Mr Kumar Keshav

managed to keep up with the work as soon as the Government permitted resumption ofcivil 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 ofyear 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.

First, our heartiest congratulations on bagging “Infra-Man ofthe Year” award 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. 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

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 ofall 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’ ofthe year.

in the individual category at Rail Infra

along with boosting tourism in Agra.

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?

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.

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.

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: 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 power ofits use.

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.

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.

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

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 oftwo lines..

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.

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’ ofKanpur 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 of2024.

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 ofAgra 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 14 th July 2020, after hearing the petition filed by Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited, the Supreme Court 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.

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.

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

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 ofAgra also.

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

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

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 ofmetro 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 with our readers. you want to share

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 ofour 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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Future of Mobility in the context of COVID-19 Pandemic

Urban Transport News

In 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 oftransport.

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 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.

As cities begin easing out lockdown restrictions, public transport services will 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 mobility trends on affected urban

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.

Figure given below shows the stated postCOVID-19 modal choice of initial metro users. About 36 per cent of metro users said, they would switch to other options. Most respondents, who wished to switch, preferred to use private cars and twowheelers. Substitution of metro services with intermediate public transport, such as auto rickshaws and taxis was also evident. Some also stated that they would prefer shared cabs overtaking the metro. While technology will be at the forefront of the transport revolution, there will also be issues with surveillance and privacy challenges with many of the systems and technology that will be deployed. China, Singapore, South Korea, and many of the other countries that have achieved success with contract tracing were only able to achieve this much since the constitution allows tracking credit card history, cell phone location, and other details about an infected person. 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

Share of different transport modes used by respondents per COVID -19 (work trip) [Image: TERI]

Share of COVID-19 Transport Modes before

Privacy concerns and other challenges for post-COVID mobility

Solution

Now that COVID-19 has shown us how inaccessible public transportation options are for the most vulnerable population, how can we fix it? The first step is good data.

The very first step we must take is in data collection. If we combined datasets from all public and private mobility providers, we would have the complete image of how people move and need to move. We could then map the world’s blind spots and rethink the business model of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

How To Move Forward

The COVID-19 crisis has been, in many 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.

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

awareness are required sustainable urban mobility. to 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 ofthe 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 oftransport 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.