MAGAZINE

THE RAIL ANALYSIS 

MAGAZINE 

MAY EDITION 2016 

www.railanalysis.com 

Talgo Trains in India 

Rail Analysis is focused on the Railway Industry of India, launched in 2015, is the leading source of information and analysis on 

railway projects, transactions (private projects, M&A) and their latest updates in India.

CONTENT 

MAGAZINE 

1. All aboard Talgo 

2. Delhi Metro- Rail Report 

3. Talent Management of experienced professionals in the rail 

industry and its relevance for railways in India 

4. Passenger Rail Ticketing 

5. Interview with Prof. Chae of Korea 

6. How can Indian Railways increase revenues streams with freight 

corridors 

7. FDI in Indian Railways 

8. Factors Influencing the investment profile on Indian Railways 

9. Tunneling in India : An Experts viewpoint 

10. Technological Advances 

11. Improving Railway and Road 

12. Infrastructure with Geosynthethic Products 

13. Japan’s political stance on High Speed Rails 

14. High-speed rail in India 

15. Metro Rail in India 

»» 

p.7 

16. Highlights

All aboard Talgo: 10 things to know about the high speed Talgo trains coming to India 

Indian Railways is all set to experiment with Spain’s high speed Talgo trains which, 

if successful, will redefine the luxury of train travel in India. 

Indian Railways is all set to experiment with high speed Talgo trains which, if successful, 

will lead to the replacement of the existing LHB coaches with these fancy Spanish 

beauties. The first Talgo train trail run is expected to head from Mumbai to Delhi. If all 

goes well with it, following gauging results, Talgo trains will be rolled out on the other 

routes. 

Here’s all you need to know about the Talgo trains that we are about to welcome on 

our railway tracks: 

1. A Talgo 250 can run at the speed of 250 kmph. However, trials in India will only be 

conducted at 150-160 kmph. 

1 / Rail Analysis / Indian Focus / May 2016

2. Its lighter trains can cut travel time by 30 per cent. In fact, Talgo trains are expected to cover the Mumbai-Delhi stretch by 12 hours, unlike the Rajdhani which takes 17 hours. 

3. Talgo train coaches would save up to Rs 1 crore as compared to the LHB coaches used in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. They are also said to require “less maintainance”. 

4. Unlike that for Japanese bullet trains, no major overhauling of tracks is said to be required for running Talgo trains in India. 

5. Amenities like footrests, reading lights, tables, audio entertainment control, etc. are provided for every individual seat. The trains also come with monitors for video entertain 

ment. 

6. Talgo trains have the technology to keep interiors pleasant even when the temperature outside crosses 50 degree Celsius or drops below -20 degree Celsius. 

7. Talgo’s official website also promises shower units, in-house restaurant and a cafeteria car for pasenger coaches. 

8. Talgo trains’ can also reduce Railways’ energy bill by 30 per cent, as its “reduced weight and inalterability against atmospheric agents is translated into lower energy consump 

tion”. 

9. Talgo 250 was the first high speed train to run in Central Asia. In Uzbekistan, it runs on a daily basis. 

10. Pretty and efficient, yes, but these fancy Talgo trains will make train travel more expensive than it is now. Lucknow Metro Lucknow Metro 

A Quick View of Talgo Train 


Delhi Metro- Rail Report 

of Delhi to reach NOIDA and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Gurgaon and Faridabad in 

Haryana. 

Majlis Park – Shiv Vihar 

Length 58.596 km (39.479 km Elevated, 19.117 km Underground). Total stations 38 (Elevated 

26, Underground 12). Progress of civil works upto January 2016 is 80.23%. The 

line is targeted for completion in December2016. 

Janakpuri West – Botanical Garden 


8, Underground 15). Progress of civil works upto January 2016 is 84.63%. The line 

is targeted for completion in December 2016. 

Central secretariat – Kashmere Gate 

Delhi Metro Rail Report by Rail Analysis 

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) was registered on 3rd May 1995 under 

the Companies Act, 1956. The DMRC opened its first corridor between Shahdara and 

Tis Hazari on 25th December, 2002. Subsequently, the first phase of construction worth 

65 kilometres of Metro lines was finished two years and nine months ahead of schedule 

in 2005. Since then the DMRC has also completed the construction of another 125 kilometres 

of Metro corridors under the second phase in only four and a half years. Presently, 

the Delhi Metro network consists of about 213 Km with 160 stations along with six 

more stations of the Airport Express Link. The network has now crossed the boundaries 

Length 9.370 km (Underground). Total stations 7 (Underground). Progress of civil works 

upto January 2016 is 92.35%. The line is targeted for completion in September 2016. A 

stretch of 3.03 km between Central Secretariat-Mandi House has already been opened 

to public on 26.06.2014. Another stretch of 0.972 km from Mandi House – ITO has been 

opened on 08.06.2015. 


Jahangirpuri – Samaypur Badli 

Length 4.489 km (Elevated). Total stations 3. (Elevated). Work is completed. The line has 

been commissioned on 10.11.2015. 

Funding 

It was evident from the beginning that the timely availability of 

funds would be a key factor for the successful implementation of the 

Delhi Metro project. The fund requirements were, therefore, planned 

well in advance and the sources of funds tied up before the real work 

began. 

Badarpur – Escorts Mujesar 

Length 13.875 km (Elevated). Total stations 9 (Elevated). Work is completed. Line has 

been opened for public by Hon’ble PM of India on 06.09.2015. 

Dwarka – Najafgarh 


2, Underground 1). Progress of civil works upto January 2016 is 55.08%. The line is targeted 

for completion in December 2016. 

Mundka – Bahadurgarh 

Phase I : Broadly speaking, about 60% of the project cost was financed by the Government 

of Japan by way of a soft loan through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation 

(JBIC), now called the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). 

The Central Government and the State Government jointly financed 28% of the project 

cost through equity contributions in addition to providing a subordinate loan to cover 

the cost of land acquisition which roughly worked out to 5% of the project cost. The 

balance 7% funds were internally generated through property development. 

Phase II : For the second phase of Metro construction, the JICA loan has contributed 

54.47 percent of the funding. While the equity from the Governments of India and Delhi 

increased to 16.39 percent each. For the construction of the Airport Express link, 39 

percent was contributed by the governments of India and Delhi and 46 percent by the 

concessionaire as this was the first ever project of the Delhi Metro on the public-private 

partnership model. For the extension of the Delhi Metro to Gurgaon in Haryana and 

NOIDA in Uttar Pradesh, the respective state governments contributed 58 percent each. 

The total cost of phase 2 is ` 18,783 crores (US$ 3.2 Billion) approximately. 

Phase III: The total estimated expenditure for Phase III expansion is ` 41,079 crores. JICA 

is going to provide 48.57 percent of the total fund requirement while the Government 

of India and the Government of Delhi will pay 10.04 percent each. The expenditure for 

the expansion of Metro to Faridabad is ` 2492 crores and the Metro corridor from Kalindi 

Kunj to Botanical Garden in NOIDA will cost ` 894 crores. 

Length 11.182 km (Elevated). Total stations 7 (Elevated). Progress of civil works upto 

January 2016 is 66.81%. The line is targeted for completion in December 2016. 


Talent Management of experienced professionals 

in the rail industry and its relevance for railways in 

India 

Expert View: Anuradha Jain 

She is strong in business analysis , process re-engineering methods 

and tools , in the railway sector . Her expertise includes design, 

development and implementation of strategies.Especially 

,Performance Management framework: scorecards, strategic 

initiatives and project portfolios in railways and energy industry 

in Europe. In IT Field , she has designed and implemented IT Systems 

. Capacity optimisation, modal shift from road to rail and 

operational excellence in freight railways is her core competence. 

She also achieved ISO 9001 Certification for operations in Freight 

railways. Further, she uses her stakeholder management skills in 

developing and establishing strategies for top management . 

In rail industry, new strategies, complex 

large technology and infrastructure projects 

are underway. However the talent 

management of rail organisations, especially 

in government organisations, has 

not necessarily kept pace with the demographic, 

technical and economic trends. 

There is a mismatch in current skills and 

the ones requirement to achieve strategic 

goals. Hence, my colleague Dr. Janene Piip 

(an established talent consultant in Australia) 

and I, together lanced a global survey 

of rail professionals between October 

2015 and December 2015 to understand 

factors affecting talent management. 

The survey comprised two parts. In the 

first part, the survey questioned rail professionals 

about the type of organisation 

where they work, personal demographics, 

their realisations about their career and 

whether they have thought about alternative 

career options. In the second part, the 

survey sought to understand what participants 

thought could be done to help them 

attain career fulfilment. 

Initially aimed at rail professionals aged 

between 40 and 50 years, or those people 

considered to be in the mid-term of 

their career, there was an overwhelming 

response from all age groups. These responses 

provide an indication that talent 

management, personal aspirations and 

career fulfilment are a concern for all age 

groups, irrespective of the country and 

company location. This major finding 

highlights that talent management and 

developing the potential of people with a 

diverse qualifications and experience for 

the rail industry is of great importance. 

In total 351 rail India us try participants 

from over 30 countries worldwide including 

India took part in the survey. Although 

targeted at mid-career professionals, estimated 

initially to be from 45 to 55 years of 

age, there was strong interest from all age 

groups. 

This survey is important because it seeks 

to understand the views of individuals 

in informing the retention of specialised 

knowledge and skills in the rail industry, 

how the industry can maximise the potential 

of talented people, and how it can 

benefit from engaged staff. 

The following is a highlight of the results. 

However, a larger number of feedbacks 

from India are required to benchmark 

these findings. The report identifies many 

unexpected find in g s related to three major 

concerns of Work/life balance, 

career advancement and themanagement 

of talent. 

While work /life balance was rated the 

highest issue rail professional’s face in their 

careers, little mention was made of how 

professionals’ manage their day to day activities. 

A large percentage of respondents 

have reconciled that managing work and 

life is part of their professional roles. 

It was the o their two concerns of career 

advancement and talent management 

that delivered a barrage of discussion from 

rail professionals of all ages. These include 

indignancy and injustice, and in general, 

unfairness related to age and gender bias 

(even though there was no question about 

participants’ gender). While younger age 

groups want to advance their careers, 

the older age groups displayed heartfelt 

anguish at their professional situation 

through companies overlooking their experience, 

talent and professional expertise 

as a valuable contribution to industry ad- 

5 / Rail Analysis / Expert View / May 2016

vancement. 

In many accounts, considering the mental health of employees and the softer side of people’s aspirations was noted as highly important for managers. Mid-career professionals 

consider managers need a toolkit of skills to be able to make the most of experienced professionals’ talents. 

The report acknowledges that there may be limitations in the analysis as only a small number (351 participants) of professionals have participated in the survey, considering the 

number of rail employees across the world. Therefore, the findings cannot be reliably generalised across the entire rail industry. 

However, these findings are insightful for companies in managing their workforces effectively where there are employees from across the different generations. The potential of 

all professional rail employees contributes to stronger, innovative and more organisations, yet the survey documents many biases that individual employees face in their day to 

day work. 

Notwithstanding personal issues and concerns about career advancement and talent management, a high majority of rail professionals have contemplated a career in contracting 

but have not left the security of employmentin the rail industry. On the other hand, many of those professionals who have left a secure or permanent role have returned to employment 

in the industry after periods as a contractor. 

All age groups (Figure 1) are fairly represented, providing an indication that the questions posed are a concern for all age groups. Although overall 44.4% participants work for 

government organisations and 55.6% for private organisations (Figure 2). 

FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 


The four largest groups of respondents (Figure 3) are from Infrastructure traffic (23.1%); Passenger traffic (17.9%); Railway organisations (16.0%) and Freight traffic (12.8%). 

In relation to job role, the top four groups included (Figure 4): Subject matter experts (19.9%); Project or Program Manager (18.5%); Employees without management function 

(18.2%) and Team leaders (12.8%). Only one participant works on two jobs. 

FIGURE 3 

FIGURE4 

The average time in the current role of participants is between 1 and 10 years, with those over 20 years in their current role, the smallest group. The highest qualification of the 

participants are largely distributed between post-graduation (34.8%), Graduation (33.9%) and Engineering (19.4%). Both in government and private organisations there is a similar 

distribution of qualifications. 

The survey in detail can provide a benchmark for the Indian rail industry. In Indian context, this is important toachieve the new strategic initiatives laid down in the Budget for 

2016-17 on improving customer interface, safety including research and development. The expectations of employees need to be understood as a starting point to build road 

map for skill development. 

The feedbacks from participants has convinced the authors to continue the efforts of collecting further inputs from participants. Please click here to take the rail talent management 

survey here which will be open till End of June 2016 are highly. The results will be published in August 2016. 


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nd 

2 

2 

nd 

“ 

Enhancing Application in the Infrastructure Sector” 

19 – 20 May 2016, Hotel Shangri La, 

“ 

Enhancing Application Ashoka in the Road, Infrastructure New Delhi Sector” 

19 – 20 May 2016, Hotel Shangri La, 

Ashoka Road, New Delhi 

Key Invited Speakers 

Key Invited Speakers 

Rashmi Verma, IAS 

Secretary 

Ministry of Textiles 

Government of India 

Sanjay Mitra, IAS 

Secretary 

Ministry of Road Transport 

& Highways Govt. of India 

S N Das 

Director General & Special Secretary 

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways 


Knut Oberhagemann 

Principal 

Rivers & Geosystems 

Northwest Hydraulic Consultants 

Rashmi Verma, IAS 

Secretary 

Ministry of Textiles 


Sanjay Mitra, IAS 

Secretary 

Ministry of Road Transport 

& Highways Govt. of India 

S N Das 

Director General & Special Secretary 

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways 


Knut Oberhagemann 

Principal 

Rivers & Geosystems 

Northwest Hydraulic Consultants 

Shahrokh Bagli 

Chief Technical Officer 

Strata Geosystems (India) Pvt. Ltd. 

M D Kudale 

Additional Director 

Coastal Engineering 

Central Water & Power 

Research Station 

Dr M Madhav 

Professor Emeritus 

Jawaharlal Nehru 

Technical University Hyderabad 

Dr K Rajagopal 

Professor 

Civil Engineering 

Department, IIT Madras 

Dr V Sundar 

Professor 

Ocean Department 

IIT Madras

Passenger Rail Ticketing: 

The Present: 

Expert View: Mr. Nick brooks 

The Past, Present and Future of Passenger Rail Ticketing: 

The Past: 

Before the internet age, ticketing was generally perceived to 

be an in-house division of the passenger rail operator. 

National railways were mostly state-operated, closed systems. 

Ticket offices were a natural extension of operators that were 

treated as ‘natural monopolies’. 

Nowadays, the situation has changed. Ticketing has become a separate part of the passenger 

rail industry. 

The new paradigm is as follows: 

• Operators focus on their core competency, which are to operate services at a price and 

a level of service that are attractive to the customer. Meanwhile, ticketing distributors 

have their own core competencies. These are: 

• To assist with complex journey planning between partners and competitors, some 

times merging them into the same booking (i.e. the so-called ‘through bookings’). 

• To show fare structures and prices that people understand. 

• To make bookings as fast and efficient as possible. 

With all parts of the value chain focusing on what they do best, the passenger rail industry 

can make itself more convenient than less environmental modes of transport, for 

example: the private motor car. 

And, once new customers are won over, rail networks can continually be optimised. 

Namely: by building new infrastructure or ordering new rolling stock, backed up by 

increasing numbers of passengers and revenue. 

With the private motor car being dominant mode of transport in many countries – for 

example, its market share in the 28 EU member states is still over 80% - there is upward 

potential for growth for many years to come. 

In addition, ticketing distributors will see great opportunity in optimising front end 

technology. However, it is unlikely that there will be just one solution for consumer 

ticketing; instead three trends will probably dominate in the next years – 

(1) Apps on mobile devices (2) Smart-cards (3) Online bookings. 

I think it will be most important to develop a mobile strategy. Passengers are looking for 

convenience, and mobile devices are becoming a portable ’one-stop shop’ for ticketing 

and many other things. 

Summary: 

The passenger rail industry has vast upward potential: it also provides external benefits 

that can boost the economic growth of society. 

Therefore, it is crucial that the ticketing providers take advantage of data analytics and 

introduce front-end technology that make railways the most convenient mode of transport 

to book. 

The Future: 

Over the next few years, ticketing will be the fastest moving part of the industry. 

‘Big Data’ is a good example of this. It is the precise analysis of large ticket data sets so 

that patterns are revealed and action can be taken. For example, data mining tools and 

geo-spatial visualisations can bring data to life - they can predict congestion or identify 

which services have little demand. 

Furthermore, data analytics can encourage new demand. New services can be promoted 

where potential customers are most likely to see the advertisements or pushed out 

to those who have indicated that they want to receive tailored information. 


Interview with Prof. Ilkwon: 

Co-operation between India and Korea. 

Prof. Chae is a Korean, railway and transport expert and has 19 years’ experience 

of Railways in several sectors such as policy, long-term planning, investment, 

law, operation, marketing and railway engineering. He is presently working 

with the World Bank Group and ADB (Asia Development Bank) as International 

Transport consultant . 

1. Please give a brief introduction about 

yourself, your educational background 

your nature of work. 

Thank you for interviewing me. My 

name is Prof. Chae Ilkwon. 

I am a Korean railway and transport 

expert. I have worked 14 years for Korea 

National Railroad and Korea Railroad 

Corporation, high-speed train operate 

company as a Korean government officer. 

After that, I moved to Seoul National 

University and Woosong International 

railway graduate school for 5 years to 

work as senior researcher and adjunct 

professor. 

I, also, started to establish ‘Global Railway 

Corporation’ since 1st July 2015, with 

Korean Railway overseas project experts. 

Our project expert group has total 450 

members with all of railway functions 

and all of the world region. Now I am incharge 

of this Global Railway Corporation 

as a group leader, taking up role of professor 

and chief researcher. 

In my educational background, I graduated 

from Korea National Railroad University, 

majoring in Transport Management 

with full-scholarship by Korea National 

Railroad in the year 1997. Later, I graduated 

from Korea University, majoring 

in public administration, with full scholarship 

by Korea government. After that 

I graduated from Korea University graduate 

school, majoring in National Land 

development of Economics as Masters 

degree. In this relation, I have been 

working for both Korea and oversea railway 

feasibly studies, long-term investment 

strategic works since 2002. 

My second Masters degree was MBA 

from Manchester Business School, in 

2008. In Manchester Business School, I 

studied International Business and International 

Finance. I have a very strong 

international finance networks because 

of being an MBS alumnus. That’s why I 

usually speak at international conferences 

entitled as ‘Sustainable Finance 

to Develop Railways and Sustainable 

Transport Policy and Planning.’ 

My last Masters degree was in Industrial 

Design concerning the ‘Industrial Design 

for Railway Building and Station Area 

Development.’ These 3 master degree 

help understanding the railway work, 

and understand global railway business 

to more generate revenue business, and 

bird-view in the world. 

Now, I work with World Bank Group 

and ADB (Asia Development Bank) as 

an International Transport consultant. 

I am in-charge of Afghanistan Railway 

Authority (AFRA), serving as CEO, Senior 

advisor, as well as international project 

team leader 

My work as CEO, is to advisory work for 

strategic investment and receiving the 

ADB and World Bank loan condition for 

FS and deliver to make good institutions 

and capacity building of AfRA, in all aspects. 

2. You were invited by UNDP as an honorary 

speaker for a seminar at New Delhi 

on 6th November 2015. What are your 

general observations about the audience 

and the available facilities? 

I feel very honored to be invited as International 

speaker by UNDP and Ministry 

of Railway in India. 

I saw and felt the inspiration for developing 

railways among Indian Railways 

colleagues. Especially, Railway electrification 

and electric locomotive are urgently 

need to increase capacities of both 

passenger and freight train. If India can 

make the right investment decision, we 

can solve India’s capacity shortage problems 

within a decade. 

My presentation was delivered on how 

to Korea government and other government 

case studies solve shortage of investment, 

to make sustainable finance 

sources for metro and high-speed train 

projects. 

Recently, many countries have plans of 

investment in railways, however, many 

government plans do not work because 

of insufficient investment. 

I recommended at the international conference, 

that India government must to 

introduce “fuel tax system” to private 

cars and its fuel tax which will activate 

main transport infrastructure investment 

sources to be used for good metro system 

and high-speed train project by the 

Indian government. 

11 / Rail Analysis / Interview / May 2016

3. What is the potential of the Indian Rail 

industry in near future? 

First of all, India railway has very high potential 

railway markets. The 1.1 billion population 

and its railway transport demands 

are also tremendous. 

Second, Indian Railways does not have advanced 

technology, yet. So Indian railway 

need to new efficient and effective railway 

technology to be innovate India railway. 

In addition, Korea already knows how to 

deliver high-speed train project technology 

transfer to other country. It will bring 

merits for both, Korea and India. Two countries 

can cooperate with each other in railway 

industry, get to add a value to each 

other. I think Global Railway Corporation 

will be right partner for Indian Railways. 

During this cooperation, two countries 

will lead to acceleration for developing India 

railway companies and organization. 

and Hyundai Motors are companies with 

huge success of India. Korean railways use 

high-technology for ticketing system and 

seat reservation system. Also, Korean railway 

industry is preparing for technology 

transfer to Indian railways. It will be very 

ready bankrupt. There are some problems 

with track works and E&M works. It led to 

delay of one year and a half for the project. 

Economically, Taiwan high-speed train 

Project Company (BOT model) was a death 

sentence. Now, Taiwan high-speed train 

I think India is right country to develop 

world-wide railway industry. Our society 

will go to sustainable and green transport, 

we have to choose railway transport. Railway 

can accomodate more volumes of 

public transport, safety, cleanliness with 

much more efficiency compared to other 

transport mode. 

5. Korean High Speed and Metro Trains 

have been running successfully for over 

a decade and thriving to expand and revamp 

technology. India is at a standpoint 

of realizing its first High-Speed Train by 

the end of the fiscal year. What factors, 

according to you, can lead to success of 

High-Speed Rail in India? 

In these points, India railway have face 

to challenge to develop high-speed train 

projects and connect Indian metropolitan 

cities. Already planned Indian high-speed 

train projects will give big benefits to India’s 

economy and society. 

4. How, in your opinion, can India-South 

Korea unification benefit or contribute towards 

development and upliftment of Railways 

in India? 

I have empathy and a feeling that India railway 

market is big and has high potential. 

Also Korean railway industry has already 

had railway electrification experience and 

high-speed train projects experience for 

Korea and oversea market. Korea’s railway 

technology has a leading role for development 

of high-tech railway technology in all 

of aspect. 

Korea had launched metro system in 1974, 

and high-speed railway was launched in 

year 2004. 

Korea has a 10 years’ high-speed train experience 

of both perfect operation and 

maintenance. Korea Railroad Corporation 

also received the award for ‘World best 

Punctuality and Safety’ from UIC in year 

2012. In the next decade, Indian Railway 

will be needing consulting for engineering 

and constructions for all sector of highspeed 

train projects. 

I think Indian Railways and Korean Railways 

will be working together for the development 

of two countries. Most Korean 

railway strengthened with IT-based technology 

for Railway business. 

As you may already know, Samsung, LG 

helpful and supportable India railway. 

The important factors for successful highspeed 

project are: 

First, I assure that most important thing is 

a political leadership for Mega-Project by 

government. 

Second, high-speed train project must be 

government funded model, not PPP model. 

Because I reviewed the Taiwan highspeed 

train project company which is al- 

company will be nationalized because of 

debts. In this case, I think Indian government 

must make their own model to develop 

Mega-project. 

Third, high-speed train project will not just 

help Indian people travel, but also construct 

new business development areas. 

The Indian government must assign the 

local governments to develop station area 

development plan with private sectors 


such as construction, real estate business, 

hotel and shopping mall. 

Lastly, high-speed train project authorities 

need to discuss to the economic impact 

on society. So Ministry of Railways 

in India, must make a good discussion at 

round table with experts of every fields 

-Urban planning, Transport planning, 

Economist, sociologist and so on. These 

conferences will open and discuss each 

agenda to support Indian railways. 

6. 6. Does Korail adhere to a specific 

marketing policy? What percentage of 

business is derived from the same? 

Mr. Goyal I can not understand your question. 

Please ask to me one more time, more 

easily. 

How do you see the viability of Railways 

as a profitable business sector, rather than 

just as a service sector? 

In my point of view, railway businesses 

must to cooperate other industry sectors. 

Because railway business make the other 

affiliated business what we call the East- 

Asia model for railway. 

Railway station will be one of hubs for the 

people to gather. East Asia railway model 

will be make the station equipped with 

tourist leisure, hotel, convention, shopping 

mall and property development. It 

will lead the railway business. 

In Korea, Korea Railroad Corporation has 

6 affiliated companies - railway tourism, 

railway maintenance business, railway logistics 

for freight, station shopping mall 

business so on. 

In my research point of view, Delhi metro 

cannot connect to inside of mega malls. 

However, we should link the metro and 

railway station to cooperate together and 

inside the mall. Every station should be 

the starting point to all of other transport 

modes. It can be more profitable to Indian 

railway business in the long run. 

7. What role does advertising play in revenue 

generation for Railways? 

Major railways strength points are safety, 

high-volume of moving to passenger and 

environment friendly. To compare with 

other transport mode such as Taxi, and 

private car, railway is most efficient transport 

mode, any public transportation. 

We must discuss how to develop sustainable 

finance models in India society. It is 

a really important issue. In this view, I recommend 

Indian government to introduce 

new Fuel tax system to all of private cars 

in India. Every countries has their own 

private car Fuel tax and gasoline tax. I am 

not sure India has this transportation tax. 

However, many successful countries such 

as Korea, China and Japan already have 

Fuel tax and gasoline tax on petroleum. 

In case review ADB, China government increased 

fuel tax rate to invest in railways 

and other transport infrastructure. 

If India government can introduce and 

make the fuel tax system, India can invest 

into metro and high-speed train projects 

on her own. That will make the society of India more efficient and effective. 

That’s why I urged that Indian government think and act on introducing “Fuel tax system” 

urgently. It will lift up Indian people’s every day life. Better safety transportation, 

Better life of quality. Thank you . 


How can Indian Railways increase revenues 

streams with freight corridors 

Expert View: Anuradha Jain 

Most freight railways in the world, with 

very few exceptions, suffer from a negative 

image. This could be due to lack of capacity 

information for customers or deficit 

in punctuality/ turn-around time or unanswered 

queries. 

To establish efficient, customer friendly 

and competetive market oriented services 

Indian Railways (IR) can utilise the eastern 

and western dedicated freight corridors to 

generate revenues through optimal use of 

available capacity and reduce emissions 

by aggregating road transport and shifting 

it to rail for longer leads. 

Generally, most railway organisations start 

with cost cutting as a measure to improve 

financial performance. However, there is 

a dire need to understand the customers 

and market mechanisms to offer and integrated 

rail solutions. 

She is strong in business analysis , process re-engineering methods 

and tools , in the railway sector . Her expertise includes design, 

development and implementation of strategies.Especially 

, Performance Management framework: scorecards, strategic 

initiatives and project portfolios in railways and energy industry 

in Europe. In IT Field , she has designed and implemented IT Systems 

. Capacity optimisation, modal shift from road to rail and 

operational excellence in freight railways is her core competence. 

She also achieved ISO 9001 Certification for operations in Freight 

railways. Further, she uses her stakeholder management skills in 

developing and establishing strategies for top management . 

The Indian Railways can gain faster market 

access through cooperation with road 

freight exchanges (existing and emerging) 

in consolidating traffic for railways and 

organising the first/last mile. Incentivising 

customers, especially freight forwarders, 

third party logistic service providers, 

terminals and large companies to aggregate 

their road transport, for to transport 

goods by rail utilising logistics parks and 

collection points. This is a viable solution. 

To achieve this IR will have to organise 

competetive services by providing complete 

range of door to door services. 

Additionally, it can offer value added services 

like track and trace, load/unloading, 

warehousing, financial clearing and insurance 

to meet customer requirements, 

many of which can also be provided 

through freight exchanges. This will not 

only help reduce carbon emissions, IR can 

also provide carbon credit certificates to 

the shippers and freight exchanges for 

participating in modal shift. 

New revenues can be generated by introducing 

application based products for 

booking container space, wagons, consulting 

and training services for customers. 

Abover all, the rail capacity can be 

optimised by encouraging customers to 

use alternate less densely loaded routes at 

concesstional rates organising flow of traffic 

to the nearest collection point. 

As reference, the European continent has 

over hundred road transport exchanges 

which help transporters and freight forwarders 

to find return loads, offer competetive 

prices, track and trace services, 

single point invoicing, complete documentation, 

financial clearance, insurance 

etc. Using apps and internet based technology 

they provide actual information 

on available capacities from source to destination 

and demands for capacity to its 

subscribers. 

Matching of demand and availability is 

handled by exchanges. The exchanges 

have become as a one stop solution for 

many traffic Inovations. For example the 

freight exchange “Teleroute” claims to 

have more than 70,000 users and 200,000 

freight offers posted every day (= 1.2million 

tons of goods transported). Such exchanges 

also help large companies in rate 

and tender management for long term 

contracts. 

Freight railways in Europe are moving to 

step in as a subscriber to some of these 

exchanges. I have been researching this 

area for the last few years and am actively 

pursuing with railways and market players 

in this area. Several rail exchanges have 

emerged here with services for providing 

containers, locomotives whenever available. 

This ensures a higher degree of utilisation 

of resources while reducing costs by 

sourcing instead of buying expensive capital 

resources. Thus markets are becoming 

better organised and less fragmented. 

The real success however goes to innova- 


tive freight exchanges, especially in southern Europe who are committed to aggregating their road customers for transportation with railways. A good example is VIIA plus by SNCF 

the french railways who work with a multimodal freight exchange to consolidate road traffic aiming to move more than 500,000 trucks per year till 2020 on rail. 

In this regard for the Budget 2016-2017, I percieve following milestones a must 

1. Network and capacity concept for the eastern and western corridors as a basis to assess potential of revenue earnings in five years identified 

2. Potential customers in the freight markets and volumes who would be willing to transport via long term/short term contracts identified 

3. Market rates and benefits using multimodal transport vs rail/road only benchmarked. Rate and emission calculators for customer buy-in created. 

4. Potential freight exchanges ready to support the cause for railways identified. Revenue model developed with Indian Railways for implementaion. 

5. Partnership for technical extenstions to freight exchange software for railways signed-off. Pilot runs and software changes planned 

6. Plan for pilot phase for tendering freight corridor capacities through exchanges finalised 

So, what is the hurry to achieve this? The freight railways in Indian Railways is the major source of revenue. It makes about 65% of the total revenue. The high investments made 

for freight corridor development should henceforth be also coupled with utilisation and pay off as early as possible. 


FDI in Indian Railways for 

development of modern 

railway systems 

Compiled by : Rail Analysis Team 

Indian Railways serve a major precinct of 

the Indian sub-continent by fulfilling the 

immense transportation requirements 

and plays a crucial role in India’s surge in 

the international market as a key player. 

Progressive initiatives have served the 

combined purpose of revitalizing railway 

operations, opening gates of surplus opportunities 

and inviting foreign investments 

in a sector previously dominated by 

the government . 

Foreign participation had not yet been 

very encouraged with the Government 

being very cautious about the Railways 

and its presence in the development initiatives 

of the country . 

In a step towards spawning funds for 

the capital deprived Indian Railways, 

the Goverment of India’s Department of 

Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) 

permitted 100% FDI in certain subsectors, 

for overseas investors seeking to 

participate under an automatic route. 

• Japan and India joined 

hands for the construction 

and operation of 

Mumbai – Ahmedabad 

Bullet Train corridor, 

by adopting Japan’s 

successful Shinkansen 

technology, which has 

also been successfully 

rendered in Taiwan. 

Trains under the project 

will run at a high speed 

of 320 km/h reducing 

travel time between the 

business-oriented urban locations to almost a quarter. 

• A multitude of other High Speed Rail projects are proposed across the country 

with a steered speed of 200 km/h. A large number of these projects will 

be realized on elevated corridors for avoiding vulnerable human and animal 

crossings. 

• Indian Railways had witnessed dramatic inversion in the freight transportation 

trends by allowing higher freight volumes despite of hushed improvements in the 

infrastructure, increased axle loads or reduced costs at a yearly average increment 

of 8 to 11%. The transporter is poised to avail a further increase with an average of 

8 to 10% over the next 3 years. 

The Modi government has undertaken 

various steps towards achieving better 

Railway facilities and augmenting existing 

ones in terms of the ability with which Railways 

can efficiently manage the need of 

freight and passenger carriage, by means 

of implementing new policies and new 

regulations. 

Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion 

on Aug 22, 2014, via press-note, 

sanctioned the construction, exercise and 

maintenance at various intersections of 

Indian Railways by means of foreign interaction 

and participation. The following 

niches have gained FDI post the DIPP directives: 

• Operational revamping and maintenance 

of Suburban Rail Networks and 

Rail based Mass-Rapid Transit systems 

(MRTS) systems in India by achieving 

active participation in compliance with 

Public Private Partnership (PPP) models 

• Realization, audit and development of 

various High Speed Rail projects in India. 


• Augmenting international trade has led to the 

conceptualization of Dedicated Freight Corridors 

subjoining ports and economic zones to industrial 

centres and viable markets. This will allow upto 

55% increase in the revenue earned by Indian 

Railways from freight operations. 

• World Bank overseeing International Bank for Reconstruction 

and Development (IBRD) have furnished 

affordable loans for the conception and 

implementation of the project, also pursuing foreign 

investors to participate under various PPP 

schemes. 

• Various Metro projects across the country have sought 

manufacturing services for Rolling stock from international 

giants like Bombardier, CSR Nanjing, Hyundai 

Rotem etc. Overriding the concept, Indian railways, 

headed by Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu, invited foreign 

manufacturers to setup their manufacturing units in 

India in accordance with the Make in India program for 

attaining indigenous Coaches and Locomotives made 

with leading international technology. 

• Following the effort, General Electrical (GE) and 

Alstom, in the month of December, were awarded 

Letters of Acceptance (LoA) for Electric and 

Diesel Locomotive manufactories at Madehpura 

and Marhowrah in Bihar with a mandate to manufacture 

ecologically-friendly locomotives. 

• Taking up the Swiss Challenge in an attempt to remodel 

400 railway stations to equip them with latest amenities 

and technological advancements was an important 

element of Modi Government’s declarations 

for the FY2015-16. 

Permitting FDI in the railway sector was an essential step 

for furnishing the necessary advance required for the development 

and modernization of the capital intensive 

sector. 

The Ministry of Railways has already started to ink potential 

projects and proposes to award railway projects 

worth billions of USDs with FDI opening up significant 

opportunities for the foreign investors to participate in 

the railway sector in India. 



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LTIDS 

LIVE TRAIN INFORMATION DISPLAY 

SYSTEM 

Live Train Information Display System 

(LTIDS) is plug-and-play live train 

information board for use in Railway 

Stations across Indian Railways. 

Note: Under ITSPE’s continuous policy of 

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product may undergo changes in future. 

, 

LIVE TRAIN INFORMATION DISPLAY SYSTEM 

LTIDS is a self-contained, compact live train 

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information to be displayed. Install, power it on 

and it works – it is as simple as that. 

LTIDS advantages 

• Compact: Small, self-contained unit 

• Easy installation: No need for cables. 

Mount the unit, connect to electrical power 

and turn it on. 

• Autonomous: Turn it on and it works 

• Easy operation: Manage platform 

information on the web or on mobile phone. 

Ideal for Railway staff on the move. 

• Custom display: Choose from a list of display 

styles 

• Custom messages: Display customised 

messages to passengers 

• Multi-lingual: Displays information in 

English, Hindi and regional languages 

• Easy maintenance: Hassle-free, online 

maintenance 

• State-of-the-art technology: Latest 

hardware and software technology 

Components of LTIDS 

• Display Unit: LED TV, a mini-PC, localised Wi- 

Fi hotspot using a 4G/3G dongle and a 

voltage stabiliser 

• Platform Manager: A web-based platform 

manager application for railway staff to 

enter platform information 

• Backend: A cloud-hosted backend that 

retrieves the latest train running information 

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Ordering Information: 

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© ITS Planners and Engineers Pvt. Ltd 

www.itspe.co.in

Factors Influencing the 

investment profile on Indian Railways 

Expert View: Mr Asit Kumar Chaturvedi 

Mr Chaturvedi has overseen computerization of all the operational 

and maintenance systems on Indian Railways, including 

first of the seventy train control and command centres across the 

country from where all train operations on Indian Railways are 

monitored. 

India is a large country with extreme diversities 

between different regions in terms 

of topography, population density, household 

consumption patterns, work culture, 

efficiency levels of supporting infrastructure 

and a host of other socio economic 

factors which influence transportation 

requirements. The Indian Railways, with a 

68,000 km network, are the fourth largest 

national railway system in the world, and 

are burdened with overwhelming and diverse 

expectations from all segments of 

the society. 

Transportation is based on derived demand. 

Experts generally agree that creation 

of transportation infrastructure 

helps speed up the development process. 

But this also involves a level of precision 

in micromanagement of transportation 

assets that can be achieved only by looking 

at the entire transportation as a whole. 

Therefore, before any investment is made 

in railways in a particular sector, the possibility 

of the road sector sharing some of 

the needs in that particular area have to 

be examined. 

India has the second largest road network 

in the world. Its quantitative density 

(i.e., length of road per sq. kilometer 

of land surface) is 0.64, almost the same 

as of USA at 0.65. It is much higher than 

that of countries like Brazil (0.20) or China 

(0.16). Out of nearly 0.5 million km of 

the road network in India, only about 20% 

constitute national highways, most of it 

already coming to world standards. State 

highways, district roads and rural roads 

account for the balance 80%, maintained 

by the state governments, which also provide 

road transportation for passengers 

through state controlled agencies and 

also by giving licenses to private operators 

throughout the state, including on the national 

highways passing through the state. 

The quality of services provided on these 

roads has a direct and identifiable impact 

on the nature of demand for railway services 

in various regions. Therefore, it is 

not prudent to analyze the investment 

requirements of railways in passenger 

transportation in isolation without taking 

into account the nature of competing or 

supporting road transport in various regions. 

Indian Railways have been engaged all 

along in building up throughput on the 

oversaturated quadrilateral routes linking 

the four metros, as also on their northsouth 

and east-west diagonals. 

Reduction in transit time has not been the 

thrust area. However, from the point of 

view of revenue augmentation and customer 

satisfaction, cutting down transit 

time between nearly thirty other large cities, 

each one having a population ranging 

between two million to four million, 

would bring about a revolutionary impact 

on the way people expect to travel in this 

country. 

This calls for tremendous innovation in 

planning and synchronization in creation 

of new railway assets. All over the western 

world, investments in railways are being 

planned to cut down on transit time. Indian 

Railways have to switch over to the 

same approach. 

The most welcome change that has come 

about in India is that the political class is 

realizing that the public does not give a 

second chance to those political dispensations 

which fail to provide efficient delivery 

systems. 

Many state governments have drastically 

revised their internal business processes 

in their quest for investments from foreign 

firms for the much needed capital to raise 

the quality of their infrastructure and to 

create more jobs. Metro projects being 

planned in nearly 20 cities are a visible example 

of this approach. 

Acquiring land for setting up projects is 

not a problem for anyone willing to pay 

the market price. All state governments 

would go out of their way to welcome investors 

setting up railway related manufacturing 

facilities. 

It is in respect of freight transport that 

paradigm shifts are needed to be brought 

about. Indian Railways carry more than 

one billion tonnes of freight each year, of 


which 45% is coal alone. Cement, steel, fertilizer, iron ore etc. would account for another 

40%. To support a growing economy, railways have to adopt a bolder policy of carrying 

a larger number of commodities by diversifying its freight rolling stock, and creating an 

imaginative tariff which the market can bear. 

To be a catalyst of change, railways must carry at least 40% of all traffic moving on the 

land surface, as against only 20% at present. 

Huge investments which are being made in the eastern and western freight corridors, 

under construction with Japanese assistance, take care of the bulk traffic. But a vibrant 

economy needs a choice factor which is environment friendly. This offers the most exciting 

prospects for investors willing to invest in Indian Railways. 

The biggest advantage is that Indian Railways are a disciplined organization, considered, 

in public perception, next only to the armed forces. The Indian Railways have very stable 

administrative traditions coupled with a reputation for financial prudence and tough 

budgetary control. 

The railway engineering services and its administrative cadres are a veritable powerhouse 

of talent. Indian Railways provide an excellent platform for making high technology 

investments to develop a suitable infrastructure for what is going to be among the 

most powerful economies in the world within the next one decade itself. 

We are highly thankful to Mr. Asit Kumar Chaturvedi for his views on the above . 


Tunneling in India 

Expert View: Mr Geoffrey Paul DARBISHIRE 

Over 40 years of tunneling experience, Determined, focused, 

self-starter who is consequential and solution oriented, 

Works well both as a team member and unsupervised, Good 

communicator with good leadership skills and multi-tasking 

abilities and Enquiring mind always in search of new challenges 

and solutions. 

Indian technical personnel are heavily involved in the Qatar and Riyaddh metro projects 

hence gaining more valuable experience and taking another step forward in making 

India a major tunnelling world player. 

The only things that will hinder progress are the same obstacles which get in the way 

in most other fields - lack of education and an overburdening beauracracy. India needs 

a dedicated school of tunnelling to cover all the disciplines involved. The future of tunnelling 

in India looks very bright. 

We are highly thankful to Mr. Geoffrey Paul Darbishire from Spain for contributing this valuable 

article. 

Indian tunnelling is alive and well and thriving both at home and abroad. 

India has a long history of hard rock tunnelling using the drill and fire method but its 

history with soft ground excavation and with mechanised tunnelling methods is somewhat 

shorter but, as with all things new, the new tunnelling technologies have been 

accepted and embraced wholeheartedly by Indian management and worker alike. 

The Indian workforce is both plentiful and economically viable making it very attractive 

to both homegrown and international construction companies. There is also no 

shortage of young, highly educated and tech-savvy Indians who are not content to sit 

at a desk, do not baulk at getting their hands dirty and have grasped the opportunities 

available both at home and abroad in the tunnelling industry. 

Like much of Indian industry the tunnelling industry is booming with extensions to 

both the Delhi and Mumbai metro systems underway as well as the construction of 

complete new systems in many of the major connurbations. This is good news for the 

Indian tunnelling industry and for Indian tunnellers. Tunnels are being driven now in 

difficult mixed ground conditions permitting Indian management and workforce to 

gain that most valuable of commodities: experience. 

This experience borne out of facing and overcoming challenging ground conditions 

is what will make Indian construction companies and Indian tunnellers one of the major 

players in the world market in the next decade. Up to the present date it has been 

neccessary to bring in ex-pats with long term soft ground and mechanised tunnelling 

experience to advise and train TBM (tunnel boring machine) operators, PLC electricians 

and mechanics on how to utilise and optimise the machinery. 

India now has a home grown tunnel workforce which is savvy with the machinery but 

lacking long term experience - by 2020 when all the present metro construction contracts 

are complete this lack of long term experience will no longer be the case. 


Tunneling : Four decades of 

Technological Advances 

Expert View: Mr Geoffrey Paul DARBISHIRE 

There have been some remarkable advances in tunneling 

technology in the last 4 decades. The majority have been in 

the field of soft ground tunnelling. 

Hard rock tunnelling has seen advances with both tunnel boring 

machines and improved drill and fire methods including 

state of the art jumbos, improvements in explosives, rock anchors 

and spoil transport systems. However a hard rock heading 

has not changed substantially. 

The changes in soft ground tunnelling are exponential. With the exception of very short 

drives the old methods have practically disappeared. Tunnels using compressed air, 

timber headings and carrying full faces of timber to support the face during excavation 

are now only used where it is not economically viable to install a TBM (tunnel boring 

machine). 

Earth Pressure Balance TBM’s and Mixshield TBM’s have done away with the need to 

pressurize the entire tunnel length by keeping the hydrostatic pressure created by 

groundwater in porous mixed ground conditions limited to the cutterhead and mixing 

chambers of the machine. The modern soft ground TBM leaves the tunnel both at ambient 

pressure and free from the dangers associated with compressed air working. 

Not only does the modern soft ground TBM provide a healthier work environment it 

also is capable of high rates of 

advance whilst keeping full control of the face and minimising subsidence. 

The modern soft ground TBM is basically a tunnel producing factory which is fully self 

contained needing only a regular supply of segmental rings with which to support the 

newly excavated tunnel and pipework to keep itself supplied with water for cooling, 

compressed air for tools and pipelines for removing wastewater. 

It also needs a supply of bolts for the support rings and oils and greases for the machinery 

as well as additives for conditioning the excavated ground. These ground conditioning 

additives come in the form of foams, polymers and mineral slurry and are used 

depending on the ground type and the required end results. 

1970’s in Japan and has advanced and progressed 

to its present day incarnation capable 

of handling mixed faces of hard rock, sands, 

silts, clays and gravels with hydrostatic pressures 

up to 6 bar. 

The excavated ground is mixed into a workable 

mass with the aformentioned additives, 

dependent on precise ground type, inside the 

mixing chamber directly behind the cutterhead 

(1) and used to support the tunnel face. 

It is then transported using an auger screw (3), 

which reduces the hydrostatic pressure inherent 

in the soil to ambient pressure (2), and is 

delivered to the prefered spoil transport system 

(conveyors (4), muck cars or muck pump). Earth Pressure Balance Tunnel Boring 

Machine (EPBM) 

The Mixshield TBM is an advancement of the slurry shield technique again developed 

in the 1970’s. The Mixshield TBM is capable of handling sands, gravels and hydrostatic 

pressures up to 15bar. The mixing chamber behind the cutterhead is filled with a bentonite 

(a form of gypsum) slurry mix which is piped in directly from a slurry production 

plant on the surface via large bore (45cm) pipes. The bentonite slurry is kept pressurised 

by a bubble of compressed air which is held in place by the “diving wall” - a wall of solid 

steel suspended from the roof of the mixing chamber to below axis. 

The bentonite slurry mix has a dual function - (a) it supports the face during excavation 

by creating an impermeable “cake” in the exposed material and (b) acts as a transport 

medium for carrying the excavated material in suspension with the bentonite slurry via 

large bore (45cm) pipes back to the plant on the surface where the excavated materials 

are removed from the bentonite via centrifuges and screens. 

Mixshield Tunnel Boring Machine (MTBM) 

Small diameter tunnels up to +/- 1.8m are now being succesfully excavated and lined 

by micro-TBM’s which are remotely controlled from a surface container. This technology 

started in the 1980’s is now the go to answer for small diameter drives up to 1km and 

can be managed by a small crew and hence is very economical.As well as advances in 

TBM’s there have been major advances in segmental ring design. Up until the 1980’s 

only straight rings were available and plywood packing was needed to create curves 

either horizontal or vertical. We now have a host of tapered ring varietals with a 5cm 

approx. differential between the widest and narrowest points which allow the engineer 

and ringbuilder to choose the best position of said widest and narrowest points to (a) 

follow the proscribed curve and (b) keep the ring as near to central in the TBM. 

The EPBM (Earth Pressure Balance TBM) concept was first experimented with in the late 


The segment made with a rigid reinforced steel cage is slowly being phased out in favour 

of concrete mixed with steel fibres which stop the spalling of concrete when placed 

under pressure by the propulsion rams used to advance the TBM which was a negative 

feature of the cage type segment. 

The modern TBM guided by laser (GPS coordinated) with all its controls, systems and 

functions monitored by computer and highly experienced personnel is a far cry from the 

gangs of burly navvies who built tunnels pre-1980. 

In short drives in competent and semi-competent ground the SCL (Sprayed Concrete 

Lining) method has come into its own. This method uses controlled excavation lined 

with steel mesh, latice arches and a sprayed concrete mix incorporating steel fibres to 

provide a monitored first pass support prior to a permanent lining being installed. 

Along with the old style methods of excavation have gone horrendously high numbers 

of serious injuries and deaths. The modern tunnel site has safety induction courses, upto-date 

safety equipment, regular health checks, tool box talks on pertinent issues, PPE 

(Personal Protection Equipment) - hi-viz clothing, safety boots, helmets, ear defenders, 

goggles and gloves and safety inspectors to make sure the modern tunneller is staying 

and working safe. 

There are also random alcohol and drug testing to deter site workers attending in an unfit 

condition. Site security has also tightened to stop members of the public wandering 

onto what is a potential danger zone for the uninitiated - many sites now have turnstiles 

controlled by biometric scanning devices and by PIN pads for approved personnel. 

Tunnelling was once the last resort due to its cost both in economical and in human 

terms. Now due to the need to provide MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) systems to transport 

people quickly, the pressures on available space for land development and the scarcity 

of long corridors for surface transport in cities, tunnels have become the go to answer 

for public transport. 

Rail has also come into its own again as a means of transporting people at high speed 

between urban centres. The new high speed trains capable of 300kph have revolutionised 

intercity travel but they have to have their own dedicated track capable of supporting 

these speeds. Whole networks of high speed lines are being built aided by the new 

advanced tunnelling technologies. The future for tunnelling is indeed bright. 

We are highly thankful to Mr. Geoffrey Paul DARBISHIRE (Spain) for contributing this 

valuable article. 


Improving Railway and Road 

Infrastructure with 

Geosynthethic Products 

Expert View: Mr. Miki Granski 

He has over 30 years of experience with telecommunications, 

networking and consumer electronics companies. He has 

worked with start-ups and multinational corporations to deploy 

new technologies for global markets. He leads Strategic 

Project Group and is instrumental in deploying innovative solutions 

in large organizations. 

The use of Geosynthetic products for the reinforcement of base structures, in support 

of railway tracks and roads (paved or unpaved) is well known. In numerous academic 

researches, laboratory tests and field trials have been performed over the last 20 years 

or so. Indeed, following our experience of implementing such solutions for more than 

1,000 km of railway tracks in the last 5 years, we can add also actual deployment to this 

list of supportive evidence. The Geosynthetic products most often used for this purpose 

are Geotextile, Geogrid, and Geocell (a 3-dimensional version of Geogrid): 

increasing the life of roads by 10-15 years.” [1] 

Following our experience in implementing soil stabilization solutions for railways and 

roads, and based on the data that was collected in these projects, several important advantages 

can be demonstrated: 

1. Cost Reduction 

Life cycle cost reduction can be shown as a result of two factors: 

Reduction in construction costs : Offsetting the cost of Geosynthetic products is the fact 

that improved support for the base structure enables the use of thinner layers and/or 

less expensive filling materials. Often, this result in lower cost of construction. 

Reduction in maintenance costs : Maintenance is required when track or road condition 

deteriorate. A more stable base structure can lead to significantly slower deterioration, 

lower maintenance costs and longer life cycle. In some railway projects maintenance 

costs were reduced by as much as 75%. 

2. Higher Speed 

High-speed railway tracks are designed and built with very expensive structures to support 

extremely high speeds in the range of 300-400 Km/hour or even more. However, the 

great majority of regular passenger and freight railway lines can only support considerable 

lower speeds. In those cases, the speed limit is directly related to the stability of the 

base structure. We have seen many cases where the allowed speed could be significantly 

improved (by as much as 30-40%) as a result of soil stabilization using Geosynthetics. 

3. Increased Capacity 

Another benefit of improved structure is higher load and bearing capacity. This can lead 

to increase in freight capacity due to combination of factors: 

a) Improvement in the speed of freight trains and as a result higher frequency of 

freight trains over the same given section. 

b) Increase in Axle load from up to 27-32 tons/axle. 

“Geosynthetics have exhibited successful applications across the globe in the areas of 

roads and pavement stabilization, embankment protection, ground stabilization, soil 

erosion control, landfills and waste management, etc. … One of the major drivers for 

conducting this study was the fact that India is yet to leverage the economic, environmental 

and safety benefits that are made possible by the usage of Geosynthetics. Geosynthetics 

provide better performance and longevity of infrastructure projects such as 

4. Improved Safety 

Track deterioration creates geometric distortions that may develop into serious faults. 

Faults are defined as misplacement of tracks in either vertical or horizontal directions, 

or cracks in roads, and can become serious risk that requires costly maintenance. It was 

demonstrated that stable base structures significantly reduce and delay the appearance 

of infrastructure faults. 

We are highly thankful to Mr. Miki Granski (Israel) for contributing this valuable article. 


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Japan’s political 

stance on Speedy 

Rails 


Japan’s railroads have always been significant 

channels for promoting progress across the archipelago 

nation, since the first jaunted between 

Yokohama and Shinbanshi in 1872. Japanese Rail 

industry has garnered star points for achieving 

yardsticks like the Shinkansen or the historic symbol 

of advanced Japanese endeavors, the Asia Express. 

Japanese rail, under the Abe umbrella and 

active foreign policy furnishes a great aptitude of 

revitalizing diplomatic ties. 

Although Japan has been an influential exporter 

in the Railroad market and has facilitated building 

of rail amenities overseas, by commercial aid 

or technological transfer, the Land of the Rising 

Sun had not envisioned diplomatic possibilities 

until under Abe’s leadership and his progressive 

foreign policy. 

Japan’s indigenous demand for railways is dwindling 

citing competitive pricing from aviation 

and road transport since the epoch of the bubble 

economy. Citing the trend of demographic impugns, 

a number of Railroad services have been 

shut down, notably in the remote areas, including 

JR Hokkaido’s announcement of closing down 

several other local corridors, which is likely to continue; 

thus impinging the organizations gyrated 

around rail industry in Japan to seek viable markets 

outside the country. 

Japan’s High speed railway has furnished an impeccable 

record of passenger safety as well as 

reliable endemic technology, which can be employed 

to counter international competitors like 

China. 

Japanese railroad industry has the fortuity of dominating 

trade and supply channel of resources and materials, without 

being recognized as a possible peril to national security towards 

neighboring nations, unlike China, owing to its political 

apprehension and geographical location. 

Presently, Japan’s diplomacy concerning rail endeavors assumes 

three main shapes: International joint cooperation, financial 

aid as well as technological assistance, and donation. 

Donations take the form of dispatch of retired rolling stock to 

second and third-world countries. For example, several Southeast 

Asian nations, like Philippines and Myanmar, have recycled 

a number of jilted Japanese EMU trains. 

28 / Rail Analysis / International Focus / May 2016

But such actions yield little or no financial 

benefits and some countries have to revise 

their existing infrastructure. Hence this strategy 

must not be the prime pillar for Japan’s 

savoir-faire. 

Besides providing technical aid to international 

allies, Japan must fixate upon imparting 

its high-speed rail and bullet train technology. 

Owing to Colonial regime in the past 

, most countries in Southeast Asia house narrow 

(1.435 m) or meter gauge lines restricting 

speed to 160 km/h, while nations which have 

broad gauge (1.676 m) lines miss out on operational 

requirements like safety signals, automation 

infrastructure, and conditions like 

tracks, slope and curve radius do not fit highspeed 

requirements. 

Countries like India, ergo, which aspire to have 

high-speed rail systems, can benefit from Japanese 

technology and experience of successful 

operations. Additionally, construction of 

high-speed networks furnishes capabilities of 

establishing industrial corridors and special 

economic zones. 

Japan has a tremendous safety record and 

several domestic technological marvels like 

the mini-Shinkansen, which has lower construction 

requirements, as well as the anticipated 

maglev project, which is currently 

under construction and foreseen to begin 

services in 2020. 

Tokyo has, thus, the technological monopoly of pursuing foreign solidarity over the 

High-Speed Rail projects. Despite of the alluring technology, 

Japan has in past faced competition from the much-cheaper Chinese alternative, like 

the loss of contract for Indonesian high-speed rail to China; although, it seems to have 

taken its cue and furnished highly attractive debt conditions for India’s first High Speed 

Rail project and offered exhaustive assistance for the construction of the project. China 

utilizes its Political dominance, geostrategic presence as well as the fact that railways are 

state-owned, beside a rapidly expanding economy to garner its Rail ties. 

29 / Rail Analysis / International Focus / May 2016 

Presently, both China and Japan are vying for overseas high-speed enterprises and have 

already been associated with Thai Rail projects, as China has partnered with Indonesia 

and California (the U.S.) while Japan is affiliated with the U.K. and recently, India where 

Chinese authorities were catalyzed to sweep the venture. 

The upcoming rail link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur could demonstrate a turning 

point, as both countries have strong ties with the recipients. This would ink a litmus 

test of the role that Railways play in diplomacy extended Japan.

High-speed rail in India 


While India has one of the largest rail networks in the 

world, as of 2015 , it does not have any kilometers classed 

as high-speed rail (HSR), which allows an operational 

speed of 200 km/h or more. Compared to China, which 

has a 7% more population, has 19,369 km in operation 

and 17,078 km under construction. The current fastest 

train in India is the Bhopal Shatabdi that runs with a top 

speed of 150 km/h.Prior to the 2014 general election, the 

two major national parties (BJP and INC) both pledged to 

introduce high-speed rail. 

The INC pledged to connect all of India’s million-plus cities 

by high-speed rail, whereas BJP, which won the election, 

promised to build the Diamond Quadrilateral project,which 

would connect via high-speed rail the cities 

of Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai. The project was 

confirmed as a project of priority for the new government 

in the President’s speech. Construction of one kilometer 

of high speed railway track will cost Rs. 100 - 140 crore 

which is 10 to 14 times higher than the construction of a 

normal 

railway track. 

Current effort to 

increase speed to 160-200 km/h 

Indian Railways aims to increase the speed of passenger 

trains to 160-200 km/h on dedicated conventional tracks. 

They intend to improve their existing conventional lines 

to handle speeds of up to 160 km/h, with a goal of speeds 

above 200 km/h on new tracks with improved technology. 

In February 2014, Henri Poupart-Lafarge of Alstom, 

manufacturer of trains used on TGV in France, stated that 

India is at least 5-10 years away from Indian Railways aims 

to increase the speed of passenger trains to 160-200 km/h 

on dedicated conventional tracks. They intend to improve 

their existing conventional lines to handle speeds of up to 

160 km/h, with a goal of speeds above 200 km/h on new tracks with improved 

technology. In February 2014, Henri Poupart-Lafarge of Alstom, manufacturer of trains used on TGV in France, stated 

that India is at least 5-10 years away from and Agra to 105 minutes will be named Gatimaan 

Express. Initially the trains will have the maximum speed of 160 km/h, with railway coaches which can run at the speed 

of 200 km/h will be rolled out from Railway Coach Factory of Indian Railway from June, 2015. 

A trial run has been successfully completed on Delhi - Agra section and plans are to start these trains on Delhi 

Bhopal / Chandigarh / Kanpur / Lucknow sections after starting on Delhi - Agra section. 

The Delhi - Agra semi high speed train is expected to start in 2016. Mumbai Rajdhani Express will be upgraded to 200 

km/h. This will reduce 8 hours of traveling time. Railway minister Dr. sadananda Gowda mentioned in his Rail budget 

2014 speech that the railways are going to start high speed trains at 160-200 km/h on 9 routes. 


Current Semi-high speed systems 

Currently there are no semi high speed rail routes in India. 

A trial run has been successfully completed on Delhi 

- Agra section and plans are to start these trains on Delhi 

- Bhopal / Chandigarh / Kanpur / Lucknow sections after 

starting on Delhi - Agra section. The Delhi - Agra semi 

high speed train is expected to start in November 2014. 

Mumbai Rajdhani Express will be upgraded to 200 km/h. 

This will reduce 8 hours of traveling time. Railway minister 

Dr. sadananda Gowda mentioned in his Rail budget 2014 

speech that the railways are going to start high speed 

trains at 160-200 km/h on 9 routes. 

Criticism 

India’s quest to run rails at the 160 km/h has its own critics. 

Critics point out the that Delhi-Agra time savings are not 

based on the speed of train but based on other factors. 

Critics point out that the reduction in travel time due to 

speed is a mere three minutes, and other manoeuvrings 

are largely responsible for the drastic drop. Reduction of 

timing largely because of shifting the train-s departure 

point from New Delhi railway station to Hazrat Nizamuddin 

and doing away with the scheduled stop at Mathura 

reportedly account for a saving of 14 minutes, limiting the 

locomotive to 10 coaches - Bhopal Shatabdi has 14 - leads 

to a decrement of another two minutes, approximately 

five minutes are being saved on account of track improvements 

and superior infrastructure, three minutes owing 

to route relay interlocking at Agra, and one minute each 

on approval to run a passenger train on the third line at 

Palwal and Bhuteshwar, installation of thick web switches 

at four points and in putting up a track station at Chhata. 

Also, India is targeting only lower end of 160-200 km/h 

speed of semi-high speed trains. So, focus is to achieve 

160 km/h not the 200 km/h. 

There is serious question raised about the safety of the 

passengers as the infrastructure on which semi-high 

speed trains are running may not be able to run at such 

high speeds, for example it is preferred to run these trains 

on 60 kilogram tracks but now they are running on 52 kilogram 

tracks] There are multiple railway projects which 

are in different stages of implementation like doubling of 

tracks, electrification, new track laying, changing of gauge 

etc. But Indian railways has not come up with any guidelines 

to channelize all current and new efforts to run trains 

at semi-high speed. 

Proposal to introduce 300-350 km/h 

trains 

One of the first proposals to introduce high-speed trains 

in India was mooted in the mid-1980s by then Railway 

Minister Madhavrao Scindia. A highspeed rail line between 

Delhi and Kanpur via Agra was proposed. An internal 

study found the proposal not to be viable at that time 

due to the high cost of construction and inability of travelling 

passengers to bear much higher fares than those for 

normal trains. 

The railways instead introduced Shatabdi trains which ran 

at 130 km/h The Indian Ministry of Railways’ white-paper 

“Vision 2020”, submitted to Indian Parliament on December 

18, 2009, envisages the implementation of regional 

high-speed rail projects to provide services at 250-350 

km/h, and planning for corridors connecting commercial, 

tourist, and pilgrimage hubs. Six corridors have been identified 

for technical studies on setting up of high-speed rail 

corridors: on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer 

(DBFOT) basis. The corporation was officially formed 

on 29 October 2013. 

The routes will be : Delhi - Chandigarh - Amritsar , Pune 

- Mumbai - Ahmedabad, Hyderabad-Kazipet-Dornakal-Vijayawada-Chennai, 

Howrah-Haldia , Chennai-Bangalore-Coimbatore-Kochi 

Thiruvananthapuram, Delhi-Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi- 

Patna. These high-speed rail 

corridors will be built as elevated corridors. 


METRO RAIL IN INDIA : Timeline 


Kolkata 

Metro Rail 1984 

The entire length of Kolkata metro network 

is 16.45 km and there is a total of 17 

stations on the entire stretch. Metro rail is 

one of the most convenient modes of traveling 

in a crowded city like Kolkata. 

DelhiNCR 


The train boasts of all the world- class machinery 

and facilities and is the pride of the 

capital city. The network consists of five 

colour- coded regular lines and the faster 

Airport Express line, with a total length of 

serving 213 km 160 stations. 

Bangalore 


The first phase involved the construction 

of a partly underground 12.9 km MRTS 

line from Rajajinagar to Jayanagar, and a 

suburban corridor on the existing rail network. 

Gurgaon 

Rapid Metro Rail 2014 

Rapid Metro covers a distance of 5.1 km. 

The section between Sikanderpur and 

Phase 2 is double- tracked, while the remaining 

stations are served with a singletrack 

loop. 

Mumbai 


Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit system 

designed to reduce traffic congestion in 

the city, and to augment the overcrowded 

Mumbai Suburban. 

The line opened for service on 8 June 2014 

. Line 1 of Mumbai Metro has 12 stations in 

the V - A - G corridor. 

Jaipur 


Phase I- A completed 9 stations and 9.63 

km of route length, of which 0.95 km is 

underground and 9.13 km is elevated. The 

remainder of the first line, Phase I- B (2.35 

km), is scheduled to be completed by 

2018. Phase II (23.1 km) is planned to be 

completed by 2021. With the completion 

of Phases I and II, the network will span 

35.08 km and 31 stations. 

Chennai 


Phase I of the project consists of two corridors 

covering a length of 45.1 km. The first 

line of Phase I has been partially completed 

and is open for public service. About 

55% of the corridors in Phase I are underground, 

with the remaining corridors elevated. 

Chennai became seventh Indian 

city with metro rapid transit system in India, 

after Kolkata,Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, 

Gurgaon 

32 / Rail Analysis / Metro Rail in India / May 2016

Kochi 


Kochi Metro is the designated metro system 

for the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. 

The first phase is being set up at an estimated 

cost of Rs. 5181 Crore (US $780 million), 

and the metro rail has its first trial run 

on 23 Jan 2016 successfully and shall begin 

its operations on Nov 1 , 2016 . 

Hyderabad 


Following a construction period of just 

five years, the first phase, comprising three 

lines totalling 71km with 66 stations will 

be completed in 2017. The HMR project is 

considered to be the world ’s largest project 

under public- private partnershi with 

investments of over Rs. 17,000 Crore. 

Lucknow 


The under construction Lucknow Metro 

is a rapid transit system in the city of 

Lucknow India. Construction on the first 

phase began on 27 September 2014. 

Navi Mumbai 


The Navi Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit 

system under construction in the Indian 

city of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. The 

planning and construction of the Navi 

Mumbai Metro is being overseen by the 

City and Industrial Development 

Corporation (CIDCO). The system is 

planned to consist of three rail lines covering 

a total distance of 106.4 km and first 

line is projected to open in 2017. 

Noida- Greater Noida 


With as many as 21 stations and a depot , 

the upcoming Noida - Greater Noida Metro 

line is set to be the longest corridor of 

the region . Scheduled to be completed 

by March 2017 , all its stations will have 

platform screen doors that will run on solar 

power. The approximately 30 km- long 

corridor will be an extension of two lines, 

Dwarka Sector 21 - Noida City Centre line 

and the upcoming Noida- Noida Sector 62 

stretch. 

Nagpur 


NMRCL is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) 

created for the smooth implementation 

and operations of the Nagpur Metro Rail 

Project and is a joint venture of Government 

of India & Government of Maharashtra. 

The project is scheduled to be completed 

by March 2018. 

Ahmedabad 


The special purpose vehicle company 

was established in February 2010 and the 

Phase – 1 of project was approved in October 

2014 and is expected to complete by 

December 2018 . The construction started 

on 14 March 2015 

33 / Rail Analysis / Metro Rail in India / May 2016

#FridayFun 


The Most Beautiful Railway Stations on Earth 

Liege - Guillemins - Belgium 

Dunedin Station 

New Zealand 

Grand Central Terminal - New York 

St. Pancras International 

London 

Chhatrapati Shivaji 

Terminus - Mumbai

News Highlight - Apr 2016 Compiled by : Rail Analysis Team 

News Highlights 

Date Headline Description 

26-Apr-16 Trains Gets help after Tweet to Suresh Prabhu 

A couple travelling on Ajmer Sharif-Sealdah Express was immediately attended by authorities after they 

sought help through a tweet directed to the twitter handle of Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. About 20 

youths started harassing the woman and her husband soon after the train left Ajmer Sharif last night. After 

complaints to officials at Kanpur and Agra railway stations yielded no result, they tweeted to the Railway 

Minister, drawing his attention, In-charge of GRP, Dhanbad, Shashi Bhusan said. 

26-Apr-16 

Western & Central Railways agree to Join Hands for 

Integrated Ticketing System 

Come May 2017 and there is a possibility of a single mobility card being made for Mumbai commuters across 

the travel mode as even the Central and Western Railways have agreed to join the „Integrated Ticketing 

System‟ project being implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). 

26-Apr-16 

China to build high Speed Rail Line in India 

China Railway Cooperation (CRC) is carrying out feasibility studies for high-speed lines on the 2,200 km 

Chennai-New Delhi route, Zhao Guotang, vice general engineer of the CRC, said on Saturday. 

26-Apr-16 

26-Apr-16 

25-Apr-16 

25-Apr-16 

L&T to Build 42 Feet high Bridge Over the Railway Line 

Hyderabad Metro Rail Plans for Parking 

Krishnapatnam Port Inaugurates Maersk Salalah Service 

Simplex Casting Ltd Bags Work Order Worth Rs 18 Cr 

(USD$ 2.7 M) 

With pre-fabricated steel bridge getting ready at a Noida factory near Delhi, the stage is set for taking up 

construction of the Rail Over Bridge (ROB) by the metro rail authorities to cross over the Oliphanta Bridge 

near the Secunderabad Railway station. 

Metro Rail operations from Nagole to Mettuguda will start on June 2, State Formation Day. But with less than 

45 days to go, officials from L&T say they still haven‟t received official communication from the state 

government. 

Krishnapatnam Port, the country‟s largest all-weather; deep water port on the east-coast inaugurated the 

maiden call of “M V Maersk Bentonville” as part of the direct weekly service from Krishpatnam to Salalah 

(Oman). 

Simplex Castings Ltd has bagged order worth Rs. 18.00 cr from Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) for 

manufacture & supply of Cast Steel Bogies for CONCOR's Container flat wagons. This order will be add-on to 

the performance of the Company in financial year 2016-17. 

25-Apr-16 

25-Apr-16 

28-Apr-16 

Terratec Announces delivery of a 9.86 TBM to India 

Farakka Barrage Bridge Project Continues to serve India 

India’s Largest Metro Station to be built in Bangalore 

TERRATEC has announced the delivery of a new 9.86m diameter Hard Rock Double Shield TBM to SELI 

Overseas S.p.A., following successful factory testing on 12th April, 2016, for use on the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti 

Hydropower Project in India. 

Farakka Barrage is located in Murshidabad and Malda districts of West Bengal at about 300 km North of 

Kolkata. It is one of the largest barrage of its kind in the country having a Feeder Canal for a flow of 40000 

cusec (1135 cumec) whose bed width is wider than that of Suez Canal. 

Majestic intersection has come in area of 48,000 square meters of land, BMRCL has spent Rs 500 crore. 

Though Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) managed to start commercial operations in five 

of the reaches of Phase I, demand of operating metro linking Majestic Intersection station remained unfulfilled 

for many years. 

36 / Rail Analysis / News Highlight / May 2016

28-Apr-16 

Lucknow Metro Corridor Construction to Begin by July 

The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) will begin the construction of an underground metro corridor, 

spanning from Charbagh to KD Singh Babu Stadium, from July. The construction, led by a consortium of a 

Turkish and Indian company, will affect traffic in localities around Station road, Sachivalaya and MG road. 

27-Apr-16 

Namma Metro’s East West Corridor to be inaugurated on 

29th April 

The much awaited East-West corridor of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will be 

inaugurated on April 29, with commercial operations set to begin from April 30, an official said on Tuesday. 

27-Apr-16 

26-Apr-16 

30-Apr-16 

23-Apr-16 

23-Apr-16 

India officials plan visit to Japan to discuss Ahmedabad- 

Mumbai Bullet Train Project 

SARRC Countries to connect with Railways Links 

Iran Reports: India to sell Rails to Iran 

AFD Agree to Provide loan For Kochi Metro Extension 

Semi High Speed Talgo Trains in India 

NITI Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya, along with the secretary of Department of Economic Affairs, 

and chairman of the Railway Board, is expected to visit Japan to hold a meeting with the country‟s officials to 

take forward the Rs 98,000-crore Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project, a government source said on 

condition of anonymity. 

A connectivity pact, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Railway Agreement, is being explored while 

India is expanding railway links with its neighbours through the Northeast. 

Iran said on Sunday that it had made a major purchase of rails from India, adding the payment for almost the 

entire of the purchase had been made by New Delhi. 

Mohsen Pour-Seyyed Aqaei, the managing director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (IRIR), has been 

quoted by the media as saying that the total weight of the rails that have been purchased from India stands at 

250,000 tons. 

AFD (Agence Francaise de Developpement), the French development agency funding Kochi Metro project, is 

learnt to have agreed to provide funds for Kakkanad extension of Metro. A three-member AFD team held 

talks with Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) in this regard. 

Rail passengers in India may soon have the luxury of Spanish coaches on the Rajdhani and Shatabdi 

express trains. The existing LHB coaches will be replaced if the railways' experiment with high speed Talgo 

trains is successful. 

22-Apr-16 

China Manufacture its Biggest TBM for India 

A tunnel boring machine that is so huge that it can cover more than 12 kilometers at a time is manufactured 

by China, its biggest ever such project, to be exported to India. 

And it reportedly took more than one year to build the machine. 

“It was built for the express purpose of completing a one-time 12.5-kilometer boring task in India,” China's 

state-run People's Daily reported. 

21-Apr-16 

India’s First Bullet Train to Travel under Sea 

On the lines of undersea high speed train Eurostar connecting London-Paris, India‟s first bullet train between 

Mumbai-Ahmedabad will travel a stretch of 21 kilometer under the sea near Thane creek. 

A meeting of the technical committee comprising of senior officials from railways and Japan was held 

Tuesday to chart out modalities like track design, embankments, tunneling and bridges on the 508 kilometer 

distance between the two cities where bullet is expected to run at a speed of 320-350 kmph. 

22-Apr-16 

Railways Capital Expenditure reaches 94,000 cr to a New 

High in FY16 

The Indian Railways spent Rs. 94,000 crore on capital expenditure in the financial year 2015-16, up 64.91 

percent from the previous year when the state-owned rail transporter spent Rs. 57,000 crore. The increase 

marked a record high, according to the Economic Times. 

37 / Rail Analysis / News Highlight / May 2016

Top Tenders - May Tender 2016 List Top Ten 


Tender Title 

Tender value 

INR (Crore) 

Tender 

value $US 

(m) 

Design, Supply, Erection, Testing & Commissioning of 50 HZ 103.57 15.63 

Construction of Minor Bridges 89.37 13.43 

Tender 

Category 

Electric & 

Electronic 

systems 

Bridges & 

Tunnels 

Date of post 

1-Apr-16 

1-Apr-16 

Special Sheets, Plates and Coils. 543 82 

Mechanical 

components 

18-Apr-16 

Development,check post 104.33 15.65 

Civil Eng & 

Construction 

21-Apr-16 

Construction of Multistoried Academic Tower 60.45 9.3 

Mechanized cleaning and housekeeping Works 30.22 4.67 

Coach maintenance facility 32.88 4.83 

Civil Eng & 

Construction 

Maintenance & 

Modernisation 

Maintenance & 

Modernisation 

29-Apr-16 

7-Apr-16 

29-Apr-16 

Architectural finishing work of five elevated stations including water supply 

sanitary installation and external development work etc 

26 3.91 

Civil Eng & 

Construction 

11-Apr-16 

Construction of balance work of single line 53.87 7.96 

Bridges & 

Tunnels 

22-Apr-16 

Construction of Earthwork, Boundary Wall, Pavement, Warehouse, 

Administrative Building 

52.27 7.86 

Planning & 

Design 

4-Apr-16 

Supply of stone rail grinding machine 54 8.4 

Track Design & 

Machinery 

26-Apr-16 

Please contact us at tender_support@railanalysis.com or India Tel : +919811979599 / +919811979598 

38 / Rail Analysis / Top Tenders / May 2016

Railway Stocks in India 


40 

Chart Title 

30 

% change in stock value 

20 

10 

0 

-10 

Series 

Series 

-20 

Monthly return (%age) 

Stocks of Major Railway companies from Apr 1st to Apr 30th, 2016 

Source: www.moneycontrol.com 

39 / Rail Analysis / Railway Stocks / May 2016

As we celebrate our Third issue here at Rail Analysis, we want to say “thank you” to the companies and experts listed below, who 

were a part of this special issue, and to all of the people who have made this possible ! 

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