Mass Rapid Transit in India

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 26 Aug 2011 12:08

The way I figure, in about 12 months time the bids will come back completely unrealistic. The government will spend another 6 months in 'Sothanai mel Sothanai' mode avoiding the tough questions. It will the go to Dilli begging for bail out fo say R 10,000 crore. Dilli will say prove financial viability. AMMA will go on dharna and demand world bow to her whims. Meanwhile it will be election time again and Chennai will have no monorail and no Phase 2 metro either.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 26 Aug 2011 12:43

God only knows why she wants another mode of transit when she should be focussing on integrating the metro and the bus system and getting ptc into a half-decent shape. Of course maintanence and new buses dont bring in as much kickbacks as a big budget project. Sigh. The city is bursting at its seams already. With more delays you can see more bronchitis cases in the city in the next decade.

Rishirishi · Post by **Rishirishi** » 27 Aug 2011 03:01

Some simple math, which is puzleing me.
Monorail capacity is 10 000 people per hour, which is way too short of any wholesome solution.
If you build exlusive bus lanes a single lane can handle 1 bus per 3 seconds (if managed properly). Hence 1 hour will give 1200 buses. Now each bus should manage to seat 50 people. That equals 60 000 passengers per hour.

Let us say you want to put another 20 000 buses on the street (which can handle 1 million people). At 20 lacks for a half decent Tata bus, the price is 4000 crores. This figure should be manageble. Some additional bus lanes, fly overs and underpases will have to be built. With so many buses on the road it would be justified to impose surcharge for cars for driving on the street (just like Singapore).

India needs to be creative.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 27 Aug 2011 10:03

Ego, Pride ...... Also PTC driver/conductors are already overworked, some are doing 4-5 trips per days. Thats about avg of around close to 100 kms on chennai road up and down each trip

Abhijeet · Post by **Abhijeet** » 27 Aug 2011 11:12

Rishirishi wrote:Let us say you want to put another 20 000 buses on the street (which can handle 1 million people). At 20 lacks for a half decent Tata bus, the price is 4000 crores. This figure should be manageble. Some additional bus lanes, fly overs and underpases will have to be built. With so many buses on the road it would be justified to impose surcharge for cars for driving on the street (just like Singapore)

You're ignoring the cost of widening the roads to build those extra bus lanes, with all the attendant issues of land acquisition, tearing down buildings, and resident relocation. Most Indian roads are barely wide enough for two side by side lanes of car traffic, let alone an extra bus lane.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 27 Aug 2011 12:31

Abhijeet wrote:Most Indian roads are barely wide enough for two side by side lanes of car traffic, let alone an extra bus lane.

Very true. It may also be impossible to widen the roads anymore in most congested places.

Yusuf · Post by **Yusuf** » 27 Aug 2011 14:02

Usually the mono rail is a feeder service for the metro rail. This is the case in Singapore which has MRT (Mass rapid transport) and LRT (Light Rapid Transport). Its there in Bangakok as well where they have the sky rail as feeder.

In Bangalore, there is a proposal to make mono rail to act as feeder for the metro.

That apart, monorail can be used in areas which are not hubs but still require rapid transport. Just like we have ring roads, we could have such light rail systems.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 27 Aug 2011 14:41

The problem with roads is govt waits till the last min for widening the roads, they dont consider traffic growth while laying down roads, also encroachments along the road delays any expansion plans

Yusuf · Post by **Yusuf** » 27 Aug 2011 15:05

krishnan wrote:The problem with roads is govt waits till the last min for widening the roads, they dont consider traffic growth while laying down roads, also encroachments along the road delays any expansion plans

Not only widening of roads, but constructions of flyovers, underpass etc Bangalore is a glaring example of a mismanaged and neglected city when it comes to infrastructure.

The way construction of metro rail is taking place in Bangalore is pathetic to say the least. Filled with harassment to the people of the locality and unscientific. In spite of having the latest tech available to undertake such projects, these people chose not to use it.

Have a look at the attached pictures. These are pictures just in front of my house. The time it took to make the pillars itself was very long. We had to bear hardship for 2 years when the road was blocked. Well we would not mind putting up with a little bit of hardship for a better future, but they way it was all done, is just not excusable.
Now that the pillars have been made, this happened about 6 months or more ago, the debris is still there. We cannot walk out of the house as you can see. Look at the road. The traffic junction is about 100 mtrs from my house, but it takes me 2-3 signal cycles or about 10 minutes to cross over. All this after the pillars were finished long back. The monsoon has only made life miserable.

There is no use complaining it looks like. I had sent it to the media as well. Superficial work happens but nothing concrete. Is this how projects are handled?

KrishG · Post by **KrishG** » 27 Aug 2011 15:34

Bangalore Metro

Yusuf · Post by **Yusuf** » 27 Aug 2011 16:44

Krish, wish the way they worked to build all this was as slick.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 27 Aug 2011 16:45

where is the rolling stock from ?

Yusuf · Post by **Yusuf** » 27 Aug 2011 17:56

Rahul M wrote:where is the rolling stock from ?

Hyundai Rotem, South Korea. Made by BEML.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 27 Aug 2011 18:08

thx, is it used by any other metro ? I wish there is some commonality among the numerous metro systems so that local production can take off in a big way, eventually creating desi versions.

prashanth · Post by **prashanth** » 27 Aug 2011 20:34

^
Delhi metro.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhi_Metro#Rolling_stock

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 27 Aug 2011 20:37

thanks, I thought it was all bombardier.

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 27 Aug 2011 22:09

Yusuf wrote: Now that the pillars have been made, this happened about 6 months or more ago, the debris is still there. We cannot walk out of the house as you can see. Look at the road. The traffic junction is about 100 mtrs from my house, but it takes me 2-3 signal cycles or about 10 minutes to cross over. All this after the pillars were finished long back. The monsoon has only made life miserable.

In desh clean up is rarely if ever part of logistics. Even if it is on paper it is never followed through in practice, of course all money is pocketed. Those pics look terrible.

/rant

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 28 Aug 2011 11:43

Rahul M wrote:thx, is it used by any other metro ? I wish there is some commonality among the numerous metro systems so that local production can take off in a big way, eventually creating desi versions.

For Chennai, it is Alstom. They are also proposing to set up a plant for manufacture.
For Hyderabad, rolling stock not yet decided.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 28 Aug 2011 11:48

pgbhat wrote:
Yusuf wrote: Now that the pillars have been made, this happened about 6 months or more ago, the debris is still there.

In desh clean up is rarely if ever part of logistics.

Not only clean-up, even major works are never fully completed. I have seen flyovers where signages, railings, crash-barriers, approach roads, roads underneath the flyovers, high-mast lighting etc are never completely done meticulously. The contractors get their full payment as they bribe the officials and get the completion certificate. Also, the attitude seems to be 80 or 90% completion is as good as 100% completion.

Yusuf · Post by **Yusuf** » 29 Aug 2011 04:31

SSridhar wrote:
Rahul M wrote:thx, is it used by any other metro ? I wish there is some commonality among the numerous metro systems so that local production can take off in a big way, eventually creating desi versions.
For Chennai, it is Alstom. They are also proposing to set up a plant for manufacture.
For Hyderabad, rolling stock not yet decided.

Entire Hyderabad project is with LnT. It's their choice to get rolling stock.

BEML has got tech transfer from Rotem. I think LnT might well go with BEML.
suprising Chennai hasn't gone with BEML.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 29 Aug 2011 09:17

Rahul M wrote:thanks, I thought it was all bombardier.

The original trains in Dilli Metro were all Rotem rolling stock (with plenty of PYT train drivers

). Bombardier came later (with their plant in Gujarat?).

Vasu · Post by **Vasu** » 29 Aug 2011 09:54

Thats correct Raja.

Bombardier.com > Gujarat > Vadodara > Savli

In fact, Bombardier wants to turn it into an export site, selling India made rakes to South East Asia and other regions.

The Bloomberg article linked above is from October 2010, so I do not know if the production numbers quoted still stand. This newsitem from India Infoline is more current.

July 28, 2011: Bombardier delivers 450 MOVIA cars to Delhi Metro from Savli

Meanwhile, in Bengaluru,

Early clearance for Metro phase-II sought

The 72-km stretch of second phase of Bangalore Metro project is likely to cost Rs 23,800 crore. The state government has urged the Centre to issue the clearance for the project before November 2011.

The first phase of Bangalore Metro, which will be a 42-km network, is likely to be completed by December 2013. The cost of this phase is pegged at Rs 11,609 crore. The Centre recently approved the cost escalation in the project from the earlier Rs 8,158 crore.

“I am happy to share that the works of Phase-I of Namma Metro are on the fast track. The first reach of 7 kms from Byappanahalli to M G Road is complete and ready for inauguration,” Gowda said.

Recently, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a loan of $250 mllion for the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). The loan will partly fund a total 42.3 km of track, rolling stock, stations, and equipment for two corridors in the city.

The project is estimated to cost Rs 11,609 crore for Phase-I comprising 42.3 kms in two corridors. Out of the 42.30 km., 8.822 km. will be underground near City Railway Station, Vidhana Soudha, Majestic and City Market, and most of the rest will be elevated. The first phase is likely to be completed in 2013.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Aug 2011 15:13

predictably the only place in BLR where I saw this service road and diversion business done in a immaculate japanese std was - (drumroll) - right in front of the vidhana soudha lol.

Ambar · Post by **Ambar** » 29 Aug 2011 21:05

From the above link about 7kms stretch of metro being completed thus far, is that a typo or is it really just 7 kms that they have finished so far after digging ,drilling and making lives miserable for unfortunate dwellers of that city for over a decade now? If i remember right, the earliest marking of metro and drilling work near majestic started in 2003.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 08 Sep 2011 08:36

Chennai monorail: Pre-bid conference opens

The international competitive bidding process to construct a 111-km-long monorail network in the city took a step forward with a pre-bid conference held at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation on Wednesday.

It was an opportunity for prospective bidders to seek clarifications about the scope of the project and the tendering process, a senior government official said.

At the meeting, some monorail manufacturers underscored the need to establish the depot somewhere midway on the proposed 54-km long corridor between Vandalur and Puzhal. Since the monorail train runs on rubber tyres, it might not be able to endure the wear and tear of the 108-km round trip.

Speaking to The Hindu , sources among the manufacturers said another aspect that requires attention is the inter-linking of the corridors in the event of different consortiums winning the bid to operate segments of the 111-km-long Phase-I monorail network. The technical specifications of most monorail manufacturers do not match. Each monorail consortium would also need to have its own depot and maintenance facilities.

The pre-qualification stage of the bidding process initiated by the State government would come to a close on September 28. Once the proposals of interest from various entities are opened, the companies or consortiums in the fray would be announced.

All applicants who prequalified would submit a technical and a financial bid. An evaluation committee comprising consultants appointed by the MTC and officers nominated by the government of Tamil Nadu would evolve a composite score for each bid, based on which the monorail operator would be identified.

The process of identifying a suitable consultant has already been set in motion. A team of over 20 experts in fields ranging from automatic fare collection, architecture and design, signalling and telecommunication, and energy efficiency are set to be housed at the monorail cell which would come up at MTC. The monorail system is proposed to constitute a network of four elevated corridors – Vandalur to Puzhal via Avadi (54 km); Vandalur to Velachery via Tambaram East (23 km); Poonamallee to Kathipara via Porur (18 km); and Poonamallee to Vadapalani via Valasarawakkam (16 km).

prashanth · Post by **prashanth** » 08 Sep 2011 20:27

Ambar wrote:From the above link about 7kms stretch of metro being completed thus far, is that a typo or is it really just 7 kms that they have finished so far after digging ,drilling and making lives miserable for unfortunate dwellers of that city for over a decade now? If i remember right, the earliest marking of metro and drilling work near majestic started in 2003.

The project was cleared only in 2006 and construction started in 2007. Still, after four years, 7 km isn't a big thing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namma_Metro#History

Ambar · Post by **Ambar** » 09 Sep 2011 01:49

They got clearance from the GOI in 2003. They started digging for recce marking in late 2003 near Majestic.I think you are right about the construction though, it must have started in 2006-07. So 7 kms in almost 5 years,well, thats much better than 5+ years they took to complete a small overpass on the old airport road, or around 6 years to complete the diary circle overpass.

manish · Post by **manish** » 09 Sep 2011 10:48

Ambar wrote:They got clearance from the GOI in 2003. They started digging for recce marking in late 2003 near Majestic.I think you are right about the construction though, it must have started in 2006-07. So 7 kms in almost 5 years,well, thats much better than 5+ years they took to complete a small overpass on the old airport road, or around 6 years to complete the diary circle overpass.

Indeed saar. IIRC the common thread running through the Domlur flyover (IRR and HAL Airport Rd intersection), Dairy Circle overpass (and the weird overpass next to Jayadeva Hospital at BTM) which were all shining examples of how construction typically progressed in license raj days was the world-phamus UP State Bridge Building Corp. (UPSBBC).I doubt if any further contracts went to them.

BDA's performance has been relatively better since then IMHO, with some rare feats of excellence (in construction time at least) including the underpass at Madiwala that came up in 58 (?) days! The other side of this coin of course is shown by stellar achievements such as the venerable Kadirenahalli underpass at BSK III stage which has been going on for 4+ years if I am not wrong. Then there are all those failed experiments in things such as the infamous 'Magic-Box' thingies.

So still a long way to go for us to get to cheeni levels of infra-rollout speed.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 11 Sep 2011 02:18

Chandigarh Metro

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandigarh_Metro

Gaurav_S · Post by **Gaurav_S** » 23 Sep 2011 15:53

Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro work by year-end

Work on the first phase of the Rs 12,000-crore Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro rail link project is expected to start by 2011-end, a senior government official said here on Wednesday.

The first phase of the ambitious project, first in India to be mostly elevated up to five metres from ground-level, would involve investments to the tune of Rs 3,400 crore. Out of the nearly 70-km-long route of the entire project, 24 km will be developed in the first phase, highly-placed sources told Business Line.

The State Government has incorporated a special purpose vehicle (SPV), called the Metro-link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) Company Ltd, for the implementation of the project and appointed former bureaucrat-turned-entrepreneur Sanjay Gupta as its Chairman recently, besides four other bureaucrats as directors.

When completed, the Metro will link Old and New Ahmedabad, its airport and the State Capital. “We are also considering to link Sanand town, an emerging auto hub, as well as some other industrial hubs around Ahmedabad,” the sources said.

Ernst and Young has been appointed as bid process and corporate advisors while Grand Thornton International Ltd would be internal auditors.

A high-level committee, headed by Chief Secretary AK Joti has been appointed as the top decision-making body, which would consider the proposals submitted by MEGA soon.

At present, the project has evolved from the conceptualization stage to the engineering phase with detailed plans being drafted for the next stage, execution. “As soon as we get the zero-date, i.e. final approval, and financial closure, we would start work to complete the project within 30 months.”

The initial frequency of the Metro trains will be five minutes at peak hour in 2015, and average stations will be at a distance of 800 to 1,000 metres. It will have an automatic fare collection system with five levels of system facilities using smart card technology.

The State Government has described MEGA as a “zero-land acquisition project” as most of the Metro rail link network will be erected on an elevated corridor constructed on public roads, although acquisition may become necessary at certain points.

Lets hope that this project is completed ahead of schedule like DMRC with proper security measures in place.

vivek_v · Post by **vivek_v** » 26 Sep 2011 16:05

One query i have about the metro in Chennai is on how passengers would enter and exit the station without the current roads getting widened ?

The roads on which metro construction is going on are already crammed with traffic moving in snails place even before the Metro works started and now it is a total nightmare. Would there be a footbridge or something in those lines ? Even then where is the space to pickup or drop someone ? I guess i am missing something basic.

A Nandy · Post by **A Nandy** » 27 Sep 2011 03:17

Any recent news of construction of the metro line under the ganges in Kolkata and the link connecting dum dum airport to central park.

Marut · Post by **Marut** » 27 Sep 2011 12:10

vivek_v wrote:One query i have about the metro in Chennai is on how passengers would enter and exit the station without the current roads getting widened ?

The roads on which metro construction is going on are already crammed with traffic moving in snails place even before the Metro works started and now it is a total nightmare. Would there be a footbridge or something in those lines ? Even then where is the space to pickup or drop someone ? I guess i am missing something basic.

The station design will be done such that there is a staircase on either side of the road taking people up to the concourse and platform levels if elevated or down to the underground stations. Generally there will be some sort of commercial structure built on land beyond the road to exploit the footfall coming into the station. The stairs, elevators & escalators will be housed in this building. Providing adequate parking for two wheelers and designing the entry & exit to ensure smooth flow of traffic to these buildings is a challenge which I hope is successfully cracked by the planners & architects. For Monorail & Metro in Mumbai these things are in a state of constant flux and messed up. The station designs are frozen & being constructed on war footing (we make a war out of everything!) but the access link ways are still floating on paper due to R&R (Requisitioning & Rehabilitation) issues

yess the monorail & metro will run by end of year or early next year

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 27 Sep 2011 13:02

A Nandy wrote:Any recent news of construction of the metro line under the ganges in Kolkata and the link connecting dum dum airport to central park.

line under ganga is line 2 or east-west metro. this is the route
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkata_Me ... osed_Route

Salt Lake Sector 5
Karunamoyee Housing Estate
Central Park
City Center
Bengal Chemical Office
Yuva Bharati Krirangan
Phoolbagan
Sealdah Station
Central (Interchange with Line 1)
Mahakaran
Howrah Station
Howrah Maidan

the elevated stretch from sector V to yuva bharati is complete. work on the underground stretch has started. there was some disagreement with IR regarding alignment at sealdah which has been solved recently.

I don't know of any route between airport and central park, assuming you mean the one at salt lake.there is a new garia-airport route via EM bypass which will start construction after puja.

sum · Post by **sum** » 27 Sep 2011 13:22

So 7 kms in almost 5 years,well, thats much better than 5+ years they took to complete a small overpass on the old airport road, or around 6 years to complete the diary circle overpass.

Or ~3 years now for a small underpass of hardly 200-300m near Basavangudi which is still 2 years from completion!!!!

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 28 Sep 2011 14:26

The reason for the delay probably might be the fact that lots of labours are from outside state, and once in a while they leave for native. So with no backup workers available it drags on. They usualy go for a month and when they come back it takes them a month to get into the flow. Also most work on payment basis and wait for the payment to come from govt before proceeding..unless its L&T.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 28 Sep 2011 18:49

There is no delay WRT the line itself. The 8 km section has been ready for 6 months at least, the problem is the stations. It is fair to say the builders underestimated their scale and complexity. There were also complications in land acquisition and problems getting the CRS to sign off on them. To be perfectly honest China would have opened without CRS approval as the latest Shanghai accident shows. China's metros are famous for all manner of confusion, trains not stopping, running the wrong way, stalling midway and runing without lights/ AC are very common. Our inspection system is a bit more obstinate to being run over.

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 03 Oct 2011 16:16

How Metro is changing Delhi's image

A Nandy · Post by **A Nandy** » 03 Oct 2011 20:39

I don't know of any route between airport and central park,

Thanks Rahul M, yeah I was asking about Line 1. Was hoping to take the metro directly from Dum Dum International to Howrah

, well guess I can at least go up to central from Dum Dum and avoid the taxi.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 14 Oct 2011 23:50

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-1 ... -grip.html
India’s Silicon Valley Adds Rail as Jams Threaten Tech Grip

Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Bangalore, India’s Silicon Valley, will open the first section of a $1.7 billion metro railway next week as the city tackles congestion that has dented investment and made it the world’s second-worst for parking.
A three-car train will run on a 6.7-kilometer (4.2 mile) elevated track on the maiden trip on Oct. 20, according to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corp. The network will stretch to 42 kilometers by 2013.“The metro project will be a game-changer for the city,” said Anshuman Magazine, managing director for South Asia at CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. “The metro should’ve been there before, but it’s still timely.”Bangalore’s population has jumped almost 50 percent in a decade to 9.6 million as a temperate climate and a pool of low- wage software programmers attracted companies such as Infosys Ltd. and International Business Machines Corp. Roads and power systems have struggled to keep up with the pace of growth, creating opportunities for Chennai and Hyderabad to challenge the city’s grip on India’s booming outsourcing sector.Bangalore’s administration “has to show it cares by providing better services like power and transport,” said Vinod K Nowal, president of the Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce, and a director at JSW Steel Ltd. “There are now other states who are more aggressively attracting investments.”
Facebook Inc. last year opened its first India office in Hyderabad, about 570 kilometers north of Bangalore. The Palo Alto, California-based company didn’t immediately respond to e- mailed Bloomberg News questions about its choice of the India office location.