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Six Corridors, 1400 Km Highway Network: Jharkhand’s Plan To Improve Road Connectivity

By
Amit Mishra
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Jharkhand may soon get a network of four-lane road corridors which will ease connectivity across the length and breadth of the mineral-rich state.

The Road Construction Department has invited eligible consultants for carrying out feasibility study and preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for six such corridors totaling 1,369 km in the state.

The six corridors include East-West Corridor (393 km), Jharkhand Eastern Corridor (121 km), North-South Corridor (275 km), Jharkhand Central Corridor (140 km), Tourist Corridor (270 km), and Holy Tourist Corridor (170 km).

The scope of the work includes improvement and upgradation of the 2-Lane to 4-Lane configuration and construction of a 4-lane greenfield stretch.

A period of 90 days has been fixed for making the DPR. Once DPR is approved by the state government, the agency will float tenders for construction of these roads.

The proposed alignment of these corridors are (see the image below):

Proposed Alignment of Six Corridors.

1. East-West Highway Corridor: Murisemar-Chatra-Barhi-Bengabad-Madhupur-Sarath-Palajori-Dumka

2. Jharkhand Eastern Corridor: Sahebganj- Jamtara-Nirsa-Sindri-Chandankiyari- Chandil Highway Corridor

3. North-South Corridor: Jhumri-Tilaiya-(NH 31)-NH-2(Antkidih)-Bishnugarh-Petarwar-Kasmar-Barlanga-Silii-Radgaon-Saraikela-Chaibasa-Jaingarh upto Odisha Border

4. Jharkhand Central Corridor: Ranchi-Kathitanr-Thakurgaon-Burhmu-Tandwa-Chatra-Hunterganj upto Bihar Border

5. Tourist Corridor: Milan Chowk (Silli Rangamati Road)-Sarjamdih-Tamar-Khunti-Govindpur-Sisai-Ghaghra-Netarhat-Garu-Saryu-Latehar-Herhanj-Balumath-Mcluskiganj-Chama More

6. Holy Tourist Corridor: Ranchi-Ormanjhi-Gola-Rajrappa-Lugupahari-Penk-Dumri-Giridih-Budhai-Deoghar

The Tourist corridor has been planned to provide seamless connectivity to major tourist destinations in the state, namely, Netarhat and McCluskieganj.

Similarly, the Holy Tourist Corridor will ease the pilgrimage to key religious attractions such as Birsa, Lugubura, Parasnath and Babadham (Deoghar).

Arabian Sea, Fishing Nets, Crashing Tides — A Sneak Peek Into What Inspired The Designs Of Four Bullet Train Stations In Maharashtra

By
Amit Mishra
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0

Mumbai’s landmark geological features — the Arabian Sea, tides, winds, clouds, fishing net and the waves in oceans have inspired the design of the four stations of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) in Maharashtra.

The designs of four stations — Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Thane, Virar and Boisar — on the high speed corridor commonly known as the Bullet Train project, were revealed last week.

While a few BKC station slides had been released earlier, this is the first time that the entire set of drawings is out.

“We have considered the components and elements around that station while designing them,” said Sushma Gaur, Additional General Manager, Public Relations, National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).

Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC)

Bandra Kurla Complex station is the only underground station on the MAHSR corridor and it is planned at a depth of about 24 metres below the ground level. The station will have three floors.

BKC Station

BKC station’s aesthetic has been inspired by clouds and crashing tides of Arabian Sea with diamond-like dots, as the station will come up next to Bharat Diamond Bourse — world’s largest diamond bourse.

Thane Station

Being close to Ulhas River, the roof and entrance building will create an impression of waves.

Thane Station

Further, being close to mangroves, the entrance of the station will be a little away from the platform.

To account for this, the foramen has been planned in a way such that while coming towards the station, the passengers will see the front side of the station that will be in the form of wave.

Virar Station

The third station at Virar will depict the winds from the mountain. The station is located on a hill and hence everything is planned like that.

Virar Station

Boisar Station

Boisar, the last station of the project in Maharashtra, is a part of the coastal region known as the Konkan with the Arabian Sea forming its western coast, and is primarily inhabited by fishing community.

Boisar station

The station façade is an abstract depiction of fishing nets used by these fishermen — a recognition of the local fishing community in Mumbai’s growth story.

The country’s first ‘bullet’ train, a nickname the train gets from its bullet-like shape and speed, will traverse along west India’s landscape, covering 508.17 km distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in just about two hours.

The project will have four stations in Maharashtra – Mumbai (BKC), Thane, Virar and Boisar — and eight in Gujarat — Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand/Nadiad, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati.

BEST Rolls Out India’s First AC Double Decker Electric Bus, Commercial Services To Begin Soon

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) on Monday inaugurated the country’s first electric air-conditioned (AC) double-decker bus.

However, it may take two to three days for the new vehicle to commence commercial operations as the regional transport agency in Mumbai is yet to finish the registration process for the electric bus.

The electric double-decker bus with a seating capacity of 73 will ply between Kurla bus depot and Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).

The BEST undertaking provides bus transport within Brihanmumbai limits and also in Navi Mumbai, Thane and Mira-Bhayander areas. On an average 2.9 million passengers are travelling daily on 505 bus routes with the help of 3,800 buses.

Switch Mobility

The bus, Switch EiV 22, has been manufactured by Switch Mobility, the electric vehicle making subsidiary of bus specialist Ashok Leyland.

Designed, developed and manufactured in India and utilising Switch’s global electric bus experience, Switch EiV 22 is world’s first semi-low floor, air conditioned, electric double decker with wider door on rear overhang and a rear staircase and is priced at around Rs 2 crore.

The first prototype of the electric bus was launched by Union minister Nitin Gadkari in Mumbai in August 2022.

The company is in a contract with BEST for the supply of 200 such buses in phases. Of these, 50 per cent of buses are expected to be delivered by March 2023 and the remaining 50 per cent thereafter.

OHM Global Mobility, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, will own the buses, run the operations and do the charging, maintenance of the vehicle. Switch will look at the annual maintenance contract (AMC) through its dealer partners.

The launch of iconic double decker is a momentous occasion as Ashok Leyland was the first company to deliver double decker buses to BEST in 1967.

Mumbai and double decker buses have been synonymous with public transport, and naturally, the new bus service will not only bring back fond memories for Mumbaikars, but will transform the public transport space in terms of sustainability and comfort.

Hindenburg Fallout: Airport, Road, Port And Green Hydrogen Plans Up For Recalibration As Adani Group Slashes Capex

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The current stock market sentiment towards the Adani Group will now force the group to raise high-cost debt or scale back its ambitious expansion plans.

Ports-to-energy conglomerate Adani Group has halved its revenue growth target and plans to hold off fresh capital expenditure, reports Business Standard, as the beleaguered firm scrambles to undo the damage from a scathing report by Hindenburg Research on 24 January this year.

US-based short seller Hindenburg Research in its report accused the company of accounting fraud and stock manipulation which triggered a stock rout and wiped about 20 per cent off the Adani empire’s market value.

The scaling of capital expenditure (Capex) is a necessary evil for the firm as it prioritises bolstering its financial health over aggressive expansion.

However, holding back on investments by the Ahmedabad-based industrial house means it will likely have a ripple effect on some big-ticket infrastructure projects across the globe.

Rising Through Ranks

The first-generation entrepreneur, who started with an agri-trading firm in 1980s, earned its stripes as a mine developer and port operator.

The group’s dominance in India’s infrastructure sector can be ascertained by the fact that it controls a significant portion of India’s airports, ports, roads, city-gas distribution, and power generation and distribution. In the past couple of years, it has forayed into green energy, cement, media, data centres and real estate.

Adani emerged the surprise victor of India’s airport privatisation push in 2018, winning the right to operate and develop all six facilities up for auction.

Since then it has managed to acquire management rights for eight airports including four international airports and four regional airports. Together these airports handled 36.9 million passengers in FY22 amounting to at least 20 per cent of the overall passenger traffic in India.

Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL), the flagship company of the Adani Group, has also emerged as one of India’s biggest road developers in recent years, with 18 highway stretches in its portfolio with more than 6,400 lane kms and an asset value exceeding Rs 44,000 crore.

Spread over 10 states  — Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, West Bengal and Odisha, the portfolio has a mix of HAM (hybrid annuity mode), TOT (toll-operate-transfer) and BOT (build-operate-transfer) type assets.

Similarly, the group is managing 13 domestic ports in seven maritime states accounting for nearly one-fourth of the cargo movement in the country.

If we factor in the fact that the group is now India’s second largest cement manufacturer (capacity 67.5 MTPA), one may easily understand how the future of much of the country’s key infrastructure projects is tied to the group.

Bankrolling Projects

The immediate fallout of the scandal was that the group had to call off the Rs 20,000 crore follow-on public offering (FPO) which has impeded its efforts to bankroll its ongoing projects as well as new businesses, including roads, metals and green hydrogen.

A look at the key infra projects that risk going haywire due to cash flow issues:

  1. Ganga Expressway: Adani Enterprises Ltd is currently implementing three major stretches of the greenfield Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh which will connect Meerut with Prayagraj.

    Of its 594-km length, AEL will build 464 km from Budaun to Prayagraj, which comprises 80 per cent of the expressway project.

    The company has achieved financial closure for the project with the State Bank of India underwriting the entire debt requirement of Rs 10,238 crore.

    With a project cost of over Rs 17,000 crore, this is India’s largest ever expressway project awarded to a private company under PPP framework.

  2. Airport Expansion:  The Adani group will invest about Rs 10,000 crore in the Ahmedabad airport between 2023 and 2027 to augment its passenger handling capacity by three times, making it a regional hub.

    Similarly, it has planned to invest Rs 10,700 crore for Lucknow airport expansion which will enable the airport to increase its annual passenger handling capacity from four million passengers per annum (MPPA) to 39 MPPA.

  3. Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA): The second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) is being implemented by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL). The work on the first phase development is expected to be completed by December 2024.

    In FY22, Adani Airports managed a financial closure for the greenfield airport project with State Bank of India for an entire debt of Rs 12,770 crore.

  4. Port Expansion: Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) — India’s largest private sector port operator already has a 30 per cent domestic market share and has been securing global contracts, including the Haifa Port project in Israel and a port terminal in Sri Lanka.

    In September 2022, the group was selected to develop Rs 25,000 crore greenfield deep-sea port at Tajpur in West Bengal. The company is waiting for completion of statutory formalities, such as the draft concession agreement from the state.

    The group is also working to expand the cargo handling at Hazira port in Gujarat by 150 million tonnes (mt) to 234 mt with an investment of over Rs 14,000 crore.

  5. Dharavi Redevelopment: Adani Realty, the real estate arm of the conglomerate has won the bid for the ambitious Dharavi redevelopment project that seeks to transform Asia’s second-largest slum cluster.

    The project is expected to hit the ground in October 2023, once the letter of intent is issued to the Adani Group and formal MOU is signed in February 2023.

    The group has won the bid for the project by promising an initial investment of Rs 5,069 crore for the overall Rs 20,000 crore project.

  6. Green Hydrogen: Adani also plans to invest over $50 billion over the next 10 years in green hydrogen and associated ecosystem, though Adani New Industries Ltd (ANIL), the groups’ exclusive platform for the production and commercialisation of green hydrogen in India.

    Pursuant to this, French multi-energy company TotalEnergies in June 2022 agreed to acquire a 25 per cent interest in ANIL to develop the green hydrogen ecosystem.

    However, in response to Hindenburg allegations, TotalEnergies has put on hold participation in the Adani’s $50 billion hydrogen project pending the results of an audit. This could be a big blow for the new venture’s timelines of production of green hydrogen at $1 per kg by 2030.

The current stock market sentiment towards the Adani Group will now force the group to raise high-cost debt or scale back its ambitious expansion plans.

Either way a lot is at stake for the Adani Group and crucial infrastructure projects.

Metro To Connect Satellite Cities Of Nagpur: Preliminary Work On 43-Km Phase II Commences

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The metro link to major industrial and mining areas of Nagpur has started taking shape with the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) commencing preliminary work on phase II of the project.

To this end, the MMRCL has invited tenders for appointment of consultant for carrying out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and preparation of Environmental Mitigation Plan (EMP) for 43 km network under Phase II.

The 43.8 km Phase II comprises 1.25 km at-grade with two stations and 42.55 km elevated with 30 stations.

This includes 31.7 km North-South corridor from Kanhan river to MIDC ESR with 22 stations and 12.1 km East-West Corridor from Transport Nagar to Hingna with 10 stations.

RITES Limited; a Railway PSU had prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Nagpur Metro Rail Project Phase II in November 2019, based on which the project is proposed to be implemented.

Phase I Metro Network

Nagpur is the third largest city in Maharashtra and a major commercial and political centre of the Vidarbha region in the state. The city is also considered as the second greenest city in India along with title ‘Tiger Capital of India’ as it connects to many tiger reserves in the country.

Rapid urbanization and intense commercial developments in recent past have resulted in steep rise in travel demand putting Nagpur’s transport infrastructure to stress. To relieve this stress, Nagpur Metro Phase I is already in operation.

The Phase I of Nagpur Metro comprises a 39-km-long elevated stretch, with 38 stations and two depots. The entire stretch has been divided into two corridors: North-South (Orange Line) and East-West (Aqua line).

Nagpur Metro Phase I Route Map

The 19.6-km-long North-South corridor with 18 stops operates between Automotive Square and Khapri. The East-West corridor with a length of 18.5 km connects Prajapati Nagar on the eastern part of the city with Lokmanya Nagar in the western part of the city and has 20 stops.

Four Extensions

As part of the proposal, the second phase will start from places where phase I has ended in different parts of the city.

The four extensions are as:

  • Corridor 1A: MIHAN – MIDC ESR (18.6 km)
  • Corridor 2A: Automotive Square-Kanhan River (13 km)
  • Corridor 3A: Lokmanya Nagar-Hingna (6.7 km)
  • Corridor 4A: Prajapati Nagar-Kapsi (5.5 km)
Nagpur Metro Phase II Route Map

It will connect the satellite cities like Transport Hub at Kapsi, Industrial areas of Hingna and Butibori and Mining areas at Kanhan.

The foundation stone of Nagpur Metro Phase II was laid down by the Prime Minister on 11 December 2022 and is targeted to be completed by 2026. The project with an estimated cost of Rs 6,700 crore will take the total length of Nagpur Metro project to 82 km.

Running Three Years Behind Schedule, Only 5 Per Cent Work Completed On 32 Km Patna Metro

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The Patna Metro project is running behind schedule with only 5 per cent work completed till 31 January 2023, as per the data submitted by the Union government in the ongoing session of Parliament.

The government of India had sanctioned Patna Metro Rail project in February, 2019 with a project completion period of five years from the date of approval.

The Bihar government has constituted Patna Metro Rail Corporation Limited (PMRC) as the implementing agency for Patna Metro. PMRC has entered into an agreement with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) for execution of the project in September 2019.

Metro Network

The project envisages construction of two corridors namely Danapur to Khemnichak and Patna Junction to New ISBT with a total length of 32 km and 24 stations.

Alignment of Patna Metro

The 17.94-km-long West-East corridor (Corridor 1) will operate between Danapur and Khemnichak.

It will have 14 stations, namely, Danapur Cantonment, Saguna More, RPS More, Patliputra, Rukanpura, Raja Bazar, Patna Zoo, Vikas Bhawan, Vidyut Bhawan, Patna Junction, Mithapur, Ramakrishna Nagar, Jaganpura and Khemnichak.

The North-South corridor with a length of 14.5 km connects Patna Junction with New ISBT. It includes 6.6 km elevated priority corridor and 7.9 km underground stretch.

The elevated priority corridor will have five metro stations, namely, Malahi Pakri, Khemnichak, Bhoothnath, Zero Mile and Patliputra Bus Terminal (New ISBT).

The underground section will run between Frazer Road to Rajendra Nagar, consisting of seven underground stations — Patna Junction, Akashvani, Gandhi Maidan, PMCH, Patna University, Moin-ul-Haq Stadium and Rajendra Nagar.

Patna Junction and Khemnichak will be the interchangeable station between the two corridors and will have two platforms at the same level.

Single Depot

There will be only one depot for the entire Patna Metro, to be built at SH-1, Bairiya Chak in Sampatchak at Paijawa, near the New ISBT.

The proposed deadline for the completion of metro depot is March 2025 along with the priority corridor.

ISBT depot is proposed to be constructed in a total area of 30.5 hectares, out of which 19.2 hectares are dedicated to the depot and rest for property development.

Status

The foundation stone of the project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17 February 2019 and the ground work on the project commenced on 23 September 2020.

While DMRC has already awarded several civil tenders for both the corridors, the primary target is to operationalise the priority corridor by 2025. The underground section of Corridor 2 will be completed by 2026.

A total of 30 per cent civil works have been completed on the priority corridor. The civil work on priority corridor is to get ready by last quarter of 2024, after which electrical and rolling stock work will start.

According to PMRC, the entire project is likely to be completed in February 2027.

Lithium In Abundance: 5.9 Million Tonne Deposits Found In Jammu And Kashmir

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The Ministry of Mines on Thursday (9 February) announced that lithium reserves have been found for the first time in the country in Jammu and Kashmir.

The 5.9 million tonne lithium inferred resources have been established in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi District of Jammu and Kashmir by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) during preliminary exploration (G3) stage.

This is the first significant mineral discovery in India, as previously only a small reserve had been discovered in Karnataka.

Preliminary surveys by Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) have shown presence of lithium inferred resources of 1,600 tonne in Marlagalla in Mandya district of Karnataka.

Lithium Criticality

The bedrock of EV transition, lithium is a non-ferrous metal and an essential material in the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used for electric vehicles and energy-storage systems.

Lithium-ion batteries offer a longer life cycle as compared to traditional lead-acid batteries. However, the main reason for their high adoption in EVs is their high energy density. High energy density allows lithium-ion batteries to store more energy in less weight/volume, which is an ideal requirement for e-mobility applications.

Argentina is ranked among the main mineral reserves across the globe. Together with Chile and Bolivia, the north-west of the country forms the so-called “Lithium Triangle” and is currently the fourth largest producer and has the third largest world reserve of this mineral.

Australia is the top lithium producer globally. The US and China, too, are key producers of the mineral besides the Lithium Triangle.

Pacts Inked

Lithium deposits are critical for India as the country puts its focus on electric mobility for both public and private transport. ‘White gold’, is scarce in the country and as such India is import-dependent for lithium.

The country’s imports of lithium and lithium-ion in FY21 stood at Rs 8,984 crore in FY21 and increased to Rs 13,838.22 crore in FY22.

Hong Kong and China are the major source of imports with two countries together accounting for 69.37 per cent of lithium imports and 96.21 per cent of lithium ion import in FY 21.

Alongside a move to tap into the global lithium value chain, India has initiated a concerted domestic exploration push for the alkali metal. As part of efforts to augment local reserves of the critical mineral, the GSI has carried out 14 projects on lithium during last five years.

In addition, Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL), a joint venture company under the Mines Ministry has initiated engagement with several state-owned organisations of source countries like Argentina, Australia, Chile to acquire lithium assets overseas.

In December 2022, KABIL evinced interest to partner with Argentina-based CAMYEN for two prospective lithium projects in La Aguada and El Indio in Catamarca. It is also in talks with Empresa Nacional de Minería, a Chilean State Mineral company for jointly pursuing lithium mining projects in Chile.

Bullet Train Project In Fast Lane: Work On 320 Metre Long First River Bridge Complete

By
Amit Mishra
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0

In a significant achievement, the first river bridge on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor has been completed.

The bridge on Par River in Valsad in Gujarat is 320 metre long and consists of eight full-span girders, each 40 metre long. The height of pier on which these girders rests ranges from 14.9 to 20.9 metre.

The achievement is unique considering the fact that the Railways have been able to complete the work of erecting piers, pier caps and launching eight girders in a span of three months between November 2022 and January 2023.

320 m long bridge over Par River

Among the most complex of the substructures being constructed on the high speed corridor are the bridge structures over rivers.

“Laying piers on a river is complex. It involves complex geotechnical investigation. First, the well foundation has to be laid. Then piers will be put, over which the girders will be launched. Finally, the track will come on the girder,” said a senior official overseeing the construction of the bridge on the Tapi River.

A total of 20 bridges will be constructed under this project as the bullet train will cross over rivers like Narmada, Sabarmati, Mahi, Par, Kaveri, Purna Ambika, Daroatha, Daman Ganga, Tapi, Kim, Vishwamitri, Mohar, Vatrak and Meshwa.

The longest will be a 1.2-km-long bridge over the Narmada river in Bharuch city of Gujarat followed by Tapi and Mahi which will be around 720 metre.

India’s First Bullet Train Project

Presently, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail is the only sanctioned high-speed rail project in the country.

The High-Speed Rail operating at 320 kmph will traverse along west India’s landscape, covering 508.17 km distance between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in just about two hours. This will save time compared to current travel time between the two terminal stations by about nine hours (by bus) or six hours (by conventional railways).

It will cover 155.76 km in Maharashtra, 4.3 km in the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and 348.04 km in Gujarat, with 12 stations en-route.

The government is yet to determine a final deadline for the entire project, but the completion time for a 50-km stretch between Surat and Bilimora in Gujarat has been set for August 2026.

Nearly 60 Per Cent Of Dedicated Freight Corridors Complete, 1,724 Km Route Length Commissioned Till January 2023

By
Amit Mishra
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0

As much as 60 per cent of the dedicated freight corridors have been commissioned as on 31 January 2023, according to the latest progress report on the crucial railway lines.

Indian Railways has undertaken a mega-infrastructure project of two Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) namely Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors (EDFC & WDFC) to facilitate faster evacuation of freight traffic.

The 1,506-km-long WDFC runs from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal in Maharashtra, whereas, the 1,337-km-long EDFC runs from Ludhiana in Punjab to Sonnagar in West Bengal.

A total route length of 1,724 km (861 km of EDFC and 863 km of WDFC) has been commissioned out of total 2,843 km till 31 January 2023.

Project map of DFCs

Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC)

The WDFC connects Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai while traversing through five states of UP (18 km), Haryana (177 km), Rajasthan (565 km), Gujarat (565 km) and Maharashtra (177 km).

The western corridor covers a distance of 1,504 km through double line electric (2 X 25 KV) track from JNPT to Dadri via Vadodara-Ahmedabad-Palanpur-Phulera-Rewari. The Western DFC is proposed to join the Eastern DFC at Dadri.

Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC)

Alignment has been generally kept parallel to existing lines except provision of detour at Diva, Surat, Ankleshwar, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, Palanpur, Phulera and Rewari. However, it is entirely on a new alignment from Rewari to Dadri.

Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC)

The EDFC with a route length of 1,337 km starts from Sahnewal near Ludhiana (Punjab) and passes through Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and terminates at Sonnagar in Bihar.

The Eastern Corridor will traverse through four states with maximum length in Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana having the least coverage.

Also, a 538-km stretch between Sonnagar in Bihar and Dankuni in West Bengal is to be executed under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL) which is implementing the project has sent a proposal to the Railway Ministry recommending the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), on the lines of viability gap funding (VGF).

Boosting Religious Tourism : Mumbai To Shirdi, Solapur Vande Bharat Trains To Be Flagged Off On 10 February

By
Amit Mishra
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0

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off two Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai on 10 February.

The two Vande Bharat (VB) trains will be introduced on the Solapur and Sainagar Shirdi routes starting from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).

The new trains will boost rail connectivity to important pilgrimage centres in Maharashtra.

Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat

Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Train will be the ninth Vande Bharat Train in the country.

The train will cover a distance of around 455 km between the two places in 6.35 hours, while halting at Dadar, Kalyan, Pune and Kurduwadi stations.

The new train will improve facilitate travel to important pilgrimage centres like Siddheshwar in Solapur, Akkalkot, Tuljapur, Pandharpur near Solapur and Alandi near Pune.

Mumbai-Shirdi Vande Bharat

Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi will be the tenth Vande Bharat Train in the country.

It will cover a distance of around 340 km between CSMT and Shirdi in 5 hours and 20 minutes, with stops at Dadar, Thane and Nashik Road stations.

The new train will improve connectivity to important pilgrimage centres in Maharashtra like Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple in Nashik, Sainagar Shirdi and Shani Singanapur in Ahmednagar.

Eight Vande Bharat Express Trains launched so far

Currently, eight Vande Bharat Express trains are running across the country.

These include Varanasi-New Delhi, Katra-New Delhi, Mumbai Central-Gandhinagar, New Delhi-Amb Andaura, Chennai-Mysuru, Bilaspur-Nagpur and Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat trains.

The Vande Bharat trains that are being introduced for Shirdi and Solapur will be the second version of the premium semi-high-speed train.

VB 2.0 is equipped with more advancements and improved features such as reaching a speed of 0 to 100 kmph in just 52 seconds, and a maximum speed of up to 180 kmph.

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