor

Patna Metro

AECOM JV

₹34.14 Cr.

Detailed Design Consultancy for Civil Construction of Corridor 1 & 2 of Phase I of Patna Metro Rail project

Patna Metro

Systra MVA

₹1.44 Cr.

Detailed Design Consultancy for Traction System of Corridor 1 & 2 of Phase I of Patna Metro Rail project

Delhi Metro

Systra MVA

₹21.16 Cr.

CBTC Consultancy for operation of RS10 Metro trains in Line 7 and Line 8 of Delhi Metro Rail network

Visakhapatnam Metro

UMTC

₹5.33 Cr.

Preparing DPR and providing transactional consultancy services for 33.5 km Visakapatnam Metro Rail project

Pune Metro

Honeywell Automation

₹76.33 Cr.

Supply of Telecommunication Systems for Pune Metro Rail project

RRTS

GR Infraprojects

₹592.17 Cr.

Construction of elevated viaducts including 3 stations (Udyog Vihar, Sec-17, Rajiv Chowk) of Delhi-SNB-Alwar RRTS corridor

Pune Metro

Swastik-URC-FabriykaBertolotti JV

₹110.0 Cr.

Supply of M&Ps for Vanaz and Range Hill Metro Car Shed for Pune Metro Rail project

Bangalore Metro

Siemens

₹250.90 Cr.

Supply of CBTC Signalling Solutions for Phase II of Bangalore Metro Rail project

RRTS

Bombardier Transportation

₹2577.0 Cr.

Supply of 210 Rolling Stock coaches and Depot M&Ps for Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor

Mumbai Metro

J. Kumar Infraprojects

₹174.76 Cr

Construction of balance civil work of package 1 of Mumbai Metro Line-7 of MMRDA

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SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 INFRA BUSINESS REPORT Project Name

Contractor

Tender Value

Work

Bangalore Metro

ISGEC Heavy Engineering

₹150.83 Cr.

Construction of Metro Depot Structures, Site development works at Kothnur in Reach-6 of Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase-2

₹18.47 Cr.

Supply of 3000 MT 60E1 (UIC 60) , 1080 grade head hardened (HH) rails as per IRS-T-12-2009 for Pune Metro Rail project

Pune Metro

Jindal Steel & Power Ltd.

Pune Metro

Mitsui & Co., Ltd

₹19.30 Cr.

Supply of 3000 MT 60E1 (UIC 60), 1080 grade head hardened (HH) rails as per IRS-T-12-2009 for Pune Metro Rail project

Pune Metro

Voestalpine VAE VKN India

₹21.86 Cr.

Design , manufacturing and supply of standard gauge 60E 1 (UIC 60) turnouts for Pune Metro Rail project

Noida Metro

LKT Engineering Consultants

₹2.18 Cr.

Providing detailed design consultancy (DDC) of Noida – Gr. Noida Metro corridor.

Kochi Metro

LKT Engineering Consultants

₹0.9 Cr.

Providing detailed design consultancy (DDC) of SN Junction – Thiripunithra of Kochi Metro Rail project Phase 1B.

Visakhapatnam Metrolite

Urban Mass Transit Company

₹3.38 Cr.

DPR Consultancy for 60.2 km Metrolite (Tram) project in the Visakhapatnam city

Kolkata Metro

ITD Cementation (India)

₹292.63 Cr.

Completion of balance civil work Line-6 (Airport Line) of Kolkata Metro Rail Project

Kanpur & Agra Metro

Technica Y-Italferr SpA JV

₹260.63 Cr.

General Consultancy Services for Kanpur and Agra Metro Rail project

Kanpur & Agra Metro

Bombardier Transportation

₹2051.0 Cr.

Supply of 201 metro coaches and providing Signalling Solution for Kanpur & Agra Metro Rail projects

Kochi Metro

Aarvee Associates Architects Engineers

₹17.59 Cr.

Project Management Consultancy services for Petta to Tripunithura section of Kochi Metro Phase I Extn. Project

Patna Metro

Quality Buildcon Pvt. Ltd.

₹143.35 Cr.

Construction of New ISBT Metro Depot for Phase-I of Patna Metro Rail Project (PC-02)

Chennai Metro

Bureau Veritas (India)

₹81.37 Lakh

Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) contract of the 9.051 km Chennai Metro Phase 1 Extension Project

Kochi Metro

KEC International – Vijay Nirman Company JV

₹162.98 Cr.

Construction of Viaduct from S.N. Junction to Thrippunithura including one Elevated Stations i.e Thrippunithura Terminal for Phase 1 Extension of Kochi Metro Rail Project (KAC-4)

Delhi-Meerut RRTS

ArcelorMittal España S.A.

₹144.79 Cr.

Supply of 22,000 MT of 60E1 Head Hardened (HH) rails for the under construction 82.15 km Delhi – Meerut RRTS project

Kochi Metro

Linxon India Pvt. Ltd.

₹48.39 Cr.

Supply & installation f 750 V DC Third Rail Traction Electrification and Auxiliary Sub Stations (ASS) and associated SCADA systems for Kochi Metro Phase-1 Extension.

Kolkata Metro

GPT Infraprojects Ltd.

₹196.30 Cr.

Construction of viaduct including two metro stations at Mominpur and Majerhat and Ramp at Joka depot end in connection with Joka-Esplanade Corridor of Kolkata Metro Rail Project

Kolkata Metro

ISGEC Heavy Engineering

₹350.89 Cr.

Construction of PEB sheds, structures, buildings, P-way and utilities, general electrical works and supply, installation and commissioning of machinery and plant for setting up of Metro Car Depot at Joka in connection with Joka-Esplanade Corridor of Kolkata Metro Rail Project

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COVER STORY ď ˇď ľ

UP Metro Promoting green and state-of-the-art Mass Rapid Transit Systems in Uttar Pradesh, India Lucknow Metro

he Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation Limited (LMRC) has been renamed as Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (UPMRC) which is the nodal body mandated to undertake Metro projects in various cities of Uttar Pradesh such as Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra and Gorakhpur etc. The objective behind constituting UPMRC is to implement metro projects in the state through one systematized body instead of several cityspecific bodies in the State. Such model yields better results in management, cost control and efficiency in the implementation of such large scale projects. Moreover the experience and expertise of the team that built and implemented the Lucknow Metro project will act as a guiding force for all other upcoming metro projects in Uttar Pradesh, India.

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Lucknow Metro project is accredited with becoming the fastest constructed and executed metro project in India. The entire stretch of the North-South Corridor from CCS Airport to Munshipulia was successfully completed in a record time of just four and a half years in 2019. Metro projects in Kanpur and Agra and while we have already begun the civil work of Kanpur Metro Project in full swing, the work for Agra Metro is also expected to commence soon. Reconstitution of LMRC as UPMRC will help in uniform and cost effective operational system and infrastructure management of different technical systems of Metro projects within the State. UPMRC had completed the construction work of the 23 km long Lucknow Metro Phase-1A project consisting of four underground and seventeen elevated

stations in a very short time to add to our pride the project was completed 36 days ahead of its schedule. Collective effort and utmost dedication of our entire team including our Contractors, General Consultants, Designers and Vendors made this feat happen. Lucknow Metro is now one of the finest examples of a successful Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) implementation in the Country and has set many benchmarks amongst other Metro Rail Projects in in the world with its world class infrastructure & state of the art technology. The project has received worldwide recognition, international & national awards for its quality and safety standards, green initiatives and technical advancements. The East-West corridor of Lucknow Metro Project is also on the cards. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the same has been prepared and submitted to

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 COVER STORY the Government and we are awaiting approval on the same. It is predominantly underground and goes through densely populated areas of Lucknow. We have also prepared a Light Rail Transit Network DPR for Gorakhpur city in Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, UPMRC is planning 5 more metro corridors in Lucknow. These are Corridor-1: Secretariat-CG City South, Corridor-2: CCS Airport Metro Station-Atal Vihari Bajpai Stadium, Corridor-3: Indira Nagar-Atal Vihari Bajpai Stadium, Corridor-4: CharbaghSGPGI Metro Station, Corridor-5: IIM Lucknow-Rajajipuram Station, Corridor6: Munshi Pulia-Jankipuram. From day one, UPMRC team were committed to deliver a world-class modern public transport system to the people of Lucknow with best quality and safety standards and the vision to build a green transport system that’s not just developmental but also promotes sustainability. It all started as a Dream that has been realised & turned into reality not just for our entire team but also for the people of Lucknow. And they have worked tirelessly to make Lucknow Metro the City’s Pride. The entire Metro journey right from the inception stage till the commencement of commercial train operations has been full of challenges, hurdles & accomplishments. Project deadlines were kept very sacrosanct with weekly and sometimes even daily targets to meet the overall deadline.

The UPMRC team literally worked day and night to achieve the target and installed reverse time clocks in our offices and construction sites that continuously reminded us of the days left in the set deadline. Flexible approach and real-time problem solving helped us achieve our targets with flying colours. For the first time in the Country, Lucknow Metro had adopted common procurement package for rolling stock and signalling system and this tremendously helped resolve interface design issues and enabled faster delivery of Lucknow Metro project. Kanpur and Agra Metro Kanpur and Agra Metro projects after approval from Government of India are now being implemented by UPMRC. Kanpur is the biggest city of State of Uttar Pradesh while Agra is the third largest city. The Kanpur Metro project comprises two corridors with a total length of 32 Km; these are partly elevated and partly underground. About 4 million of the population will benefit from this modern public transport system. Civil construction of Kanpur Metro project which commenced on 15th November, 2020 is progressing at a very fast pace. Piling, pile caps and piers have already started shaping up above the ground in the initial stretch of approximately 9 Km elevated priority section. The work progress was surely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic but UPMRC has

SALIENT FEATURES OF LUCKNOW METRO RAIL PROJECT • The fastest constructed Metro Rail Project in the country • Lucknow Metro has a network of 21 Metro stations comprising 17 Elevated and 4 Underground covering a stretch of 22.878 km • Distinction for starting commercial operations for public on the 8.5 km ‘Priority Corridor’ from Transport Nagar to Charbagh on 5th September, 2017 in less than 3 years • With the commencement of revenue services on 8th March, 2019 for the entire ‘North-South’ Corridor (phase 1A) from CCS Airport to Munshipulia, Lucknow Metro has set a new benchmark among all the Metro Projects across the country by achieving the landmark before the target date • Provides state-of-the-art, modern, world class facilities and infrastructure • Ensures that its metro operations are environmentally sustainable, viable and eco-friendly in line with its vision of ‘Green Metro-Clean Metro’ • Now a part of Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation which comprises all the Metro Projects like Kanpur, Agra, etc. CERTIFICATIONS • International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001:2004 • Occupational Health & Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001:2007 • International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 • International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001:2015 • Platinum rating to all 21 Metro stations of the entire North-South corridor from CCS airport to Munshipulia by Indian Green building Council (IGBC) AWARDS AND ACCOLADES • Won ‘Green Mobility Project of the Year’ Award at Rail Infra and Mobility Business Digital Awards 2020 • Won ‘Best Mass Transit System” at Urban Mobility India 2019’ by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Govt. of India • International British Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Gold Award 2019 • Ultratech Award, 2019 from Indian Concrete Institute (Lucknow)

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COVER STORY  managed to keep up with the work as soon as the Government permitted resumption of civil construction works. Agra Metro project will also have two corridors with a total length of approximately 29 Km. The metro route passes through the densely populated areas and connects the most famous heritage site of Agra, ‘Taj Mahal'. It is expected to benefit about 2.8 million population of the city. Commercial operations on Agra Metro are targeted by the end of year 2024. The target deadline to commence commercial operations for the priority section of Kanpur Metro is December 2021. UPMRC has a strong team of professionally trained professionals in Metro operations and maintenance. These highly skilled professionals have been trained in UPMRC’s ‘ Centre of

Excellence for Training' at Metro Depot in Lucknow. At this stage, we have planned to set up a local unit of an Operation Control Centre in Kanpur Metro Depot for overlooking the Operations and maintenance of Kanpur Metro Project. A centralized Operation Control Centre (OCC) in Lucknow will be responsible for the overall monitoring of Metro networks under UPMRC such as Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra from a common place. Kanpur Metro is planned to be operated and maintained by a combination of experienced team of Lucknow Metro and the new staff proposed to be engaged for Kanpur project. Testing and commencing of Metro system in Kanpur and Agra shall be managed by well experienced team of Lucknow Metro project.

The Kanpur metro project will have two corridors – IIT to Naubasta corridor and Agriculture University to Barra-8 corridor, connecting all major cluster areas and nodes of the city. About 40 lakh people will be benefitted through the Kanpur metro project. The Agra Metro Rail Project will have two corridors connecting prominent tourist places such as the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Sikandara. Other key localities such as ISBT, Raja Ki Mandi railway station, the medical college will also be covered under the metro route. The distance between Sikandra and the Taj East gate will be covered in 28 minutes while the distance of Agra Cantt and Kalinidi Vihar will be covered in 32 minutes. Hence the project is expected to benefit about 20 lakh people in the city along with boosting tourism in Agra.

Q&A with Infra-man Mr. Kumar Keshav, Managing Director, Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Mr. Kumar Keshav has been a pillar of strength in tougher times who has led from front in realizing this dream of Lucknow Metro into reality. He continues to lead Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) in charge of all the Metro projects in the state of Uttar Pradesh like Kanpur Metro, Agra Metro, etc. UPMRC has also achieved numerous milestones, national & international awards under his supervision & visionary insight since inception of Lucknow Metro project. He was recently announced as the winner of ‘Infra-Man of the Year 2020’ at Rail Infra and Mobility Business Digital Awards 2020 for his remarkable achievements & exemplary contribution to the infrastructure sector. Moreover, UPMRC’s Lucknow Metro project was also adjudged as the ‘Green Mobility Project’ of the year. WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

First, our heartiest congratulations on bagging “Infra-Man of the Year” award in the individual category at Rail Infra and Mobility Business Digital Awards 2020. What did you feel when you heard first time that you won this global award? Mr. Kumar Keshav: Thanks a lot for your wishes! I felt quite satisfied upon receiving this award and extend my gratitude to the Rail Infra and Mobility Business Digital Awards for this honour. We, at UPMRC, have worked consistently round the clock over the past 5 years to offer seamless services of the Lucknow Metro to the public.

Recognition like this not only boosts our morale & but continues to motivates us to constantly raise the bar and perform even better. We hope to carry this momentum of civil construction work for the upcoming Kanpur and Agra Metro projects as well. Awards like these foster a sense of pride and responsibility in our UPMRC team so that we can collectively strive hard to meet new challenges. Could you please tell our readers about your professional journey in Rail & Metro sectors? The challenges you had faced in the execution of major infrastructure projects under your leadership?

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 INTERVIEW Mr. Keshav: I am an Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer and a gold medallist from IIT-Kanpur (M. Tech.) and IIT-Roorkee (B.E.). I took over as UPMRC's Managing Director on August 18, 2014, formerly known as Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC). The whole project work of Lucknow Metro Rail Project of phase-1A was completed by the committed team of UPMRC in just 4 years 6 months. Previously I served as Director (Projects & Planning) at Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), and successfully completed and commissioned various projects in Delhi Metro during my tenure. Lucknow Metro has achieved the distinction of being the fastest executed metro project in the country. Even contemporary Metro projects in the country have not been able to match up with the speed of deliverance as compared to LMRC in project execution. The major challenge in all metro projects is to garner the support of the general public. However, we were able to develop a favourable public opinion through consistent stakeholder engagement and community interaction programmes. The other challenges we faced during the project phase were in the field of engineering construction. For instance: in the case of Lucknow Metro, LMRC had undertaken the construction of a balanced cantilever span of 255 meters at Mawaiya Railway Crossing. This work was executed at a height of 21.5 meters above the ground level while crossing over a railway line at a height of 15.2 meters from the ground level amidst the heavy main road traffic. The Metro Depot land was earlier being used by the PAC but was later on acquired by UPMRC to construct its depot. This was green area patch with several huge trees. We didn’t cut a tree and instead transplanted relocated them along our depot periphery with the help of heavy cranes. Kindly highlight some commuterfriendly initiatives implemented in the “Lucknow Metro” under your leadership. Mr. Keshav: Lucknow Metro is committed to the vision of providing safe, fast, affordable, convenient, hassle-free

and barrier-free (for differently able) mobility solution to the commuters. It has world class infrastructure incorporating state of the art technology with modern stations having amenities like free Wi-Fi, free drinking water & washroom facilities, escalators, elevators and automatic fare collection gates. Other facilities include the inter-car passage, 100% LED lighting, spaces for baby prams and wide doors for differently able passengers.

power of its use.

We are also working in the direction of improving the first and last-mile connectivity. We have inked MoU with Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC) and Uber for feeder services from metro stations. We are also planning to hire erickshaws as a convenient and ecofriendly feeder service. Most of our metro stations have a parking facility for commuters.

For senior citizens and women, spaces are resreved in every metro train especially for the convenience of wheelchair users, passengers with baby prams & baggage within the specified size limit.

Kindly tell our readers about some salient features of the Lucknow Metro Rail project that made this project unique from other metro projects in India.

Mr. Keshav: We have submitted the revised DPR of the East-West corridor from ‘Charbagh to Vasant Kunj’ of the Lucknow Metro to the government and waiting for the approval. I’m hopeful that we will commission this section very soon which will benefit the public residing in densely populated areas of old Lucknow. This corridor will be predominantly underground and will improve inter-connectivity with Charbagh as a junction of two lines..

Mr. Keshav: Lucknow Metro envisions being a sustainable mobility solution for commuters of the city in the long run. Various measures have been undertaken to ensure compliance with environmental norms since the inception of the project itself. For instance- over 35% of trees were saved by tweaking the design and alignment of the Lucknow metro. Several energy conservation measures have been adopted such as the use of regenerative braking in the trains that save 30-35% traction energy resulting in a reduced emission of Green House Gases (GHG), use of Variable Voltage Variable Frequency (VVVF) drive for all lifts and escalators, provision of LED lights at stations, use of energy-efficient equipment for Environmental Control System (ECS) and Tunnel Ventilation System (TVS) system for underground stations. Lucknow Metro also harnesses solar energy for the generation of electricity to meet domestic requirement. We have installed capacity of 1MW solar plants in our system and annually we generate around 9 Lakhs Units. The regenerative braking systems in trains is also designed in such a way that it generates 38 per cent

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For safety & security of the commuters, UMRC has taken number of significant steps such as use of fire retardant material, fire protection & smoke detection, use of emergency communication facilities like talkback feature for passengers within the coaches. Each coach has CCTV cameras with comprehensive surveillance for safety of the commuters.

When will the work of the Lucknow Metro's Corridor-II (Charbagh Railway Station – Vasant Kunj) start?

The major challenge in all metro projects is to garner the support of the general public. However, we were able to develop a favourable public opinion through consistent stakeholder engagement and community interaction programmes. WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

INTERVIEW  Kindly highlight recent development in Kanpur and Agra Metro projects. Mr. Keshav: The civil construction work of Kanpur Metro’s ‘Priority Corridor’ from ‘IIT to Motijheel’ is being executed with considerable pace in the postlockdown period. All the credit goes to the strategic planning of UPMRC. We have recently erected first U- Girder for the Metro viaduct on the pillar no. 17 and 18 near IIT Kanpur on the ‘Priority Section’ of Kanpur Metro Project. UPMRC is committed to the goal of completing the ‘Priority Section’ of Kanpur Metro by December 2021 and commence operations of the entire 23.785 km comprising 22 stations from ‘IIT Kanpur to Naubasta’ by end of 2024. Simultaneously, UPMRC has recently awarded the combined contract for supplying of Rolling stock and Signalling System for the Kanpur and Agra Metro projects to Indian consortium M/s Bombardier Transport India Pvt. Limited. State-of-art 67 stainless steel Metro trains of 3 cars each along with Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system will be manufactured by M/s Bombardier Transportation at their Savli plant in Gujarat. The implementation strategy of an integrated rolling stock & signalling package for Kanpur and Agra Metro projects has resulted in cost competitive procurement by UPMRC in addition to advantages of uniform design, inventory control and O&M simplification. Moreover, Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation recently got an approval from the Supreme Court of India for the implementation of Agra Metro project and very soon we are going to start civil construction work. Recently Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has given their conditional nod to start work on the Agra Metro Rail project. Could you please provide some inputs about the environment-friendly measures to be adopted during the construction of Agra Metro project in Taj city? Mr. Keshav: As far as Agra is concern, On 14th July 2020, after hearing the petition filed by Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited, the Supreme Court WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

granted permission to the UPMRC for the implementation of Agra Metro project subject to certain guidelines & conditions to be followed as per the recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee.

has also decongested the roads earlier ridden with traffic jams along the Metro corridor from ‘CCS Airport to Munshipulia’. We are committed to provide world class urban transport system to people of Agra also.

UPMRC has been planning & preparing design works for the Agra Metro project which is now in advanced stage. UPMRC, with its outstanding track record will now take up the physical works at the site at a fast pace and complete the project in time which will provide environment friendly means and hassle-free access to major residential & commercial areas of the city as well as easy connectivity to major historical sites like the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.

What is the current status of the proposed metro rail project in Gorakhpur?

UPMRC has already experience of successfully completing & implementing the Lucknow Metro project in a record time of less than 4 years 6 months simultaneously ensuring the environment friendly measures for Lucknow city. It

Mr. Keshav: UPMRC has submitted the revised DPR of Gorakhpur Metro to the Govt. of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP) according to New Metro Policy which is underway. How difficult has the COVID-19 lockdown been for UPMRC and its ongoing projects? Mr. Keshav: The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented time which has created global humanitarian & economic crisis. Nevertheless, the crisis has not shaken our morale and Uttar Pradesh

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 INTERVIEW Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) is steadfastly committed to resuming the ongoing civil construction work of the ‘Priority Section’ of Kanpur Metro project, albeit with necessary precautions and mandatory safety measures. The initial crisis of labour shortage was overcome by assuring provision of adequate medical care & accommodation at labour colony (at construction site). This was decisive in winning the confidence of labour workforce which crossed the 1000 mark in just 50 days of commencement of civil work post lockdown. Measures therefore have to be effective, accessible & practical in terms of communication. We are in strict compliance with various advisories issued by government to achieve the above objective in post Covid-19 scenario. Adequate training has been imparted to the front line operational staff to mitigate the challenges arising after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Likewise, expertise training has been arranged for all the staff in handling commuters. Whole team of UPMRC has been acquainted with new skills to render utmost care in current situation. We have drawn out a detailed ‘Business Continuity Plan’ and relevant ‘Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

especially for this purpose. We give topmost priority to the safety, security & protection of our commuters which will be pivotal for our successful performance when our Metro services resume. UPMRC is fully geared up to face any challenge which undermines personal health & hygiene in our premises. What are the UPMRC’s biggest challenges in these times? How are you dealing with the loss of revenue streams due to standstill of metro services? Mr. Keshav: The four months long nationwide lockdown has affected the collection of fare and non-fare revenue of not only UP Metro but other Metros as well. Non-fare box revenue from advertising at Metro stations, train-sets and leasing out properties at Metro stations at this stage is more than 15% of the total operational revenue. Efforts to increase the operational revenues both through improvement in ridership as well as by further improving the non-fare box revenue share are already on. A mix of commercial and residential properties is being evolved at this land parcel to further enhance the income from property business and other miscellaneous sources for UPMRC.

Any other things you want to share with our readers. Mr. Keshav: We are fully prepared and well equipped to re-start the Metro services after lockdown. As soon as the government allows the operation of metro trains in India, I am sure several people will be travelling through Lucknow metro on a daily basis. We are strictly adhering to ‘Social Distancing’ norms of the government part from following best sanitization practices as part of our operational preparedness plan. To provide them safe journey, several measures have been undertaken for sanitation, cleanliness and personal hygiene of commuters at all our Metro stations of 23 km long North-South corridor. Customer care centres, ticket counters (TOMs), TVM machines, Entry & Exit gates, security check frisking points, baggage scanner machines, hand railings in the trains and the Metro staircase are being cleaned and sanitised regularly. Station Controllers, security personnel and Customer Relation Assistants (CRAs) will be wearing gloves and masks during public dealing. I urge all our passengers to comply with the guidelines issued by the government from time to time.

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FEATURED ARTICLE 

Future of Mobility in the context of COVID-19 Pandemic  Urban Transport News

n the aftermath of the on-going Covid-19 pandemic, India is likely to experience a behavioural change in urban mobility. Due to lasting concerns about transmission and a newfound aptitude for working from home, we must expect an overall reduced demand and an increased preference for personal modes of transport. COVID-19 has paralyzed mobility systems, with a half of the world’s population in lockdown and changes to public transit services and private offerings changing rapidly. This transformation exposed deficiencies across urban and suburban mobility systems that call for substantial changes in allocation of resources, space and costs on commute and deliveries. Perhaps more urgently, shifts in mobility supply

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and demand have put businesses in peril, widened socio-economic divides, and rolled back climate change mitigation policies and innovations. India’s road transport system has long been struggling with inefficiencies, such as high congestion levels, limited multimodal integration, inadequate public transit systems, degraded footpaths, and non-existing cycle tracks. This has led to increased vehicular emissions and noise pollution from this sector. Recent years have seen the government implement several measures to make the road transport sector more sustainable. The COVID-19 crisis will create many new challenges for this sector, especially in urban areas with high travel demand. The COVID-19 pandemic has put the lives of many on hold and prompted people to rethink their choices and behaviour. There may also be a greater sense of responsibility towards the environment. Amongst all the day-to-day activities and businesses that the pandemic has impacted, the transport sector in general and the travel behaviour of people, in particular, are likely to change as the country moves towards a new normal.

need to ply with limited capacity to comply with social distancing norms. Even cabs and other shared services will be affected due to similar rules. People may try to shift from public and shared transport services due to higher perceived risks, leading to increased use of private modes of travel. As Indian cities are struggling to reduce the dependence on private motor vehicles this crisis may further give way to adverse outcomes created by high motorization rates. There is a need to understand the possible nature of the shift in mobility patterns and devise appropriate strategies to promote sustainable modes of travel in the coming days. Post COVID-19 35% of respondents likely to change their mode of transport for work trips. Impact of COVID on affected urban mobility trends As physical distancing measures need to be respected to avoid spreading the virus, shared mobility, including public transport has been radically impacted. 2020 will see more travel time goals in major urban areas as a result of transportation planning efforts. The impact of COVID-19 is likely marginal here.

As cities begin easing out lockdown restrictions, public transport services will SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 FEATURED ARTICLE

There is likely going to be a hot debate as to whether giving this much priority to public health and safety is worth relinquishing one’s privacy, especially in most parts of Europe and America where cultural differences will come into play. Will the American public, for example, be ready for such a strict level of contract tracing in the age of the corona virus? Maybe, or maybe not. Innovating Transportation Solution Now that COVID-19 has shown us how inaccessible public transportation options Share of different transport modes used by respondents per COVID -19 (work trip) [Image: TERI] are for the most vulnerable population, how can we fix it? The first step is good Share of Transport Modes before Privacy concerns and other challenges for data. COVID-19 post-COVID mobility The very first step we must take is in data Figure given below shows the stated post- While technology will be at the forefront of collection. If we combined datasets from COVID-19 modal choice of initial metro the transport revolution, there will also be all public and private mobility providers, users. About 36 per cent of metro users issues with surveillance and privacy we would have the complete image of how said, they would switch to other options. challenges with many of the systems and people move and need to move. We could Most respondents, who wished to switch, technology that will be deployed. China, then map the world’s blind spots and preferred to use private cars and two- Singapore, South Korea, and many of the rethink the business model of the Fourth wheelers. Substitution of metro services other countries that have achieved success Industrial Revolution. with intermediate public transport, such as with contract tracing were only able to auto rickshaws and taxis was also evident. achieve this much since the constitution How To Move Forward Some also stated that they would prefer allows tracking credit card history, cell shared cabs overtaking the metro. phone location, and other details about an The COVID-19 crisis has been, in many infected person. ways, a defining moment for mobility in cities. Amid the damage and disruption, it has shown for the first time in practical terms that mobility could actually be very different in the future. It has caused society to reflect and reassess its values and priorities in what could be a quite fundamental way, highlighting the importance of issues such as health, hygiene, the environment and home life, as well as speed, convenience and consumption.

Stated post COVID-19 modal choice of initial metro users (work trip) [Image: TERI]

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Promotion of nonmotorised transport is essential to prevent an increase in the use of private vehicles. Improved cycling and walking infrastructure combined with increased public WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

FEATURED ARTICLE  awareness are required sustainable urban mobility.

achieve

With lockdowns and the suspension of public transport systems, COVID-19 has forced cities to rethink urban mobility. The pandemic has illustrated what streets without cars could look like, and people around the world have reclaimed their street spaces for mobility or access to essentials and services among others. More importantly, the lockdown has amplified the importance of walking and cycling as affordable, equitable, and sustainable modes of transport for a large section of the urban population. There could be a shift away from public transport services for work trips in the near future. This is seen at a pan-India level as well as for three major cities where large samples were available. The decrease in public transport is mainly compensated by an increase in the use of private vehicles. This suggests that vehicle km travelled by private vehicles in major cities could increase significantly. Car and two-wheeler sales may also increase. An increase is also seen in the modal share for NMT, especially cycling. People from different income groups and ages showed a willingness to shift to NMT. This suggests that there is significant scope of NMT becoming the short-distance mode of transport for users

instead of the more common polluting modes. The overall effect on shared mobility is unclear as the share of commercial shared taxis shows a decrease, but carpooling is seen to have a higher share post-COVID-19 in some cities. The urban transport scenario is likely to see a huge change in the near future but there is scope for policy intervention to minimize negative externalities associated with these changes.

While the ability to shape which mobility future comes to pass is beyond any single actor’s control, we are hardly bystanders. Every participant in the mobility ecosystem—down to every individual— can influence its direction through the choices we make in the coming months. And collectively, by convening and activating that ecosystem, we can create monumental change for the betterment of society.

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 OPINION

It’s full steam ahead to green India’s railway network… 

United Nations Environnent Programme (UNEP)

erving over 8 billion passengers annually, the Indian railroad network is one of the largest and most intricate in the world. But moving billions of people over tens of thousands of kilometers of rail every year is no small feat – it requires enormous amounts of energy, even though passenger-mile emissions are much lower than vehicle traffic. India’s transport sector contributes to 12% of the country’s GHG emissions, with railways accounting for about 4 per cent of that. To reduce overall emissions from transportation, India committed to increase the amount of freight moved by Indian Railways from about 35 per cent in 2015 to 45 per cent by 2030. The Indian Government has been working on greening the railways, with over half of the network electrified, and a target to electrify the entire network in the next 3-4 years. Electrification would introduce a more centralized, efficient power system in lieu of higher emitting diesel engines. In July 2020, Indian Railways went even further, announcing that the national transportation system will be a net zero carbon emitter by 2030. This would mean eliminating emissions of 7.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent each year, about the same as two coal power plants. “Due to economic development and increased consumption, there is an increasing demand on the resources,” said Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman of the Railways Board. “We need to take care of the environmental concerns along with the economic development to ensure sustainability. Indian Railways has embarked on a mission to improve energy efficiency and replace fossil fuel sources with renewable energy sources

like solar and wind to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.” The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has long supported the Indian Railways’ efforts. In July, UNEP led a capacity building programme for Indian Railways management and staff on sustainability and green economy. The training was conducted under the UNEPled Partnership for Action on Green Economy with support of the National Academy of Indian Railways. Over 60 participants joined the week-long training to learn how to incorporate sustainable public procurement, green buildings, waste management, and biodiversity and conservation into green initiatives at Indian Railways. Participants ranged from upper management to entry-level officials and included representatives from training institutes who will become Master Trainers. This is the first time this type of interactive virtual training programme has been deployed for an organization of this size and environmental footprint. Atul Bagai, Head of UNEP’s India Office, said, “India’s rail network has long been an integral part of the country’s societal fabric. Greening the railways not only is vital to achieve the Government’s climate objectives but is also an important symbol of India’s

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environmental initiative. UNEP is proud to assist these efforts through trainings like this and other support.” Speaking about the training, Yadav said, “Capacity building of officials across all levels is key for achieving the vision of Indian Railways. I look forward to further collaboration between Indian Railways and UNEP in this endeavor.” With more people and more freight set to ride the rails as India’s economy grows, it will be more important than ever to ensure that the future of India’s renowned rail network is sustainable. Emissions from power generation are only one part of the equation. Indian Railways is also looking to make stations and installations green certified. Over 100 water treatment and recycling plants have been established. And, in a unique development, the railroad operator has fitted long-distance coaches with bio tanks to deal with human waste from passengers. In the tank, waste is digested by bacteria, which release innocuous gases and wastewater that is treated before discharge. Along with reducing effluent and providing health and hygiene benefits, a study carried out by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) found that these bio tanks may prevent emissions of up to 155 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually. WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

OPINION 

Automated transport could propel development forward. Can we turn the vision into reality?

our current mobility system: road fatalities, pollution, congestion, time and productivity losses, etc.

Michael M. Lokshin Lead Economist

he transport sector has always unleashed the creativity of engineers, inventors, and problem solvers of all kinds. But even the greatest innovations don’t always come to life. After the early excitement of the public and investors, the vast majority (70% to 97%) of new ideas do not survive the “trough of disillusionment,” and only a lucky few end up being widely adopted. This certainly applies to the field of transport automation. Despite impressive

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David Newsom IT Professional

technological strides, attempts to automate transport operations are usually met with reactions that can range from mild skepticism to downright hostility. Yet automated transport solutions could bring significant benefits to both developing and developed countries, including lower operating costs, greater flexibility, and higher safety standards. If we get it right, automation could ultimately make transport “smarter” and address many adverse consequences of

But there is more. The ongoing COVID19 crisis has shown the importance of building stronger mobility systems and minimizing human interaction in certain critical sectors like transport. In light of this experience, automation could be a powerful way to create stronger transport systems and be better prepared to face future shocks. So, where do we stand on automation? What are the key challenges and opportunities that may impact progress in the field? What’s in it for people, countries, and economies? To address these questions, let’s take a closer look at the history of elevators—a great example of an “automation success story.” We will then move on to automated train operations and self-

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 OPINION driving cars, two technologies that hold great promise for the future of transport. Elevators: an automation success story It is intuitive that innovative developments move from simple, obvious improvements to more advanced solutions or capabilities as the technology matures and scales. Unless a deeper exploration of the “low-hanging fruits” reveals hidden complexity, the feasibility of a new idea may be questioned if the trend of progressing from simple to complex solutions isn’t followed. Elevators are a rare example of a technology that was fully automated over the last 50 years. When first introduced in the 1850s, every elevator required its own human operator. Elevator automation technology were ready by the early 1900s, but the public refused to ride elevators without an operator for another 50 years. The tipping point in the elevator automation was the 1945 strike of New York City’s elevator operators that costs the city more than $100M. Economic incentives and a massive effort to instill trust in the operatorless technology brought autonomous elevators into the mainstream, eliminating tens of thousands of elevator operators’ jobs as a result. The ubiquitous introduction of passenger operated emergency equipment such as a stop button, alert bell, and a telephone played a pivotal role in persuading the public that they remained safe in an operatorless elevator car. Tapping the potential of automated railways After elevators, railway automation might seem like the next logical step. After all, elevators and trains share many similarities: both use cars on rails to move people, and passengers enter and exit the car through mechanical doors and remain in the car between stops. When first patented in 1859, elevators were even called “vertical railways” and had an actual car with benches to sit on. In many ways, railways appear like the

perfect candidate for automation. They are guided systems that usually operate on their own right-of-way in a tightly controlled environment, especially in the case of metros and other urban rail systems. So, why don’t we see the selfdriving trains already? But we do! London Underground’s Victoria line, which opened in 1967, was the first line to be operated with Automatic Train Operation (ATO). Sixty-four automated metro trains ran in 46 cities around the world in 2019. Line 4 of the Sao Paulo Metro, cofinanced by the World Bank, is an example of the most modern subway lines in Latin America first to utilize driverless trains. Many of us ride automated shuttle trains within airports, transporting us between gate concourses and baggage claim. The critical feature of these ATOs is that they are closed systems – access to the track is restricted by tunnels, fences, or elevated platforms. By contrast, extending ATOs to open railway systems seems to be a challenging task, and most industry experts do not anticipate this happening anytime soon.

Self-driving cars: the new frontier? Each of these arguments applies to autonomous cars as well. From a technical standpoint, self-driving cars raise a number of safety concerns that are much more complex to overcome than the potential issues of ATO. And unlike railways, where an entire line can transition to automatic operation all at once, autonomous cars would have to coexist with human-driven cars for many years. As a result, there is still a great deal of fear about the prospect of transport automation, particularly when it comes to self-driving cars. Decisionmakers and members of the general public have pointed out a wide range of risks, from basic technical glitches to the possibility of widespread cyberattacks that could bring automated transport systems to a screeching halt.

Disruptions to the labor market are another major hurdle. Self-driving vehicles will likely face significant resistance from the millions of truck and taxi drivers whose jobs might be The estimated economic advantages of undermined by automation. ATO are plentiful. Studies cite improved 200 AD, Heron of operational safety and lower rail fatalities Circa with staff savings as large as 70%, and Alexandria proposed a design of a selfvehicle, the Tripod of more than 30% improvement in energy driving efficiency. The space previously occupied Hephaestus. Are two millennia sufficient by train operators could be utilized to for autonomous vehicle technology to accommodate more passengers. Train mature? It took 50 years and a major automation also provides elastic capacity strike to overcome the public fear of (part of what drives the improved automatic elevators. The COVID-19 efficiency), allowing the adding of trains pandemic that puts a high premium on during peak hours and removing trains at reducing infections while using carnight or on holidays. The estimated rate sharing services could become a turning of return for train automation is 10% to point for the self-driving car industry. In 15%. What then prevents the broader April 2020, Elon Musk announced Tesla’s would deploy 1 million selfadoption of ATO? driving “Robotaxis” by the end of the One often-cited reason is that an year. This plan might be overly optimistic automated system needs to identify and if progress in train automation is react to obstacles that are far away indicative of the adoption of self-driving because of the long-distance needed to cars. But, “it is difficult to make stop a train safely. Railroad unions might predictions,” goes the Danish proverb, object to the new technology due to the “especially about the future.” fear of losing jobs to autonomous trains, making ATO politically challenging to *** implement. The industry would need to overcome public fears that ATO is (This article first appeared at World Bank Blog.) unsafe. And there is also the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” argument that further impedes interest in these systems.

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INTERVIEW 

Alstom has been associated with India’s progress for many decades now and has a long-standing reputation for providing highly innovative and sustainable solutions for meeting the country’s transport requirements. Alain Spohr has over four decades of experience is leadership and managerial roles. His association with Alstom began in 1982, and since then he has held several positions under different business verticals within the company over different periods of time. Alain’s strong exposure in Industrial and factory operations have helped steer companies through rapid localization and cost reductions, helping business verticals secure significant market share and overall development. In this current role, his key focus is to expand Alstom’s business in India across all locations for optimized delivery of on-going projects within India and South Asia. In a recent interaction with Urban Transport News, Alain has discussed about the Alstom’s journey and business strategy in India. WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

At the outset, please accept our heartiest congratulations on delivering twenty-four state-of-art and superpower Electric Locomotives to the Indian Railways at Madhepura Electric Locomotive Factory, Bihar, India. Please give some lights on this first high-value strategic project signed by Alstom in India?

highest-powered locomotives that will run on Indian rails. As per plan, we will deliver 75 units in FY 20/21. Starting next fiscal, we will deliver 100 units annually.

Thank you. Yes, it is indeed a proud moment for all of us at Alstom, as the country’s fastest and the most powerful electric locomotive built by us is being inducted into the Indian Railways’ freight service. Inspite of the challenges posed by Covid-19, we have been able to successfully manufacture and deliver 24 units to Indian Railways in the last couple of months. And as we speak, all the 24 e-locos have been deployed for commercial operations.

As part of the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) project in the Railway sector, Ministry of Railways (Indian Railways) and Alstom came together in 2015 to transform the heavy freight transportation landscape of the country. An agreement worth Euro 3.5 billion was signed to manufacture 800 fully electric super powered double-section locomotives and its associated maintenance over a period of 11 years. This joint venture is one of the strongest realizations of Make-in-India vision in the railways sector with a strong impetus on indigenous manufacturing with over 85% localization.

This year, Alstom has started deliveries of the 12000 HP WAG-12 electric locomotives to Indian Railways, which is all set to revolutionize freight logistics in the country. Built by Alstom, certified by Ministry of Railways and Commissioner of Railway Safety (RDSO), these are the

Entry of WAG 12 (e-loco) will allow faster and safer movement of heavier freight trains capable of hauling 6,000 tonnes at a top speed of 120 kmph. Planned to be deployed for operations on Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs), these e-locos will increase the average

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 INTERVIEW speed of freight trains in India by at least 20-25 kmph. Equipped with Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) based propulsion technology, it would lead to considerable savings in energy consumption due to the use of regenerative braking. Additionally, this move will not only bring down operational costs, but also reduce the congestion faced by Indian Railways. Designed at Alstom’s Engineering Centre in Bengaluru, all e-locos are being manufactured at India’s largest integrated greenfield manufacturing facility at Madhepura in Bihar. Spread across 250 acres, with a production capacity of 120 locomotives per annum, this industrial site is built to international standards of safety and quality. This project will create more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in the country - primarily in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. It is also defined by its highly localized supplier base. As part of this project, two maintenance depots have been setup at Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh state) and Nagpur (Maharashtra state). Work is underway for the construction of the maintenance depot in Nagpur. Saharanpur depot is fully functional. Equipped with ultramodern features, these depots will have a substantial role in maintaining India’s most advanced freight locomotives at significantly lower costs. Saharanpur depot also has a ‘Training Centre’ equipped with a loco simulator and smart classrooms being used for skill development of railway employees. Till date, more than 500 loco pilots from Indian Railways have been trained and going forward, 500 will be trained annually.

Alstom in brief. I have been with Alstom for over three decades now and moved to India about 17 years back. I have worked in various roles across different verticals within the company which gave me immense opportunity to learn and grow within the company. Now, as the Managing Director of Alstom India and South Asia, I am entrusted with the responsibility to strengthen the company’s presence in the region and to ensure best quality and timely completion of all on-going projects.

Please share some insights on Alstom’s journey so far in India. When did Alstom start the manufacturing in India for Railway & Metro Rail projects and what were the main factors for going ahead with a unit in India? Alstom has been associated with India’s progress since the 1990s. As the country underwent various phases of economic reforms, we worked towards providing the much-needed technological expertise. Being a multi-specialist in rail transport, we brought experience, knowledge and required expertise which differentiated us from the rest. While Alstom’s operations in India dates to the 1990s, our manufacturing journey in India started with Chennai Metro order in 2010. This contract led to the birth of the SriCity facility in November 2013 and was a game changer for the business as it was instrumental in establishing our presence as a rolling stock manufacturer in the country. With SriCity, we wanted to build a state-of-the-art rolling stock manufacturing facility which would cater to not just domestic but international projects.

I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering, so engineering marvels always interest me. My inclination towards the transportation sector grew when I started realizing the importance of this sector. It touches everyone’s life and yet there was so much more that needed to be done to improve its condition to meet the needs of the modern society. Localizing technology, improving efficiencies while reducing cost and developing green and smarter mobility solutions have always interested me and here in India, I got a chance to work closely with bright minds on all these In 2014, we delivered the first metro train set to Chennai Metro. At that point in aspects.

Globally, Alstom is associated with almost every prominent Railway organization and Indian Railways, is one of the largest Railway entities in the world. The joint venture combines innovation with responsibility and together we are committed to deliver safe, reliable and efficient solutions. We are excited to be part of this revolutionary journey of Indian Railways. How long have you been in the engineering and transport infrastructure industry? Tell us about your journey in this industry and your role in the

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INTERVIEW  time, the facility manufactured just 3-4 cars a month which was quickly ramped up to 20 cars a month. We are now doubling our production capacity. All metro projects that we have worked on have given us the expertise to deliver custom-built solutions as well on-time. Today, I can proudly say that almost all metro lines in India have ‘a bit of Alstom’ in them. We have had the privilege of partnering in India’s dream to introduce metro rail as a safe & efficient mode of transportation in several Indian cities catering to millions of passengers. As part of the domestic project pipeline, we have manufactured and supplied rolling stock to Chennai Metro, Kochi Metro, and Lucknow Metro. And the latest to our Rolling Stock portfolio is Mumbai Metro Line 3. We have also undertaken Signalling, Telecom and Power supply projects for various metro corporations including – Delhi, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Chennai Kochi, Mumbai Line-2 & 7, Jaipur, Nagpur etc. India is always held strategic importance for Alstom’s operations. The domestic market has immense potential to grow and all factors of production—talent, material, facilities and policies—are also very supportive. For us, this is an exciting time to be present in the fast-growing Indian market. In India, Alstom combines local presence and knowledge with global resources. This guarantees greater proximity with our customers and enables the company to design solutions best suited to their technical, economic and environmental needs. We have set up an Engineering Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, and this coupled with a strong manufacturing base as well as localized supply chains, has uniquely positioned us to serve customers across the globe. This engineering centre is the second largest one for Alstom, outside of France. Alstom India also caters to international market requirements by delivering engineering, components and fully built trainsets for various countries across the globe. Sydney Metro’s NW line was our first manufacturing export project from Sri City, and a follow up order from Sydney for their new lines is a testimony of the confidence that global customers have on Alstom’s Indian manufacturing capabilities. WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

The export projects from Sri City factory include: • Sydney metro North West Line, Australia: 22 units X 6 car each Metropolis train (Delivered) • MRéseau express métropolitain (REM), Montreal, Canada: 106 units X 2 car each completely automatic lightmetro system. • Sydney Metro City and Southwest, Australia: 23 units X 6 car fully automated Metropolis trains.

achieve significant growth in GDP and enable India to be a global power. How is Alstom contributing to the Make in India campaign? ‘Make in India’ initiative has given the much-required stimulus to the country’s manufacturing sector. For the country to continue to strengthen its position globally, manufacturing sector will play an important role. We commend the government for its effort to boost this sector. One of the reasons this program has been so successful is due to the Government’s openness to collaborate with companies to help build the country’s capabilities. This has given manufacturers like ours an opportunity to partner with India and make our contribution in its growth story.

Fueling our metro journey, SriCity is a ‘factory of the future’ and can build at least four variants of metro trainsets simultaneously. With the growing demand, we are doubling the capacity of this factory to manufacture ~40 cars per month (480 cars per annum). The supply chain is more than 85% localised, thereby, determined to stay focused on From ‘Designing in India’ to ‘Make in India’, our entire business proposition the ‘Make in India’ mission. has been based on localization. We Alstom is the market leader in the latest always intended to bring global CBTC signalling technology for Urban knowledge and work with local talent to metro projects in India. In 2018 & 2019, build a strong presence in the country. Be all signalling tenders floated by Indian it our extensive manufacturing footprint – metro operators were bagged by Alstom. 4 manufacturing facilities, our talent base (6500++ employees and growing) or the project references (Kochi, Today, most of the metro corporations— strong Bengaluru, Jaipur, Kochi, Lucknow, Chennai, Lucknow, Sydney, Mumbai Pune and Mumbai L3 are equipped with Line 3 and Montreal etc.), we are deeply the latest generation of CBTC signalling committed to the vision of Make in India. technology. Majorly, scope of the We have always had localization at the signalling contract includes unattended heart of our operations. For example, at train operation (UTO), computer-based Sri City all electrical components used in interlocking and centralised train metros are manufactured in our facility in and the remaining supervision; an integrated telecom Coimbatore solution comprising of CCTV, passenger equipments sourced from suppliers information, passenger announcement within the country. and Gigabit network; platform screen doors, as well as the electrical and The modern state-of-the-art metro train mechanical supervisory control and data sets with gen-next signaling system acquisition system (E&M SCADA). The integrated across the network for Kochi company is also executing electrification, & Lucknow have been 100% Made in signalling and telecommunications India, designed in Bengaluru and system for over 343 km along the Eastern manufactured in Sri City plant. phase of the ambitious Dedicated Freight Corridor which is a key step in The Joint Venture between Alstom & transforming the freight services in the Indian Railways is also one of the country. As part of the contract, Alstom strongest endorsements of our Make-inis building the sub-stations and providing India journey. A highly localized supplier one of the world’s largest Operations base has been put in place for execution Control Centres, in Prayagraj, Uttar and technology transfer to build local engineering capabilities. Almost 90% of Pradesh. the components used to manufacture `Make in India’ program launched by these locomotives are being sourced from the Govt. of India with the vision to India. evolve and transform India into a powerful economy of the world, Alstom as an organization is committed SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 INTERVIEW to harness the manufacturing and engineering capabilities resting within the country. We are confident to reach greater heights by aligning our business goals with the country’s vision. Alstom had been awarded a contract worth approx. €315 million to supply 248 metro coaches for Mumbai Metro Line-3. What is the current development in this project and when the first train set is expected to deliver to MMRC? Alstom won Mumbai Metro Line 3 (Aqua line) project worth €452 million, which includes design & supply of 248 metro cars, along with executing the power supply contract and equipping the line with latest generation of CBTC signalling technology (Urbalis 400). This is our biggest rolling stock mandate in India till date, which will have trains that can accommodate 3000 passengers in a single trip. Urbalis 400 is our proprietary technology that results in increasing average capacity by 30% in manned services and unattended train operations (UTO). It also helps to reduce the energy consumption by 30%. We started manufacturing the Metropolis trainsets, earlier this year, at our world-class rolling stock manufacturing facility in Sri City (Andhra Pradesh). As per plan, the first metro train will be delivered before end of this financial year. Designed on the theme of ‘Dynamic Fluidism’, the metro draws its inspiration from the city. The metro train prioritizes high interior density layout to maximize space efficiency. The trainsets are custom designed for Mumbai and will be able to accommodate at least 3000 people in a single trip, easing daily commute. The Aqua Line trainsets will also feature a host of safety elements including CCTV cameras, smoke detectors, emergency intercoms, fire extinguishers with wider detrainment doors to quickly evacuate passengers in case of an emergency etc., The inclusive design of trainsets will also serve the specially-abled individuals with ease of travel and includes dedicated space for wheelchair in every car. The scope of the signaling contract includes unattended train operation (UTO), computer-based interlocking and centralized train supervision; an integrated telecom solution comprising of

CCTV, passenger information, passenger announcement and Gigabit network; platform screen doors, as well as the electrical and mechanical supervisory control and data acquisition system (E&M SCADA). Ministry of Railways had taken a decision to buy complete train sets from the external Rolling Stock manufacturers under its “Mission Raftar” plan. How do you see this business opportunities for Alstom? Alstom offers a complete range of equipment and services, from high-speed trains, metros, trams and e-buses to integrated systems, infrastructure, signalling and digital mobility solutions. Our ambition is to partner with all transportation stakeholders in meeting tomorrow’s mobility challenges. Alstom supports Indian Railways’ move to introduce modern technology Rolling Stock at maximum speed of 160 km/h, with reduced maintenance and enhanced safety. Many countries, including Japan, Germany, US and Canada have successfully managed such railroad privatization. The first move of privatizing 151 trains will add to this effort by bringing world-class travel experience to Indian passengers. While the tendering for this project is at initial stages, Alstom will be interested in exploring this opportunity, as we have innovative solutions for enhanced passenger experience along with the right product expertise to address the Indian market. Alstom has been associated with India’s progress for many decades now and has a long-standing reputation for providing highly innovative and sustainable solutions for meeting the country’s transport requirements. In line with the Make-in-India policy and the Prime Minister’s recent call for Atmanirbharta (Self-reliance), Alstom has indigenous production for metro trainsets, electric locomotives, electrical traction and control equipment. Alstom also has a strong track record of running several projects successfully across India. With 4 domestic factories, we are geared to address the Rolling Stock and component needs of Indian Railways.

‘Metrolite’ in upcoming metro rail projects in tier II and tier III cities? We feel this is a good decision, but definitely needs a well laid out plan for implementation. We agree with the Finance Minister when she says that connectivity is the lifeblood of the economy. Improving intercity connectivity is critical for the formation of smart cities and realization of the USD 5 trillion economy target set forth by the government. The metro rail system being developed at present is of high capacity which is required for bigger cities with very high ridership and Peak Hour Peak Direction Traffic (PHPDT). Seeing the success of metro rail in the country, several other cities with lower projection of ridership are also aspiring for rail-based mass rapid transit system, which could be fulfilled by Light Urban Rail Transit System called "Metrolite" with lesser capacity at much lesser cost. The traditional Metro network, which requires huge capital investment, may not be viable in smaller cities where the ridership is less. In these cities Metrolite service can act as feeder service. Not only will the Metrolite be an economical alternative but also a sustainable one. This service is likely to reduce the use of private vehicles which will lower the pollution and over all congestion in these cities. Considering that this would require lesser investment, this mode of commute would also work out much economical for the end user without compromising on the comfort of traveling in a metro train. What are the Alstom’s on-going projects in India and what are the goals for the next Five Years? Alstom has established a strong presence in India and is proud to be part of Indian Railway’s modernization efforts. The projects Alstom is currently working on play a very crucial role in transforming Indian Railways and moving a step closer to the goal of Green Railways and subsequently reducing the carbon footprint.

All our projects have a longer project lifecycle of 5 to 10 years (and sometimes more), depending on the scope of work What’s your take on Govt. of India’s involved. Other than the ambitious decision to run light rail transit system electric locomotive project, we are also

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INTERVIEW  executing Electrification, Signaling and telecommunications system for over 343 km along the Eastern phase of the ambitious Dedicated Freight Corridor which is a significant step in transforming the freight services in the country. As part of the contract, Alstom is building the sub-stations and providing the control centre. The control centre situated at Allahabad is World’s second largest Operations Control Centre for the entire route length of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. The Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) will not just enable safer and timely movement of freight across the country but will also reduce the traffic on the corridor for passenger trains. The technological solutions offered by Alstom will help Indian Railways regain lost market share for freight transport and will also provide additional capacity. In-line with Government of India’s Make-in-India initiative, we have been investing heavily in the country to produce world-class rolling stock and components and delivering engineering services to various global sites.

• Chennai Metro Track work (Completed and revenue operations have started) • Delhi Metro Phase III Track work (Package CT-1B) (Completed and revenue operations have started) • Kochi Metro Receiving Sub-station (Completed and revenue operations have started) • Kochi Metro Power Supply 3rd rail 750 VDC (Completed and revenue operations have started) • Mumbai Metro Line 3 25 KV OCS • Pune Line 1 & 2 25 KV OCS • Bangalore 3rd rail EP2CC • Jaipur Metro - Power supply and Overhead catenary systems Signaling Projects • Signaling & Telecommunication system for Kochi Metro (Completed and revenue operations have started) • Signaling & Telecommunication system Mumbai L3 • Signaling & Telecommunication system L2&L7 • Signaling System Pune Line 1 & 2

Alstom is also executing electrification, signalling and telecommunications system for over 343 km along the Eastern phase of the ambitious Dedicated Freight Corridor which is a key step in transforming the freight services in the country. As part of the contract, Alstom is building the sub-stations and providing the control centre. The control centre situated at Allahabad is one of the world’s largest Operations Control Centres for Railways. The Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) will not just enable safer and timely movement of freight across the country but will also reduce the traffic on the corridor for passenger trains. As you are aware, as part of the e-loco project, we have also set up one of India’s largest greenfield facilities in Madhepura. This project also includes setting-up of two maintenance depots at Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh state) and Nagpur (Maharashtra state). Alstom in India not only caters to domestic needs, but also delivers engineering, components and fully built trainsets for various countries across the globe. Alstom’s SriCity (Andhra Pradesh) factory is a state-of-the-art manufacturing unit for Urban Rolling Stock. The export projects from this factory include: • Sydney metro North West Line, Australia: 22 units X 6 car each Metropolis train • MRéseau express métropolitain (REM), Montreal, Canada: 106 units X 2 car each completely automatic lightmetro system • Sydney Metro City and Southwest, Australia: 23 units X 6 car fully automated Metropolis trains

Domestic Rolling Stock Projects • Chennai Metro (Completed and revenue operations have started) • Kochi Metro (Completed and revenue operations have started) • Lucknow Metro (Completed and revenue operations have started) • Mumbai Metro Line 3 Infrastructure Projects WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

• Signaling System Lucknow Metro N-S Corridor (Completed and revenue operations have started) • Bengaluru Metro Phase I DTG Signaling (Completed and revenue operations have started) • Bengaluru Metro Phase II – DTG Signaling • Jaipur Metro Phase I Sig (Completed and revenue operations have started) • Jaipur Metro Phase Sig Extension • Delhi Metro Line 1 & 2 (Completed and revenue operations have started)

Alstom’s factory in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) is a modern facility for rolling stock components that specialises in designing, manufacturing and testing traction and electrical components. This factory exports to many countries including France, Belgium, Italy and Poland. The engineering centre is Bengaluru (Karnataka) is the largest one for Alstom, outside of France, and delivers projects for many global sites.

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 INTERVIEW What are your views on the Govt. of India’s move in terms of ease of doing business for the private sector? The government has undertaken commendable initiatives to encourage private sector participation. Their focus on leveraging technology and boosting transport infrastructure coupled with efforts to reduce emissions are laudable. Efforts to improve finance, safety and technology in the railways mainline as well as urban mobility sectors, resulted in achieving zero casualties last year. Measures like correction in GST, decision to allow private trains were some of the other measures taken by the government and the Indian Railways, which was very well received. The government’s intent to reward innovation, investments and entrepreneurship is in the right direction. However, paying attention to few areas such as bringing about standardization of rolling stock for metros can enable in speeding up manufacturing processes and enhance resource optimization. This can bring about cost optimization and faster project incorporation.

game changer going forward. That is the reason our teams across locations are working extensively on emission-free solutions. Hydrogen fuel cell trains could be the next big thing. Alstom has performed ten days of tests of the Coradia iLint hydrogen fuel cell train on the 65 kilometres of line between Groningen which have invested heavily to align with Make- in-India to achieve a level playing field to counter import-oriented competition to contribute to Nationbuilding. We observe that International funding sometimes comes with conditions that are not in line with localization. ‘MakeIn-India’ is one of the flagship emblematic programs of the country, based on which companies like Alstom have invested and built significant capacity and capability in India. Government’s push in this direction will enable heavily invested domestic players to contribute significantly in the days to come.

Netherlands. The tests follow 18 successful months of passenger service in Germany, where total of 41 Coradia iLint have already been ordered. The latest tests make the Netherland the second country in Europe where the train has proven itself to be an emissions-free solution for non-electrified lines. Our hydrogen trains are mature in terms of availability and reliability, providing the same performance as traditional regional trains, but with the benefit of low noise and zero emissions. It is also easy to integrate in an existing fleet and is compliant with all safety regulations. This could be a technology that India can look forward to adapting in the coming years. What is your take on our publications i.e. Urban Transport Infrastructure Journal and Urban Transport News eportal? Is there anything about the publications you think we could do better?

Also, the government intervention promotes and protect localization and Make-in-India will aid domestic manufacturers. This will help companies which have invested heavily to align with Make- in-India to achieve a level playing field to counter import-oriented competition to contribute to Nationbuilding. We observe that International funding sometimes comes with conditions that are not in line with localization. ‘MakeIn-India’ is one of the flagship emblematic programs of the country, based on which companies like Alstom have invested and built significant capacity and capability in India. Government’s push in this direction will enable heavily invested domestic players to contribute significantly in the days to come. Any other information, you want to share with Urban Transport News in respect to recent technology development in urban transport sectors and how Alstom is well placed to capitalize on this? Sustainability is going to be the biggest

Any other information, you want to share with Urban Transport News in respect to recent technology development in urban transport sectors and how Alstom is well placed to capitalize on this? Sustainability is going to be the biggest game changer going forward. That is the reason our teams across locations are working extensively on emission-free solutions. Hydrogen fuel cell trains could be the next big thing. Alstom has performed ten days of tests of the Coradia iLint hydrogen fuel cell train on the 65 kilometres of line between Groningen and Leeuwarden in the north of the

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

Urban Transport Infrastructure Journal has been doing a great job in informing its readers about the latest happenings and trends in the transport infrastructure sector. At the same time, the publication and its e-portal have been investing enough time and efforts in doing in-depth stories to unravel unique stories which would have gone unnoticed otherwise. My heartiest wishes to the teamwork and kudos for commendable job!

great their

***

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OPINION 

Will Modern Trams (Metrolite) be successful in Indian Cities?

hile there is an unending debate between the bus systems and Metros to be declared the best by all, somewhere trams have popped in back from the history. Although a question does arise, that how far can this revival help our public transit system? Trams were one of the first to have made possible the movement of so many people together at a time, followed by the later developments. Kolkata was the first city in India to have a tram system followed later on by many others. The recent developments across the world, have devised a new system called the Light Rail Transit System or the LRTS. India is currently exploring this as an option for tier 2 cities. The Technology Used The tramway systems across the world are of different types, developed by some of the major public transport vehicle manufacturing companies like Siemens, Bombardier, CAF, Alstom etc. Ranging from conventional tramway systems with overhead catenaries to catenary free systems that operate with batteries and supercapacitors, the technology used has come a long way. Going back to the traditional system with overhead lines, makes absolutely no sense. India is also exploring with various kinds of tramway systems that allow to let go off the catenaries, and instead uses a set of batteries or a combination of batteries plus supercapacitors to run. The vehicle is a combination of usually 4 to 5 cars with a total carrying capacity of 250 to 600 (at 4 persons/ square meter) depending upon the car length. These are

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usually recharged at every station using a third rail technology or charging points at stations. The entire system might appear to be quite time taking, but the systems get charged in about 15 to 20 seconds while the passenger get in/get off the tram. This technology is set to make way in India with Visakhapatnam probably being the first city to introduce a catenary free system proposed for a stretch of 60.2 kilometers supporting the Metrolite system, that is also proposed for the city. Learning from Failures of BRT systems But technology is just not enough to bank on the success of any system. There are many other factors like corridor selection, potential development along the corridor, ridership, planning and execution of the system etc. However, before we talk about the newbies, it is also important that the past transit systems are looked at and the reasons behind their failures understood. Bus Rapid transit System or the BRTS in India, did not really work out the way it was expected to. The Janmarg of Ahmedabad is known as the pioneer of BRT systems in India, also by far the most successful. The reasons behind the success was the appropriate planning, and an attempt to attain the maximum coverage possible keeping in mind the intention to connect major activity nodes across the city. On the other hand, in Visakhapatnam, BRT was implemented on two major corridors, later to be implemented on the others, which could never happen. The project cost is always a big deal while implementing it, but network coverage should not be compromised, to a very limited stretch which ends up hampering

Megha Naidu Transport Planner & Architect

the users’ perception about the system ultimately resulting in a low ridership. The case is similar with tramway systems. The trams take best of both bus based and rail based systems’ characteristics. The very fact that they are being compared to a BRT and not Metro, is because of the low to medium passenger carrying capacity (PPHPD) which is more aligned to the BRT systems, however, the usage of technology to provide a noise resistant speed and comfort is derived from the metro systems. Success of Trams For the success of the tramway systems in India, it is important that they are planned to run in a segregated lane rather in mixed traffic , which caused many BRT systems to fail since they could not achieve the speed (which made them better than the ordinary bus systems) that was anticipated. The trams if run in mixed traffic, would lose the entire purpose of serving more number people with utmost comfort and speed. Also, a significant time and amount has to be planned and spent on the vehicle drivers for their training, for they too need to get used to the new era technologies very well. The modern tramways, are sure a great way to avoid metro systems, when not necessary and yet have one that looks and feels exactly the same with the infrastructural costs similar to that of an elevated BRT. ***

SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 INTERVIEW

Exclusive Interview with:

Dr. Amudhan Valavan Public Transport Expert and the winner of Transport Researcher of the Year 2020 Global Award

r. Amudhan Valavan possess over 26 years of experience in Public Transport and Urban Mobility related fields since 1993. From 2016, he has worked as an Independent consultant and Adviser to leading Companies like Thriveni Earthmovers, Thriveni Sainik and also RTA, Dubai and KPTC, Kuwait etc. on several technical assistance and training projects in India & the Middle-East and managed a number of projects involving numerous experts and multi-disciplinary teams. Dr. Valavan finished his graduation in BITS, PILANI in 2004, further he was awarded a Doctorate in Management (h.c) in 2018 from Young Scientist University, USA. He has constantly been upgrading his knowledge with the latest trends and technologies in the field of transportation i.e MaaS, E-Mobility,Urban Transport Planning, Climate Change, Carbon Funding, IoT, Artificial Intelligence and Smart Technologies through leading International Institutions like Deft University of Technology, Netherlands, University of Copenhagen, Yonsei University, South Korea, École Des Ponts Paristech, France, INSEAD, IBM, World Bank and currently pursuing courses with Oxford University, UK. His Professional Affiliations membership status is with ISM-USA, ITE-USA & SAE INDIA. He is also a fellowship Member and Chartered Engineer from Institution of Engineers (India). The course of his educational journey is an inspiration to many young aspirants who want to make a change in the transportation Industry.

Congratulations on bagging the "Transport Researcher of the year" award at Rail Infra and Mobility Business Digital Awards 2020. Before we begin, please tell us a little bit about your professional journey in the transportation industry? My career started in the year 1993 when I joined as an Graduate Trainee in PT.Dr.JJTC Pvt Ltd (currently goes by the name “SETC, Tamilnadu Ltd,Chennai).There were other attractive courses for a Mechanical Engineer in those days, industries were booming opportunities were plenty, but my heart and mind were long set towards the field of transportation. Through constant hard work and sincere efforts, I benchmarked the levels of development in the Transport sector and reached a designation of Executive Director in TECHNO SOCIAL organization like TECHSACS. After my initial assignment with the maintenance division of State Express Transport Corporation (Tamilnadu) – Chennai, India, as Sr. Engineer, I have

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

had an enriching experience (for almost 7 years) in operational services and maintenance aspect of transportation business of Kuwait Public Transport Co. – Safat, Kuwait, under the stewardship of Vice Chairman (Maintenance & Operation), in the role of Senior Researcher – Planning & Development. Post Kuwait experience, I moved back to my motherland, India, initially joining with M/s Parveen Automobiles (AB Group) Ltd as Head Service for one year and afterwards for almost 5 years with SRM Transports (India) Pvt. Ltd. – Chennai, India, I contributed my part as Head of Maintenance. Post my SRM services , I was a Senior Bus Expert to RTA, Dubai through M/s Bahwan Cybertek, in their “SMART BUS MAINTENANCE SYSTEM Project.” With many years of experience working under various government and private runners in the Transportation field, I decided to follow my dream of being an independent consultant and contribute to the field of transportation to make its shift to face the coming era. WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

INTERVIEW  Currently, I provide consulting, education, guidance, mentoring and training for companies in India & Internationally for transport planning success.. What things inspired you to choose your career in the transport sectors? My Uncle did almost all maintenance and repairs on the family vehicles himself, and by the time I was eight I helped him in the garage fixing all those fancy toys which were always a fascination to me. I can still remember him telling me why the correct sequence for tightening head bolts was important when I was helping him do a “top overhaul” on our family car when I was nine. As soon as I was old enough to reach the pedals (I think I was twelve) he taught me to drive, though I never drove off the compounds of our private farm until I got my license in the future. Though cars and small vehicles remained in my fascination, I still wanted to go big. Buses were big and provided indispensible service to many villages and cities. They served as an invaluable component to the development of the nation. I decided I wanted to play my part in it. And then, there is this one incident which I remember, that forged in me the desire and passion to stay and contribute my best to the field of Transportation. It was eve of Diwali; I was a Graduate Trainee during 1993, the nights are usually crazy during festivities in India, people moving to their natives to be with their loved ones. There was one particular bus that had a small hiccup with its headlights, it had to come back to have the light fixed before resuming its journey. The small rerouting and delay caused frenzy amongst every passenger on the bus that night. But the Foreman in-charge handled the situation like a charm despite having every reason to go home early and spend his time with his family during Diwali. I would like to be a part of that team, that family which tirelessly works with service oriented mind, silently enhancing the daily experience of millions of commuters. The need for betterment and sophistication of the transport system is high and right now very few are putting all their efforts into achieving a superior Transportation. On seeing his attitude, I was motivated to serve in the Public Transport Sector as a social service in my life. To simply put, my personal interest in WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

vehicles and mass transit, combined with my burning desire to serve selflessly, fuelled with the immense opportunities, potential and scope for development in this field has drawn me to become who I am right now, an expert in Transport Mobility. I have dedicated my life for the development and glory of this backbone and to bring innovation and effectiveness in the system. I would be extremely happy if multitudes are inspired to bring a revolution in this industry. Please highlight some major research activities and their outcomes carried by you towards solving transportation issues? All throughout my professional journey, in various positions, I have been involved in countless number of research activities. Be it small or big, the change that every minute detail that was observed showed scope for improvement and transformation. There is always a better way. Right now, in my opinion, the better way for Public Transportation in India is adopting ITS and employing MaaS concepts in practical ways thereby making public transport effective, sustainable for the future and more appealing to the public. Millions of people commute every day and millions and millions of valuable man hours are wasted in waiting for a bus or in availability of smooth transition between modes of travel. Employing MaaS, ITS and recent trends like IoT (Internet of Things) can bring revolutionary changes in the way the veins of our country, our transport system can contribute to the nation's growth. I have been talking to various heads in India and abroad to bring these concepts a reality. How did Covid-19 affect the transportation industry and commuting? It is no secret that Covid-19 has brought almost all public activities to a standstill. Public transport has been no different. Even private movement is curbed completely by tight regulations in view to restrict the spread of virus. This has awakened a sense of cleanliness among the public. Countries like Korea have adopted advanced technologies in closed space bus stops. Temperature detection, Ultra Violet C Type light sterilisation and other advanced technology are on the rise and are widely welcomed by the general

public. The sudden burst in COVID-19 spread has turned the face of people towards the need for a clean transportation system. This is a wakeup call to every field that needs sanitisation. New technologies will continue to emerge and it is the need of the hour.

I have dedicated my life for the development and glory of this backbone and to bring innovation and effectiveness in the system. I would be extremely happy if multitudes are inspired to bring a revolution in this industry. Do you think that ITS can solve the transportation problems in India? Yes, most definitely. I would not say ITS alone can solve most of the problems in India. But ITS is a step taken further in achieving many practical problems that our traditional transport architecture faces. ITS is powerful in itself, but there are various other combinational factors that contribute to a developed transport system. By Employing ITS, there is more control and insights on vehicles and passengers, the behavioural and functional data combined with IOT and Artificial Intelligence can put India in the forefront of transport field. What role can MaaS and the new forms of transportation play in making transportation more accessible for all? Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is the integration of various forms of transport services into a single mobility service accessible on demand through apps or kiosks. In this modern day and age, there has been a burst in availability of various modes of transport for any destination, be it locally or across borders. But it is up to the individual to decide with their limited knowledge and experience on how to reach their destination. This often leads

SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 INTERVIEW to wastage of resources and time; the whole journey is not always a smooth experience. MaaS solves this problem by bringing in a wholesome system that's smart enough to optimise the travel based on customer needs. Integration of MaaS with concepts of IoT and Artificial Intelligence gives an individual passenger easy access to multimodal transportation thereby greatly enhancing the travel experience and encouraging many people to opt public transportation. What other things could be happening right now to make transport more accessible for everyone? The key element recognised for a high quality, sustainable and efficient transport system is accessibility. Indeed all of us as users of the transport system benefit from easier access to buses, metros, trains, planes and ships. The economic benefits of better accessibility for transport operators and service providers are also becoming progressively clearer. The first step towards better accessibility is access to reliable information regarding timing and availability of various modes of transport that an individual can use at any given moment. The knowledge of the applications and other smart technology available at the individual's disposal greatly enhances the common interest in public transportation. Transport poverty is another issue that's creeping in the shadows at the outskirts of developing cities. Identifying the areas that need proper connectivity based on the demand and other statistical data is another key factor that would re-establish the faith in public transportation among the public from all walks of life. How do we make the process of designing transportation more inclusive? City populations are growing exponentially; this aggravates urban challenges like congestion and pollution. Multimodal integration promotes social growth through greater access to education, healthcare and economic opportunities and also solving many challenges that public transport currently faces. The availability of additional, convenient transit options also acts to reduce private car ownership. Inclusiveness of transportation begins with Smart Technologies like Automated Fare Collection, Connected

and Automated Vehicles infused with Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things, security and surveillance, Climate Free Modernization of available modes of transport to reach destination, Real Time Passenger and Driver Information and Multimodal Transport (i.e. Maas- Mobility as a Service). The requirements are named out, now all we need is a team of enthusiastic individuals who share the same passion for transportation to come together and speed up the process of evolution. How do we make sure that new forms of mobility are an attractive solution for people? This is a brilliant question, one that needs to be thought about beforehand. Unless and until the public feels the newer system is advantageous and attractive, implementation of smart technologies will not be welcomed. The learning curve and adopting rate is high but when the public is well convinced of the advantages, the work is done easily. Collecting evidential data and presenting in a form that appeal to the public is a must. Media support is crucial in creating proper awareness among the public. Public consciousness is at its peak towards creating a sustainable future and if properly conveyed, there will surely be an overwhelming response from the people.

in public transportation option. Such vehicles are already operating in London’s Heathrow Airport, and the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Delivery robots are adopted Many start-ups are launching robotic delivery services, especially in the USA. One such company, Starship Robots, has started deliveries in California. Delivery drones: Cargo drones are a last-mile solution still in development. Giants like Amazon are still testing their own fleet of drones, to deliver to rural areas. Intelligent Transportation Systems that can manage traffic lights, toll booths, bridges, and roads, distributing transport efficiently. It gives citizens real-time data about traffic and public transport. Artificial Intelligence in logistics: Machine learning algorithms help logistic providers find the optimal route and the right mode of transport for specific shipments, and even forecast demand. . With the pace in which the world was moving, this break due to Corona can be seen as an opportunity to revamp a lot of existing systems with modern technology. A better world is on the rising and I urge every reader to make use of the opportunities at this crucial hour to bring a change in any possible way. ***

What are your thoughts on the future of mobility and what developments are to be expected in 2020-21? The future of public transport is exciting automated vehicles, on-demand services, zero-emission technology, and growing regions. However, the transport industry faces several challenges. The American Trucking Association estimates that the shortage of drivers will reach a deficit of 170,000 drivers by 2026. Another issue is the shortage of warehousing space. To overcome these challenges and improve efficiency, organizations are turning to new transportation technologies. Some of the trends transforming today’s transportation industry include Electric trucks besides their electric engine, these trucks implement technologies such as brakes that convert kinetic energy into electricity. Electric buses with an electric propulsion system, is cost-effective and reduces emissions. Autonomous Vehicles

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

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OPINION 

Cycling: A Post COVID-19 Scenario

Ar. Priyanka Kumar Urban Planner

Shreya Mishra Intern

Ar. Priyanka Kumar is working as Urban Planner at Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies (RCUES), Lucknow, under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. Ms. Shreya Mishra is working as Intern with Ar. Priyanka Kumar at Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies (RCUES), Lucknow. She holds bachelor degree in Architecture (B. Arch.).

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Our world is facing humanity’s biggest crisis. Almost every country has been affected by the disastrous Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Billions of people have been suffering from the impact of the global pandemic of COVID-19. The pandemic-driven crisis is constantly changing; countries are desperate to flattening the curve for COVID-19. There are a number of possible futures, all dependent on how governments and society respond to coronavirus and it’s economic. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought new challenges for public transport also, as is evident; the country’s existing public transport infrastructure cannot meet current demand while also ensuring social distancing. Moreover, it is unrealistic to expect everybody to have access to private modes of transport. This is the time to develop an alternative commuting system. The capital of Colombia, Bogota, has converted 100 km of city streets into cycle lanes to reduce the load on its bus systems. Mexico is planning to quadruple its cycle network to reduce the pressure on its metro. Budapest, capital of Hungary, is creating cycle lanes as a safe alternative for the commute as the city has seen a 90% drop

in public transport use. There are stories everywhere of people switching from transit trips to cycling and e-scooters, where these modes are available. India may set thousands of examples towards it.Experts recommend a social distance of at least six feet between people, as well as reducing physical contact, to minimize the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and in public transport, it is tough to maintain. Cycling is a good way to maintain physical distancing and it is no less important to reduce traffic congestion, especially when traveling short distances. The adaptation of nonmotorized transport such as Cycling and making them more inclusive will allow people to avoid overcrowded transit modes and help maintain adequate social distancing. Cycling and walking also come with many health benefits. It does not only promote an active lifestyle but also improves mental health and strengthens the immune system if done under favourable circumstances. In the post-pandemic scenario, passengercarrying capacity is going to be reduced by social distancing norms in public transit systems as the overcrowding of these systems will pose a further risk of disease transmission. Increasing

SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 OPINION investment and usage of cycling for short distances will also help in managing massive economic savings. A study done by TERI states that cycling for short distances can result in an annual benefit of INR 1.8 trillion to the Indian economy, which is equivalent to 1.6% of India’s annual GDP. Also, have the potential of increasing personal fuel savings by INR 27 billion. Apart from the economic savings. Observations globally have also shown improvement in air quality and reductions in CO2 emissions due to the decrease in transport activityhighlighting just how much our daily transport and, especially, our use of private vehicles contributes to air pollution. But these are short-term gains and air pollution and emissions are expected to rise again once the situation is resolved. Only sustainable public transport or non-motorized transport including walking, cycling, and micromobility such as electronic scooters can allow for maintaining a good environment and reduce pollution.

Now a days, health and immune system is a major concern. According to health experts, cycling has the capacity to burn significant amounts of calories. Doing this exercise on a daily basis will help you burn more calories, which means you'll be able to lose fat stored in your body fat, including the abdominal fat you gained during the lockdown. It takes two to four hours a week only to achieve a general improvement to your health. As cycling is: • Low impact : it causes less strain and in juries • Good muscle workout: cycling uses all of the major muscle groups as you pedal • Easy to operate: unlike some other vehicles, cycling does not require high levels of skills. • Good for strength and stamina: cycling increases stamina, strength and immune system. • Time-efficient: As a mode of transport, cycling replaces sedentary (sitting) time spent driving motor vehicles or using

metros, buses or with healthy exercise. Riding bike makes your breathing muscles work overtime to fuel your hardworking muscles. This hard work results in making your respiratory muscles a great deal stronger than they would be if you didn’t ride or exercise at all. The long-term effects of these muscles getting stronger mean your ability to extract oxygen from the air and your vital capacity both increases. This is why you feel yourself getting fitter the more and more you ride. Generally speaking, policies and investments for nonmotorised transportation have a positive benefits-cost ratio. It may lead to livelihood generation for urban poor, node-to-node connectivity, and inexpensive and comfortable services for city residents. It may also help in maintaining social distancing. ***

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03 - 04 December 2020 Hyatt Regency, New Delhi

Media Partner

 INTERVIEW

Exclusive Interview with:

Ms. Sebnem Tugce Pala Public Policy Specialist from San Francisco Bay Area In a recent interaction with Urban Transport News, Sebnem discussed on future of mobility and role of MaaS (Mobility as a Service) to outcome public transportation challenges during ‘New Normal’? Before we begin, please tell us a little bit about your professional journey in the transportation industry? My professional journey in the transportation industry started with my work experience at Iris Automation. Iris Automation as a top 100 AI start-up builds air collision avoidance systems for autonomous drones. I worked for their public policy and regulatory affairs team. Afterwards, I started working for policy initiatives team of Spin Electric Scooters (Ford Mobility). In October 2019, I joined UC Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) as a policy researcher. I did policy research on urban air mobility, automated driving systems, automated vehicle sources as well as mode split across transportation modes (e.g. shared mobility riders versus public transit riders) at TSRC. Since May 2020, I have been working for AmpUp. AmpUp builds peer to peer networks for electric vehicles and charges technology solutions for businesses. I am now leading public policy efforts of AmpUp and mostly focusing on state incentives and initiatives in the EV space. What things inspired you to switch your career from non-transportation to

transportation sectors? Since my childhood, I have always wanted to contribute to the public good and touch upon people’s lives. My ultimate goal has always been to change the world for the better. I strongly believe that transportation is one of the fastest and the most efficient ways to change the world for the better. Regulations play a key role in the transportation sector. Given my prior work and study experience in public policy and my huge passion for the sustainable transportation, I decided to switch my career from nontransportation to transportation sectors and I aim to be one of the thought leaders doing impactful work in this sector. Do you think there was an uptake of MaaS (Mobility as a Service) last year? Please elaborate. Yes, I think that there was an uptake of MaaS last year as technology companies in this sector have been growing rapidly. Über and Lyft have been dominating this sector lately. Based on Global Info Research’s study, the worldwide market for Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is expected to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of roughly 36.8% over the next five years,

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

will reach 158000 million US$ in 2024, from 24100 million US$ in 2019. Nevertheless, MaaS has been hit by the COVID-19 crisis harshly and this has affected the growth of MaaS in a negative way. Do we need all this tech to solve our transportation problems? I wholeheartedly believe that technology is a great enabler to solve our transportation problems. Of course, there are other components such as infrastructure and policies. However, technology as a great enabler in the sector of transportation helps transform cities. What role can MaaS and these new forms of transportation play in making transportation more accessible for all? Based on my experience, I can easily state that most of MaaS companies’ core values are sustainability, accessibility, safety and equity. They play a key role in serving for unbanked populations, lowincome users and working with disability organizations. They are striving to provide sustainable, accessible and affordable mobility for everyone. For instance, Bird as one of the leading micro-mobility companies offers WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

INTERVIEW ď ˇď ľ discounted rides to low-income riders and Spin has provided nearly 15,000 free rides and 500 free helmets to more than 700 medical workers across the United States during the COVID-19 crisis and stood by the essential workers and provided accessible and affordable mobility for them.

everyone has access to the transportation. Also, having lower barriers to new mobility options such as shared mobility, micro-mobility and micro-transit will be very helpful to showcase other voices within the industry as not everyone has access to the Internet or not everybody is using credit cards and smart phones.

What other things could be happening right now to make transport more accessible for everyone?

How do we make sure that new forms of mobility are an attractive solution for people, beyond the one percent?

Infrastructure makes transport more accessible for everyone. Lack of infrastructure in low-income neighborhoods or rural areas hinders accessible transportation. The government should focus on building better infrastructure both in urban and rural areas for more accessible transportation for everyone. In 2020, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) developed an adaptive scooter pilot program to make shared micromobility more accessible to people with disabilities and four micro-mobility companies including Jump, Lime, Scoot and Spin are fully compliant with the unique adaptive scooter pilot program of SFMTA.

Most of the mobility companies are conducting education and outreach programs to better understand the needs of vulnerable populations (e.g., lowincome households, people with disabilities, older adults, and underbanked households). They are also working with NGOs, advocacy groups and community leaders to learn how to communicate with vulnerable populations efficiently and educate them on new mobility options. Providing documents in other languages and offering targeted discounts and promotions will be an attractive solution.

How do we make the process of designing transportation more inclusive? Initially, government agencies and mobility companies should know how to work together efficiently to meet the needs of society. The government should be more responsive to different lifestyle needs and more accessible to low-income communities and communities of color. With the emergence of the COVID-19 crisis, Mayor Anne Hidalgo in Paris stated that 50 kilometers (30 miles) of lanes normally used by cars would be reserved for bikes and many Paris suburbs are also building new bikes lanes and this would lead to an increase in the use of bikes/bike-sharing. Increasing the usefulness of shared modes and growing more accessible transportation systems along with new infrastructure would be a good step for the process of designing transportation more inclusive. What else can we do to showcase other voices within the industry? I think that reduced fares and subsidized membership packages will ensure that WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

In addition, mobility companies, trade associations and NGOs should follow the government funding opportunities very closely. Recently, Forth Mobility has been selected for funding for the St. Louis Vehicle Electrification Rides for Seniors (SILVERS) Project from U.S. Department of Energy for Advanced Innovative Vehicle Technologies. AmpUp will provide an EV charger sharing platform to serve fleet EVs, employees and community members. This project aims to increase EV adoption and reduce transportationrelated operating expenses for social service agencies and older adults living in low-income communities. Projects like SILVERS will help people, beyond the one percent, have access to sustainable, equitable, accessible and affordable transportation.

I wholeheartedly believe that technology is a great enabler to solve our transportation problems. Of course, there are other components such as infrastructure and policies. However, technology as a great enabler in the sector of transportation helps transform cities. transportation services and I expect to see an increase in the use of electric scooters, bikes as well as electric vehicles in 2020 and beyond. I also think that technology companies will come up with new mobility solutions and they will work harder on autonomous vehicle technology or eVTOLs (Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) or other urban air mobility solutions to solve air pollution and traffic congestion problems. ***

What are your thoughts on the future of shared mobility and what developments are to be expected in 2020? I am sure that shared mobility will keep playing a great role in transforming smart cities which has affordable, equitable, accessible and sustainable forms of mobility. In a post-COVID 19 crisis world, people will avoid using public SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 IN SPOTLIGHT

Profile: Ar. Priyanka Kumar A renowned Urban Planner and the winner of Urban Infra Architect of the Year 2020 Global Award

riyanka Kumar is an ArchitectUrban Planner who is currently working in the capacity of Urban Planner at Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies (RCUES) Lucknow, under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. This young and dynamic Architect recently brought a remarkable award for “Urban Infra Architect of the Year 2020”. She is known for her innovative idea in Architecture and Urban Planning. As a post-graduate in Urban Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, Ms. Priyanka has different and Unique perspectives in terms of designing and Planning. Winner of Urban Infra Architect of the Year 2020 award under female category, Miss Priyanka Kumar says that “Great Buildings that move the spirit have always been rare, My passion for Architecture is Unique and rare” She said that it is the core responsibility of the Architect to even design a home in such a way that there should be a designated space even for broom used in the home. She believes that nature is the Chief Architect of any building. It is the climate, weather, topography, of that particular region which tells us what to design, how to design. As Besides this, she has also ensured that the aesthetic appeal of the building is enhanced by getting the pillars of natural sunlight and natural ventilation. She has remarkable talent in designing residential, commercial projects etc. She also shared her thesis with us titled “Development in Air Space”. She said it was Honourable Prime Minister Narender Modi who announced that railway stations to be designed in air space and from there she opted

Great Buildings that move the spirit have always been rare, My passion for Architecture is Unique and rare. “Development in Air Space” as her thesis topic. Where she concluded that “When Sky has no limit ...then why a building has?” Abandon Outward Build Upward… Need of the 21st Century. She is also the Winner of “Young Achievers Award 2015”. Currently, she is working for central government schemes such as Smart City Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, AMRUT, and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna. She has experience related to Urban Planning and Public Administration and involved in various projects of Urban-Regional Planning, Infrastructure Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Reforms and Urban Governance. She has conducted numerous capacity building programmes and research studies related to various

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urban schemes and policies. She has also worked as a Research Associate at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) in New Delhi. Currently, she is also researching in areas related to transportation planning and Urban Mobility. She is definitely an embodiment of today’s empowered woman who is determined to bring about a change in the mind-set of a patriarchal setup with her work ethics and professionalism. ***

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OPINION ď ˇď ľ

Delhi EV Policy: A Review

Ramit Raunak Electric Mobility Enthusiast

The goal of the policy is to establish Delhi as the EV capital of India and accelerate the pace of EV adoption across all vehicular segments with a focus on 2wheelers, public/shared transport vehicles and goods carriers. The policy aims to achieve 25% of all new vehicle registrations to be BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) by 2024.

vehicular segment. The incentives are based on various eligibility criteria mentioned in the policy document. Apart from the fiscal benefits, the policyalso states exemption of road tax and registration cost of all EVs for the next three years. Charging Infrastructure

Electric Vehicles To achieve this ambitious target, the government has focused on providing demand incentive to all categories of vehicles. The following table list the purchase and scrapping incentives that have been allocated for the different

s India is focusing on promoting the EV ecosystem to improve urban air quality and reduce the crude oil imports, on 7th August 2020, Government of Delhi notified the Electric Vehicle policy. The policy was previously approved by the Council of Ministers, GNCTD on 23rd December 2019 and now is notified for next three years. WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

In addition to the vehicular incentives, the policy also promotes setting up of charging infrastructure for both home charging and public charging stations. The policy states that building bye-laws shall be changed for all new home and workplace parking with 20 percent of all

Mode

Two Wheelers

Electric Autos

Electric Rickshaws and E-carts

Good Carriers (L5N and N1)

Four Wheelers

Electric Buses

Purchase incentive

5,000 for per KWH of battery. Maximum incentive is 30,000/ vehicle

30,000 per vehicle

30,000 per vehicle (available for Lead Acid batteries as well)

30,000 for first 10,000 vehicles .

10,000 for per KWH of battery. Maximum incentive is 1,50,000/ vehicle for first 1000 cars

Subsidy as per GNCTD with a commitment that E-buses must constitute 50% of the fleet

Scrapping incentives

Upto 5,000

Upto 7,500

SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 OPINION vehicle holding capacity/ parking required to be Electric Vehicle ready. The government shall provide a grant of 100% for the purchase of charging equipment up to Rs. 6000/- per charging point for the first 30,000 charging points. For Public Charging Stations, the government emphasizes on providing accessible public charging facilities within 3 km travel from anywhere in Delhi. Energy Operators’ (EOs) shall be invited to set up charging and battery swapping stations across Delhi and will be provided with a capital subsidy for the cost of chargers installation expenses. Battery Recycling The Policy shall encourage the reuse of EV batteries that have reached the end of their life and setting up of recycling businesses in collaboration with battery Page 11 of 13 and EV manufacturers that focus on ‘urban mining’ of rare materials within the battery for re-use by battery manufacturers. Funding Strategy The policy obtain

states

three sources to

fund for various incentives being offered in the policy. Pollution cess is already applicable on sale of diesel (25 paise/litre) in the NCT of Delhi, collection from which accrues to the Air Ambience Fund. 50% of the amount collected in Air Ambience Fund shall be transferred to State EV Fund monthly. Additional road tax shall be levied on diesel and petrol vehicles, especially luxury cars. The additional tax shall be based on a sliding scale with high price diesel vehicles paying the highest additional road tax and lowprice two-wheelers incurring a small addition. An appropriate Congestion Fee shall be levied on all trips originating or terminating within the NCT of Delhi and taken using cab aggregator and ride-hailing services. Any gap left after funding will be filled through allocations from the Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) already being collected in Delhi. The Hits and Misses of the Policy Delhi’s EV policy is a comprehensive policy that focuses on the objective of promoting EV adoption in NCT. The policy is aimed to boost the economy, improve the job market and reduce urban

air pollution. Manufacturing stalwarts have also hailed the policy and called it a great move towards green transport. While the policy certainly is progressive in building an EV ecosystem, it does no addresses one of the key issues of Delhi’s urban mobility, i.e. congestion. Large scale adoption of passenger electric vehicles and limitless permits to E-autos can impact the ridership of public transport and increase congestion on roads of Delhi. In addition to that, the policy has a limited focus on research and development related activities along with no strategy for awareness campaigns that are essential to address the concerns of people related to EVs. In a nutshell, the policy has been able to address all the key aspects related to EV Ecosystem and can certainly pave the way for EV adoption in the national capital of India. Author is an Electric Mobility Enthusiast. He is a recent Graduate of Master of Urban Transport from CEPT University, Ahmedabad. He is currently working on Electric bus operation and EV Market Readiness in India. Previously he worked at LEA Associates South Asia Pvt . Ltd as Assistant Engineer (Traffic and Transportation) and has B.Tech. degree from VIT University, Vellore in Civil Engineering.

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Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

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OPINION 

EV Charging Infrastructure: Evolving Trends in Charging Infrastructure Planning for Electric Vehicles in India

Anshika Singh Student, M. Plan. SPA New Delhi

Dr. Parveen Kumar Sr. Manager WRI India

he transition towards e-mobility has become one of the major initiatives undertaken by the Govt. of India (GoI) to strengthen its effort towards the reduction of carbon emissions. With the transport sector accounting for over 40% of total oil consumption and 90% of this going solely for road transport, the Central and State Governments have adopted a slew of policies and regulations to promote the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs). Nevertheless, the thought of adopting an EV in India is currently blanketed by range anxiety with the lack of charging infrastructure. While most EV charging takes place at home or work, the rollout of public electric vehicle charging WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

infrastructure (EVCI) is key to convince prospective buyers that there is no risk of them getting stranded on an empty battery. Therefore, a reliable, accessible and affordable EVCI is critical for successful transition to EVs, alongside regulations, taxation policy, incentives, and consumer education measures. With the opening of EV charging market through the declaration of ‘electricity as a service’ by the Ministry of Power, various business models have emerged with key participation from both public as well as private players. The Indian EV market, although in its nascent stage, has been evolving through the years with innovative business models that are catering to the consumer needs and is set to make its jump through the current COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging Business Models in different EV segment High upfront cost and lack of charging infrastructure are among the key barriers for EV adoption. An EV operated for personal use has a higher payback period than an EV used for ride-sharing, therefore, high vehicle utilization is key to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of EVs. The EV industry needs to

convince that their product is reliable and won't leave EV owners stranded at a charging station in the middle of nowhere for hours and hence, economic viability, convenience in re-fuelling and confidence in technology is critical for the B2C segment. Extensive EV adoption calls for new business models to develop EVCI and create demand for EVs. The emerging business models in different EV segments are: 2-Wheelers: The electric 2-W segment has seen the highest adoption by private consumers because of its close price parity with the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) counterpart, as well as, an increased demand by aggregation and ride-hailing services for last-mile connectivity, e-commerce companies for last-mile delivery. Many start-ups have emerged out including Bounce, Vogo, YULU, Zypp that are focussed on the bike rental model, while Rapido has adopted the bike aggregation model. These services are expanding across tier-I and tier-II towns due to the economical fares/improved connectivity. To retain and sustain demand of services during the pandemic, a major change has been introduced in their business models

SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 OPINION with long term-rentals. Bounce, YULU and Vogo have now started offering their services with several subscription plans right from a week to 30 or 60 days apart from the usual hour-based plans. Bounce has even partnered with electric scooter maker Ather with a provision to buy Ather 450 on the app and renting it out when not in use, allowing owners to decrease their TCO via generating revenue from existing assets (Business Today, 2020). With this, bike-rental startups are seeing a quick recovery driven by fear of using public transport and have witnessed over 30% of business at preCOVID levels.. In the EVCI space, major participation is seen from start-ups to provide the muchneeded infrastructure for e2-Ws. Zypp has installed Battery Swapping Stations in Delhi NCR where the users can opt for a battery swap option and avail a swap within 3 minutes with a nominal payment of Rs 25 (YourStory, 2020) while, Ather has installed its connected charging stations across Bengaluru, named AtherGrid within a 4 km driving distance at malls, restaurants, tech parks, multiplexes and gyms with free access to all EV owners for the first 6 months. 3-Wheelers/E-rickshaw: The e-rickshaw ecosystem in India grew organically without any government support because of the favourable economies provided by shorter trip lengths and lower upfront purchase costs. Since 2010, E-rickshaws are providing last-mile connectivity services in India and operating on cheap lead-acid batteries which poses safety hazards and has been dominated by a large number of operators in the unorganized sector. The advent of cheap and safe Lithium-ion batteries with subsidies under FAME-II has accelerated the transition in the operation and technology used by E-rickshaws leading to their integration with the city's public transportation system by the public authorities. Delhi NCR has started this revolution with Metro Corporations partnering with e-rickshaw start-ups namely, Smart-E and ETO for providing first and last mile connectivity to metro users. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are also tweaking their business plans. Kinetic Energy, the vehicle partner for Smart-E has rolled out a range of fogging and spraying EVs, and is also

focusing on B2B demand by pushing cargo solutions for e-commerce and FMCG delivery as well as waste management companies. However, a major challenge in this segment is the integration of their charging with safe and regulated charging infrastructure. Illegal charging of Erickshaws poses an economic threat to DISCOMs, which incur losses in billions in Delhi alone (Mercom India, 2019).

Lithium Urban provides corporate employee transportation service on a monthly revenue and per trip-basis in 9 major cities through its EV fleet to companies with large employee bases and predictable travel schedules such as Google, McKinsey, etc, while Blu-Smart provides ride-hailing services (inter and intra city) and car-sharing for riders in Delhi NCR & Mumbai. Currently, Lithium Urban is in partnership with Tata Motors and Mahindra Electric and Blu-Smart with Mahindra Electric for procuring their EV fleet. With the ongoing pandemic, purchasing a new vehicle may not be a viable option for many. This is where such car rental subscriptions swoops in to provide a secure and convenient way of transportation. Car rental companies like Zoomcar are beginning to offer extended and flexible subscriptions from a minimum of 1 month up to 36 months in cities and are expected to see a tremendous growth under such plans.

Hence, many collaborations are being developed recently between the OEMs and start-ups in EVCI to provide planned and regulated charging supply at affordable prices. SUN Mobility, a provider of energy infrastructure for EVs has partnered with SmartE to deploy its energy infrastructure at SmartE Park & Charge Hubs located across Delhi-NCR and is also providing its advanced, lightweight Lithium-ion batteries to improving the efficiency of the vehicle (Express Drives, 2018). At present, the e4-Ws segment has seen major participation from multiple Major initiatives have also been taken in stakeholders in the EVCI business including the battery swapping space which provides DISCOMS, Public Sector Undertakings a less time-consuming as well as affordable (PSUs), OEMs and other private players. A solution by bringing down the initial EV major push started with the government’s cost to just half the price. Start-ups efforts through MoP’s National e-Mobility including E-Chargeup and SUN Mobility Programme under which EESL is counting have set up their Battery Swapping on a bulk purchase model of 10,000 Stations (BSS) across Delhi-NCR that charging units (similar to the way it enables battery swapping within two procured EVs), allowing the company to minutes. Furthermore, SUN Mobility has source them at significantly discounted rates tied up with 9 OEMs and 10 fleet and achieve economies of scale. It has operators Uber, and Piaggio to planned to install 2000 charging stations in makeswappable batteries usage in 3-Ws. the country in FY2020-21 with 500 coming Recently, Kinetic Green Energy has up in Delhi alone. Apart from this, TATA partnered with Bharat Petroleum Power and BSES are providing public EVCI Corporation Limited (BPCL) under in Delhi and Mumbai. Start-ups including which, both the companies will provide Lithium Urban and Blu-Smart have also smart lithium-ion batteries and set up BSS entered into this business where Lithium is across major cities (already implemented offering its clients with three types of in Kochi and Lucknow). With this charging infrastructure. For the first type, initiative, a range of e3-Ws, specially the start-up provides charging infrastructure designed for facilitating swappable battery on the company’s campus that can be used will be deployed, with support from IIT by any employee. The second type involves Madras. a tie-up with a real estate developer to set up public charging stations on their 4-Wheelers: Adoption of electric 4-Ws has properties. The third type is the renewable seen a dominance of aggregators in both charging hubs, where Lithium has set up B2B and B2C model segment as compared infrastructure on real estate it owns. Vehicle to private owners because its high cost manufacturer, MG Motors has entered into factor. Start-ups, such as Lithium Urban agreements with companies like Fortum Technologies, and Blu-Smart have gained Charge & Drive and Delta Electronics to a successful venture into this business in install fast-charging stations and AC major cities across India. chargers in its showroom and workshops in

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

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OPINION  India as well as homes and offices of EV owners. Nevertheless, it is observed that the current EVCI market in this segment is only focussed on plug-in charging with non-existent services under the battery swapping option. A major barrier to implementing battery swapping for 4-Ws is the fact that most EVs are not designed for this method. Only select car manufacturers outside India produce EV models with swappable batteries, an example being Tesla. Unless Indian automakers start introducing e4-Ws compliant with battery swapping, fast DC charging is the only best option available currently.

adjust themselves to the muted demand for electricity, as discussed earlier. Even, OEMs have entered into strategic agreements with battery manufacturing companies/swapping companies to build charging stations. In the current sphere of circumstances, the demand aggregation model for the provision of mobility services as well as charging infrastructure is getting a big boom in the market. Innovative collaboration with key stakeholders has been adopted to maintain a balance between supply and demandside. The major demand aggregation models for charging infrastructure deployment that have been witnessed are:

E-bus: Adoption of electric buses has been done mainly by State Road Transport Undertaking (SRTUs). The current FAME-II scheme, plans to support over 7,090 buses. As per NITI Aayog recommendations, the FAME II subsidy will be provided to SRTUs only when the procurement of all-electric public buses is done under Operational Expenditure Model – wherein SRTUs buy mobility as a service on per km basis from private operators with major focus put over the quality of service rather than asset creation. Till date, the central Government has approved the procurement of 5595 e-buses for 22 states/64 cities under FAME-II with the State governments making major progress in adoption of electric public transport. Maharashtra government has commenced its first-ever intercity e-bus service in February 2020, serving the twin cities of Mumbai and Pune on a PPP model and is planning to extend operations in other parts of Maharashtra and adjoining states. With the PPP model, the electric buses procured from OEMs in both the states will be will be provided by the charging infrastructure from the OEM itself.

Public sector-led demand aggregation: Starting from the bulk procurement model practiced by EESL of 10,000 charging units, many State governments have forayed into this business. EESL has also signed MoUs with various private and public companies including Apollo Hospitals, BSNL, and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Delhi NCR, and is in discussion with other cities also. Under the MoU, EESL makes the entire upfront investment on specified services and deploys the manpower required for the operation and maintenance of the charging infrastructure. Meanwhile, the other party provides the requisite space and power connections for the charging network to EESL (Car and Bike, 2019). Delhi and Rajasthan government have encouraged the participation from DISCOMs and private players in setting up of public

Emerging Partnership in Infrastructure development

Charging

Charging infrastructure availability is indispensable, and governments and industry stakeholders alike are motivated to provide charging solutions to eliminate infrastructure as a barrier to EV adoption. Many state-owned and private power utility companies are now planning to enter the business of setting up EVCI to help improve their performance and WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

EVCI through Delhi’s EV policy and Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission’s draft order on charging infrastructure. DISCOMs led demand aggregation: BSES and TATA Power have joined hands with ride-hailing services like BluSmart and Prakriti E-mobility respectively to create demand for their charging infrastructure business. BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd (BRPL) has partnered with Gensol Charge Pvt Ltd (owner of BluSmart e-cab service), and Techperspect to set up over 150 charging stations across its licensed area and is enabling its consumers to locate the nearest charging station, make advance online booking with onlinepayment options through its mobile application (Business Standard, 2019). Delhi’s other private DISCOM, Tata

Powers has partnered with Tata Motors Limited to set up around 300 EV charging stations by the end of 2020-21, at the latter's dealerships, Tata Group retail outlets, and other public places. Private Sector led: The private player spectrum has seen innovative business collaborations in both the plug-in and battery swapping charging technology. Vehicle manufactures, including Ather Energy and MG Motors India are installing public charging stations using the plug-inbased technology. Even, start-ups including Lithium Urban Technologies and BluSmart are providing charging infrastructure to their clients and public for e-4Ws. While under battery swapping, services are currently available for only 2-Ws and 3-Ws segment, with absence of e4-W models with swappable batteries. Startups and OEMs including, SUN Mobility, E-Chargeup, Zypp and Kinetic Energy are installing BSS across Delhi NCR to cater to the demand of growing e2-Ws E-rickshaws and e3-Ws in cities. Major fuel corporations, have also forayed in this business with partnerships from charging service providers. Indian Oil Corporation, has partnered with SUN Mobility to provide battery swapping services at its fuel stations in Chandigarh while HPCL has started its battery swapping programme in Thane, Maharashtra, In the current sphere of circumstances, rental and ride-hailing services could help Indian cities skip right over the age of private (combustion-powered) vehicle ownership to one where e-mobility services prevail. This would require the deployment of accessible, reliable and affordable charging infrastructure that resonates with the demand of private EV owners along with such services. With the demand aggregation model for the provision of mobility services as well as EVCI getting a big boom in the EV market, battery swapping is emerging as the most preferred option for e2-Ws and e3-Ws, and many start-ups have attuned their services to such demands. A recent study by Deloitte, has predicted that electric 2-Ws, 3-Ws and battery swapping segment will see immediate interest in the post-COVID era with the shift of ridership from the public transport system.

SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 OPINION

How To Make Public Transport Safe PostCOVID? Metro Rail Restarts: How To Balance Travel & Public Health Safety?

Tripti Deshpande Research Analyst, CSTEP

OVID-19 has definitely put the brakes on public transport. With physical distancing being the norm, many people who can afford to, are likely to avoid it, at least for a few more months. But public means of transport such as the bus and metro will continue to be an efficient and affordable mode of transport for most commuters. Therefore, there is an urgent need to revamp and restructure the services with safety and sanity checks. Alongside technology, and rules and regulations (distancing, sanitisation, etc.), one critical aspect in the post-COVID world would be behavioural change. Each person, including commuters and operators, has a singular role to play in ensuring social safety.

As Delhi restarted its metro rail services with COVID-related guidelines and practices in place on Monday, 7 September, other cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai followed suit – even as COVID ‘hotspots’ like Mumbai decided to put off reopening its metro services – until conditions are more conducive. With the COVID-19 pandemic raging on, managing huge metro stations and crowds is bound to be challenging. Bearing this in mind, the Delhi metro has staggered the reopening of its services. As of 7 September, only the Yellow Line (Samaypur Badli to HUDA City Centre) of the Delhi Metro will operate in a staggered fashion. According to DMRC officials, the rest of the Delhi metro lines would also be made operational over the next five days. Anuj Dayal, Executive Director, Corporate Communications, DMRC, told India Today: “By 12 September, other lines will also resume services with safety measures in place to check the spread of COVID-19 in the metro premises.”

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has already issued safety instructions which include: • contactless and cashless transactions (no token, only smart card) • no entry without mask • thermal screening • metal detectors for distant screening • increasing halt time by 30 seconds to avoid chaos • markings at the platform to ensure physical distancing • in-vehicle temperature – 26 degrees • alternate seat occupancy • disinfecting the coaches after each trip While the use of the Aarogya Setu app has not yet been mandated, it is being encouraged by the DMRC. In addition to the above, restricting passengers at the entrance (number of passengers/hour) can avoid crowding at the station. To discourage large numbers of passengers, DMRC has kept the parking lot closed. But private vehicles are safer compared to public transport or intermediate public transport modes for last-mile in the current situation. WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

OPINION  Though frequent sanitisation of lifts is enforced, appointing lift men (one inside the lift and another outside on every floor), who would be the only people allowed to touch the lift buttons, and installing ‘touch-less’ elevator travel apps such as the one being developed by Otis could be a good practice. High-risk passengers such as those above 60 years of age and with co-morbidities, as defined by the World Health Organization, should be restricted from using public transport, especially the metro (due to the enclosed environment). A preliminary questionnaire check / surveys for a couple of weeks initially could help spread awareness. The Real Challenge & ‘Solution’? Some of the safety measures for buses include intelligent transport system (ITS) to enable contactless payments (smart cards), vehicle-tracking system and passenger-information system (with details such as the actual time of arrival, bus route, destinations, etc), pre-booking of trips and seats, and live vehicle tracking via apps (similar to inter-city travel). The live-tracking of buses will help passengers reach the bus-stop just minutes before the bus, thus, avoiding crowding at the stop. With a little planning, the ‘one-bus-at-a-time’ norm can be complied with to avoid crowding. Further, queue discipline, entry from the front door and exit from the rear will help streamline the operations. The challenge as well as the solution is public behaviour and understanding. Behavioural change however, might take some time to kick in. As mandated by the government, the bus has to be disinfected before and after each trip. Further, an all-purpose disinfection spray, which can safely sanitise passengers, can be used (with the government permission and guidelines), before commuters enter the bus. The rule of front-door-entry will ensure this sanitisation. Individual sanitisation of hands after people sit down and get down from the bus is something public should proactively practise.

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On-board rules should disallow standing passengers and those without masks. Foldable partitions could be installed between connecting seats to reduce contact. Apart from ‘book-your-seat’, filling the seats from the last seat could avoid chaos. Prominent display of rules and safety measures on buses and busstops will build greater awareness. The drivers and the conductors have to be trained for strict rule adherence. Most importantly, we the people have to be careful and responsible for our own safety. Financial Challenges Of Staggered Public Transport Reopening Enforcing these measures is bound to be a costly affair. A longer waiting time for public transport will increase the trip-time and reduce the number of trips per day. Optimising the frequency of services may help, at least initially. To compensate for revenue loss, public transport officials should look at advertisements.

All of this might appear tedious, timeconsuming and costly, but it’s the only way to keep us safe. Undoubtedly, we will have to do our bit—to bring our cities back to life in a more sustainable manner. About the Author Trupti Deshpande holds an M. Tech degree (Town and Country Planning) from College of Engineering, Pune, and a bachelor's degree in Architecture from the University of Pune. She works closely with the transport utilities on public transport improvisation and urban transport issues. Her area of interests includes urban transport, urban and regional planning, master planning, and housing. This article first appeared in The Quint.

Given the market situation, sanitisers and sanitisation service providers could be potential clients. To begin with, high-demand routes should be prioritised. Mass awareness about the safety measures initiated by state-transport bodies will give people confidence to use public transport again.

SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

 INTERVIEW

“Crowd management is a challenge, we’ll need public support” - Dr. Mangu Singh Managing Director Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

With the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) all set to resume train services after five-and-a-half-months, Mangu Singh, the managing director of India’s largest Metro network, spoke about the challenges in running the service even as Covid-19 cases rise, the preparations needed to ensure safety norms are followed, and the repercussions of the hiatus on the corporation’s finances, among other issues. What are the main challenges before DMRC in running its services during a pandemic? The biggest challenge will be to ensure social distancing because our capacity will be reduced drastically. For instance, during peak hours, we used to carry about 360-400 people in one coach.Now we will be able to accommodate only 50 passengers in a coach. If more people come into the system, we will be facing the challenge of accommodating and managing the crowd. Another challenge will be to keep the system hygienic at all times. Trains run in high frequency, and there is very little time for them to be disinfected and returned to service... Our aim is to push all our trains into service in order to ensure maximum frequency. How will DMRC avoid crowding on trains and at stations? We want to ensure that there is no peak in crowding; that there is an even flow. We want people to support us and plan journeys accordingly because this is the best way to utilise the system. And we will also be able to provide the best service. To ensure social distancing on trains and

at stations, we have a system in place by which the driver will get real-time information about the number of passengers on the train. This is done based on the total weight of passengers in a particular coach. We have the technology in place. This will allow him to skip stations if required until the number is balanced. There is another system in place for crowd management. For example, if the train is full from the terminal station, and it is not possible to accommodate more passengers in the next few stations, then we will take the decision that the next train will not board passengers from the terminal station. By this, we will ensure that the capacity is maintained for the next stations. Once operations begin, the monitoring and management will be dynamic. All our officials will constantly keep a watch on this. We will depute one official per line to monitor operations from the control room. Won’t not stopping a train only add to the crowding at a particular station? The decision to not stop a train at a particular station will be a rare instance and this will be done in an extreme situation. If trains skip stations, it will unnecessarily cause inconvenience and crowding, but that will be the last resort.

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

Wearing masks is mandatory while commuting in the Metro. Will passengers without masks be penalised? Does the DMRC Act have any such provision? We have requested the Delhi government to authorise us to issue fines under the Disaster Management Act (DMA). However, it appears that there is some difficulty in that as of now. Even if that authority is not granted, we are confident that a situation of penalising people will not arise. The only problem will be that a passenger enters wearing a mask but removes it afterwards. As for taking action, we have the authority that if anyone defies the norms, then we can ask them to leave the station; that will be a deterrence. We can also file an FIR against them or take action under the Operations and Maintenance Act (2002) of the Delhi Metro. In March, DMRC had registered nearly six million passenger journeys in a day. What is the kind of ridership you are expecting when services resume? Our estimate is that once our system opens up, we will be operating with 30% of our original (pre-Covid) ridership of 2.7 million. This means we will be carrying 800,000 to 900,000 passengers.

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INTERVIEW  Our passenger journeys (line utilisation) will be reduced from six million to two million. But during Covid, we are not making any effort to bring more people or increase the ridership. Rather, our effort is to discourage people from undertaking unnecessary journeys. People should make only essential journeys. Once the pandemic is over, people will come back. Covid-19 cases are on a rise in Delhi. Do you think this was a good time to resume operations? This aspect of decision-making is not of DMRC. We are not experts on it. The people concerned have taken this decision. They had decided not to operate Metro for five-and-a-half months. We don’t’ have anything to comment on it. Transport experts say that the low frequency of trains (proposed wait time is 5-7 mins) will prove to be counterproductive and result in crowding at stations. Our effort is to use all the trains to provide maximum frequency. We will run the operations more or less on the frequency that used to be there earlier. There will be only a slight reduction due to the increase in dwell time at stations to allow passengers to board/de-board the train. How will you address the concerns of air circulation inside trains and in underground stations? We have prepared a detailed plan for the air conditioning system in the trains and inside stations. From 4.30 am to 8.30 am, we will have to operate on 100% open mode, where fresh air will be infused into the system for thorough ventilation. From 8.30 am to 10.30 am, we will have fresh air ventilation along with water cooler chillers. During the day, the air circulation will be reduced a little. This might cause the temperature inside the trains to be higher than usual, and it might create some discomfort to passengers, but it’s the safest mode. Technical glitches were a problem for many lines even before the lockdown. With the system shut for over five WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

months, are we likely to face an increase in technical glitches in the system once it is revived after such a long gap?

the services. We have to pay salaries to our employees, electricity charges, etc. Once we resume services, the loss will reduce.

We have anticipated this problem. The complete shutdown of the system even for 2-3 weeks can lead to technical glitches. Apart from this, there are also chances of theft of crucial items such as cables. So, we decided to keep the system operational. We used to run two trips each in the morning and evening. That way our system is fully functional.

Is DMRC reworking the revenue model to meet the operational losses? As for re-modelling our revenue model, we have hardly anything (option). The fare structure is not in our hand; it is done by the fare fixation committee. We will approach the government to bail us out and help us if needed.

The lines will be opened in a phased Covid had slowed down the pace of manner. What factors were considered infrastructure projects due to the shortage of labour. Will the pandemic to arrive at this decision? have an impact on the overall deadline There is no particular reason for opening of Phase-4, which is already delayed by the Yellow Line first or the Airport three years? Express Line last. We were asked to open the network in a phased manner and we No, it will not impact the ongoing thought since the Yellow Line covers construction. The revenue problem is more area, we could open that first. only for the operational cost. There is Anyway, within five days, all the lines absolutely no problem for lines in phase 4, which are already sanctioned. But yes, will be opened. the other three lines (Rithala-Narela, How many additional people has Inderlok-Indraprastha and Lajpat Nagar DMRC deployed just to ensure Saket corridors), which have not been enforcement of new rules drafted for sanctioned so far, will probably get slightly delayed because there is a this pandemic? guideline from the Centre that no new Our requirement for manpower has project will be planned for one year. reduced in several departments such as at token vending counters. So we have re- *** planned the deployment of staff. We will be able to manage with the present This interview was conducted by Ms. Risha strength. In addition, we have asked the Chitlangia and Ms. Saumya Pillai, Hindustan Delhi government to provide some civil Times and first appeared in HT Online. defence volunteers. Hopefully, they will provide 1,000 of these. What is the financial loss incurred by DMRC due to its services being shut due to pandemic? Will it be costeffective to run services at such low capacity? We have incurred a loss of close to Rs 1,500 crore on passenger revenue in the last five-and-a-half-months, which is about Rs 10 crore per day on an average. How much the total loss would be by the end of this financial year, we can’t make that assessment yet. It will be done once the train services resume. But we are confident that people will come back once the pandemic is over, as there is no alternative to Metro in public transport. There will be more losses if we don’t run SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

PRESENTS

V I R TUA L E X H IB IT IO N A N D S U M MI T O N

RAIL INFRA AND MOBILITY BUSINESS 2020 NOV 15 – DEC 31

2020

www.urbantransportevents.com

BENEFITS OF VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

 Very low cost exhibition opportunity: No need to worry about high expenses on transportation, shipping, hotels, hospitality and booths  Very Safe and effective mode of showcasing products and services in the front of global audience and end users. No need to worry about infection of COVID-19.  Lead Retrieval and Follow Up is also much easier as information of all visitors recorded in our database automatically.  Green initiative towards saving environment: We can save thousands of trees as there is no more printing, branding and handing outs thousands of flyers required. We put all information in digital and downloadable form for visitors.  Real-time response: Visitors and exhibitors can interact directly through video chat platform.

EXHIBITION & SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE EXHIBITORS • Indian: INR 20000 • International: USD 400

SPONSORS • Indian: INR 50000 + GST 18% • International: USD 1000

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Vinod Shah | Mr. Surya Prakash M: +91-9716454505 | M: +91- 9340632433 E-mail: bizdev@urbantransportnews.com

VISITORS PROFILE

 Officials from Govt./Ministry/PSU/Nodal Authorities  Decision makers and Industry leaders from Metro, Railways, Airport, Roads & Highways, Waterways & Shipping, Construction, EPC, Public & Freight Transportation, Logistics, Smart Cities, Mobility industry  OEMs, Suppliers, Consultants, City Planners, Architectures, Export/Import Business, Infra Project Financers etc.  Engineering Institutions, R & D Organisations, Think Tanks and Game Changers  Students and Academicians, Researchers, Surveyors etc.

BOOK YOU VIRTUAL STALL AND SPONSOR NOW

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Save 25%

Last Date

30 October 2020 on booking your virtual booth up to

15 September 2020

EVENT CALENDER 

EVENT CALENDER

2020

Dates

Event Name

Venue

September 8-9

Arab Transport Development & Integration Conference

Dubai, UAE

October 6-8

GeoSmart India 2020

Hyderabad, India

October 20-22

Transport India 2020 Expo

New Delhi, India

Oct. 30 – Nov. 01

Urban Mobility India Conference & Expo 2020

New Delhi, India

Nov 15 – Dec 31

Virtual Exhibition and Summit on Rail Infra and Mobility Business 2020

New Delhi, India

Nov 25-26

Rail Asia Expo 2020

Bangkok, Thailand

Nov 30-Dec 02

Rail Live 2020

Madrid, Spain

Dec 03-04

Rail India Conference & Expo 2020

New Delhi, India

!! Special Announcement !! In view of spread of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in India and to ensure safety of Industry leaders and delegates, we have cancelled our all physical events. And now we are planning to launch an interactive and exclusive virtual platform which can help business entities to exhibit and showcase their business worldwide at minimum cost. Soon, we are going to launch virtual exhibition platform to facilitate Rail, Infra and Mobility Business Industry. WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

SEPTEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure

ď ľď ˇ LEADERS FEEDBACK

What do industry leaders say about the Urban Transport News publications? It is good to know that Urban Transport News is regularly covering various issues related to infrastructure projects including railways, and urban mobility. Especially issues related to urban rail segment have been very well covered. The various aspects related to metro rail industry and its benefits to the society have also been included in its issues. The magazine and the portal also regularly feature interviews of prominent personalities related to infrastructure and similar such sectors.

Dr. Brijesh Dixit Managing Director Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation

I am glad to know that there is an exclusive magazine and news portal to deal with the Urban Transport in India. There is a need to make the public aware about the importance of public transport. More focus on the integrated transport solutions will help stakeholders in better planning and project management. _ Alkesh Kumar Sharma Managing Director Kochi Metro Rail Limited

Urban Transport Infrastructure // SEPTEMBER 2020

WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL CALENDER 2020-21 ISSUE

PUB. DATE

Urban Transport Infrastructure September 2020

Articles inside

How To Make Public Transport Safe Post COVID?

Delhi EV Policy A Review

Ar Priyanka Kumar A renowned Urban Planner and the winner of Urban Infra Architect of the Year 2020 Global Award

Ms Sebnem Tugce Pala

Cycling: A Post COVID Scenario

Dr Amudhan Valavan

Will Modern Trams (Metrolite) be successful in Indian Cities?

Mr. Alain Spohr

Automated transport could propel development forward. Can we turn the vision into reality?

Mr Kumar Keshav

Round Up

UP Metro: Promoting the state of the art Mass Rapid Transit Systems in Uttar Pradesh

It’s full steam ahead to green India’s railway network

Editor’s Note