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Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Awarded Contract To Operate And Maintain Mumbai Metro Line 3 For 10 Years

By
Amit Mishra
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The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) today (26 May) awarded the contract for operations and maintenance of Mumbai Metro Line 3 to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

The contract was awarded by Ashwini Bhide, managing director of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation to the DMRC official.

Earlier in April 2023, the DMRC had emerged as the lowest bidder to operate and maintain the 33.5-kilometre-long Line 3 of Mumbai Metro from Aarey to Cuffe Parade covering a total of 27 stations from the south of the western metropolis to the north.

The DMRC will manage daily operations, including that of the operations control centre or OCC, the Depot Control Centre or DCC, stations, train schedules, system management and passenger safety for a period of 10 years.

The scope of work also includes maintenance of metro assets, minor civil repairs of stations and buildings, hiring, training and timely organising competency of all staff, marketing and sales assistance.

The Delhi Metro, with its experience of operating and maintaining the largest metro system in the Indian subcontinent in the National Capital Region (NCR) will be able to extend the right support to the Mumbai Metro corridor, since the city of Mumbai is also highly populated with similar urban challenges like Delhi.

DMRC outbid Keolis, a reputed public transport operator from France with experience functioning in various cities across the world.

Mumbai’s First Underground Metro

The Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro Line 3, also known as Aqua Line, will be the first underground metro line in Mumbai and also one of the longest underground continuous stretches in India.

Mumbai Metro Line 3 Route Map (MMRCL)

The Mumbai Metro Line 3 spans approximately 33.5 km, from Colaba (Cuffe Parade) in the extreme south of the city through Bandra, ending within the Special Electronics Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ) in the north-central.

The Aqua Line connects Mumbai’s most congested regions and key financial hubs such as Nariman Point, Bandra-Kurla-Complex (BKC), Fort, Worli, Lower Parel and Goregaon.

The Mumbai Metro Line 3 is currently under construction with 87 per cent of the work finished and is expected to be operationalised in parts from the end of this year onwards.

The first phase of the project between BKC and SEEPZ is expected to be ready and open to the public by December this year.

Three New Versions Of Vande Bharat By March 2024, Premium Offering To Be Based On Distance

By
Amit Mishra
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Upbeat at the success of the Vande Bharat express train, Indian Railways is now working to roll l-out three versions of the semi-high-speed train.

The three new variants — Vande Metro, Vande Chair Car and Vande Sleepers are expected to be rolled out by February-March next year, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said after the launch of Delhi-Dehradun Vande Bharat train on 25 May.

“There are three formats of Vande Bharat. Vande Metro for less than 100 kilometres, Vande Chair Car for 100-550 kilometres and Vande Sleepers for a journey beyond 550 kilometres. These three formats will be ready by February-March (next year),” said Mr. Vaishnaw.

In their present form, Vande Bharat Express trains have only Executive Class and Chair Car. The self-propelled Vande Bharat trains are capable of running at speeds of 160 kmph.

Vande Metro will be a state-of-the-art rake that will be deployed for short distances to cover cities around 100 kilometres apart, with high frequency for commuters. The prototype of Vande Metro is to be ready by March 2024, he added.

Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai, a production unit of the Indian Railways, will start manufacturing metro coaches, once the prototype is approved.

The Railways is also readying the Vande Bharat Express sleeper trains – a more premium version of Rajdhani express trains. The Vande Bharat with Sleeper coach would also run at maximum speed of 180 kmph with operational speed of 160 kmph.

The Ministry of Railway in Feb 2023 had invited tender to manufacture 200 sleeper versions of India’s first semi-high speed trains and to maintain them for the next 35 years.

Under this tender, the ICF, Chennai has recently issued two orders for design, manufacture and commissioning of 90 Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets.

A order worth Rs 675 crore issued to BEML Ltd for supply of 10 Sleeper Vande Bharat trainsets while another order worth Rs 9,600 crore was issued to BHEL-Titagarh Wagons JV for supply of 80 Vande Bharat (Sleeper version) trainsets to Indian Railways.

Flying Taxi Soon To Be A Reality As Chennai Start-Up Company ePlane Receives Key Approval From DGCA

By
Amit Mishra
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IIT-Madras incubated The ePlane Company, which has been working to develop an electric flying taxi, has become the first Indian company to receive the Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The DOA is an important first milestone in the aircraft certification process, according to information posted by the company on social media.

Vikram Dev Dutt, Director General, DGCA, awarded the certificate to the company’s founder and CEO Satya Chakravarthy in the presence of IIT Madras director V Kamakoti.

ePlane receives key approval from DGCA
ePlane receives key approval from DGCA

The company, in February 2023, showcased a prototype of the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle at the annual Aero India show in Bengaluru.

Founded in 2017 and launched in 2019, the ePlane Company is the brainchild of aerospace engineering professor Satya Chakravarthy and his student Pranjal Mehta.

The company aspires to build the world’s most compact flying taxi, called the e200, for passengers, as well as cargo transport that could help reduce congestion on the roads and emissions from ground transport and lower the risk of road accidents.

The taxi which weighs around 200 kg has a 25 square metre of footprint and has a top speed of up to 200 kmph. The fully-electric taxi offers a range of around 200 km on a single charge.

The e200 is a two-seater aircraft that is designed to operate in urban spaces and can carry people to their destination 10 times faster.

The DOA is a crucial first step in the aircraft certification process, and it paves the way for ePlane to begin commercial production of its e200 eVTOL aircraft.

Uttarakhand To Get First Vande Bharat On 25 May, PM To Flag Off Semi-High Speed Train On Delhi-Dehradun Route

By
Amit Mishra
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0

In a first for the hill state of Uttarakhand, the first Vande Bharat train connecting Dehradun and Delhi will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually on Thursday (25 May).

The inaugural run will be held on 25 May from Dehradun, departing at 11 am. The 22458 /22457 Dehradun-Anand Vihar Terminal-Dehradun Vande Bharat express will commence its commercial journey starting 29 May and will run six days in a week except Wednesday in an eight-coach car configuration.

The semi-high-speed train will cover the distance between the two cities in just four hours and forty-five minutes, with stoppage at Haridwar, Roorkee, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, and Meerut stations en route in both directions.

The Vande Bharat between Delhi-Dehradun, unlike the ones on other routes, is not strictly a daytime train. Starting from Dehradun at 7 am, it will arrive at Anand Vihar Terminal at 11.45 am. In the return journey, the train will leave Anand Vihar at 5.50 pm and will reach Dehradun at 10.35 pm.

The train will provide a faster, more comfortable and more convenient travel experience for rail users, boost tourism and promote economic development in the region.

17th Vande Bharat

The Delhi-Dehradun Vande Bharat will be the 17th such trainset in the series. Earlier on 18 May, the Prime Minister flagged off the 16th Vande Bharat Express between Puri and Howrah.

The Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat marked the debut of India’s first semi-high-speed train in the coastal state of Odisha. The train passes through Khordha, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts in Odisha and Paschim Medinipur, and Purba Medinipur districts in West Bengal.

The first Vande Bharat (VB) train was flagged off on the New Delhi-Kanpur- Allahabad-Varanasi route on 15 February 2019.

Presently, 16 pairs of Vande Bharat Express are in operation over the Indian Railways (IR) network.

  • Five VB trains from Delhi to — Ajmer, Varanasi, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Bhopal and Amb Andaura in Himachal Pradesh.
  • Three VB trains from Mumbai to — Gandhinagar, Shirdi and Solapur.
  • Two VB trains from Chennai to — Mysuru and Coimbatore
  • Two VB trains from Telangana’s Secunderabad to — Visakhapatnam and Tirupati
  • Two VB trains from West Bengal’s Howrah to — New Jalpaiguri and Puri
  • VB trains are also operational on Nagpur-Bilaspur and Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod routes.

Race against time

The railways have set a target to run at least 75 Vande Bharat trains by August 2023, to mark 75th anniversary of India’s Independence — Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Therefore, the Ministry of Railways had streamlined the production of the Vande Bharat rakes, and it is all set for the back-to-back inauguration of new trains.

As such, Mumbai to Goa, Ranchi to Patna, Guwahati to New Jalpaiguri, are some of the routes on which the Vande Bharat Express will run in the coming days as the signature offering from Indian Railways aims to touch all states.

DMRC Completes ‘Mid-Life Refurbishment’ Of 10 Metro Trains WIth New Features; 70 Such Trains To Be Refurbished In Total

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), in a first-of-its-kind exercise, has completed the mid-life refurbishment of 10 train sets which were inducted in the first phase.

The refurbishment process includes installation of CCTV system, fire detection system, mobile charging facilities and LCD- based dynamic route map, refurbishment of wooden floor with composite material and internal painting.

According to the DMRC, the coaches had a design life of 30 years. The refurbishment will ensure that the old coaches can be used efficiently for next 13-15 years.

This present refurbishment exercise is known as ‘mid term rehabilitation’ which comes at around 15 years, half of design life of a coach/train which is 30 years.

The first set of coaches, comprising 70 Metro trains are mostly deployed on the Red and Blue Lines currently. These were procured by DMRC in its Phase-I between 2002 and 2007 and have already completed 14 to 19 years of their overall 30-year life span.

As part of the mid-life refurbishment, the trains are being retrofitted or modified with many new features in order to bring them at par with the rest of the trains which were subsequently introduced into service in DMRC’s Phase-II and III expansions.

The first such train was re-inducted into service in November 2021. The remaining trains were gradually refurbished and re-inducted by April 2023.

In addition, tender has been awarded for taking up the refurbishment work of another 18 trainsets on similar lines and the refurbishment work is likely to be completed by March 2025.

Officials said each train will cost roughly Rs 4 crore to refurbish, and the entire project will cost Rs 280 crore. DMRC officials said that it takes around a month to complete the upgrade for each train.

Preventive Maintenance

At present, the 391-km-long Delhi Metro network has more than 350 trainsets in its fleet.

These trainsets undergo periodical Preventive Maintenance Checks for their world-class upkeep which is carried out at the respective maintenance depots/workshops on all Lines.

It includes 72-Hrs daily check once in three days, A-Check after 15 days, B-1 Check after every 45 days or 15,000 km, B-4 Check after every 6-month or 60,000 km, B-8 Check after one year or 1.2 lakh km and C-1 Check after more than 4 lakh km.

C-2 Check is the last stage of periodic overhauling for trains which is undertaken every eight years and includes overhaul of mechanical, pneumatic and electrical aspects. It takes 10-12 working days.

In A First In India, Chhattisgarh’s Gevra Coal Mine Records 50 Million Tonne Production

By
Amit Mishra
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0

Gevra Mega project in Chhattisgarh recently became the first mine in the country to achieve 50 Million Tonne (MT) of coal production annually.

The feat is quite remarkable, considering the fact that no Indian mine, until now, has produced more than 50 million tonne of coal in a year.

The Centre is now working to expand its capacity to achieve 70 million tonne output annually which would make it the largest coal-producing mine in Asia.

Sangatta Mine in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, is currently the largest coal-producing mine in the Asia-Pacific – the mine produced approximately 51.4 million metric tonne per annum (mmtpa) of Run-of-Mine (ROM) in 2021.

Gevra is an existing mega opencast mine (OCM) in Korba coalfields and is flanked by another two mega opencast mines- Kusmunda OCM in East and Dipka OCM in West.

The mine is under the administrative control of the South Eastern Coalfields (SECL).

South Eastern Coalfields Limited is one of the largest coal-producing subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL) and is the single largest coal producing company of India, with 142.52 MT of coal production in FY 2021-22.

Coal India’s record production has been bright spot in efforts to end India’s worst power crisis in more than six years, as a heatwave has driven up demand for power and forced the government to reverse a policy on cutting coal imports.

Coal India, which accounts for 80 per cent of India’s domestic output, aims to hit annual output of 1 billion tonnes from CIL mines by 2025.

It is noted that CIL and its subsidiaries produced 622.63 MT during the year 2021-22 and 703.21 MT for the year 2022-23, registering a growth of 12.94 per cent. It is expected that CIL will achieve the target of 780 MT coal production for the year 2023-24.

Preparing For The Future: 31-Km Hyderabad Airport Metro Makes Provision For Four More Stations

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The Hyderabad Airport Metro Ltd (HAML), which is implementing the Airport Metro, has kept the option for four additional metro stations open, considering the requirements of the future.

As per the current plan, the 31-km Metro corridor between Raidurg metro station and Airport terminal station will have nine stations, including one underground metro station adjacent to the airport terminal.

However, as per the updated survey and alignment fixation, the airport metro corridor will have an elevated portion of 29.3 km and an underground portion of 1.7 km, along with provision for four additional metro stations.

“Given the large-scale development of commercial and residential skyscrapers along the airport metro line and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s vision of facilitating cost-effective accommodation on the outskirts and reverse commute to workplaces in the city by Airport Metro line, provision has also been kept for construction of four additional stations in future,” said HAML managing director N V S Reddy.

HAML, the special purpose vehicle of Telangana government and a joint venture between Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL), Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and Telangana State Industrial and Infrastructure Cooperation (TSIIC) is building the semi-high-speed corridor under the second phase of the Hyderabad Metro.

Project Details

The foundation stone for the Hyderabad Airport Metro Project was laid by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on 9 December last year. Estimated to cost Rs 6,250 crore, the project is fully funded by the state government.

Taking off from Raidurg Metro Station, the semi-high-speed metro will touch Hyderabad’s Outer Ring Road (ORR) at Nanakramguda junction and traverse along the ORR to reach Shamshabad international airport.

Hyderabad Airport Metro

The proposed project trains will be running at 120 kmph providing fast commute with likelihood of airport check-in at the starting point.

As of now, most of the preliminary works, like survey, peg marking, alignment fixation etc., have been completed and soil testing is in full swing and is expected to be completed by next month.

Global Tenders

Parallel to the preliminary site work, the HAML last week invited tenders through International Competitive Bidding (ICB) for selection of the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the project.

The Rs 5,688 crore tender involves design and construction of all the civil structures, including elevated viaduct, underground structures, stations, track works, electrical and mechanical works, supply and commissioning of rolling stock (train sets), electric traction and power supply, signalling, telecommunications and train control systems, automatic fare collection (AFC) gates etc.

Samruddhi Mahamarg: 80 Km Shirdi-Igatpuri Stretch Under Phase II To Open On 26 May

By
Amit Mishra
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0

Another 80 km of Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg, between Shirdi and Bharvir village in Igatpuri taluka in Nashik district, will be ready for public use next week.

The Shirdi-Bharvir stretch will be inaugurated on 26 May by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, as reported by Indian Express.

The first phase of the Samruddhi Mahamarg, connecting Nagpur to the temple town of Shirdi in Ahmednagar district covering a distance of 520 km, has been in operation since December 2022, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it.

With the latest stretch getting ready to be inaugurated, a total of 600-km from Nagpur to Igatpuri taluka will be opened to the public.

The remaining 100-km stretch under Phase-II between Igatpuri and Vadpe in Thane will be completed by end of this year or by March next year.

Samruddhi Corridor

Officially named ‘Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg’, the 701-km-long expressway connects Mumbai and Nagpur.

The expressway connects 10 districts of the state, namely, Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana, Jalna, Aurangabad, Nashik, Ahmednagar and Thane. The road link is said to be a game changer, especially for the state’s hinterland, as more investments can be attracted with improved connectivity, thereby generating additional employment opportunities

The project is the brainchild of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and was conceptualised when he was the chief minister in 2015.

At present, commuters use NH-3 (Mumbai-Dhule) and NH-6 (Dhule-Nagpur) to reach Nagpur, covering a 839 km distance which takes at least 17 hours. The greenfield expressway, once completed, will reduce the travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai to eight hours.

Up till January 2023, about 90 per cent of work has bene completed on the eight-lane expressway.

Rising Accidents

The expressway, popular among motorists despite lack of wayside passenger amenities, is witnessing a spate of accidents.

Since 11 December, when the phase 1 of the project was opened for vehicular movement, there have been over 900 accidents between Nagpur and Shirdi. The reasons vary from rash driving, overspeeding, tyre burst, overloading of passengers, sleep deprivation, highway hypnosis, etc.

A study conducted by Regional Transport Office (RTO) of Maharashtra government revealed that these accidents had claimed 31 lives till 20 March 2023.

To prevent such occurrence, a committee led by the RTO, state traffic police and an NGO have suggested the MSRDC to paint a few spots and put in place equipment that will produce the sound of police siren to keep drivers alert.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), is the project implementing authority for the expressway.

Maharashtra: Renuka Devi Temple In Nanded To Get Rs 51-Crore Skywalk For Better Crowd Management

By
Amit Mishra
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0

In a bid to spur religious travel, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday (20 May) laid the foundation stone of a Rs 51.03 crore skywalk facility for devotees of the renowned Renuka Devi Temple in Mahur in Maharashtra’s Nanded district.

Located on the top of a hill, devotees currently have to climb 240 stairs to reach Shri Renuka Mata Temple. The skywalk project, once completed will ease the access to Renuka Mata’s shrine and prove to be a boon for old and disabled people.

Under this project, four capsule lifts will shuttle between the base station located at the bottom of the hill and the station near Renuka Mata’s shrine on top of the hill. Each lift will have a carrying capacity of 20 people, thereby carrying 80 at a time.

Apart from the lift, a skywalk bridge will also be constructed in this project, which will have a travelator on both sides and a total of 22 shops in the middle.

The skywalk with a length of 70 metres and a width of 15 metres will enable smooth movement of incoming and outgoing pilgrims.

The skywalk will be equipped with a public address system and also ensure public safety with CCTV cameras installed, and a connection to the police control room.

Additionally, it will provide bins and restroom facilities. The entire bridge will be lit up to facilitate the public.

Devotees will be able to reach the temple premises directly through lift and sky walk bridge. The project will cost Rs 51.03 crore and will be completed in 18 months.

Shakti Peetha

Mahur is the abode of the goddess Renuka, mother of Parshuram, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

There are three mountains in Mahur. The first one and most known is having Renuka Mata Temple. The other two are called Datta Shikhar and Atri Anasuya Shikar temples.

Mahur has a sacred temple to Renuka Mata, which is considered one of the three and half Shakti Peethas (temples) in the state. A big fair is held here every year on the occasion of Vijayadashami.

The move to create infrastructure around religious places is part of the government’s effort to reach out to people across the country and get more religious tourists.

Centre Plans 32-Km Long, Rs 3,000 Crore Road To Link Noida International Airport With IGI Airport In Delhi

By
Amit Mishra
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0

Union Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced a new road connectivity between the under-construction Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh and the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi.

The 32-km-long road is estimated to cost Rs 3,000 crore and is expected to be completed by June 2025.

“Our upcoming projects include connectivity between Indira Gandhi International Airport to Jewar Airport and also to Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. This road will be 32 kilometres in length worth Rs 3,000 crores. This project will be completed by June 2025,” Nitin Gadkari said on 18 June.

The proposed road will also be connected to the Delhi Mumbai expressway (DME) and is part of the plan to provide world-class connectivity to the Jewar airport.

The road-link between the IGI airport and Jewar airport will be in addition to the proposed Metro Rail that will connect Noida International Airport and Delhi’s IGI Airport Via New Delhi Station. Currently, the Airport Express Line or the “Orange” Line, connects New Delhi Railway Station to the IGI Airport.

In November last year, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) signed an agreement with the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEOIDA) for preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for construction of the said metro rail link.

Along with metro connectivity, NIA will also have connectivity to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway with a spur route.

Jewar Airport Link with Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (MetroRailGuy)

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is developing a 31.4 km long 6-lane expressway to connect the NIA with 59 km DND-Faridabad-Ballabgarh Bypass KMP Link Spur on the Delhi-Mumbai expressway.

Also, a ground transportation centre (GTC) which combines all modes of transport under one roof has been proposed near the Jewar airport. Modelled on the lines of Zurich airport, it will house public transport facilities like metro, taxis and bus services, besides private parking.

NIA To Be Ready By 2024

NIA is the upcoming greenfield airport at Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh. It will enhance domestic as well as international connectivity to and from Delhi-NCR, Noida and Western Uttar Pradesh.

The airport, billed to be India’s largest upon completion, will be developed in four phases, with two interconnected terminals and an annual passenger capacity of 70 million.

The first phase spread over 1,334 hectares will have one runway, cargo hub along with a terminal that will cater to domestic and international passengers. As per the concession agreement, the first phase for 12 million passengers per annum is to be completed and made operational by September 2024.

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