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13 Bidders In Fray To Build 20 Km Chennai Port To Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway

By
Amit Mishra
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A total of 13 bidders, including Afcons, Tata Projects and Kalpataru Power Transmission are in fray to construct Chennai Port to Maduravoyal Expressway, The Metrorailguy reported.

These firms have submitted a total of 24 bids for four packages of the project. The bids were opened on Thursday (27 April) and the final bidders for each section will be selected in May or June.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had invited tenders for the project through four EPC packages in July 2022 with a 910-day construction deadline.

Out of the 13 bidders, Afcons Infrastructure Limited and J Kumar Infraprojects Projects are the only two to have bid for all the four packages.

Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, on 23 April had said that work for the greenfield project under the Bharatmala Pariyojana would be awarded by June-end.

Project

The 20.6 km double-decker elevated highway between Madurvoyal on the Chennai-Bengaluru highway and Napier Bridge, adjacent to Chennai port, is being built at a cost of Rs 5,855 crore. The project entails constructing a four-lane elevated corridor.

The first level of the corridor will facilitate movement of light motor vehicles between Koyambedu and Chennai Port, with ramps in 13 places – seven entries and six exits.

Crossing at Maduravoyal Interchange

The second tier has been designed only for heavy motor vehicles between Chennai Port and Maduravoyal.

The project is specifically designed to manage the expected increase in port-bound traffic, which is predicted to double by 2040 from current levels. At present, trucks to and from the port ply through the port’s northern end in Royapuram. However, the elevated project will allow entry and exit through the port’s southern end in the heart of the city.

The completion of this project is expected to alleviate traffic congestion in Chennai by segregating local traffic movement onto one tier of the elevated highway. Additionally, it will double the handling capacity of the port, reduce waiting times at the port, and decrease travel time for vehicles bound for the port by an hour.

Four packages

Package I (0.342 km to 4.604 km) — Bidders are Afcons Infrastructure, Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon, J Kumar Infraprojects, Tata Projects and Transrail Lighting Ltd.

Package II (4.604 km to 9,700 km) — Bidders include Afcons, Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon, G R Infraprojects, J Kumar Infraprojects, Ramalingam Construction Company and Transrail.

Package III (9.700 km to 14.185 km) — The bidders are Afcons Infrastructure, Bridge and Roof Co India, G R Infraprojects, J Kumar Infraprojects, NCC Ltd, P&C Projects Pvt Ltd and Tata Projects.

Package IV (14.185 km to 20.223 km) — Afcons Infrastructure, Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon, Eaglecon Heavy Works, J Kumar Infraprojects Ltd, Kalpataru Power Transmission and PST Engineering Construction have placed bid for this package.

Ratnagiri Oil Refinery: Protest, Politics And The Stakeholders

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) president Uddhav Thackeray will visit Barsu village in Ratnagiri district in the first week of May to express solidarity with the ongoing protests by a section of local residents against the proposed oil refinery.

The decision follows the detention of 111 protestors including women on Tuesday (25 April), who were opposing the state government’s move to start a land survey for the Ratnagiri super refinery project along the coastal Konkan coast of Maharashtra.

Why the project

The project — known as the Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (RRPCL) — was mooted by the Centre and the Maharashtra government in 2014 when BJP-Shiv Sena government ruled the state and was aimed at bringing development to the backward Konkan region.

It was estimated that the project would generate employment for at least one lakh local residents and also create new job generating avenues by setting up ancillary units.

What the project entails ?

Estimated to cost Rs 3 lakh crore, the proposed West Coast refinery will be among India’s largest investment project.

When complete, it will be among the six largest refineries in the world and the largest single location refinery complex in the world with a capacity of 60 million tonnes.

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company, better known as Saudi Aramco, which is the world’s biggest oil producer and the UAE-based Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) hold 50 per cent stake in the proposed refinery. Apart from this, three state-owned PSUs- Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) hold rest of the stake.

The proposed refinery is projected to produce 1.2 million barrels of oil a day and, along with the petrochemical plants associated with it at the same location, will also produce 18 million tonnes of petrochemicals a year.

Upon completion, the project is expected to bring some stability to the oil industry in the region enabling Saudi Aramco and ADNOC to provide steady supply of fuel to India.

Nanar village as first site

The project was originally supposed to come up on around 16,000 acres of land, spread across 17 villages in the adjoining districts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg in the Konkan region. The main oil refinery was to be set up in Nanar village, which falls in the Ratnagiri district.

However, the project was met with strong opposition from local residents citing loss of livelihood through traditional sources. The Konkan region is rich in fishing and cultivation of paddy, mangoes and jack fruit, which are traditionally grown by local residents.

As a result, the Sena, which counts the Konkan region as a traditional bastion, supported them, fearing that any attempt to give a go-ahead for the project could anger the voters. Eventually the Fadnavis government had to scrap the project ahead of the 2019 Assembly and Lok Sabah elections. The then state industries minister, Subash Desai of Shiv Sena, had issued a notification to scrap the project.

It may be recalled, in February 2019, when then BJP-Shiv Sena finalised the seat and power-sharing formula for 2019 Lok Sabha and assembly elections, scrapping Nanar project was one of the conditions.

Barsu-Solgaon as second choice

Immediately afterwards, the State saw a change of guards and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government — led by the Shiv Sena and comprising the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress as allies — was formed.

It was at the instance of Uddhav Thackeray, who then headed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, the project site at Barsu and Solgaon, the other side of Nanar near the Jaitapur Atomic project was zeroed in. Incidentally, both Nanar and Barsu are located in the Rajapur tehsil of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.

“While I did give a letter to the Centre [as then Maharashtra CM] suggesting Barsu as an alternative site for the refinery complex initially proposed at Nanar, I never put pressure on the locals,” he said.

However, villagers from this village, too, objected to the project on similar grounds as the residents of Nanar village had done earlier.

Environmental activists and villagers of Barsu-Solgaon claim that the project would cause large-scale environmental pollution and damage to the region, which is largely dependent on agriculture and is famous for cultivation of the Alphonso mango.

The latest round of protests started last week, after the state government started the process of soil survey to set up the petrochemical refinery.

The conflict between the locals and the government has escalated into a political issue, and the opposition MVA is backing the demonstrations and calling for an immediate halt to the survey.

Heritage Concern

The proposed location of Barsu-Solgaon has also raised heckles among experts and conservationists who claim that the refinery might damage geoglyphs — a form of prehistoric rock art, created on the surface of laterite plateaus- found in the area.

Barsu-Solgaon is gifted with thousand-year-old Geoglyphs and were added to a tentative list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites in April this year.

An expert committee appointed by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology and headed by Senior archaeologist Professor Vasant Shinde, said that more than 250 geoglyphs have been identified in the area where the petrochemical refinery will be built.

“If the project starts at the presently proposed site in Barsu, the rock carvings will get destroyed due to construction and chemical reaction at the site. A refinery project can be set up elsewhere in Konkan beyond 5-6 km of the petroglyphs,” Shinde said.

What next

The Opposition, unwilling to cede space, has demanded that the soil survey work be stopped until the government finds solution through peaceful means and demanded that the protests are handled with “sensitivity”.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde criticized the opposition and stated that the State Government would not initiate the Barsu refinery project without the consent of the people, regardless of the circumstances. He mentioned that the government had conducted boring and soil testing procedures but was not planning to commence the project right away.

Uttar Pradesh’s First Tabletop Airport At Chitrakoot Likely To be Operational Soon

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The first tabletop airport of Uttar Pradesh at Chitrakoot is likely to be operational in the coming months.

Constructed at the cost of Rs 146 crore, it will be the first operational airport in Bundelkhand, giving a big boost to tourism and pilgrimage especially in this temple town.

The new airport will be managed by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) as part of an agreement with the Uttar Pradesh government.

A 20-seater aircraft will also start flying from Chitrakoot under the Centre’s UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme.

According to a government spokesman, “currently, the work on approach roads is going on at the airport construction site and it will take some months to finish that work”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been giving special impetus on the development of Bundelkhand region, may inaugurate the airport project once it is ready.

Tabletop Airport

A tabletop airport is situated and constructed on top of a plateau or steep terrain, with one or both runway ends looking down over a drop.

Lengpui (Mizoram), Shimla and Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), Pakyong (Sikkim), Mangaluru (Karnataka), Kozhikode and Kannur (both Kerala) are the airports in the country considered as tabletop airports.

There is no reference to a “tabletop airport” in any International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) technical document, according to a retired aviation official.

However, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s statutory aviation regulator refers to these airports in this manner to emphasise safety procedures during operations at these runways.

The most crucial parts of any aircraft operation are the landing and take-off phases. The pressure is significantly greater for the pilots, on runways with little room for manoeuvring like the tabletop runways.

Chitrakoot Airport

Chitrakoot means the ‘Hill of many wonders’. Chitrakoot falls in the northern Vindhya range of mountains spread over the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Legend has it that Chitrakoot was the place where Lord Ram, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman spent a major part of their exile time (around 11 years).

According to the epic Ramayan, it is the place where Bharat, brother of Lord Rama came to visit him and asked him to return to Ayodhya and rule the kingdom. It is believed that the supreme gods of Hinduism, (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) took incarnations here.

The place is dotted with many temples and several religious sites such as Kamad Giri, Hanuman Dhara, Janki Kund, Lakshman Pahari and Devangana.

UP’s First Medical Device Park: 26 Allottees Receive Nod To Establish Their Units At Sector 28 In YEIDA Region

By
Amit Mishra
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0

Even as the Union Cabinet on Wednesday (26 April) approved the National Medical Devices Policy, 2023, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) has fast tracked its upcoming Medical Device Park at Sector 28.

This comes in the backdrop of the Authority clearing the decks for 26 land allottees to set up their production units at Medical Device Park by handing them over land parcels.

Spread across an area of 350 acres, the Medical Device Park (MDP) will be northern India’s largest such facility. It’s aimed at attracting an investment of Rs 15,000 crore and creating employment opportunities for 7,000 people.

Located in Sector 28 of YEIDA region, the Medical Device Park is situated barely 3 km from the upcoming Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar in Greater Noida and is well connected with the neighbouring cities of Delhi-NCR by excellent road network.

Project Location

The YEIDA has so far allotted 59 plots through a draw process — 37 in phase 1 and 22 in phase 2.

Out of this, 26 land allottees were handed over land deeds, lease plans and other document on Wednesday which would enable them to set up their production units at the MDP.

The plots assigned to allottees vary in size — 1,000 sq metre, 2,100 sq metre and 4,000 sq metre.

The top five allottees with 4,000sq metre plots are — Auzein Medical Pvt Ltd (for establishing an orthopaedic implant unit with an investment of Rs 18.15 crore), Heidelco Medicore Pvt Ltd (for setting up an automated external defibrillator and oxygen concentrator unit with an investment of Rs 24 crore), Q Line Biotech (for setting up a similar unit), Ramsons Group (for setting up anaesthesia needle and kit unit worth Rs 15 crore), and Genuince Medica Pvt Ltd (for setting up of anaesthesia workstation unit worth Rs 18.5 crore).

About The Park

The state government had conceptualised the MDP in YEIDA region to address to the key concerns of Indian manufacturers which primarily include access to cost effective testing and scientific facilities. Subsequently, the MDP got in-principal approval from the Government of India on 24 September 2021.

Besides providing incentives to allottees in terms of capital interest subsidy, stamp duty and air cargo handling, the allottees in the proposed park will also get subsidised electricity, water, warehousing and reimbursement related to skill development, patent and quality certification.

Status

While works related to the external and internal development of the Medical Device Park have been almost completed, the administrative block is under construction and the construction of the common facility centre (CFC) is likely to start soon.

The Central government has allotted Rs 100 crore for this purpose.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals implements the scheme ‘Promotion of Medical Devices Parks’ to provide financial assistance to state governments for the setting up of Common Infrastructure Facilities (CIFs) in the medical devices parks being developed by the states. The total financial outlay of the scheme is Rs 400 crore and the maximum assistance under the scheme per state is limited to Rs 100 crore.

Further, the Union Commerce Ministry is working to establish an export promotion council at the park to facilitate the allottees in export documentation, and getting export and other grants.

Officials said allottees will have to pay the total cost of the plot within five years. However, they will have to make their unit operational in two years after getting possession of the plot.

With a rising import bill of Rs 63,000 crore and 80 per cent import dependence, the medical devices industry “is the next big profitable opportunity” for India, after the IT and pharma sectors, to support employment and the economy.

After Tata Steel, UltraTech Leverages Inland Waterways To Transport Phosphogypsum

By
Amit Mishra
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0

In a first-of-its-kind initiative for the cement sector in India, UltraTech Cement Limited has leveraged inland and coastal waterways to transport phosphogypsum consignment.

The consignment of 57,000 metric tons (MT) of phosphogypsum was transported in a bulk cargo carrier from Paradeep port in Odisha and reached the jetty of UltraTech Cements’ Gujarat Cement Works (GCW) located in Kovaya of Amreli district in Gujarat on 26 April.

The cement flagship company of Aditya Birla Group (ABG) has sourced the phosphogypsum – a by-product of phosphatic fertilizer plants, from Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), and Paradeep Phosphates Limited (PPL).

“This industry-first initiative of UltraTech in using inland and coastal waterways for transport of phosphogypsum will help to further strengthen the role of the cement sector in driving circular economy in India,” said K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited.

The Company has indicated its plans to continue to leverage inland and coastal waterways for transport of phosphogypsum from Paradeep basis the production requirements at its Gujarat Cement Works factory.

Tata’s Sustainable Model

This pioneering initiative of UltraTech to transport phosphogypsum through inland waterways is already in practice at Tata Steel

In February 2023, Tata Steel successfully completed the first multi-modal shipment of 960 tonnes of steel TMT bars from Haldia port in West Bengal to Agartala in Tripura via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route.

The entire transportation from being flagged off to receiving material at distributor’s warehouse was completed in 17 days, it said.

The barge ‘MV Bulker’ containing the consignment was launched from the Haldia port on 8 January and the first leg of the journey was through the inland waterways using IBP route to the transfer point at Ashuganj port in Bangladesh.

Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route

The bars were then unloaded, and the second leg transportation via road to a Land Port Authority of India warehouse at Agartala, at the India-Bangladesh border was carried out. In the third and final leg of the journey, trucks were used to transship goods from this warehouse to the distributor’s warehouse in Agartala.

Prior to that, in 2022, Tata Steel had undertaken its maiden multimodal shipment of TMT bars from Haldia Port in West Bengal to Pandu Port in Assam using the IBP route via Brahmaputra River, becoming the first steel company in India to do so. It was a landmark effort to decarbonise the steel sector and the country.

This shipment of 1,793 MT of steel rods from Tata Steel in Jamshedpur that arrived at Haldia on rail before being loaded on to river barges marks the beginning of the use of multimodal logistics, a landmark effort to decarbonise the steel sector and the country.

These initiatives have brought into spotlight how inland waterways can be a sustainable logistics model and how the use of ‘Multimodal Supply Chain’ can be a cost viable and safe transport option for other companies to replicate.

Mumbai To Get Its First Road With Dedicated Underground Utility Corridor

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The Lallubhai Park Road in Andheri west is all set to become the first cement concrete road in Mumbai to boast of a first-of-its-kind utility corridor.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in April 2021 had started work to lay a utility corridor under Lallubhai Park Road. After a year of hard work, the 1.8-km road is set to be completed soon.

The project included the installation of cross-connection ducts located 30 metres apart, which will prevent the need for future digging to lay cables.

The cross-connection ducts will carry the utility lines to either side of the buildings as per requirement.

The Andheri MLA, Ameet Satam, who had first mooted the project in the state Assembly in 2017, said that it was a dream come true for him as the Lallubhai Park Road is the first in the city with a planned utility corridor and henceforth, all future roads in city will be built with this technology.

Following a request from the local MLA, the BMC deployed machinery for conducting GPR (Ground Penetration Radar) survey which revealed over 30 different cables, including those for electricity, gas, and the internet, running below the road.

Satam’s letter, addressed to CM Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in 2022, highlighted that the deteriorating state of the city’s roads is due to continual, unplanned digging for various purposes. Thus, he proposed the incorporation of the utility corridor provision in the road tender itself.

The project will minimise the amount of digging required and reduce damage caused to the city’s roads during cable-laying work. “The idea is that once a road is built, there should be no need to dig it up unless the road itself is being repaired,” said a BMC officer.

Odisha: DMRC To Help Prepare DPR For Metro Rail Project In Bhubaneshwar

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) will utilise the expertise of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for the elevated rail-based metro system for the state capital.

According to the plan, Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Ltd (ORIDL), a joint venture of Odisha government and the Ministry of Railways, will prepare the DPR for the proposed metro rail project between twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, with the aid of DMRC.

Apart from the DPR, a master plan will also be prepared for the metro network covering other areas of Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Cuttack and Puri.

The decisions were made during a high-level meeting presided over by Balwant Singh, vice-chairman of the BDA on 24 April.

The state government has also formed a City Coordination Committee (CCC) comprising entities like the city municipal corporation, development authority, Police Commissionerate among others to look after smooth execution of the metro project.

The Project

Earlier on 01 April, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had announced the development of the state’s first metro project in Bhubaneshwar.

According to the project approval signed by the Chief Minister on Utkala Dibasa, the statehood day of Odisha, the Metro Project will connect the capital city Bhubaneswar with other peripheral urban centres – Cuttack, Puri and Khordha.

Official sources in the Housing and Urban Development department said that in the first phase, the metro will run from Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar to Netaji Bridge, the entry point to Cuttack from north Bhubaneswar.

The Metro route will cover a distance of over 20 km and will tentatively touch major landmarks such as Bhubaneswar railway station, Nandankanan, Patia, and Vani Vihar.

The project will be predominantly based on elevated corridors and will be entirely funded by the state government, said the Chief Minister.

The metro project is likely to be expanded to other nearby towns like Cuttack, Khurda and Puri in subsequent phases, said official sources.

While approving the project, the Odisha CM had directed the Housing and Urban Development department to complete the DPR on a war-footing for the project.

Equipped with state-of art facilities, the metro will not only offer world-class, environment-friendly urban transport for an emerging and aspirational Odisha, but also spur economic activities and accelerate expansion of our urban city cluster, covering Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri and Khordha.

The metro project in Bhubaneswar, Puri, Khurda and Jatni is likely to entail an investment of over Rs 15,000 crore.

Hyderabad: Systra Led Consortium Wins The Race For General Consultant Role For 31 Km Airport Metro

By
Amit Mishra
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0

Systra-RITES-DB consortium has been chosen as the General Consultant (GC) for Hyderabad Airport Metro project.

The 31-km Hyderabad Airport Metro Express project will connect Mindspace junction near Rayadurgam Metro Station to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad, with a travel time of 26 minutes.

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

According to the information provided by HAML managing director NVS Reddy, the SYSTRA-led consortium were technically the highest scorer and also emerged as the lowest bidder (financially L1) with a quote of Rs 98.54 crore.

The consortium as the GC for Hyderabad Airport Metro project will deploy 18 specialist experts and about 70 senior and field engineers during construction of the project, said Reddy.

The HAML in December 2022 had called for tenders for appointment of a general consultant for the project to oversee the work of tender documentation, reviewing the detailed project report (DPR) prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) five years ago, planning, quality control, and so on.

A total of five engineering consortiums had qualified for appointment as general consultant for the project.

The qualified consortiums included AECOM India + Egis Rail (France) + Egis India; Ayesa Ingenieria y Arquitectura (Spain) + Aarvee Associates + Nippon Koi (Japan); Consulting Engineers Group + Korea National Railway (South Korea); Systra (France) + RITES + DB Engineering & Consulting (Germany); and Technica y Proyectos (Spain) + PINI Group (Switzerland).

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 terminal station, it 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 semi-high-speed metro will be mostly elevated with 27.5 km of the total 31 km going to be elevated while 2.5 km in the airport area will be underground and about 1 km will be at grade or road level. 

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 after with few halts en route till the airport terminal. 

Soli Testing Underway

After fixing the alignment and completion of peg marking, soil testing has been commenced for determining the soil bearing capacity of Airport Metro in Hyderabad.

The soil testing will be done for about two months for 100 metro pillar locations starting from IKEA junction and going up to Shamshabad International Airport, informed Reddy.

The process involves collecting borehole soil samples up to a depth of about 40 feet from road surface at each location. Soil bearing capacity will be determined through both, in-situ tests and lab tests of the soil samples, Reddy said.

The detailed soil investigation is a necessary exercise to ascertain the type of foundation, that is, open foundation or pile foundation, required depth of the foundation and allowable bearing pressure among others. Further, these results will also guide the prospective bidders to assess their rates for taking up construction.

The soil testing exercise is expected to be completed in two months and the exercise will run parallelly to the tender preparation and other pre-construction activities.

Agra Metro: First Tunnel Breakthrough Achieved In Record Time Of 77 Days

By
Amit Mishra
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0

In a major milestone for Agra Metro Rail Project, TBM ‘Yamuna’ achieved first breakthrough at Agra Fort Metro Station on Tuesday (25 April).

The 85-metre-long and 450-tonne-weighing tunnel boring machine (TBM) Yamuna, completed the 440-metre-long tunnel connecting the upcoming underground Jama Masjid metro station with Agra Fort metro station in a short span of 77 days.

Tunnel construction workers.

Sushil Kumar, managing director, Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) said, “This is the fastest breakthrough (distance travelled by TBM for making tunnel between two stations) achieved by any metro project in the country, in a record 77 days since TBM launch”.

Earlier in February 2023, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath had commissioned two TBMs — Yamuna and Ganga — to build 3 km long tunnel of the 6 km priority corridor between Taj East Gate and Jama Masjid.

The TBM Yamuna, after its first breakthrough at Agra Fort Metro Station, will go on to construct tunnel till Taj Mahal Metro Station.

Similarly, the second TBM Ganga has dug up a more than 100-metre-long parallel tunnel from Ramleela Maidan to Agra Fort.

“The two TBMs are operational. A safe distance between the two TBMs has been maintained as part of safety procedure,” said UPMRC official.

Two Routes

The 29.4 km Agra Metro has two corridors with 27 stations.

Agra Metro Map

The 14 km first corridor between Taj East Gate and Sikandra is now under development and has 13 stations — six elevated and seven underground.

The second corridor to be built between Agra Cantt and Kalindi Vihar in Agra City will be 15.4-km-long and will be completely elevated with 14 stations.

Priority Corridor

The Priority corridor is a 6-km stretch on Corridor 1 and runs from Taj East Gate to Jama Masjid.

It has three elevated metro stations – Taj East Gate, Basai and Fatehabad Road along with three underground metro stations — Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Jama Masjid.

The civil work-related to the elevated stretch was completed when the last U-Girder was erected on 13 March.

Similarly, the UPMRC has already constructed all the three elevated stations of Taj East Gate, Basai and Fatehabad Road.

Taj East Gate Metro Station
Basai metro Station
Fatehabad Road Metro Station

However, the tunneling work on the priority corridors’ 3 km underground section between Taj Mahal and Jama Masjid started only in February 2023.

With the breakthrough of the TBM at Agra Fort station, the commissioning of the Priority Corridor is expected to meet August 2024 deadline.

MD Sushil Kumar said, “This is an important milestone as the first tunnel section out of three sections has been completed. We are striving to commence metro operations six months ahead of schedule — that is March 2024 instead of the actual deadline of August 2024. The three elevated stations and train depot are almost ready. The testing and commissioning of three trains are under progress at the train depot at high-speed test track.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of Agra Metro Project in December 2020.

Kerala: PM Modi Lays Foundation Stone For Redevelopment Of Railway Stations In Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode And Varkala Sivagiri

By
Amit Mishra
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0

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of three major Railway stations, Thiruvananthapuram, Varkala Sivagiri and Kozhikode in Kerala.

The Southern Railway has taken up the redevelopment of these station so as to offer modern infrastructure and airport-like facilities for the passengers and will transform the rail travel experience.

Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station

Thiruvananthapuram, at the southernmost tip of Indian Railway network, is the most popular gateway to many of the tourist destinations of Kerala and a small portion of Tamil Nadu. 

From a tourism perspective, the station serves eight out of the fourteen districts of Kerala besides the famous Cape Comorin falling in Tamil Nadu.

The redevelopment of the largest railway station in Kerala, the Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station, at a cost of Rs 495 crore, will act as a multi-modal connectivity hub.

As per the project’s concept plan, the station ought to be developed to international standards, as a multi-modal transport hub having disabled-friendly amenities. The structures must be eco-friendly and must make maximum use of light and ventilation.

The aesthetically designed station will include a spacious concourse and Divyangjan-friendly amenities and will provide accessibility to iconic tourist destinations.

Kozhikode Railway Station

The redevelopment of Kozhikode Railway Station at a cost of Rs 475 crore will be serving over 60,000 passengers daily.

This redeveloped Kozhikode Railway Station will offer convenience to passengers with disabilities by providing facilities that are Divyangjan-friendly, such as escalators, lifts, and stairways.

Varkala Sivagiri Railway Station

Located near Varkala beach and the Varkala Municipal Bus station, the station serves the people of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts of Kerala. The station records a footfall of approximately 9,480 on a daily average.

The redeveloped Varkala Sivagiri Railway Station, at a cost of Rs 170 crore will provide easy connectivity in the region.

As per the plan, the redeveloped station will be aesthetically pleasing with modern amenities for passengers, designated parking areas, separate arrival and departure corridor.

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