Bharat Rakshak

Vasu wrote:I am not from Delhi/Chennai but whenever I am in these cities, even I prefer calling the radio cab than haggling with the autos.

This system is also slowly going the same way as auto rickshaws. In case of rickshaws the driver gives you a blunt (and often rude) answer. Where as with these hi-fi Call Cabs, it is the telephone operator who gives a bit more polite response - "all cabs are booked" . They too have become choosy about the routes, and the final fare the trip will generate.

When I bought a car, one of the primary reasons was that I was getting married soon. And soon after that there would be the usual business of picking up and dropping relatives. And the last thing which I wanted was to get into arguments with these uncouth auto-wallahs and taxi-wallahs. It spoils the whole day.

^^^
The issue with radio taxis and radio tuk-tuks/autos is that booking has to be made in advance. So if one is in a hurry, they are of no use. But for other issues like catching a flight or a going to the guest house/hotel from station/airport, radio taxis are best.

On the other hand Metro can not be made to run everywhere. It needs a certain population density and ability to bear certain economic costs. Also the last mile, from the metro station to destination, will have to be done via public transport. That is why most the metro station parking lots are full. Some of the companies have started feeder bus service from the nearest metro station to the office. A point-to-point service. The issue with this is that a person takes his car from his house to the metro station. And parks it over there. So this does nothing to decrease the road congestion.

AoA.!! very bleased to read thiz newz this subah..very secular transport bith some accountability.

Your letters make BRTS even better

Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd takes a note of suggestions and grievances in the letters they receive from passengers every day and acts on them

Ruturaj Jadav

Posted On Saturday, February 05, 2011 at 02:55:40 AM

It is following letters from citizens that AJL decided to deploy personnel at BRTS bus stops; (below) AJL’s reply to a passenger who complained that the driver did not stop the bus despite his plea

In order to cement their relationship with the passengers the Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd (AJL) that governs Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) has now begun implementing their suggestions and addressing their grievances religiously. AJL has deputed an official to write back to the passengers — they send 400 replies every month.

“We have assigned the task of replying to the letters to an official. He visits AJL bus stops during the first half of the day and collects letters from the drop boxes. They have complaints, suggestions and appreciation for the BRTS. The official replies to those letters in the second half of the day,” said an AJL official.

Recently, after they received a letter from a passenger accusing a BRTS employee of misbehaving with him, AJL conducted a probe. The employee was found to be guilty and his half-day salary was deducted as punishment. If the issue is big or controversial, it is first discussed with the senior officials and only then a reply is sent.


“It is not necessary that we implement each and every suggestion or resolve all the complaints. However, passengers feel good when they receive a letter from us acknowledging their proposals.”

Several of the passengers’ suggestions have been implemented by AJL. “We respect their suggestions and are extremely thankful to them for being proactive. Their participation makes AJL the aam aadmi’s transport,” the official said.

“Earlier, many people did not know from which side to enter and from which side to exit the bus. This was pointed out by passengers. We then put up signages on the buses and bus stops defining the entry and exit areas,” he added.

After several requests from people, the authorities deployed more personnel at the bus stops in Shivranjini, Anjali crossroads and Naroda to assist passengers. “The personnel also make sure the passengers behave themselves while entering and exiting the bus,” he said.

The officials also receive frequent emails from passengers requesting introduction of smart cards, concession passes for students and senior citizens and separate fleet for women.

SUGGESTIONS IMPLEMENTED BY AJL

Punishing staff for misbehaviour
Recently, an employee had to lose his half-day salary after a passenger wrote to AJL alleging he [employee] misbehaved with him. A probe found the employee guilty.

Signages at bus entry points
Several passengers had written to AJL saying they were confused about the entry and exit points since there were no signages anywhere. The AJL then put up signages on the buses as well as bus stops.

Personnel deputed at bus stops
AJL has deputed personnel to assist passengers at Shivranjini, Naroda and Anjali crossroads. They also ensure passengers are well-behaved while getting on and off the bus.









Changes in schedules
AJL also makes changes in the schedules following suggestions from passengers. An official said: “Depending on the number of complaints or suggestions we receive, and if found necessary, we alter the schedules.”

Keeping change at ticket windows
Following complaints that ticket windows did not have enough change money, the authorities arranged for the same after writing to the RBI.

Good to see the Janmarg being so professional.

Speaking of BRTS, I bet a lot of people aren't aware that Jaipur too has a BRTS system under implementation now. I believe there's only one route functional but they're quickly ramping up.

Check out the photos on the Jaipur Development Authority site.

The on-ground testing work as begun on the Jaipur Metro as well. On Skyscrapercity.com, one forumer has posted a photo of a site.

After world-class airport, it is world class airport metro at Delhi

Courtesy: BusinessLine

The start of regular operations will cut down the travel time from the city centre to the airport to just 18 minutes from the current over 60 to 90 minutes.

The Link service will feature six-coach trains supplied by Spanish company CAF, each seating 800 passengers and capable of reaching a maximum speed of 135 kmph. Passengers making use of the Link will also have the option of checking in their bags at three Link stations — New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium and Dhaula Kuan — rather than at the airport.

The line, built at a cost of Rs 5,700 crore, boasts world-class features such as platform screen doors for increased safety and automated ticket vending machines for passenger ease. This is the first such metro line in the country which connects the airport to the city.

Initially, the trains will run at speeds of 105 kmph but according to Mr Sreedharan, trial runs at 120 kmph will begin next week.

Gaurav_S wrote:AoA.!! very bleased to read thiz newz this subah..very secular transport bith some accountability.

Your letters make BRTS even better

Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd takes a note of suggestions and grievances in the letters they receive from passengers every day and acts on them

Ruturaj Jadav

Posted On Saturday, February 05, 2011 at 02:55:40 AM

It is following letters from citizens that AJL decided to deploy personnel at BRTS bus stops; (below) AJL’s reply to a passenger who complained that the driver did not stop the bus despite his plea

In order to cement their relationship with the passengers the Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd (AJL) that governs Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) has now begun implementing their suggestions and addressing their grievances religiously. AJL has deputed an official to write back to the passengers — they send 400 replies every month.

“We have assigned the task of replying to the letters to an official. He visits AJL bus stops during the first half of the day and collects letters from the drop boxes. They have complaints, suggestions and appreciation for the BRTS. The official replies to those letters in the second half of the day,” said an AJL official.

Recently, after they received a letter from a passenger accusing a BRTS employee of misbehaving with him, AJL conducted a probe. The employee was found to be guilty and his half-day salary was deducted as punishment. If the issue is big or controversial, it is first discussed with the senior officials and only then a reply is sent.


“It is not necessary that we implement each and every suggestion or resolve all the complaints. However, passengers feel good when they receive a letter from us acknowledging their proposals.”

Several of the passengers’ suggestions have been implemented by AJL. “We respect their suggestions and are extremely thankful to them for being proactive. Their participation makes AJL the aam aadmi’s transport,” the official said.

“Earlier, many people did not know from which side to enter and from which side to exit the bus. This was pointed out by passengers. We then put up signages on the buses and bus stops defining the entry and exit areas,” he added.

After several requests from people, the authorities deployed more personnel at the bus stops in Shivranjini, Anjali crossroads and Naroda to assist passengers. “The personnel also make sure the passengers behave themselves while entering and exiting the bus,” he said.

The officials also receive frequent emails from passengers requesting introduction of smart cards, concession passes for students and senior citizens and separate fleet for women.

SUGGESTIONS IMPLEMENTED BY AJL

Punishing staff for misbehaviour
Recently, an employee had to lose his half-day salary after a passenger wrote to AJL alleging he [employee] misbehaved with him. A probe found the employee guilty.

Signages at bus entry points
Several passengers had written to AJL saying they were confused about the entry and exit points since there were no signages anywhere. The AJL then put up signages on the buses as well as bus stops.

Personnel deputed at bus stops
AJL has deputed personnel to assist passengers at Shivranjini, Naroda and Anjali crossroads. They also ensure passengers are well-behaved while getting on and off the bus.









Changes in schedules
AJL also makes changes in the schedules following suggestions from passengers. An official said: “Depending on the number of complaints or suggestions we receive, and if found necessary, we alter the schedules.”

Keeping change at ticket windows
Following complaints that ticket windows did not have enough change money, the authorities arranged for the same after writing to the RBI.

Good to see that people react against injustice and more than that is the higher authorities are ready to taking action against the culprits for solving the peoples grievance

Updates on Chennai Metro

Power-supply & Overhead equipment contract given

The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) on Tuesday awarded a contract worth Rs.305 crore for providing power supply and overhead equipment (OHE) to a consortium of Siemens AG, Germany, and Siemens Limited, India. The contract includes design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the entire array of power supply systems, a release said.

CMRL will receive power from the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation for a maximum demand of 60 MVA from three 110 kV sub-stations being set up by TANGEDCO at Koyambedu, Alandur and Chennai Central.

Under the power supply contract, three traction sub-stations would be set up to step-down the voltage from 110 kV to 25 kV AC single phase for use in the electric traction system. A uniform 25 kV AC traction power would be supplied to the train through the OHE to be installed along the track.

In the elevated corridor, catenary type OHE as used in Indian Railways would be installed. In tunnels, rigid contact systems are proposed to be deployed. CMRL has selected 25kV AC traction, in view of the energy efficiency, safety and reliability.

The contract also provides for setting up three auxiliary sub-stations at Koyambedu, Alandur and Chennai Central to step down the 110 kV to 33 kV for supply of power to stations, air-conditioning systems, tunnel ventilation systems, lighting and other utilities at the stations. The sub-stations would be gas insulated ones to ensure higher reliability and to make it maintenance friendly.

The 33 kV auxiliary power supply would be distributed through a ring main system to all stations for auxiliary power supply loads.

In the event of power failure, uninterrupted power supply would be ensured by feeding from adjacent sub-station for traction and other essential loads of the station. Further, each station would be equipped with standby diesel generators of adequate capacity as a backup power source.

The entire power supply system could be monitored and controlled through Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system (SCADA). The remote operation would be managed from centralised operation control centre of CMRL located at Koyambedu.

Besides setting up these facilities, the contract provides for comprehensive maintenance till end of defect liability period of two years after the completion of the project.

Gammon India & Mosmetrostroy of Moscow to build stations & tunnels at Chennai

Chennai Metro Rail has decided to give the last big construction contract -- that of tunnels and seven underground stations along Anna Salai -- to a joint venture company of Gammon India and Mosmetrostroy of Moscow.

As part of the deal to be signed on Monday, the joint venture company design and build these stations on the Washermanpet- Airport corridor. The corridor is 18 km long, of which 14.3 km between Washermanpet and Saidapet will be underground. Metro Rail officials confirmed that the contracts worth Rs 1,947 crore have been awarded.

"Mosmetrostroy of Moscow will construct the twin-bored tunnels along a 6.4 km stretch, while Gammon will construct underground stations at Govt Estate, LIC Building, Thousand Lights, Gemini, Teynampet, Chamiers Road and Saidapet, said Vijay Vancheswar, head of corporate communications, Gammon India.

SSridhar wrote:After world-class airport, it is world class airport metro at Delhi

Courtesy: BusinessLine

The start of regular operations will cut down the travel time from the city centre to the airport to just 18 minutes from the current over 60 to 90 minutes.

The Link service will feature six-coach trains supplied by Spanish company CAF, each seating 800 passengers and capable of reaching a maximum speed of 135 kmph. Passengers making use of the Link will also have the option of checking in their bags at three Link stations — New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium and Dhaula Kuan — rather than at the airport.

The line, built at a cost of Rs 5,700 crore, boasts world-class features such as platform screen doors for increased safety and automated ticket vending machines for passenger ease. This is the first such metro line in the country which connects the airport to the city.

Initially, the trains will run at speeds of 105 kmph but according to Mr Sreedharan, trial runs at 120 kmph will begin next week.

nice

Work on Jaipur Metro begins
Excerpts

Work on the much-awaited Jaipur Metro Rail, the Pink City's dream project, was formally launched here on Thursday at the proposed site for the metro terminal station at Mansarovar. A large number of people turned up on the occasion to lustily cheer the State's political leadership and the “Metro Man”, E. Sreedharan.

The foundation stone for the first stage of Phase I of the project, the 9.25-km stretch between Chandpole in the Walled City of Jaipur and Mansarovar, was laid by Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath.

The East-West Corridor of the Metro in the Phase I, planned at a cost of Rs.1, 250 crore, will have eight stations while it will be extended up to Bari Chauper in the Walled City in the second stage. A company, Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation Limited (JMRCL), has been registered to execute the project.

Some piss, plogless and plospelity to start the week:
Delhi Airport Metro Express:



And something from the south (photo credit to KarnatakaPhotoNews, via SSC)
Bangalore Metro
Bangalore Metro
Bangalore Metro
Bangalore Metro

ADB extends $250 mn loan for Bangalore metro rail project

The bank's board of directors has approved the loan, which will partly fund a total 42.3 kilometres of track, rolling stock, stations and equipment for two key routes in Bangalore.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Transit System Project (BMRTSP) has a total cost of $2.7 billion and is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, a special purpose vehicle, jointly owned by the government of India and the Karnataka government, is carrying out the project.

Tunnel Boring Machines at work for Namma Metro

Residents and shopkeepers between Majestic and Mysore Bank Circle on K G Road in the City will not be even aware of the fact that tunnels are being burrowed beneath their houses and shops when the tunnel-boring machine, that has just arrived from Japan, begins its work over the next week. This is because the burrowing takes place at a depth of 12 metres and might go unnoticed.

The machine will facilitate Namma Metro underground construction work and will be initially deployed on the stretch between Majestic and Cricket Stadium. The equipment which arrived in parts from Chennai port to the city last week, is being assembled on the KSRTC bus station premises in Majestic. Another machine is said to be on the way from Japan.

Two tunnels of 5.5 m diametre with a separation of 5 metres in between at a depth of 12 metres will be burrowed for approximately 4 km each on East-West and North-South corridors. Tunnelling between Majestic and the Cricket Stadium (on the East-West corridor) will pass beneath K.G. Road, Mysore Bank Circle, Old Post Office Road, Seshadri Road, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Veedhi, Raj Bhavan Road and Cubbon Road.

The machine will drill the tunnel, thrust out the muck and seal the inner walls with pre-cast concrete elements. One machine could drill an average of 20 metres a day on normal soil and 12 metres on rocky soil.

At Majestic, work on construction of the shaft to launch the machine is under progress and more than 90 per cent of the work is complete. While tunnels will be burrowed with the help of machines, the underground stations are being constructed using the cut and cover method. The entire station area is excavated to facilitate the construction of stations. After the construction, the land surface will be re-laid to the originality.

While two underground stations at the depth of 12 metres and 18 metres will come up in Majestic, one each underground station will come up at Central College, Vidhana Soudha and M. Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium (East-West corridor) and at City Railway Station (towards Magadi Road), Chickpet and City Market.

and another good news....

L&T achieves financial closure for Hyderabad Metrorail

Larsen & Toubro Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited, a subsidiary and a special purpose vehicle of the L&T Infrastructure Development Projects, has achieved financial closure for the Rs 12,132-crore Hyderabad metro rail project.

A consortium of 10 banks led by SBI has sanctioned the entire debt requirement of Rs 11,480 crore and the equity component of around Rs 3,440 crore would be infused by the L&T group for the project, according to a company release today.

The project would get a viability gap grant of Rs 1,458 crore from the central government through the state, it said.

The pre-construction works of the project has already started, and the soil testing and topographical surveys have been completed in most locations along the alignment and conceptual engineering is near to completion.

As per the agreement, construction would have to be completed in five years and the concession period for the project is 35 years (including 5 years of construction) and is extendable by an additional 25 years.

Meanwhile, the Chennai Metro project runs into some difficulties near the Meenambakkam Airport.

Airlines rubbish AAI's NOC for Metro

It is a project that was approved in 2008 to offer Metro Rail connectivity to the city airport. Unfortunately, it is still struggling to see the light of the day. Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL)officials are at their wits end with airline representatives rubbishing the latest no-objection certificate (NOC) the Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued to CMRL allowing them to construct the structure up to the level of the existing perimeter wall of the Chennai Airport.

At a safety assessment meet of the project in March, airline companies objected to the height of 3.5 metres of the Metro Rail as it would be level with the existing perimeter wall of the airport.

An aviation expert who was present at the meeting, told Express, “ICAO annexure clearly states that ‘Fixed objects shall not be permitted above the inner approach surface, the inner transitional surface or the balked landing surface, except for frangible objects which due to their function, must be located on the strip. Mobile objects shall not be permitted above these during the use of runway for landing.’ Airport and CMRL officials were stumped when they were told that the train has to stop every time an aircraft takes off or lands as per the rule.”

The new revelations angered CMRL officials and they threatened to stop the project at Alandur.

Meanwhile, Metro Rail authorities have proposed a fresh set of changes in the plans wherein they would create a viaduct for the Metro to run at road level near the airport by creating a pit instead of going underground completely, which they said was four times costlier. {Such intermediate solutions might create other problems. It is after all a small stretch from OTA to the Airport and the four-time increase in cost can be easily absorbed. We are talking here of apprx. 2 or 2.5 Kms. There is already a proposal to extend the Metro all the way to Tambaram beyond the Airport. This temporary solution may pose another issue for the extension beyond the airport because of the presence of the other runway in that stretch}

How in the world is the guy who approved the NOC before not fired for this serious lapse!!

SSridhar wrote:Meanwhile, the Chennai Metro project runs into some difficulties near the Meenambakkam Airport.

Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL)officials are at their wits end with airline representatives rubbishing the latest no-objection certificate (NOC) the Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued to CMRL allowing them to construct the structure up to the level of the existing perimeter wall of the Chennai Airport.

At a safety assessment meet of the project in March, airline companies objected to the height of 3.5 metres of the Metro Rail as it would be level with the existing perimeter wall of the airport.

An aviation expert who was present at the meeting, told Express, “ICAO annexure clearly states that ‘Fixed objects shall not be permitted above the inner approach surface, the inner transitional surface or the balked landing surface, except for frangible objects which due to their function, must be located on the strip. Mobile objects shall not be permitted above these during the use of runway for landing.’ Airport and CMRL officials were stumped when they were told that the train has to stop every time an aircraft takes off or lands as per the rule.”

The new revelations angered CMRL officials and they threatened to stop the project at Alandur.

Meanwhile, Metro Rail authorities have proposed a fresh set of changes in the plans wherein they would create a viaduct for the Metro to run at road level near the airport by creating a pit instead of going underground completely, which they said was four times costlier. {Such intermediate solutions might create other problems. It is after all a small stretch from OTA to the Airport and the four-time increase in cost can be easily absorbed. We are talking here of apprx. 2 or 2.5 Kms. There is already a proposal to extend the Metro all the way to Tambaram beyond the Airport. This temporary solution may pose another issue for the extension beyond the airport because of the presence of the other runway in that stretch}

[/quote]

The rule requiring that there be no moving object in the approach path as opposed to a stationary object (the compound wall) even if the moving object is located at a height below stationary object doesn't make sense. One, the objection all along had been to the height per se. So, now when the Chennai metro says it will lay the line below the ground level but in a trench as opposed to fully underground the airport authority is saying the objection is to a moving object per se and not to the height. This is seems like a case of moving the goal post. Do they believe that a moving object located at a height below the compound wall will suddenly jack up and knock off the approaching aircraft? I suppose one can theoretically argue saying that there could be a head on collision between two trains with one train coming on the wrong line. But engineering design is all about optimum solutions as opposed to providng for extreme contingencies.

Nandakumar, I am not an aviation expert. However, from a reading of what is reported, the objection is not coming from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) or the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL); the objection is coming from the airline industry. The AAI has given the clearance which the airline operators have been objecting to from the beginning consistently.

Secondly, the regulations come from Intnl. Civil Aviation Org (ICAO), not AAI. They have a set of rules on airport design and airports need to be licensed to operate accordingly. ICAO can hold AAI responsible for violations of airport design codes because the AAI is the licencing authority within the country. It is therefore a good idea to comply with ICAO regulations.

From what is quoted from the ICAO regulations, it appears that the stationary objects near the runway are supposed to be frangibles which by their very functionality are supposed to be there and hence not an issue. Any other stationary obstruction within the inner approach surface (by which term I understand it is the navigable airspace and the existing approach slope between the runway and the perimeter fence of the airport) must be at a lower height than the permitted frangibles. Any other moving obstruction should not move at all during the landing and takeoff times of an aircraft. There should be a valid reason why the ICAO has such a restriction on moving objects.

Just Googled to understand the obstructions, various surfaces etc. This is a complex area. There are various rules for visual approach and precision approach. The FAA seems to have even stricter norms than those recommended by the ICAO. I do not think therefore that we should allow AAI to cut corners, a usual Indian attitude.

SSridhar wrote:Nandakumar, I am not an aviation expert. However, from a reading of what is reported, the objection is not coming from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) or the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL); the objection is coming from the airline industry. The AAI has given the clearance which the airline operators have been objecting to from the beginning consistently.

Secondly, the regulations come from Intnl. Civil Aviation Org (ICAO), not AAI. They have a set of rules on airport design and airports need to be licensed to operate accordingly. ICAO can hold AAI responsible for violations of airport design codes because the AAI is the licencing authority within the country. It is therefore a good idea to comply with ICAO regulations.

From what is quoted from the ICAO regulations, it appears that the stationary objects near the runway are supposed to be frangibles which by their very functionality are supposed to be there and hence not an issue. Any other stationary obstruction within the inner approach surface (by which term I understand it is the navigable airspace and the existing approach slope between the runway and the perimeter fence of the airport) must be at a lower height than the permitted frangibles. Any other moving obstruction should not move at all during the landing and takeoff times of an aircraft. There should be a valid reason why the ICAO has such a restriction on moving objects.

Just Googled to understand the obstructions, various surfaces etc. This is a complex area. There are various rules for visual approach and precision approach. The FAA seems to have even stricter norms than those recommended by the ICAO. I do not think therefore that we should allow AAI to cut corners, a usual Indian attitude.

Thanks S. Sridhar. I am not contesting any of the points made. But I wonder if by that yardstick shouldn't they be objecting to the GST Road that is bang alongside the proposed metro line? The road, I dare say must be cutting through the flight path. Container lorries and special project equipments moved by road must be creating an obstruction that could be even more dangerous given the height of the containers mounted on a truck bed.

nandakumar wrote: I am not contesting any of the points made. But I wonder if by that yardstick shouldn't they be objecting to the GST Road that is bang alongside the proposed metro line? The road, I dare say must be cutting through the flight path. Container lorries and special project equipments moved by road must be creating an obstruction that could be even more dangerous given the height of the containers mounted on a truck bed.

Nandakumar, of course you can contest the points and I am not the one defending them because I know next to nothing about airport designs. However, I feel there are roads, motorways, expressways around the airports all over the world and obviously, there are regulations on these things as well. I hope NH45 is OK from that point. I do recall several years back there was an objection on the height of street lamps along NH45 and the luminosity of the lamps. They were redesigned. I also recall another incident about two years back when a chimney needed to be erected (by a hotel ?) at Alandur (which is a suburb quite close to the airport). It was turned down. My last post on this.

Dealing with Metro-rail work related congestion

Preliminary work on the underground section of the Chennai Metro Rail has begun with soil tests under way in three locations across the city. With excavation of proposed station spaces expected to commence by June, the attention has shifted to how the city is gearing up to face construction-related traffic congestion and also the proposed redevelopment of areas in the vicinity of Metro stations.

K. Rajaraman, Managing Director, Chennai Metro Rail Limited, said that analysis of soil samples, taken from locations where stations are proposed, would determine the thickness and strength of station walls.

“Once tunnelling starts, the entire project would be under a tight schedule. When Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) are launched, station spaces along its route would have to be completed before the machine arrives,” said Mr. Rajaraman.

Three deadlines

He explains that there are three broad deadlines: Trial run on the 11-km Ashok Nagar-Koyambedu-St.Thomas Mount elevated section by December 2013 (Stage 1), completion of a 10 km elevated segment of Corridor-I from Saidapet to Airport by December 2014 (Stage 1a) and finishing the remaining 24 km of underground tunnels by mid-2015 (Stage 2).

Mr.Rajaraman said that a “cut-and-cover” approach would be adopted to construct underground stations. “A comprehensive traffic management plan would be put in place by the time full-fledged work begins,” he added.

According the Detailed Project Report of the Chennai Metro Rail project, work on underground stations would take up to nine metres of the road. Construction would be restricted to a 200 to 300 metre road stretch at any given point of time to minimise inconvenience. Private traffic wardens, hired by the contractor, would supplement the traffic police.

The report goes on to say that eight TBMs would be deployed and tunnelling activity will be finished 30 months from the date of commencement. The estimated loss incurred if one day of work is lost is about Rs.50 lakh.

Bangalore, Delhi studies

Balchand Parayath, Chief Executive Officer of Chennai City Connect, says that studies done during Metro construction in Bangalore and Delhi show that there will be a quantum increase in travel time for motorists once tunnelling starts. “The waiting time at signal junctions would go up by at least 20 to 30 per cent. A spatial map of alternative routes must be identified and signboards and road markings must be improved. Efforts should be made proactively to reduce congestion.”

H.M. Shivanand Swamy, executive director of the Centre for Excellence in Urban Planning at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, and Chief Planner of the proposed Ahmedabad Metro, says that even as construction gains pace, redevelopment of the Metro's influence area must be seriously considered. “In most existing networks, 200-300 metre on either side of the Metro corridor is chosen and more open spaces are created. Compound walls must be discouraged and pedestrian access must be greatly improved. The Metro must become a part of the street culture and that is possible only if the zone has safe crossing points and wide public spaces,” he adds.

While asking motorists to prepare for some pain during the construction phase, Mr. Rajaraman says that once the Metro begins operation, there will be a number of significant benefits. “It will take off a bulk of two-wheelers from the road. Pollution and dust levels will come down leading to a drop in respiratory diseases. Productivity levels will also go up since work commute would be less tiring.”

SSridhar wrote:Dealing with Metro-rail work related congestion

Preliminary work on the underground section of the Chennai Metro Rail has begun with soil tests under way in three locations across the city. With excavation of proposed station spaces expected to commence by June, the attention has shifted to how the city is gearing up to face construction-related traffic congestion and also the proposed redevelopment of areas in the vicinity of Metro stations.

K. Rajaraman, Managing Director, Chennai Metro Rail Limited, said that analysis of soil samples, taken from locations where stations are proposed, would determine the thickness and strength of station walls.

“Once tunnelling starts, the entire project would be under a tight schedule. When Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) are launched, station spaces along its route would have to be completed before the machine arrives,” said Mr. Rajaraman.

Three deadlines

He explains that there are three broad deadlines: Trial run on the 11-km Ashok Nagar-Koyambedu-St.Thomas Mount elevated section by December 2013 (Stage 1), completion of a 10 km elevated segment of Corridor-I from Saidapet to Airport by December 2014 (Stage 1a) and finishing the remaining 24 km of underground tunnels by mid-2015 (Stage 2).

Mr.Rajaraman said that a “cut-and-cover” approach would be adopted to construct underground stations. “A comprehensive traffic management plan would be put in place by the time full-fledged work begins,” he added.

According the Detailed Project Report of the Chennai Metro Rail project, work on underground stations would take up to nine metres of the road. Construction would be restricted to a 200 to 300 metre road stretch at any given point of time to minimise inconvenience. Private traffic wardens, hired by the contractor, would supplement the traffic police.

The report goes on to say that eight TBMs would be deployed and tunnelling activity will be finished 30 months from the date of commencement. The estimated loss incurred if one day of work is lost is about Rs.50 lakh.

Bangalore, Delhi studies

Balchand Parayath, Chief Executive Officer of Chennai City Connect, says that studies done during Metro construction in Bangalore and Delhi show that there will be a quantum increase in travel time for motorists once tunnelling starts. “The waiting time at signal junctions would go up by at least 20 to 30 per cent. A spatial map of alternative routes must be identified and signboards and road markings must be improved. Efforts should be made proactively to reduce congestion.”

H.M. Shivanand Swamy, executive director of the Centre for Excellence in Urban Planning at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, and Chief Planner of the proposed Ahmedabad Metro, says that even as construction gains pace, redevelopment of the Metro's influence area must be seriously considered. “In most existing networks, 200-300 metre on either side of the Metro corridor is chosen and more open spaces are created. Compound walls must be discouraged and pedestrian access must be greatly improved. The Metro must become a part of the street culture and that is possible only if the zone has safe crossing points and wide public spaces,” he adds.

While asking motorists to prepare for some pain during the construction phase, Mr. Rajaraman says that once the Metro begins operation, there will be a number of significant benefits. “It will take off a bulk of two-wheelers from the road. Pollution and dust levels will come down leading to a drop in respiratory diseases. Productivity levels will also go up since work commute would be less tiring.”

I really doubt that, Especially with employment areas like OMR not covered.

Chennai: Digging for Metro Rail begins at Ripon Building

Chennai Metro Rail Limited on Wednesday began digging work on the lawns of Ripon Building to facilitate the construction of the underground Chennai Central Metro Station.

The exploratory digging work on the premises of Ripon Building would help make a choice on the technology to be adopted for the construction.

According to CMRL, the Central Metro Station would be constructed between Buckingham Canal and Raja Muthiah Road.

The CMRL would soon start demolition of the subway across Poonamallee High Road connecting the Park Suburban Station and Victoria Public Hall.

A foot overbridge would be constructed for movement of pedestrians across Poonamallee High Road during the construction of the Central Metro Station.

The subway would be reconstructed after the completion of the work on the underground interchange station where the corridor 1 and corridor 2 of the Metro Rail meet.

The Central Metro Station would be integrated with Central Railway Station, Park Suburban Station, Moore Market Suburban Station and Park MRTS Station.

oh, didn't realize there was quite a lot of reporting on Chennai Metro in The Hindu lately. Hopefully these are signs that things are going well there. Would love to hear some insights from the rakshaks in Chennai!

Airport Metro Rail tender soon

The tender for construction of the Metro Rail corridor near the airport, the last in the series for Phase-I of the project, is likely to be awarded by this month-end.

Once the contract for the three-km stretch, extending into the airport, is finalised, work on the entire 45 km of the Metro Rail network, comprising 19 underground and 12 elevated stations, would have been “committed”.

The unique feature of the three-km corridor is a small 500 metre underground stretch that starts near the Trident Hotel on GST Road. Metro Rail Corridor-I (Washermenpet to Airport), which runs as an elevated section at a height of 12 metre from Little Mount, would at that point dip nine metres below the ground near the airport.

Despite the change in alignment, the final height of the airport Metro station would be on the same level as the first floor of the new terminal that is being constructed.

K. Rajaraman, Managing Director, Chennai Metro Rail Limited, said that a tube from the station would directly lead to the proposed 900 metre walkalator on the first level of the new terminal.

[quote="Vasu"]oh, didn't realize there was quite a lot of reporting on Chennai Metro in The Hindu lately. Hopefully these are signs that things are going well there. Would love to hear some insights from the rakshaks in Chennai!

My daily trip to Nungambakkam to Neelankarai and Back I have noticed nothing but heavy traffic especially of Bike and auto variety. I think the metro construction is causing huge problems on Anna Salai in Guidy and Inner Ring road in Ashok Nagar Vadapalani. The Pillions are coming up, Dont know about the underground work whether there is any progress.

Further many nice Parks like Thiru Vi Ka park in Shenoy Nagar are out of Bounds for Public.

Well lets see if all works needs to be stopped due any change in Aachiand then renogetiation needs to be done.

The worst eyesore in Chennai is undoubtadly the Buckingham Canal, it is much worse than even the Couvum and the Adyar river. Whether one is taking short cut between OMR-ECR at neelankarai or near Central station or Mint, it is the most stinkiest and Dirty water body. Phew and think it was constructed for transportation of goods on it, just can't think how it was done.

It is as I feared. AMMA is switching to mono-rail for Chennai. At least for all future phases. Having traveled on several mono-rails around the world, it is particularly unsuited to Indian conditions. With Chennai super crush density this is a bad idea.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels ... -speed-019

The traffic congestion in the city would soon be a thing of the past with chief minister Jayalalithaa showing keen interest in speeding up the 100-km Mono Rail project and also introduce it in Tiruchy, Madurai and Coimbatore.

Experts say that the Mono Rail will link most of Chennai and suburbs and will be a welcome addition to Metro Rail now under progress.

When completed, Chennai will have a four-tier train system comprising the old electrical multiple unit (EMU) linking Beach to Tambaram, mass rapid transit system (MRTS) from Beach to St Thomas Mount, Metro Rail between Washermanpet and airport and mono rail (routes yet to be finalised).

Theo_Fidel wrote:It is as I feared. AMMA is switching to mono-rail for Chennai. At least for all future phases. Having traveled on several mono-rails around the world, it is particularly unsuited to Indian conditions. With Chennai super crush density this is a bad idea.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels ... -speed-019

The traffic congestion in the city would soon be a thing of the past with chief minister Jayalalithaa showing keen interest in speeding up the 100-km Mono Rail project and also introduce it in Tiruchy, Madurai and Coimbatore.

Experts say that the Mono Rail will link most of Chennai and suburbs and will be a welcome addition to Metro Rail now under progress.

When completed, Chennai will have a four-tier train system comprising the old electrical multiple unit (EMU) linking Beach to Tambaram, mass rapid transit system (MRTS) from Beach to St Thomas Mount, Metro Rail between Washermanpet and airport and mono rail (routes yet to be finalised).

Each new entity has to wet the beak in the limitless public pool.

This is exactly what the fumble harmer did in Bangalore.

[quote="Theo_Fidel"]It is as I feared. AMMA is switching to mono-rail for Chennai. At least for all future phases. Having traveled on several mono-rails around the world, it is particularly unsuited to Indian conditions. With Chennai super crush density this is a bad idea.

From what i hear, rather, what the grapevine has it, the Chennai Metro Rail project is not being shelved. The powers that be actually though, did want it scrapped. But the person in charge refused to draft a note saying that it is unviable or there is no cash etc. etc. which would have then been the perfect justification for the present CM to say the project is being scrapped. In her previous stint she would have simply changed the MD or worse still, even gone ahead and shelved the project, offical advice be damned. It is some consolation that offical advice is being heeded in her latest stint, well at least for now.
The monorail is being considered as a feeder route option bringing users to one of the four mass transit systems in the city. If the State Govt would only increase the FSI limit along the metro transport corridors then patronage could see a big jump and the resultant increase in revenues would pay for the cost of these projects.

How in heavens name is Chennai going to afford both a 18,000 crore phase 1 metro & what looks to be a 15,000 crore mono rail. And this is going to be a 12 million person city in short order.

We truly need a 'none of the above' choice on the electoral ballot. Even the EVM jihadi's might agree to that.

http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/08/stories ... 850300.htm

“For cities that have a population of less than three million, monorail is the ideal mode of transport. For denser cities, monorail can ideally serve as the feeder line that brings passengers in and takes them out of the Metro network.”

For a city that has poor public transportation:population ratio, surely the metro seems to have a higher carrying capacity.

Besides, has there been any reports on what routes the monorail is going to operate?

The BRTS route though seems suspect. Madras just doesn't have roads wide enough to be laying dedicated bus corridors. There are hardly 1.5 lanes on each side on major roads that see tremendous amounts of traffic each day.

Theo_Fidel wrote:How in heavens name is Chennai going to afford both a 18,000 crore phase 1 metro & what looks to be a 15,000 crore mono rail. And this is going to be a 12 million person city in short order.

As per prelimenary reports,

1) Chennai Coporation area 178 Sq. Km - Population 4.6 million

2) Population of Proposed expansion 426-178= 248 Sq Km- 5.6 million

3) Total Chennai Metropolitian area 1200 sq km.

Considering the present expansion does not cover areas southwest of Velcherry- meenabakkam, west of Porur- Maduravoyal, north west of Ambatur- madhavaram, North of Thirvituyur.

I would say the Population in an around Chennai has easily crossed 15 million people.

these same arguments repeat every time in every city. if x,y,z are power dealers in a city, if x says metro, y and z will say mono, brts etc. expect a couple of ngo types to chime in with their expertise. anybody who sees data and does basic numbers on possibilities and potential will choose metro.

nobody with the best interest of the city in mind will try to limit or eliminate metro. not in an indian city.

basically what people desire is on demand point to point transit. but that means heavy stress on the city. on the other hand the city itself (hence everybody in it) is best serviced by mass transit which is the other opposite of the desired on demand point to point transit

actually the correct answer is all of the above. mono i dont know. but good bus and quazi public services like autos and taxis are absolutely essential.

metro for transit across regions. and others for transit within regions.

mono has smaller physical footprint than bus. but bus has greater reach and can easily move from special corridors to existing roads and back. mono will only work on special corridors.

about the autos.

auto walas and city bus drivers do the same type of service. buses sarkari = inefficient. autos private = innovation, competition oppurtunity etc etc.

so why do autos which are private collective fail at serving their customers while sarkari buses do a better job?

shaardula wrote:about the autos.

auto walas and city bus drivers do the same type of service. buses sarkari = inefficient. autos private = innovation, competition oppurtunity etc etc.

so why do autos which are private collective fail at serving their customers while sarkari buses do a better job?

Here is my take on why competition has not worked in the auto rickshaw industry.
The bribe in obtaining an auto permit in a particular State ( I understand that in Tamil Nadu it is 1 Lakh) together with the capital cost (auto rickshaw) is uniform across all entrants into that industry in that region. The fuel costs again with marginal differences in driving efficiency is common to all players in the industry.
That leaves only wage expectations among drivers as the only differentiating factor among various service providers. You will see that this a very small component of the total operating cost environment. So even if somebody is wwilling to work for 10 hours for a paltry Rs 100 in daily earnings as opposed to someone who will not settle for anything less than rs 200 it still does not translate into significant reduction in auto fares charged by that individual.
Then there is also an information assymmetry (user doesn't know which driver is willing to operate with a lower income expectation and the driver doesn't have the means to advertise his lower price point for the service).
Also the market is defined by suppliers available in a small geographical area while consumer experiences of auto rickshaw service (which in turn drives consumer behaviour) is derived from past experience across a much wider geographical area.
The former reduces what is seemingly a vibrant compettive market of vast number of players into an oligopoly comprising fewer players. The latter (bad customer experience) acts to reduce the market size. In short, a double whammy from the perspective of why competition doesn't take hold.
Now, paging Vina and other business economists to supplement/counter these insights!

No offense but to call Chennai auto's the 'private sector' makes me laugh...

The Auto's are more like a criminal enterprise. Someone here called them a indiscipline mafia. They follow no rules, regulations or even efficient operation. They spend hours baking in the sun refusing profitable fares so they can score that one big heist of the day. They treat their customers like trash in the hopes that they can get paid more. They refuse to respond to demand and go where the fares are. The vast majority are unlicensed and bribe the cops to get away. Most don't own their vehicles and are random yahoo's who are deployed by connected people and groups. The day we have a functional metro is the day we can ban them outright.

If you want to see real 'private sector' transport think of the 300,000 IT/SEZ workers transported everyday by a private fleet to buses to Sriperumbudur and beyond. Never hear about that do we, even though I'm sure there are problems there too. Now that's what a private sector is.

thanks nandakumar. very interesting stuff.

theo but that does not still answer the question. in general why are taxis and autos not that successful in either satisfying the operators or the customers. you have interesting insights in such matters.

Theo_Fidel wrote:No offense but to call Chennai auto's the 'private sector' makes me laugh...

.

No no, Theo saar, anybody who takes offense to calling the Chennai autos as thugs and mafia is a thug and mafia himself/herself.

Vasu ji, I had few of my friends who work for a good IT company beaten up by the auto walas for some fare issue....

I cannot agree with you on this

It is not a remote incident either. After being in Mysore for some time and then moving to Chennai, the differences between the Auto walas attitudes here is very stark and disappointing.

Not all auto wallas are bad, there are some very good guys too. The other day a arse asked 800 to got 6 kms, he was making fun of the lady who asked. Lots of ITVY guys hire them on daily basis, pick up and drop from home to office on specific time, the rest of the day he can go around the city.

SSridhar wrote:Tunnel Boring Machines at work for Namma Metro

Residents and shopkeepers between Majestic and Mysore Bank Circle on K G Road in the City will not be even aware of the fact that tunnels are being burrowed beneath their houses and shops when the tunnel-boring machine, that has just arrived from Japan, begins its work over the next week. This is because the burrowing takes place at a depth of 12 metres and might go unnoticed.

The machine will facilitate Namma Metro underground construction work and will be initially deployed on the stretch between Majestic and Cricket Stadium. The equipment which arrived in parts from Chennai port to the city last week, is being assembled on the KSRTC bus station premises in Majestic. Another machine is said to be on the way from Japan.

Two tunnels of 5.5 m diametre with a separation of 5 metres in between at a depth of 12 metres will be burrowed for approximately 4 km each on East-West and North-South corridors. Tunnelling between Majestic and the Cricket Stadium (on the East-West corridor) will pass beneath K.G. Road, Mysore Bank Circle, Old Post Office Road, Seshadri Road, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Veedhi, Raj Bhavan Road and Cubbon Road.

The machine will drill the tunnel, thrust out the muck and seal the inner walls with pre-cast concrete elements. One machine could drill an average of 20 metres a day on normal soil and 12 metres on rocky soil.

At Majestic, work on construction of the shaft to launch the machine is under progress and more than 90 per cent of the work is complete. While tunnels will be burrowed with the help of machines, the underground stations are being constructed using the cut and cover method. The entire station area is excavated to facilitate the construction of stations. After the construction, the land surface will be re-laid to the originality.

While two underground stations at the depth of 12 metres and 18 metres will come up in Majestic, one each underground station will come up at Central College, Vidhana Soudha and M. Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium (East-West corridor) and at City Railway Station (towards Magadi Road), Chickpet and City Market.

A nice promo video on this is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgv7C5rF ... r_embedded

WRT autowallahs there used to be a time when the Chennai ones were very decent and courteous. I remember regularly taking Auto from Anna nagar to Anna University (I know ) in the early 80's and the guy would always turn on the meter without question. Even though Anna university was essentially in the middle of a jungle back then and a fare back would be really really tough. Sardar Patel road used to be so empty back then you could sit in the middle and have lunch. Hard to believe now. Every street had its own autowallah and you could literally go down the street and call him from his house. Even in Anna nagar. This was a time autowallahs actually owned their vehicles and all. The same 2/3 auto would be at the same street corner every day.

Two things changed.

First in the late 80's there was a huge Petrol price increase. The politicians of the time thought that they would be cute and listening to complaints refused to raise the meter rates, their were several strikes but the rates stayed the same. It was a big deal at the time but we didn't fully understand the consequences. This was the first time the meter started becoming 'optional'. Many Autowallahs went bankrupt, hocked their vehicles, etc. For the first time you started seeing the vehicle day lease begin. The regular Autowallahs could not compete with the day lease guys. For the first time you started seeing lumpens and rural folk show up as Auto drivers.

Second the city changed. Everyone took the bus back then. There was a time everyone got a seat even in peak hour. I remember reading a report back then that the MTC operated 1.400 buses back then. Today with about 6 times more population there are bout 3,000 buses. There should be about 10,000 at least but the MTC is unprofitable and is unable to increase it fleet. Also the roads won't take it. The Autowallahs know this. There is no competition for them. There is a reason you don't hear as many complaints about the Delhi auto guys now. Mumbai always had the Railways system and their taxiwallahs knew it.

The city also grew bigger. A 30 Kmph auto is completely useless now. Back then a Auto trip took a maximum of 10 minutes. I remember going from Parrys corner to Kilpauk thru Purasawalkam in about 12 minutes. This was from one end of the city to the other, in fact this was the entire city back then. Now the same trip would take 45 minutes and you would not even have covered 1/3 the city. This is the essential problem, this is old, slow technology and should be phased out. It can never get faster and as a direct result it keeps getting disproportionately more expensive.

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This also why the Monorail is a joke. Compared to a metro it is a Auto in the sky. What foolishness. The first thing that struck me about the monorail trains I've been on is the poor ride quality. It is all well and dandy to talk about tight corners and increased grades but you simply can not take these at speed w/ passengers. To take even some medium corners the monorail must slow to 15 kmph or so! Fast jogging pace. Steeper grapes often require slowing to 10 kmph!

Because it is monorail, it cannot be banked as easily like metros at curves and the sideways force must be reduced mostly by slowing down. No one mentions this do they. A metro feels like silk compared to a monorail.

People keep claiming mono-rail is cheaper but it has never proved to be so in practice. In Mumbai the 19 km line is costing about 3,000 crore after cost escalations. About 150 Crore a km. A metro would have been 180 Crore per km and its capacity top end is 4 to 5 times higher. The only part of monorail that is cheaper is the viaduct. This is about 20% of the cost of the system.

- The stations all cost the same.
- The carriages all cost same, in fact monorail is more expensive as it has to be light weight hence expensive materials.
- The electric consumption per passenger is more for mono-rail as it is on rubber tires hence more friction.
- The foundations and columns all the cost pretty much the same.
- Maintenance is a lot more as the rubber tires have to be replaced constantly or they can explode in overload conditions. This has happened often.
- What happens in a break down. There you are suspended out there, no way to get down.

I get very tired of this feeder argument. What part of costs the same as Metro and costs more to maintain do people not understand. Also even at its maximum capacity a Metro system barely breaks even. How can a monorail with even 1/2 the capacity, and it is usually 1/4, be anything but a loss making hole. Almost every monorail built has gone bankrupt or served as a cautionary tale.