Metro Rail News December 2016

Metro Rail News | December 2016 | www.metrorailnews.in 2

Contents 

Editorial 5 

Editorial Advisory Board 6 

Appreciation from Managing Director (LMRC) 7 

Metro Rail Projects in India – At a glance 9 - 16 

News Highlights 17 - 23 

Lucknow Metro: A dream come true in the city of 

culture 

24 -30 

All aboard the Asia Pacific growth train 31 - 33 

MRTS and the Jammu & Srinagar State 34 - 37 

Metrino: India’s New Environment Friendly and 

Cost Effective personal rapid transport project 

Modi dreams Bullet Train, but India needs High- 

Speed upgrade 

Delhi Metro to run new generation UTO (driverless 

trains) in phase-III corridors 

Urban underground space: Solving the problems of 

today’s cities 

Indian Railways is all set to experiment with Spain's 

high speed Talgo trains 

38 - 39 

40 - 42 

43 - 45 

46 - 51 

53 - 54 

55 - 57 

Smart Cities Project: India’s smart cities will need 

smart transport 

Announcements 58 

Honor / Awards 59 


WWW.METRORAILNEWS.IN 

>> Sector Covered 

Mass Rapid Transit Systems 

Metro Railway Projects 

Mono Rail Projects 

Light Rail Projects 

Sky Metro Projects 

Tramway Projects 

Bullet Train Projects 

Metrino/Pods Projects 

Smart Cities Projects 

Corporate updates 

Project Funding 

Board Meetings 

Tender & Contracts 

Events 

Interviews 

Technology 

Announcements 

Honor/Awards 

Case Studies 

Recruitments 

Many more… 

27,000+ 

40,000+ 

1,25,000 

2,85,000 

78,000 

450% 

27% 

4:95 

8,662 

13,598 

28,577 

134 

10,255 

Registered Members 

e-Newsletter Subscribers 

Average Monthly Visitors 

Average Monthly Page views 

Unique Visitors 

Yearly Traffic Growth 

Returning Visitors 

Average Time on Site 

Social Statistics 

Facebook Likes 

LinkedIn Followers 

Google Plus Connections 

Twitter Followers 

Facebook Metro News Readers 

VISITOR STATISTICS 

Gender Ratio 

Age Group 

Education 

Male : 54.15 

Female : 45.85 

18-34 : 61.0 % 

35-54 : 28.0 % 

55-64 : 18.0% 

65+ : 5.5% 

Bachelors : 55.0% 

Masters : 33.0% 

No Degree : 12.0% 

Geographical Reach (91 Countries) 

India : 71.09% 

US : 8.02% 

UAE : 2.74% 

Russia : 1.93% 

UK : 1.76% 

Singapore : 1.68% 

Saudi Arabia : 1.67% 

Qatar : 1.61% 

Japan : 2.40% 

Indonesia : 1.37% 

China : 5.04% 

Germany : 1.07% 

South Africa : 1.03% 

France : 1.01% 

Advertisement Space Rates for 2016-17 (Valid up to 31.03.2017) 

Page Name Location/Advertisement Type Banner Size Banner Type 

Rate per Month 

(Pixel) 

INR $ € 

Home Top – Leaderboard 750 x 100 Dynamic 25000.00 450.00 400.00 

Tender/Events/ 

Jobs@Metro/ Metro Rail 

Directory 

Top – Leaderboard 620 x 100 Dynamic 20000.00 360.00 320.00 

Side – Skyscraper (Left/Right) 160 x 600 Dynamic 50000.00 900.00 800.00 

Top Sidebar – Square 250 x 250 Dynamic 25000.00 450.00 400.00 

Middle Sidebar – Square 250 x 250 Dynamic 20000.00 360.00 320.00 

Bottom Sidebar – Rectangle 250 x 500 Dynamic 15000.00 270.00 240.00 

Bottom – Rectangle 800 x 100 Dynamic 12500.00 225.00 200.00 

Top Sidebar – Square 250 x 250 Dynamic 20000.00 360.00 320.00 



Rest of Pages Top Sidebar – Square 250 x 250 Dynamic 17500.00 315.00 280.00 



Tender Notice Tender Notice/Addendum etc.

EDITORIAL | 

Smart Transportation for better India 

Dear Metro Rail News Readers, 

Vol. I / Issue 1 December 2016 

Managing Editor 

Mamta Shah 

Group Editor 

Shashi Prabha 

Associate Editor 

Lallan Prasad 

Director Advertising 

Anju Mittal 

Director Design 

Narendra Raj 

Circulation In-charge 

N.K. Mittal 

Editorial & Business Office 

Metro Rail News | Symbroj Media Pvt. Ltd. 

Chityog Bhawan, 1/5618, Street #12 

Balbir Nagar Ext., Shahdara, 

New Delhi – 110032 (India) 

Tel: +91 995 394 4505, 999 045 4505 

E-mail: metrorailnews@gmail.com 

Web: www.metrorailnews.in 

© Symbroj Media Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi 

Subscription 

Inland Overseas 

3 Years (12 Issues) 7200.00 $ 720.00 

2 Years (24 issues) 4800.00 $ 480.00 

1 Year (12 Issues) 2400.00 $ 240.00 

None of the information contained in this publication 

may be copied, otherwise reproduced, repackaged, 

further transmitted, disseminated, redistributed, 

resold, stored for subsequent use for any such 

purpose, in whole or in part, in any form or manner or 

by means whatsoever, by any person without prior 

written permission from Symbroj Media Pvt. Ltd., 

New Delhi. 

The Editorial Board may or may not concur with the 

views expressed by various authors in this 

publication. 

Edited and Published by Mamta Shah on behalf of 

Symbroj Media Pvt. Ltd., Chityog Bhawan, 1/5618, 

Street #12, Balbir Nagar Ext., Shahdara, New Delhi – 

110032 (India) 

Metro Railway Industry in India is growing at a 

rapid speed with our developing nation taking 

giant strides towards modernization and 

development and improving the quality of life for 

its citizens. 

India is now developing its cities with metro systems, connecting 

them through High speed rail and provide faster logistic 

throughput with the exclusive freight-only corridor, it seeks 

technical and financial co-operation from the more experienced 

countries in Railways to help it build its systems and maintain 

them at the sustainable levels. 

Our Portal www.metrorailnews.in has been developed to create 

awareness of various projects in the Metro Railways, Mass Rapid 

Transit Systems, Bullet Trains and its multiple opportunities for 

companies in India and Overseas. We are always evolving with 

the feedback from our Customers and We shall continue to learn 

and improve, going further. 

Also, We would like to thank all the contributors and companies 

who are associated with the Metro Rail News. We highly 

appreciate your support and hope to continue our collaboration 

further. 

After the great response to our Digital Magazine issues and 

request for Print Editions, we also have decided to go in print 

and we hope you enjoy it! 

Please send us your valuable suggestions and feedback at 

editor@metrorailnews.in or metrorailnews@gmail.com 

Wishing you and your family members a very happy & 

prosperous New Year 2017. 

Thank you! 

Mamta Shah 

Managing Editor 

Metro Rail News 

editor@metrorailnews.in 


Editorial Advisory Board 

IRSE (Retd.), S. K. Aggarwal 

Vice President– Reliance Jio 

Reliance Industries Ltd. 

New Delhi (India) 

(Ex-GM/CR, Indian Railways) 

IFS (Retd.), Kishore Dudani 

Ministry of External Affairs 

Advisor - UNO Technologies Ltd. 


Onala M. Atala 

Vice President - AECOM 

Toronto (Canada) 

Sunil Srivastava 

Managing Director 

Barsyl Ltd., Hyderabad (India) 

(Founder & Member of Governing Council 

Institute of Metro & Rail Technology) 

IRSE, Ajit Kumar Mishra 

Addl. General Manager 

DFCCIL, Indian Railways 


Journalist, Md. Tariq Khan 

Special Correspondent 

Hindustan Times 

Lucknow (India) 

Shailendra Kumar Shahi 

Line Manager 

WS Atkins India Pvt. Ltd., 

Gurgaon (India) 

Divakar B. 

Design Manager - ETOE Rail 

Bengaluru (India) 


Message from Shri Kumar Keshav, MD/LMRC 

I am happy that Metro Rail News has started its publication from 

December, 2016. This is a very good move by M/s Symbroj Media as 

the Railways fraternity like the Metro Rail, Light Rail, High Speed 

Trains and other modes of Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) will 

get a common platform for expressing their thoughts and opinions 

besides keeping themselves abreast with all the latest happenings 

going around in India and rest of the world. 

I congratulate each and every one associated with this magazine for 

their untiring efforts in bringing this into print media. Their vast 

experience in online dissemination of urban rail news and the 

expertise gained over a period of time has ultimately formed the 

basis for such a good move in the industry. 

I wish a good luck and all success to this endeavour… 

Kumar Keshav 

Managing Director 

Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation 

Shri Kumar Keshav is 

currently Managing 

Director of Lucknow Metro 

Rail Corporation (LMRC). 

In past he has worked as 

the Chief Engineer, 

Executive Director and 

Director at the Delhi Metro 

Rail Corporation (DMRC) 

and executed various 

challenging metro 

projects. He is a graduate 

from the Roorkee 

Engineering College. 


MAGAZINE PRINT ADVERTISING 

Magazine: Metro Rail News (Monthly) 

India’s first digital / printed magazine on Mass Rapid Transit System, Metro Rail Projects, Infrastructure and Smart Cities. 

CIRCULATION INFORMATION 

Metro Railways/Urban Development Departments 500+ 

Railways/Construction Companies 1500+ 

Contractors/Suppliers 3000+ 

Railways/Engineering Professionals 2500+ 

Financial Institutions 500+ 

Ministries/Govt. Departments 500+ 

Research & Planning Organizations 500+ 

General Consultants 1000+ 

Total 10000+ 

GENERAL INFORMATION 

Frequency 

Monthly 

Pages 60-80 

Size 

209.5mm x 273mm 

Editorial / Advertisement Ratio 60 : 40 

Paper type 

Glossy 100gsm 

Colour 

4 Colour 

Material Required 

PNG, JPEG (Soft copy) 

Date of Publication 

First week of next month 

ADVERTISEMENT RATES (2016-17) 

Position Rupees (₹) Doller ($) Euros (€) 

Inside Front/Back Cover 1,00,000 2,400 2,000 

Opening Page 75,000 1,800 1,500 

Front Cover Gate Fold (Double Spread) 1,50,000 3,600 3,000 

Back Cover 1,00,000 2,400 2,000 

Full Page (Colour) 50,000 1,200 1,000 

Double Spread (Colour) 1,00,000 2,400 2,000 

Half Page (Colour) 25,000 600 500 

Half Page Double Spread 50,000 1,200 1000 

Quarter Page 15,000 360 300 

Strip Advertisement Inside Pages 10,000 240 200 

Strip Advertisement Cover 25,000 600 500 

Sponsored/Promotional Articles 20,000 480 400 

Advertise your business 

and product in Metro 

Rail News Print and 

Digital Edition and 

reach your specific 

audience globally. 

Special Discount on Term Bookings 

3 Issues 6 Issues 9 Issues 12 Issues 

10% 20% 30% 50% 

* All rates are inclusive of all taxes. 

Cover Price : ₹ 200.00 | $ 20.00 | € 18.00 

Hurry ! Book your space today and grow your business rapidly. 

Metro Rail News | December 2016 | www.metrorailnews.in 8 

Call now for advertisement booking: +91 99539 44505 or e-mail: metrorailnews@gmail.com

Metro Rail Projects in India – At a Glance 

: By Metro Rail News 

Indian cities are among the world’s fastest developing cities in terms of every 

aspect, population, economy and infrastructure. The transport system of 

India is got a new mode called Metro, after the independence Kolkata was 

first city to get rapid transit system in India. Indian Metro system also has 

one of the longest metro tunnel in the world. 

Kolkata Metro Rail Project 

The Kolkata Metro was the first Metro Railway in 

India, opening for commercial services from 1984. 

This fact is proudly taken and the Kolkata Metro is 

called India's First, Kolkata's Pride. On 29 December 

2010, Metro Railway, Kolkata became the 17 th Zone 

of the Indian Railways, operated by the Ministry of 

Railways. There are 300 metro services daily carrying 

over 650,000 passengers making it the second busiest 

metro system in India. 


METRO RAIL PROJECTS IN INDIA| 

Line First operational / 

Expected First Run 

Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Line-1 24 October 1984 24 27.22 Noapara to Kavi Subhash Operational 

Line-1 Extension December 2017 03 4.11 Dakshineswar to Noapara Under construction 

Line-2 June 2018 12 16.55 Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake Under construction 

Sector-V 

Line-3 December 2018 15 17.75 Joka to BBD Bagh Under construction 

Line-4 Not declared 3 6.87 Noapara to Airport Under construction 

Line-5 Not declared 11 12.42 Baranagar to Barrackpore Under construction 

Line-6 Not declared 24 29.10 Kavi Subhash to Airport Under construction 

Status 

Delhi Metro Rail Project 

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC), 

a state-owned company with equal equity 

participation from Government of India and 

Government of Delhi, built and operates the Delhi 

Metro. Delhi Metro is a metro system serving Delhi 

and its satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida 

and Ghaziabad in National Capital Region in India. 

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has been certified 

by the United Nations as the first metro rail and railbased 

system in the world to get "carbon credits for 

reducing greenhouse gas emissions" and helping in 

reducing pollution levels in the city by 630,000 

tonnes every year. DMRC operates around 2000 trips 

daily between 05:30 till 00:00 running with 

a headway varying between 1–2 minutes and 4–10 

minutes. The trains are usually of four, six and eightcoach. 

The power output is supplied by 25 KV, 50 

Hz A/C through overhead catenary. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Line-1 (Red) 24 December 2002 21 25.09 Dilshad Garden to Rithala Operational 

Line-2 (Yellow) 20 December 2004 37 49 Samaypur Badli to HUDA City Centre Operational 

Line-3 (Blue) 31 December 2005 44 49.93 Noida City Centre to Dwarka Sector-21 Operational 

Line-4 (Blue) 7 January 2010 7 8.74 Yamuna Bank to Vaishali Operational 

Line-5 (Green) 3 April 2010 14 15.14 Inderlok to Mundka Operational 

Line-5 (Green) 27 August 2011 2 3.32 Ashok Park Main to Kirti Nagar Operational 

Line-6 (Violet) 3 October 2010 28 35.17 ITO to Escorts Mujesar Operational 

Airport Express (Orange) 23 February 2011 6 22.70 New Delhi to Dwarka Sector-21 Operational 

Line-7 (Pink) April 2017 38 58.59 Mukundpur to Shiv Vihar Under construction 

Line-8 (Magenta) April 2017 25 38.24 Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden Under construction 

Line-9 (Aqua) 2021 10 12.58 Inderlok to Indraprastha Approved 

Line-10 (Moss Green) 2021 16 22.20 Tughalkabad to IGI Aiport Terminal-I Approved 

Line-1 Extension 2018 6 9.6 Dilshad Garden to New Bus Stand 

Ghaziabad 

Under construction 

Line-1 Extension 2021 16 21.73 Rithala to Narela Approved 

Line-3 Extension 2018 3 4.30 Dwarka to Najafgarh Under construction 

Line-3 Extension 2019 6 6.68 Noida City Centre to Noida Electronic 

City 


Line-5 Extension 2017 6 11.18 Mundka to Bahadurgarh Under construction 

Line-6 Extension February 2017 7 9.37 Central Secretariat to Kashmiri Gate Under construction 

Line-6 Extension 2021 9 17 Badarpur to Ballabhgarh Under construction 

Line-7 Extension 2021 7 12.54 Mukundpur to Maujpur Approved 

Line-8 Extension 2021 26 28.92 Janakpuri West to RK Ashram Marg Approved 

Line-10 Extension 2021 6 7.96 Lajpat Nagar to Saket G-Block Approved 



Bangalore Metro Rail Project 

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), 

a joint venture of the Government of India and 

the Government of Karnataka, built and operates the 

Namma Metro. Services operate daily between 06:00 

and 22:00 running with a headway varying between 

8–10 minutes. The trains are composed of three cars. 

The power output is supplied by 750V DC 

through third rail. Namma Metro was the first rail 

transport system in India to use 750V DC third rail 

traction. The system has a mix of underground, atgrade, 

and elevated stations using standard-gauge 

tracks. The metro has an average daily ridership of 

175,000 passengers. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Line-1 (Purple) 20 October 2011 17 18.22 Baiyyappanahalli to Mysore Road Operational 

Line-2 (Green) 1 March 2014 13 13.30 M.S. Sampige Road to Nagasandra Operational 

Line-3 December 2020 16 18.80 R V Road to Bommasandra Approved 

Line-4 December 2020 18 21.25 Gottigere to Nagawara Approved 

ORR Metro 13 17 Silk Board to K.R. Puram Approved 

Line-1 Extension December 2020 5 6.46 Mysore Road to Kengeri Approved 

Line-1 Extension December 2020 13 15.50 Baiyyappanahalli to Whitefield Approved 

Line-2 Extension April 2017 10 12 M.S. Sampige Road to Puttenahalli Under construction 

Rapid Metro Rail Gurgaon 

Rapid Metro Rail Gurgaon is a metro system in the 

Indian city of Gurgaon, linked with the Delhi Metro 

systems’s Yellow Line at Sikandarpur. Built and 

operated by Rapid Metro Rail Gurgaon Limited 

(RMGL), the system is India's first fully privately 

financed metro. It was built at a cost of nearly ₹11 

billion (US$160 million) and construction was 

completed in 30 months. Originally planned to open 

in 2012, the first phase of the system opened on 14 

November 2013. The project was initially conceived 

as a collaborative venture between real estate 

developer DLF and Infrastructure Leasing & 

Financial Services (IL&FS), a subsidiary of the Saudi 

Binladin Group. But DLF, facing financial problems, 

pulled out and IL&FS became the sole owner. This 

line connects the commercial areas of Gurgaon, and it 

acts as a feeder link to the people. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Section-1 14 November 2013 6 5.1 Sikanderpur to Phase-3 Operational 

Section-2 January 2017 5 7 Phase-1 to Sector 55-56 Under construction 



Mumbai Metro Rail Project 

Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit system serving the 

city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. The system is designed 

Suburban Railway network. It will be built in three 

phases over a 15-year period, with overall 

completion expected in 2021. When complete, the 

core system will comprise three high-capacity metro 

railway lines, spanning a total of 63 kilometres. Line 

1 of the Mumbai Metro is operated by Metro One 

Operation Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture company formed 

to reduce traffic congestion in the city, and 

supplement the overcrowded Mumbai 

by RATP Development, Transdev and Reliance 

Infrastructure, under a 35 year contract. MOOPL 

operates under the control of Mumbai Metro One 

Private Limited (MMOPL), formed by Reliance and 

the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development 

Authority (MMRDA). 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Line-1 8 June 2014 12 11.4 Versova to Ghatkopar Operational 

Line-2 38 42.1 Dahisar to Mankhurd Under construction 

Line-3 27 33 Colaba to SEEPZ Under construction 

Line-4 30 32 Wadala to Kasarvadavali Approved 

Line-5 17 24 Thane to Kalyan Approved 

Line-6 13 14.5 Lokhandwala to Vikhroli Approved 

Line-7 16 16.5 Andheri East to Dahisar East Under construction 

Jaipur Metro Rail Project 

Jaipur Metro is a rapid transit system in the city 

of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Construction on the 

mostly elevated part of the first line, called Phase 1A, 

comprising 9.63 kilometres of route 

from Mansarovar to Chandpole Bazaar, started on 13 

November 2010, and was completed in 2014. After 

receiving safety clearance from Commissioner of 

Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) in May 2015, Jaipur Metro 

began commercial service between Chandpole and 

Mansarovar on 3 June 2015. It is also touted as one of 

the fastest built metro systems in India. Jaipur Metro 

is the first metro in India to run on Double-story 

elevated road and Metro track. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Line-1 (Pink) 3 June 2015 9 9.63 Mansarovar to Chandpole Operational 

Line-2 (Orange) 2021 20 23.09 Sitapura Industrial Area to Ambabari Approved 

Line-1 Extension 2018 2 2.35 Chandpole to Badi Chaupar Under construction 

Chennai Metro Rail Project 

The Chennai Metro, officially Chennai Metro Rail 

Limited (CMRL), is a rapid transit system serving the 

city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The system 

commenced revenue service in 2015 after partially 

opening during the first phase of the project, which 

consists of lines along two corridors covering a 

length of 45.1 kilometres. 



The Government of India approved the plan for 9 

kilometres extension in 2016. Upon completion, the 

Chennai Metro will be the first metro project in India 

that will integrate other public transportation 

systems and the project is expected to reduce the 

commuting time by 75% from one end of the city to 

the other. The system would also take-over the 

existing Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System, which 

would be upgraded to operate using the rolling stock 

of the Chennai Metro. CMRL was recognised by 

the International Association of Public Transport in 

2011. The construction began in June 2009 and the 

first stretch covering the seven stations 

from Koyambedu to Alandur over a distance of 10 

kilometres, began operation on 29 June 2015. On 21 

September 2016 the section between Chennai airport 

and Little Mount commenced operations. As on 14th 

October 2016, Chennai Metro opened operations on 

the 1.28km stretch from Alandur to St Thomas 

Mount, thus making the entire elevated stretch 

of Green line and also the entire elevated stretch of 

Chennai Metro Phase I is now functional. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Line-1 (Green) 29 June 2015 17 22 Chennai Central to St Thomas Mount Operational 

Line-2 (Blue) 21 September 2016 17 23.1 Washermanpet to Chennai International 

Airport 

Operational 

Line-2 Extension 2019 8 9 Sitapura Industrial Area to Ambabari Approved 

Line-3 41 Madhavaram to Siruseri Under approval 

Line-4 14 Koyambedu to Lighthouse Under approval 

Line-5 32 Madhavaram to Perumbakkam Under approval 

Lucknow Metro Rail Project 

The Lucknow Metro is a Mass Rapid Transit System 

(MRTS) being constructed to provide the city 

of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh with an environment 

friendly atmosphere. The commencement of civil 

works started on 27 September 2014. Lucknow Metro 

Rail Corporation Limited or LMRC is working on 

this project which will be an alternative mode of 

transport since approximately 94% of the city’s 

registered vehicles are private. Growing population 

and huge traffic has called for the transformation of 

private modes of conveyance to public transport. The 

metro project will be the most expensive public 

transport system in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 

costing ₹6,928 crore (US$1 billion) in phase 1 of 

construction, first lane of which is expected to be 

operational by March 2017. The Lucknow Metro 

system, when completed, will be the fastest and most 

economical high speed rapid transit system project in 

India. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

North-South Corridor 27 March 2017 22 22.89 CCS International Airportl to Munshi Pulia Under construction 

East-West Corridor 12 11 Charbagh Railway Station to Vasant Kunj Planned 



Kochi Metro Rail Project 

Kochi Metro is an under-construction metro 

system for the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. The first 

phase is being set up at an estimated cost of ₹51.81 

billion (US$770 million), and is expected to be 

completed by March 2017, revising the previous 

deadline of 1 November 2016. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Line-1 April 2017 22 25.25 Aluva to Petta Under construction 

Line-1 Extension 3 2 Petta to Tripunithara Approved 

Line-2 11 NA Nehru Stadium to Infopark-II Under approval 

Nagpur Metro Rail Project 

Nagpur Metro is an under construction rapid 

transit system for the city of Nagpur, Maharshtra, 

India. It is estimated to cost ₹86.80 

billion (US$1.3 billion). In February 2014, 

the Government of Maharashtra gave approval for 

the Metro Project, while Government of India's 

Ministry of Urban Development had given "In 

Principle" approval for the Project. On 20 August 

2014, Union Cabinet gave approval for the 

development of project, and Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone on 21 

August on his visit to city. Construction on the 

project began on 31 May 2015, with construction 

projected to take about 15 months to complete. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

North-South Corridor 2018 17 21.83 Automative Square to Khapri Under construction 

East-West Corridor 19 18.27 Prajapati Nagar to Lokmanya Nagar Under approval 

Noida Metro Rail Project 

A modern metro rail link joining the twin cities 

of Noida and Greater Noida will be governed by a 

proposed body called as Noida Metro Rail 

Corporation (NMRC). The work for the line is under 

construction. It will direct all the project work to 

develop this proposed rail link between the two 

cities. This metro line would connect the New Delhi, 

the capital of India, to one of the satellite cities near 

to it. NMRC projects that this metro link will be 

ready for operations by 2017, and that it would 

promote faster commutes between the two cities 

which is current connected by a road transport 

system only. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Line-1 2017 22 29.07 Noida City Centre to Depot Station Under construction 



Navi Mumbai Metro Rail Project 

The Navi Mumbai Metro is a rapid transit system 

under construction in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, 

India. 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 kilometres. The 

foundation stone for the project was laid on 1 May 

2011. The metro's technological infrastructure 

and rolling stock are being provided by Ansaldo 

STS, Tata Projects and CSR Zhuzhou. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Line-1 2017 20 23.40 Belapur to Navi Mumbai International 

Airport 


Hyderabad Metro Rail Project 

Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) is a rapid 

transit system, currently under construction, for the 

city of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is being 

implemented entirely on public-private partnership 

(PPP) basis, with the state government holding a 

minority equity stake. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Line-1 (Red) 2 January 2017 10 11.9 Miyapur to S.R. Nagar Under construction 

Line-1 Extension December 2018 17 17.31 S.R. Nagar to L.B. Nagar Under construction 

Line-2 (Green) December 2018 16 14.78 Jubilee Bus Station to Falaknuma Under construction 

Line-3 (Blue) 7 8.01 Nagole to Mettuguda Under construction 

Line-3 Extension 2017 6 8.25 Mettuguda to Begumpet Under construction 

Line-3 Extension August 2018 11 11.03 Begumpet to Shilparamam Under construction 

Gujrat Metro Rail Project 

Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and 

Ahmedabad, abbreviated MEGA, or Ahmedabad 

Metro is an under construction mass-transit rail 

system for the cities of Ahmedabad 

and Gandhinagar in Gujarat, India. 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. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

North-South Line 2019 16 18.52 Motera Stadium to Gyaspur Depot Under construction 

East-West Line 19 20.73 Thaltej Gam to Vastral Gam Under construction 



Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Project 

Government of Madhya Pradesh has decided to 

implement Metro Rail Projects in the cities of Bhopal 

and Indore. Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Company 

has been constituted to implement the metro rail 

projects and Hon’ble Chief Minister is the 

Chairperson of this company. Detailed Project 

Reports for both the projects have been prepared in 

accordance with the requirements of the cities. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Indore Metro 2019 10 31.53 Palasia to Bangali Chauraha Under construction 

Bhopal Metro 2019 11 14.99 Karond Square to AIIMS Approved 

2019 12 12.88 Depot Square to Ratnagiri Tiraha Approved 

Vijayawada Metro Rail Project 

Vijayawada Metro Rail is a proposed rapid transit 

system in the Indian city of Vijayawada. The system 

is proposed to reduce traffic congestion in the city 

and consists of two corridors in phase-I covering 

26.03 km. The project is estimated to cost 6,769 crore. 

Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation has been 

constituted to implement the metro rail projects in 

the Vijayawada city. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Line-1 (Red) 2018 12 NA PNBS to Penamaluru Approved 

Line-2 (Blue) 2019 11 NA PNBS to Nidamanuru Approved 

Pune Metro Rail Project 

Pune Metro Rail is a proposed rapid transit system in 

the Indian city of Pune, Maharshtra, India. The 

system is proposed to reduce traffic congestion in the 

city and consists of four corridors in phase-I and 

phase-II covering 600.515 km. The project is 

estimated to cost Rs.69.6 Billion and Rs.32.27 Billion 

in Phase-I and Phase-II respectively. Maharashtra 

Metro Rail Corporation has been constituted to 

implement the metro rail projects in the City. 



Total 

Stations 

Length 

(km) 

Terminals 

Status 

Line-1 2019 15 16.59 Pimpari to Swargate Approved 

Line-2 2019 8 14.66 Vanaz to Ramvadi Approved 

Line-3 2021 6 11 Deccan Gymkhana to Bund Garden Approved 

Line-4 2021 13 18 ASI to Hinjawadi 


Metro Rail News Highlights 

Nagpur Metro | NMRC to execute Pune Metro and other projects in state 

- By Metro Rail News 

Nagpur: The Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Ltd 

will construct the Pune metro as well. This was 

announced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. 

The CM was speaking after signing of Memorandum 

of Understanding (MoU) between Maharashtra 

government and China Railway Rolling Stock 

Corporation (CRRSC) to produce coaches for Nagpur 

metro at the Butibori Industrial Estate, 27 km from 

here. NMRCL also handed over Letter of Acceptance 

(LoA) for the work to CRRSC, which will supply 68 

coaches to NMRCL under the agreement. 

Nagpur Metro | CRRC signs MoU with NMRC for supply of China made coaches 

Nagpur: Maharashtra Government and China 

Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) signed a 

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 

manufacture and supply of rolling stock like coaches 

to Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation (NMRCL) 

popularly named Majhi Metro at a glittering 

ceremony held at Hotel Radisson Blu. The NMRCL 

on the occasion handed over Letter of Acceptance 

(LoA) to China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation in 

the presence of galaxy of dignitaries including Chief 

Minister 

Devendra 

Fadnavis and 

Union Minister 

for Road 

Transport, 

Highways and 

Shipping Nitin 

Gadkari. 


NEWS HIGHLIGHTS| 

Mumbai Metro | Kalyan-Thane, Lokhandwala-Kanjurmarg metro lines get approval 

Mumbai: It is raining metro lines, at least 

announcements, in the Mumbai Metropolitan 

Region. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region 

Development Authority (MMRDA) in a meeting 

chaired by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis 

approved the 24km Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan metro 

(code-named line 5) at a cost of Rs.8415 crores. The 

line will have 17 stations. Fadnavis further launched 

the logo conceptualized for Mumbai Metro Corridors 

which he described saying, “The Metro Logo is in 

two colours – Turquoise Blue and Dark Blue. The 

Turquoise Blue, according to colour psychology, has 

a refreshing and calming effect affording a sense of 

relaxation and represents efficiency and innovation. 

The Dark Blue spells out responsibility, honesty and 

strong moral principles. 

Kochi Metro | KMRL Phase I project may be commissioned by April 2017 

Kochi: Kochi Metro Rail works are progressing as per 

schedule and the first phase from Aluva to 

Palarivattom can be commissioned by April next 

year, Union minister for urban development, M. 

Venkaiah Naidu said. He was addressing the media 

after attending a review meeting of centrally funded 

projects in Kochi. The minister was apprised about 

the current status of works including civil works and 

trial run of coaches and plans for the next phases. 

Rajiv Gauba, secretary Urban Development and 

chairman of Kochi Metro Rail Limited and top 

officials of KMRL and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation 

attended the meeting. As the city lags behind in 

implementation of the Rs. 1,000 crore Smart City 

programme, the minister directed to speed up 

selection of Project Management Consultant and 

consultancies. The minister also asked to explore 

possibilities for public-private participation in Smart 

City and AMRUT schemes. 

Delhi Metro | DMRC conducts test trial run on Botanical Garden – Janakpuri West 

(Magenta Line) 

New Delhi: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation 

(DMRC) conducted trial runs on a 13.5 km stretch 

between Kalindi Kunj Depot and Botanical Garden, 

Noida. Earlier in August, trial runs were held on 

the Kalkaji Mandir-Kalindi Kunj stretch on the same 

corridor. Trials also will be held of new UTO 

(Unattended Train Operations) enabled trains which 

will be test run on these tracks to check their 

performance and mechanism. These driverless trains 

will increase the frequency of trains to every 90 

seconds. The Magenta Line will have 23 stations out 

of these 15 are underground and eight are elevated 

which covers across its 34.273 km length. 



Mumbai Metro | State Govt. approves 118km Metro routes to connect Mumbai 

suburbs 

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Urban Development (UD) 

Department has approved 118km of Metro lines, 

which will connect various parts of the Mumbai 

suburbs. The move is aimed to ease traffic 

congestion. According to the department notification, 

the government has approved following lines: 

Dahisar-DN Nagar (27km), Bandra-Mankhurd 

(13km), Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarwadavali 

(22km), Wadala-RA Kidwai Marg (8km), Dahisar (E)- 

Andheri (E) (18km), Andheri (E)-Bandra (E) (9km) 

and Jogeshwari-Vikroli Link road (11km). 

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development 

Authority (MMRDA) will undertake this work, while 

the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will work 

as an advisory for the finalised Metro routes. The 

estimated cost for the Metro-II route (Dahisar- 

Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd) is Rs.10,986 crore, while 

Metro-IV route (Wadala-Ghatkopar-Mulund-Thane- 

Kasarvadavli) will cost an estimated cost Rs14,549 

crore. 

Noida Metro | DMRC breaks its own record of installing U Girder on Noida- 

Greater Noida line 

Noida: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has 

launched a record 218 U-girders which converts to 

approximately 3 kms of twin Metro elevated viaduct 

in the month of October for the Noida-Greater Noida 

Metro track. Moving at a super-fast pace, so far 

DMRC has already put into place 15 km of the 

viaduct out of the 29.7 km of the corridor. According 

to officials, DMRC launched a record 200 U-girders 

in the month of May this year. These girders directly 

bear the load of Metro tracks and the use of U- 

shaped ones helps speed up construction work. 

Delhi Metro | Two metro trains collide in Kalindikunj depot (Line-8), no casualty reported 

New Delhi: On 4th November 2016, two metro train 

collided in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation‘s new metro 

depot of Line-8 (Magenta Line). This incident has 

raised some serious concerns related the security of 

commuters as Delhi Metro has centralised automatic 

train control (CATC) comprising automatic train 

operation (ATO), automatic train protection (ATP) 

and automatic train signalling (ATS) systems. A 

train, which was under complete control of Hyundai 

ROTEM for commissioning was moved perhaps 

inadvertently 

in reverse 

direction by 

the ROTEM 

staff. 



Kochi Metro | KMRL plans running of 1 train every 10 minutes 

Kochi: The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) plans to 

operate one train in every 10 minutes between Aluva 

and Maharaja’s College once they begin commercial 

operations in April, 2017. The metro agency said that 

during the initial phase they plan to place on track 

seven sets of trains, each consisting of three cars. 

Each train is about 65 m long and have a capacity to 

carry up to 975 passengers. In the trial runs 

conducted between Muttom and Palarivattom the 

train started at a speed of 10 km hour and finally 

attained a 90 km hour. The train is expected to cover 

the 18 km distance from Aluva to Maharaja’s College 

in 30 minutes at an average speed of 34 km hour. The 

metro agency has placed orders for 25 sets of trains 

with Alstom, and this makes a total of 75 coaches. 

The first set of train reached Kochi in early January 

2016. Earlier it was stated that all coaches would be 

delivered by April, 2017. 

Lucknow Metro | LMRC starts casting of concrete segments for its underground 

corridor 

Lucknow: The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation 

(LMRC) has started work of casting of concrete 

segment for underground section between Charbagh 

and Hazratganj at Casting Yard located at Sector 19, 

Vrindavan Yojna. These segments will be used for 

lining of underground tunnel planned to be 

constructed by Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). The 

moulds used for casting of segments have been 

specially imported from Korea. The average daily 

requirement of segments at construction stage will be 

60 segments (i.e. 10 rings) as against production 

capacity of 72 segments (i.e. 12 rings). Sufficient 

reserve stock of segment will be maintained at two 

stacking yards located within the Casting Yard. 

Casting Yard has state-of-the-art installation and 

facilities that include Automatic Reinforcement 

Cutting and Bending machine, RO Plant, Automatic 

Batching Plants, Fully Equipped Quality Control Lab, 

Health Unit with round the clock ambulance facility, 

Safety induction and training hall etc. 

Kolkata Metro | Railway to make policy to let its stations for corporate branding 

Kolkata: As part of its attempt to cut losses by 

increasing non-fare revenues, Kolkata Metro is 

working on a policy to let corporates brand all its 24 

stations from Noapara in the north of the city to Kavi 

Subhash in the south. A few years ago, several 

prominent football clubs walked the same path to 

raise money. Thus, East Bengal (founded in 1920) 

was called Kingfisher East Bengal and Mohun Bagan 

(set up in 1889) was known as McDowell Mohun 

Bagan Athletic Club. 



Kolkata Metro, the first underground mass rapid 

transit system in the country which started 

operations in 1984, is incurring massive losses. It is 

believed that for every Rs.100 earned, Kolkata Metro 

spends around Rs.265. The Kolkata Metro is the first 

in the country and records close to 7 lakh footfalls 

every day over its 27.2 km stretch. 

Delhi Metro | DMRC to open Mukundpur-Shiv Vihar (Pink Line) in three phases 

by Sept 2017 

New Delhi: The longest corridor of Delhi Metro’s 

Phase 3 project, the Pink Line (Mukundpur-Shiv 

Vihar), will be opened in its entirety by September 

next year. Launch of the 58.389 km-long line has been 

divided into three phases as the Delhi Metro Rail 

Corporation (DMRC) still hasn’t been able to acquire 

land at Trilokpuri and Hasanpur village in IP 

Extension. The Mukundpur to Lajpat Nagar (18 

stations) stretch on the line will be opened in June, 

followed by Lajpat Nagar to Mayur Vihar Pocket-1 

(five stations) in July. The last stretch of 14 stations 

from Mayur Vihar Pocket-1 to Shiv Vihar will be 

launched in September. The Pink Line with 38 metro 

stations is the most significant corridor of the entire 

Delhi metro network as it has been laid like a ring 

touching all parts of Delhi. With eight interchange 

stations the line alone is going to take the maximum 

load of the 40 lakh per day metro ridership which is 

expected after opening of Phase 3. 

Kolkata East-West Metro | KMRC gets defense clearance for construction of 

Esplanade station 

Kolkata: Esplanade Station of East-West metro 

corridor, which will be junction of three metro 

alignments, got go ahead signal from Army. This is a 

crucial breakthrough for the alignment as army is the 

custodian of the entire Maidan area, known as city’s 

lung. No construction is allowed anymore in Maidan 

area, except some mass-transit projects like metro 

which benefits a large number of people. The Kolkata 

Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) has waited more 

than a year for the requisite permissions since the 

deadline for the second phase of the project was 

revised to mid-2019. At Esplanade, East-west will be 

most crucial platform 30 meter below the ground 

which will merge here with existing Dum Dum- 

Tollygunge stretch of the north-south Metro under 

16-17m underground. 

Hyderabad Metro | HMRL to open two sections of metro rail in next year 

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) 

Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy told reporters on 

Tuesday that eight km long stretch between Nagole 

and Mettuguda and 12 km between Miyapur and SR 

Nagar may commence commercial operations either 

on ‘Ugadi’ or June 2, Telangana state formation day. 

The official said 70 percent of the 72 km elevated 

project had completed. He said they were trying to 

sort out certain issues related to land with the 

railways. Construction major Larsen & Toubro, 

which is developing the metro project, had last 

month stated that it remained committed to the 

project and was making all efforts to complete it 

expeditiously. The developer clarified that it is 

sticking to its deadline of making the project fully 

operational by December 2018. 



Delhi Metro | DMRC signs deal with J Kumar Infraprojects worth Rs 1,344.9 crore 

New Delhi: Mumbai-based leading infrastructure 

company J Kumar Infraprojects Ltd. on behalf of the 

J. Kumar Infra – CRTG JV signed an agreement with 

the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (DMRC) worth 

of Rs. 1,344.93 crore on Thursday, November 24, 2016 

for Phase-2 of the Mumbai Metro Rail project and 

Others of Rs 449.2 crore. Details of the Projects 

includes; part design and construction ·of viaduct 

and 9 elevated stations viz., Dahisar East Anand 

Nagar, Rushi Sankul, I C Colony, Eksar, Don Bosco, 

Shimpoli, Mahavir Nagar and Kamraj Nagar 

(excluding architectural finishing and pre-engineered 

steel roof structure of stations) from chainage - 

414.53m to 8283.501m including third track at 

Dahisar station East and “Viaduct and ramp for 

depot entry of Dahisar (East) – D N Nagar Corridor 

of Mumbai Metro Rail Project” (PKG-01) MML-02 Rs 

680.87 Crore and part design and construction of 

elevated viaduct and 8 elevated stations viz., 

Charkop, Malad Metro, Kasturi Park, Bangur Nagar, 

Goregaon Metro, Adarsha Nagar, Shastri Nagar and 

DN Nagar (excluding architectural finishing and preengineered 

steel roof structure) from 

chainage 8283.5O1m ((i.e. end of Kamraj Nagar 

station, DN Nagar end) to 18181.43m including third 

track at shastri Nagar station and viaduct and ramp 

for depot entry of Dahisar (East) – D N Nagar Rs 

704.06 crore. 

Delhi Metro | DMRC may open Kalindi Kunj-Botanical Garden section by April 2017 

New Delhi: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on 

Tuesday said the 3.9-km Kalindi Kunj-Botanical 

Garden Metro link is expected to open by April 2017. 

The Kalindi Kunj-Botanical Garden stretch will give 

Noida a direct line to the Delhi airport, Gurgaon and 

many south Delhi areas by April next year. The 

Noida authority and the Delhi Metro Rail 

Corporation (DMRC) had signed a memorandum of 

understanding for the 3.9-km elevated line on June 

20, 2014 to be built at a cost of Rs.874 crore. An 

estimated 48,500 commuters are expected to use this 

section. The DMRC started trial runs on the 9.5-km 

Okhla Vihar-Kalkaji Temple stretch, part of the 37- 

km Janakpuri West- Noida’s Botanic Garden Metro 

link, in October. 

Delhi Metro | DMRC completes all tunneling work of its phase-3 project 

New Delhi: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation 

(DMRC) has now successfully wrapped up all the 

tunneling works of Phase 3 with the completion of a 

1.25 kilometre long tunnel between Vasant Vihar and 

Munirka on the Janakpuri West – Botanical Garden 

Magenta Line. The Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) 

boring the tunnel from Vasant Vihar broke through 

at Munirka last evening in the presence of DMRC’s 

Managing Director, Dr. Mangu Singh and other 

senior officials. The work on this 1.25 kilometre long 

tunnel had started in the month of October, 2015. 



The tunnel consists of a total of 904 rings and has 

been constructed about 20 metres below the surface. 

With this tunnel breakthrough, DMRC in Phase 3 has 

now completed one of the largest ever tunneling 

projects taken up in any urban area all over the 

world where a record 30 TBMs were used to bore 

close to 80 kilometres of underground tunnels 

(combining the length of both tunnels for to and fro 

movement of trains). The total underground corridor 

length in Phase 3 including the stations is about 54 

kilometres. 

Lucknow Metro | Alstom delivers ahead of schedule the first Lucknow Metro 

trainset 

Lucknow: Lucknow Metro unloaded the four coaches 

of the first train set that arrived in the Transport 

Nagar Depot. Shri Kumar Keshav, Managing 

Director, other Directors and senior officers of the 

company were present in the Depot during this 

occasion to witness this historic event. LMRC 

achieved a major milestone today when the company 

succeeded in getting the delivery of the first Metro 

train set in just 64 weeks after placing an order to 

M/s Alstom. According to the order, the contractor 

had to, however, supply the first train set to LMRC in 

65 weeks. On 2nd September, 2015, Lucknow Metro 

had awarded the contract for supply, testing & 

commissioning of 80 cars for 20 trains of four cars 

each along with train control & signaling system for 

Lucknow Metro Phase-1A project to French 

company, a consortium of ALSTOM Transport India 

Ltd, Bangalore & ALSTOM Transport SA, France at a 

cost of Rs1069.81 crores. 


Lucknow Metro: A dream come true 

in the city of culture 

- By Kumar Keshav, MD/LMRC 

After the successful commissioning of the trial run of Metro train on 1 st December, 

2016, Lucknow Metro is now determined to start the services of the Metro train 

for public from 26th March, 2016. Two years ago, Lucknow Metro train was just a 

dream of Shri Akhilesh Yadav, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and the 

people of Lucknow and now, in a span of just two years and two months, it has 

become a reality for the people of Lucknow. The public is eagerly waiting to 

experience the journey of Metro train in Lucknow. 

The civil work of this prestigious project (North- 

South corridor) commenced on 27 th September, 

2014. Since then, the Metro team worked 

continuously day and night to create a record in 

itself. No other Metro project has been able to 

achieve this feat in such a stiff time period. In 

this regard, the Lucknow Metro Rail Project has 

achieved the distinction of being the fastest ever 

Metro project execution that has happened in the 

country so far. 


ARTICLES | 

Background 

In order to strengthen the transport system of 

Lucknow, the Hon'ble Chief Minister announced 

the implementation of Lucknow Metro Rail 

Project as a 'Public Transport System' in his 

budget speech of Financial Year 2013-14. 

Subsequent to this announcement, the Detailed 

Project Report (D.P.R.) was prepared for this 

project and was approved by the State Govt. and 

the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), 

Govt. of India, gave 'In-Principle' approval to the 

implementation of North - South (N-S) corridor 

as proposed in the DPR. 

LMRC, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), is now 

jointly owned by the Government of India (GoI) 

and the Government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP) 

after its clearance from the Public Investment 

Board (PIB) on 6th August, 2015. The Union 

Cabinet had also approved this project on 22nd 

December, 2015. The project is now being 

implemented under 50:50 Joint Venture (JV) 

model with equity participation from the 

Government of India (Gol) and the Government 

of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP). 

Metro Corridor Details: 

North-South Corridor (CCS Airport-Munshi Pulia) 

Status: Approved by the Government. (State Govt. of 

Uttar Pradesh and Central Govt.) 

Distance: 22.878 km. 

No. of Stations: 21 

Name of Stations: CCS Airport, Amausi, Transport Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Singar Nagar, Alambagh, 

Alambagh Bus Stand, Mawaiya, Durgapuri, Charbagh / Lko Railway Station, Hussaingang, 

Sachiwalaya, Hazratganj, KD Singh Babu Stadium, Vishwavidyalaya, IT College Junction, Badshah 

Nagar, Lekhraj Market, Ram Sagar Mishra Nagar, Indra Nagar and Munshi Pulia. 

East –West Corridor (Charbagh/ Lucknow Railway Station-Vasantkunj) 

Status: Proposed in Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Lucknow Metro and yet to be approved. 

Distance: 11.098 km. 

No. of Stations: 12 

Name of Stations: Charbagh / Lko. Railway Station, Gautam Buddha Marg, Aminabad, Pandey Ganj, 

Lucknow City Railway Station, Medical Chauraha, Nawajganj, Thakurganj, Balaganj, Sarfarazganj, 

Musabagh and Vasantkunj. 


ARTICLES | 

Priority Corridor 

The stretch from Transport Nagar to Charbagh 

under the North - South corridor has been 

selected as 'Priority Corridor'. The total length of 

this section is approximately 8.5 km. This stretch 

will have eight elevated stations namely 

Transport Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Singaar Nagar, 

Alambagh, Alambagh Bus Station, Mawaiya, 

Durgapuri and Charbagh. The expenditure for 

this section is estimated Rs. 2,000 crore. 

Funding Pattern of LMRC 

The estimated cost of Rs. 6, 880 crore for the 

project is being funded by equity contribution 

from the Central Govt. and the State Govt. in 

equal proportion with an external loan of Rs. 

3,502 crore provided by the European 

Investment Bank (EIB). 

Environmental Initiative 

LMRC has been ensuring from day one of its 

construction activity that its every endeavour is 

eco-friendly to keep the city green and lively. 

Lucknow Metro has been ensuring an 

environmental friendly mass rapid transport for 

the public from the first day of its inception. 

Lucknow Metro is taking several energy 

conservation measures such as the use of 

regenerative braking in the trains which will 

result in saving of 30 to 35 

per cent traction energy 

thereby resulting in 

reduction in emission of 

Green House Gases (GHG), 

use of 1% criteria for 

underground stations in the 

AC system for the stations, 

using Variable Voltage 

Variable Frequency (VVVF) 

drive for all lifts and 

escalators, provision of LED 

lights at stations, use of 

energy efficient equipment 

for Environmental Control 

System (ECS) and Tunnel 

Ventilation System (TVS) system for the 

underground station etc. 

Currently, 1.5 MW – 2MW of electricity has been 

planned by Lucknow Metro to be used from the 

roof mounted photo voltaic cells of train stabling 

and inspection line sheds under the RESCO 

model. Because of all these novel measures, 

Lucknow Metro will be able to recover the entire 

cost of the project in 5 years. 


ARTICLES | 

Centre of Excellence for Training 

The LMRC Training Centre called the “Centre of 

Excellence for Training” (CoET) situated at 

Transport Nagar Metro Depot is the only one of 

its kind in Uttar Pradesh – imparting 

specialised training on Metro technology. The 

fresh recruits to LMRC are given rigorous 

training at this training centre. It is a role model 

for all other upcoming Metros in other important 

cities of the State like Kanpur, Varanasi, Meerut, 

Agra and Allahabad. 

In the Centre of Excellence for Training, the 

candidates are imparted a formal training on 

different aspects of Metro technology to handle 

Metro operations. Here, fresh recruits first 

undergo a foundation course theoretical 

training on various subjects like the need for 

Metro and its planning, overview of customer 

care and public complaint, code of conduct, 

standard of excellence, overview of financial 

management, overview of works/contract 

management, overview of safety and quality, 

communication skills, ethics, motivation, English 

speaking, personality development and others. 

After the foundation course, they are 

imparted training on technical modules like 

overview of traction, overview of security 

system, maintenance philosophy, overview of 

train signalling system, overview of track 

engineering, station management, overview of 

rolling stock (Metro train), working of 

Operational Control Centre (OCC), overview of 

telecom, AFC and CCTV system, overview of 

Environment Control System (ECS), Tunnel 

Ventilation System (TVS), overview of PSI and 

SCADA, discipline etc. They also receive a hands 

on practical training on ‘Train Simulators’ to 

gain actual feel of driving a Metro train. 

Features of Rolling Stock (Metro Train) 

Lucknow Metro Rolling Stocks (Metro Trains) 

have the most advanced signalling and train 

control system – called the Communication 

Based Train Control System (CBTC) - which will 

enable Metro trains to virtually operate on a 

‘driverless’ mode. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Train exterior is a tribute to the cultural richness of the city of Lucknow. 

Exterior livery in golden colour is inspired by the Chikankari craftsmanship. 

The front shape of train shows the spirit of the fabulous Roomi Gate, Bara-Imambara & Asifi 

Masjid. 

Blending of black colour in front of car is inspired from the modern feel of Hazaratganj. 

Low noise inside trains, wide passenger doors and inter-car gangways for easy passenger 

movement. 

Ergonomically designed handrail & grab handle system for easy & comfortable standing. 


ARTICLES | 

 

 

 

 

Soothing Public Announcement system with all around visible Display System inside car as 

well as side & front of trains, digital passenger information display panels. 

Large windows & scratchproof stainless steel bucket type seats for comfortable sitting. 

Emergency communication facilities including talkback facility for passenger for talking to 

train driver directly. 

CCTV images inside trains to be displayed to Train Driver as well as at Centralised Security 

Control Room. 

Major Engineering Challenges during the construction of Priority Corridor 

 

 

At Mawaiya Railway Crossing, LMRC is carrying out its work for construction of a special 

balanced cantilever span of 255 meters (central span 105 meters; end spans of 75 meters each). 

This is one of the most challenging and a critical job which is being executed at a height of 21.5 

meters above the ground level while surpassing over a Railway Crossing at a height of 15.2 

meters from the ground level under extremely difficult situations in the middle of the main 

road traffic. 

At Awadh Rotary, Lucknow Metro has launched a 60 meter special steel span bridge crossing 

the rotary over a statue in the middle of the rotary. This bridge which has been built at a height 

of approximately 13 meters above the ground connects both the ends of the Metro viaduct to 

provide a special seamless connectivity for Metro train operation. It is one of the rarest feat 

achieved for any Metro project in the country. 

Coordinator for preparation of DPR in 

four important cities namely Kanpur, 

Varanasi, Meerut and Agra. 

Role Model for other Metros in UP 

LMRC as 'Interim Consultant' 

LMRC has been appointed as the 'Interim 

Consultant' of Kanpur & Varanasi Metro Rail 

Project by the State Government. Earlier, the 

Govt. of U.P. had nominated LMRC as 

LMRC is now a role model for other 

Metros that shall be coming up in the 

city of Kanpur, Varanasi, Agra and 

Meerut in near future. Lucknow Metro 

has now ushered a revolution in 

bringing Mass Rapid Transit System in 

important cities of Uttar Pradesh. The 

Govt. of U.P. had nominated LMRC as 

coordinator for preparation of DPR for these 

four cities. The DPRs for all four metros namely 

Kanpur Metro, Varanasi Metro, Meerut Metro 

and Agra Metro have been submitted to the State 

Government. 


ARTICLES | 

Award/ Achievement 

Lucknow Metro has achieved many National and International recognition, honour and award in a 

very short span of time which shows its sincere efforts and dedication towards its goal. 

 

On 12 th December, 2016, Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC), was awarded with the 

European Society for Quality Research (ESQR) Choice Prize Award 2016 under the Gold 

category in Berlin (Germany). 

The European Society for Quality Research (ESQR) is an organisation headquartered in 

Lausanne (Switzerland). It is dedicated to quality improvement techniques, recognition and 

research. It recognises excellence, disseminates innovation and visionary thinking, spreads 

knowledge and shares conformity assessment practices. 


ARTICLES | 

 

 

 

 

On 15th October, 2016, Shri Kumar Keshav, Managing Director, LMRC was awarded with the 

prestigious Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Award on Innovation in Governance. This honour 

assumes much of significance to Lucknow Metro as it is the first Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam 

Memorial Award on Innovation in Governance and it has been bestowed to Lucknow Metro 

Rail Corporation (LMRC) among various other nominations from reputed organisations in the 

country. It is yet another achievement and public recognition for Lucknow Metro as the 

Corporation's sincere effort and dedication in innovation in governance and project 

completion is recognised in such a glorious way at the national level. 

For the unique features of the Metro Train (Rolling 

Stock), Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) 

was adjudged the Best Metro Project for 

'Excellence in Innovative Designs' at the 5th 

Annual Metro Rail India Summit, 2016 organized 

at New Delhi on 11th March, 2016. 

The Confederation of Indian Industry - Indian 

Green Building Council (CII-IGBC) applauded 

Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) for 

leading the green building movement in Lucknow 

by promoting a cleaner and greener environment 

while executing a green mode of public transport 

in the city. 

On 30th May, 2016, Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) was honoured with the 

''International Quality Summit (IQS) Award 2016'' for quality, innovation and excellence in 

Metro project execution under Gold Category by Business Initiative Directions (BID) Group 

One - an international organization involved in promoting quality culture, innovation and 

excellence - headquartered in Madrid, Spain. 

The Indian Postal Department honored Lucknow Metro during the Lucknow Book Fair, 2015 

by releasing a special Indian Postal envelope cover bearing the logo, symbol and mnemonic of 

Lucknow Metro along with the symbol of Lucknow Book Fair. So far, no other Metro in India 

has been honoured in such a prestigious way by the Indian Postal Department. 

 

Ms. Pratibha and Ms. Prachi Sharma, two of the Lucknow Metro Station Controllers cum Train 

Operators (SCs/TOs), have been awarded with the prestigious Rani Laxmi Bai Bravery 

Award, 2016 by Shri Akhilesh Yadav, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh for being the first 

Train Operators during the trial run of Lucknow Metro train on 1st December, 2016. It is a 

great honour for Lucknow Metro as the female employees of the organisation felicitated with 

this award even before the public run of Metro train. 


All aboard the Asia Pacific growth train 

- By Pierre-Yves Guillaume, Head of Rail & Ground Transportation, Amadeus APAC 

From long romantic journeys to super-speedy adventures, riding the rails has long 

held an allure for travelers. I still remember the excitement I felt the first time I 

took the train from Paris to Bordeaux as a child, passing through spectacular 

scenery and stopping at different destinations along the way. When travelling by 

rail, your journey becomes an integral and delightful part of your holiday 

experience, and savoring the view from your seat is as much part of the holiday as 

arriving at the destination. 

Half a century ago, Japan built 

the world’s first high-speed rail 

network – known as yume 

chotokkyu – literally, the 

“super-express of dreams.” 

Fast forward to today, highspeed 

rail has become a dream 

come true for travellers all 

around the world. They can 

now visit many cities of their 

choice in comfort and style, 

while enjoying breath taking 

scenery on board a high-speed 

train. The rail travel market has 

grown nearly tenfold in the 

past 25 years, and the growth is 

largely driven by Asia Pacific. 

Multi-billion Dollar networks 

are already underway in 

countries such as Singapore 

and Malaysia, with the highspeed 

rail (HSR) line linking 

Singapore and Kuala Lumpur 

expected to start operations 

around 2026. 

With so many transportation 

options now available to 

choose from, be it air, rail, bus 

or car-sharing, we are seeing 

the rise of multi-modal 

travelling. As Asia Pacific 

works towards a multi-modal 

travel future, how can rail 


ecome better integrated into 

the entire travel ecosystem to 

offer a smoother experience for 

travellers? 

“Railing” in the Asia Pacific 

audience 

According to our report, 

Future Traveller Tribes 2030: 

Understanding Tomorrow’s 

Traveller, high-speed rail is 

expected to make up 30 percent 

of new track worldwide by 

2030. We are tracking exciting 

momentum in the rail industry 

as high-speed rail networks 

develop in Asia Pacific, with 

Japan alone moving over 400 

million rail passengers per 

year, and China adding no less 

than 8,000 kilometres of highspeed 

track by 2020 1 . 

With this transformation in 

motion, one of the key areas 

that rail players need to 

address is that of making rail 

(not only high speed) more 

accessible to both the travel 

seller and the passenger. It 

should be easier for travellers 

to search for, and book, their 

flight, hotel and train ticket at 

the same time, from the same 

place. 

Today if you want to book a 

cross-border or multi-modal 

journey, it can still be 

frustrating given the 

complexity and challenge of 

the booking process. From 

personal experience, it can 

often include some lengthy 

navigation on various travel 

sites to even find out the rail 

options on offer in some 

countries. Despite the huge 

growth and opportunity in 

Asia Pacific, rail content is not 

nearly as searchable and visible 

to travel sellers, or travellers, 

compared to other modes of 

transport. 

Linking rail to the ecosystem 

At present, many travellers do 

not consider train services as 

part of their journey, because it 

does not show up as an option 

in their online searches for 

route information. It’s likely 

that international visitors are 

also not familiar with the rail 

options at their destination, or 

they are unaware that rail can 

in fact be a favourable option 

for shorter domestic transits. 

The integration of rail content 

in the Global Distribution 

System (GDS) is a crucial step 

towards increasing this 

visibility for travellers. By 

making rail travel routes 

available through local travel 

agents as well as online giants 

ARTICLES | 

such as Expedia, travellers will 

have more choices available to 

them at all stages of trip 

planning. Not only that, 

travellers can then book and 

pay for different journey 

options in a single transaction, 

instead of going through the 

existing convoluted process of 

identifying multiple routes and 

purchasing multiple tickets. 

For instance, Amadeus Air-Rail 

Display allows travel agents to 

easily compare rail and air 

journey times and check 

availability on popular air-rail 

routes, all in a single display. 

Travel sellers can leverage this 

platform to sell rail more 

efficiently, making the booking 

of rail travel much easier for 

both agents and travellers. 


ARTICLES | 

In fact, one of the most 

common multi-modal travel 

options is booking your flight 

and your connecting airport to 

city rail ticket with it. Through 

integrated solutions such as 

Amadeus Airport Express, 

travel agencies can easily add 

an airport express train ticket 

to a traveller’s flight or hotel 

room at the moment of 

booking. If you’re anything like 

me, this definitely eases the 

stress of arriving to an 

unfamiliar city, not speaking 

the local language and trying 

to navigate the local airport 

ticket office to buy a train 

ticket. Instead, you can proceed 

through departures and hop on 

your train to the city centre 

stress free! 

There are huge opportunities 

for rail companies to innovate 

and provide more personalised 

travel services, bringing a 

‘door-to-door’ experience one 

step closer to reality. As we 

embark on the multi-modal 

journey, collaboration between 

key industry players is key to 

overcome the challenges and 

enable the traveller of 

tomorrow a seamless travel 

experience from their initial 

search right through to arrival 

at their destination. 


MRTS and the Jammu & Srinagar State 

- By Sanjay Sapru, Sri Nagar 

Smart Transportation will be the backbone of a Vital Project to transform Jammu 

and Srinagar Cities to Smart City & will create large scale employment both 

during the Project Execution & the Project Operation phase after the Go -Live and 

bring in Investment of more than 40,000 Crore to the State. 

In the fast paced world of 

Technology, India is making a 

mark to create a world-class 

Mass Rapid Transit System 

(MRTS) as an integral part of 

community infrastructural 

development. The continuous 

growth within the country in 

number of cities, population, 

traffic, buildings, etc has 

invariably called for a shift 

from private mode of 

conveyance to public mode of 

conveyance. Over a period of 

time it has been observed that a 

successful and well-planned 

Mass Rapid Transit System 

(MRTS) exists in almost all 

developing Nations. India 

had its first MRTS or Metro, 

twenty five years ago in 

Kolkata (the then Calcutta). 

Unfortunately this could not 

spread to other parts of the 

country due to lack of funds, 

planning, lack of integration 

between various systems of 

mass transportation and above 

all the absence of 

comprehensive traffic and 


planning. For the successful 

completion and implementation 

of such projects huge 

capital investments, long 

gestation period and complex 

technology is the need of hour. 

Research shows that the ideal 

share of public transport 

should be around 70% in 

India's metro cities, which at 

present is only around 35%– 

40%. India is looking to create a 

world class infrastructure with 

its existent Kolkata and Delhi 

Metros. 

In addition we do have the 

Metro presence in Mumbai, 

Bengaluru, Hyderabad, 

Chennai, Jaipur, Gurgaon and 

Kochi. Additionally, the 

proposals for MRTS are being 

chalked out for Pune, 

Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, 

Kanpur, Ludhiana, Bhopal, 

Indore and Faridabad, which 

may be implemented in the 

next few years. 

Key Considerations 

MRTS projects are extremely 

large projects. The key 

attributes for this are finance, 

logistics, extensive data, study 

of economic structures, 

profiling topography, travel 

routes, major traffic corridors, 

detailed surveys etc. Another 

very important aspect is to 

learn from its previous 

limitations and imperfections. 

We can bring down our 

operation and maintenance 

costs by further developing of 

our in-house technology. This 

would be a large milestone in 

order to make such projects 

self-sufficient. 

Cost Factor 

At present Metro projects are 

catering to cities with 

population of more than four 

million people. The costs are 

directly proportional to the 

areas which are proposed to 

serve underground, elevated or 

at grade alignment projects. 

The high cost of metros is 

justified by its very high 

carrying capacity of passengers 

at a very high speed and with 

minimum pollution. 

Initially the funding of these 

projects was done through 

Public-Private Partnership 

(PPP) funding Model, Delhi 

Metro model or State / Central 

Government funding. The 

concept of Liberalisation, 

Privatisation and Globalisation 

(called the LPG model) 

introduced lately seems to be 

the most viable option to carry 

out such large projects across 

the country. Under this model 

the private sector developers 

are encouraged through 

viability gap funding scheme 

wherein 60% of the cost is 

ARTICLES | 

borne by private investor and 

40% is borne by the 

government in terms of grants. 

Metros are known to serve the 

all sections of society at an 

affordable cost. Due to the 

huge capital costs involved in 

the implementation of MRTS it 

is suggested that government 

could participate through 

equity or meeting one time 

viability gap financing after 

detailed evaluation. For 

funding metros the 

government should provide 

infrastructure and the 

operating cost and cost of 

rolling stock must be met by 

users and beneficiaries. Where 

private players of repute are 

involved, the project could be 

sealed with private 

participation based on detailed 

conditions and period of 

concession specified. Land will 

be a major issue in realising the 

project for which the 

involvement of parastatal 

agencies will be critical. Sale of 

air space, advertisement rights, 

contribution of major 

commercial whole sale markets 

which generate huge volume of 

traffic, levying of external 

development charges on 

builders and promoters and a 

dedicated fund for MRTS can 

aid in the funding. 


Advantages and 

Disadvantages 

MRTS shall impact the country 

in many positive ways. 

It is environmentally 

conducive as it considerably 

reduces noise and air pollution. 

The emission of toxic gasses 

and volatile compounds into 

air is minimized. 

It has brought the society 

closer as all members of the 

society irrespective of their 

financial status, religion or cast 

are able to travel together 

hence enhancing the social 

integrity of the country. 

It is fast and does not interfere 

with other traffic, averting 

accidents and mishaps. 

It is a blessing for those 

individuals who are unable to 

drive. 

The MRTS does not only 

improve the usefulness and 

efficiency of Public Transit 

System but also results in 

increased commercial 

development to improve the 

economy of the country. These 

are cheap modes of 

transportation, enabling 

considerable savings in labor, 

materials, fuel and energy. It is 

most efficient in terms of space 

occupancy and provides 

comfort with ultra-modern 

coaches and modern systems 

like automatic ticketing, 

advanced signalling systems, 

automatic train protection 

system and integrated security 

systems. Services like ATMs, 

food outlets, cafés and 

convenience stores at Metro 

stations make the journey more 

fruitful and further add to the 

economic development. 

Last but not the least this 

system has been successful in 

reducing the congestion on 

roads and saving time on 

travel. 

The only disadvantage is that 

the initial cost of Construction 

and Implementation is very 

high. It works best at places 

where a larger number of 

people will ride them such as 

in the center of big and densely 

populated cities. 

J & K State Perspective 

The J & K State government 

has been introduced to the 

MRTS since 2010 and ever 

since nothing was being done 

about it. However, as 

mentioned above, in other 

states/cities this system is 

implemented, operational and 

running successfully. Recently 

it was announced by the J&K 

government that metro projects 

would be taken up in Srinagar 

and Jammu under multilateral 

funding from Japanese Official 

Developmental Assistance 

(JODA) as a part of rapid 

ARTICLES | 

transit system proposed by 

reputed development 

consultancy, Rail India 

Technical and Economic 

Services (RITES). The job of 

making a detailed Project 

Report about the feasibility of 

this project in Jammu and 

Kashmir has been entrusted to 

RITES. This was done while 

reviewing the progress of 

projects being executed by the 

J&K Economic Reconstruction 

Agency (JKERA). The meeting 

was chaired by Chief Minister 

and it was decided that the 

Housing and Urban 

Development Department will 

act as the nodal department for 

firming up the metro projects 

for two capital cities in 

consultation with the RITES. 

The Team also has been given a 

dead line to complete the 

project, which is a positive and 

determined approach. The 

decision has been taken to go 

ahead for a metro length of 45 

Km in Kashmir and 30 Km in 

Jammu. The routes for the 

same are suggested in the City 

Mobility Plan of Jammu and 

Srinagar cities. The process has 

been initiated following the 

offer of the Government of 

Japan, inviting proposals for 

technical cooperation under 

their Technical Cooperation 

Program for Metro & Railway 

Projects in the main cities of 

different states of India. 


The tentative routes suggested 

in the CMP for Srinagar city 

are Nowgam Railway station 

to SKIMS via Baghi Mehtab, 

Rambagh, Jawahar Nagar, 

Civil Secretariat, Barbarshah, 

Nowhatta, Hawal, Alamgari 

Bazar and Pantha Chowk to 

Shalteng via Lasjan, Badami 

Bagh, Lal Chowk, Civil 

Secretariat, Tatoo Ground, 

Bemina. The routes suggested 

for Jammu are Amphala 

Chowk to Bari Brahmna via 

Bikram Chowk, Gandhi Nagar, 

Satwari & Bakshi Nagar to 

Purmandal via BC Road, Baghi 

Bahu, Trikuta Nagar. 

It may not be out of place to 

mention that since the 

invention of the wheel, 

transportation has been the 

integral part of development 

and progress. The uncertainty 

about MRTS, which had 

plagued the importance of 

such systems in India, seems to 

be resolving. The shortcomings 

of Kolkata Metro which was 

designed without a rule book 

followed by Delhi metro being 

designed on International 

norms has guided the 

respective agencies to follow 

and adopt a set of techniques 

for the construction, 

implementation and operation 

of MRTS in India. The National 

Mass Transit and Training 

Research Institute (NMTTRI) in 

Mumbai (established by 

Mumbai Metropolitan 

Regional Development 

Authority, MMRDA), is one of 

its kinds in Asia imparting 

training and research on mass 

transit systems. The annual 

training courses cater to key 

issues like Public Transport 

Security, Safety and 

Emergency/Disaster 

Management, Noise Pollution 

& Abatement Measures for 

Urban Transportation, 

Integrated Ticketing, and 

ARTICLES | 

seamless Travel across Modes 

and Intelligent Transportation 

System. We may have one such 

institute in Jammu and 

Kashmir State, as well. 

Conclusively we can say that 

the design and planning of 

cities cannot alienate the 

importance of an infrastructure 

in place for the entity called 

MRTS. A multi-modal 

transportation system would 

ensure the use of MRTS to its 

best potential. MRT – Smart 

Transportation will be the 

backbone of a Vital Project to 

transform Jammu and Srinagar 

Cities to Smart City & will 

create large scale employment 

both during the Project 

Execution & the Project 

Operation phase after the Go- 

Live and bring in Investment 

of more than 40,000 Crore to 

the State. 


Metrino: India’s New Environment Friendly 

and Cost Effective personal rapid transport 

project 

- By Gaurav Kumar Kataki 

According to reports Indian Transport Minister Mr Nitin Gadkari has revealed 

that as part of its efforts to provide efficient transportation system in our cities 

the government will soon launch the personal rapid transport project which is 

also popularly known as Metrino in the National Capital Region (NCR).The 

Transport Minister disclosed this on Sunday. Traffic congestion and pollution are 

the two main things which have been plaguing this city for a long time. With the 

introduction of these Metrinos, the situation might improve for the better. Every 

Pod is enabled to take five passengers at a time. In a report published in the Metro 

Rail News in March this year, a senior NHAI official said that this project does not 

need the forest and environmental clearance. 


This pilot project with a cost of 

Rs 800 crore aims to let 

passengers use India’s first 

driverless pods. Their pods 

will be suspended on ropeway 

and will initially cover a stretch 

of 12.3 km. The areas which 

will fall under this pilot project 

are Delhi-Haryana border to 

Badshapur via Rajiv Chowk in 

Delhi and IFFCO Chowk and 

Sohna Road in Gurgaon. 

According to the transport 

Minister four initial tenders 

have been received for this 

project and they intend to 

invite financial bids to 

implement this project soon. 

Mr Gadkari said that this pilot 

project will be implemented 

under NHAI (National 

Highways Authority of 

India).He said that he had a 

recent meeting with the Urban 

Development Minister and in 

the meeting, there was a 

discussion on whether to 

implemented this project under 

Tramways Act or the NHAI 

Act. It was eventually decided 

that the pilot project will be 

executed under NHAI act. 

Transport Ministry officials 

have said that initially there 

will be 13 stations. The official 

further added that four global 

companies have been 

successful for the technical 

bids. This includes a company 

from London which has done 

work in this context in the 

UK’s busiest airport Heathrow. 

One companies each from US 

and UAE have also been 

successful for the bids. 

The Metrino is considered to be 

extremely environmentfriendly 

as it will run on 

ARTICLES | 

electricity. The pods will be 

suspended 5-10 meters above 

the ground. The Prime Minister 

of India and the Union Cabinet 

was given a presentation of 

this ambitious project a few 

months ago. 

The Metrinos are also 

considered cost effective as 

compared to the Metros. 

According to news reports, the 

capital cost of a Metrino per 

Km is 50 crore whereas the 

Metros cost much higher at 250 

crores per km. 

In the coming times, it will be 

interesting to see how the 

citizens of the metro respond to 

this latest form of transport 

and if this new project by the 

government to decongest the 

capital roads will be successful. 


Modi dreams Bullet Train, but India needs 

High-Speed upgrade 

- By Vivian Fernandes, Journalist 

Moving trains to a higher speed, comfort and safety band both within cities and 

between them would have a greater impact on the 4.5 billion suburban and 3.8 

billion passengers who travel on the rail network annually, than a showcase 

project like the bullet train. 

The Bullet Train project highlights:- 

Highlight of Japanese PM Shinzo Abe’s visit is Rs 98,000-crore bullet train project 

Project will take two-and-a-half years to plan, eight years to complete 

Railways says Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train fare will be around Rs 6 per km 

At 300-350 kmph, Mumbai-Ahmedabad will take less than two hours to cover 

Six proposed high-speed rail routes will bring down the cost of living and lead to economic 

development 

India cannot depend on air travel alone for reasons of energy efficiency and climate change 


An agreement on the Rs 98,000 

crore bullet train between 

Mumbai and Ahmedabad is 

the highlight of Japanese Prime 

Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to 

India. The project will be 

financed with a 50-year yen 

loan at 0.1 percent, which 

includes a moratorium on 

interest payments for the first 

20 years. 

Railway Minister Suresh 

Prabhu’s aides say the train 

will be viable with rates that 

are one-and-a-half times the 

current AC first class fares, or 

nearly Rs 3,000. That is Rs 6 

per km. 

Viability will depend on traffic 

and the frequency of service. 

Rail officials say there is 

enough between the two cities: 

trains are chockfull and flights 

are packed. At 300-350 kmph, 

the distance should be licked 

in less than two hours. This 

will create additional demand. 

With quick visits possible, 

more people will travel. 

Earners might persuade their 

families to relocate outside 

expensive and congested 

Mumbai. 

Financial Rate of Return 

The Japanese International 

Cooperation Agency (JICA), 

the aides say, has estimated 

the financial rate of return at 

4.4 percent a year. This is less 

than the yield on government 

bonds. But the economic rate 

of return – or the impact on the 

economy – is estimated at 13 

percent annually. 

Fares alone will not be enough. 

Japanese bullet trains are 

cross-subsidised by revenue 

from property development. 

India’s bullet train corporation 

should be able to skim the 

increased land value it will 

create along the route through 

industrial enclaves and 

townships. 

The project will take two-anda-half 

years to plan and eight 

years to complete. 

Though Japanese financial 

terms seem fetching, they may 

not actually be so. Former 

railway official Ved Mani 

Tiwari who, until August, was 

director of Kochi Metro Rail, 

found the dollar to be the most 

stable over a 40-year period, 

with annualised volatility of 

4.5 percent. The currencies 

constituting the Euro yo-yoed 

by 6.5 percent while the yen 

swung the most at 9.5 percent 

annually. 

India May End Up Paying 

More 

If the Japanese loan for the 

bullet train is ‘tied’ and India 

can only buy Japanese 

equipment it might pay more 

than it should. Japanese 

electric engines for the 

Japanese-financed western 

freight corridor cost more than 

Rs 50 crore each. Alstom India 

has undertaken to supply 

ARTICLES | 

higher capacity (12,000 hp) 

electrical engines with 

maintenance thrown in from 

its Madhepura plant for Rs 24 

crore each. 

Making Travel Efficient 

As India’s economy grows and 

people’s income goes up, it 

will need an efficient way of 

moving large number of 

people quickly over long 

distances. It cannot depend on 

air travel alone for reasons of 

energy efficiency and climate 

change. Trains use one-fifth 

the energy of airplanes and the 

carbon emission per passenger 

is much lower. 

The Railways have already 

conducted studies to examine 

the viability of six high-speed 

rail routes. These are: 

Delhi–Chandigarh–Amritsar 

(450 km) 

Pune–Mumbai–Ahmedabad 

(650 km) 

Hyderabad–Dornakal– 

Vijaywada–Chennai (664 km) 

Chennai–Bangalore– 

Coimbatore–Ernakulam (649 

km) 

Howrah–Haldia (135 km) and 

Delhi–Agra–Lucknow– 

Varanasi–Patna (991 km). 

But if funds were finite and 

India had to choose between 

rail services that would give 

the biggest bang for money, it 

would opt for elevated 200 

kmph semi-high speed trains 

connecting the metros with 

satellite cities that would make 

quick getaways possible. 


Japanese International 

Cooperation Agency 

estimates financial rate of 

return at 4.4 percent a 

year 

Economic rate of return 

or the impact on the 

economy estimated at 13 

percent annually 

If Japanese loan is ‘tied’ 

and Japanese equipment 

purchased, India might 

end up paying more 

India needs more freightonly 

rail corridors and 

upgrading of existing 

routes to semi-high speed 

Moving trains to higher 

speed, comfort and safety 

would have a greater 

impact 

Decongest Metros 

If one could cover the 

distance between Delhi and 

say Agra or Alwar in about 

an hour, it would make 

sense to live there and work 

in the capital. Such services 

would decongest the metros, 

bring down the cost of 

living, improve the quality of 

life and spread economic 

development around. 

They would also boost 

domestic manufacturing of 

railway equipment, just as 

intra-city metro rails have 

done. There would be a lot 

more demand for engines, 

coaches and communication 

and signalling equipment, 

which would spur the ‘Make 

in India’ campaign. 

The Japanese had themselves 

recommended semi-high 

speed for the Delhi–Mumbai 

route when the western 

freight corridor became 

operational. A JICA study 

expected 60 percent of 

freight trains on the Delhi- 

Godhra route, and 90 percent 

on the Godhra–Mumbai leg 

to shift across. 

The capacity released would 

make semi-high speeds 

passenger trains of up to 200 

kmph possible on the 

existing track (with fenced or 

elevated tracks, heavier rails, 

curves designed for tilting 

and collision preventing 

signalling systems). 

Freight-Only Rail Corridors 

ARTICLES | 

JICA has estimated the cost 

of a 12-hour travel-time 

route between Delhi and 

Mumbai to cost a little less 

than $7 billion, or Rs 47,000 

crore. A 10-hour journey 

time track would cost more 

than double ─ Rs 107,500 

crore. The slower track was 

said to be financially viable. 

If he had Rs 1 lakh crore to 

play around with, Alstom 

India Managing Director 

Bharat Salhotra, who was 

formerly with the Railways, 

says he would spend it on 

more freight-only rail 

corridors and upgrade the 

existing routes to semi-high 

speed. India, he says, 

requires quick mass 

transport before rapid 

transport. 

Moving trains to a higher 

speed, comfort and safety 

band both within cities and 

between them would have a 

greater impact on the 4.5 

billion suburban and 3.8 

billion passengers who travel 

on the rail network annually, 

than a showcase project like 

the bullet train. 


Delhi Metro to run new generation UTO 

(driverless) trains in phase-III corridors 

- By Metro Rail News 

Though the concept of driverless train is not new in the developed countries, it is 

still a novel idea in India. On one side, driverless trains are being championed as a 

way of avoiding human error and reaching new levels of efficiency at a time when 

many metro systems are operating at the very limits of their capacity. On the 

other, critics are concerned about entrusting public safety to a driverless system, 

as well as the specter of mass job losses. In this context, the announcement of 

Delhi Metro’s first driverless train was a proud moment for India. On 4 June 2015, 

the first driverless trains arrived in Delhi. These trains will run on the Phase III 

corridors covering 58-km long Majlish Park-Shiv Vihar (Line 7) and the over 38- 

km long Janakpuri (West)- Botanical Garden (Line 8). The trains will be fully 

operational by the April of 2017. 


ARTICLES | 

According to DMRC officials, more than 60 such 

driverless trains are in the manufacturing 

process at the Bharat Earth Movers plant in 

Bengaluru and 20 such trains will be 

manufactured in South Korea’s Changwan by 

the end of 2015. These 6-coach trains are 

equipped with advanced features. 

How Does the Driverless Train Operate? 

The first driverless train that arrived in Delhi in 

the first week of June will begin service with the 

help of manual operators or drivers but will be 

fully operational without drivers by moving to 

unattended train operation (UTO) by April 2017. 

Under the UTO mode, these new trains will be 

controlled and their movement regulated by the 

Operations Control Centers (OCC) of the Delhi 

Metro system and not by manual train operators. 

Some of the advanced features in these driverless trains are: 

Modern technology: These trains are 

significantly upgraded and eco-friendly. These 

trains can run at a maximum speed of 95 kmph 

and their operational speed is 85 kmph. 

CCTV Camera: CCTV cameras are installed for 

inside and outside view of the train. The CCTV 

images could be directly accessed by the control 

centre in driverless mode. 

Front Camera: These trains are 

equipped with front camera in exterior 

of both cabs so that the OCC people can 

see the status of path (route) and 

signals. 

Dynamic Route Maps: Dynamic route 

maps are available in each door panel 

to let passenger know their journey 

status. 

USB Charging Slots: While the present metro 

coaches already have 230V AC charging sockets, 

the new generation metro trains will have USB 

slots for mobile charging. 


ARTICLES | 

Increased carrying capacity: 

The capacity of carrying 

passengers has also been 

increased in the new trains. 

Each coach can accommodate a 

maximum of 380 passengers, 

which means in the 6-coach 

train, almost 2,280 passengers 

can travel. 

Different shape passenger 

friendly grabs poles: The 

grabs pole provided in the car 

are shaped differently so that 

more persons can hold them 

during jerk / braking in train. 

Energy efficient: The new 

trains are more energy efficient 

than the earlier ones with 

better regeneration of energy 

during braking. There are more 

energy-efficient subsystems 

inside the coach such as LED 

lighting and air conditioning 

systems. 

LCD Screens: Each coach has 

four 18.5-inch LCD screens 

continuously displaying audiovisual 

messages and 

commercials. 

Multi-colour passenger seats: 

Fibre reinforced plastic seats 

have been introduced to add 

colour. Each coach is equipped 

with different colors of 

passenger seats i.e. Red, Pink, 

Blue, Orange. The reserved 

seat is colored with dark shade. 

Obstacle Detection Device: 

These new generation trains 

are equipped with advanced 

obstacle detection device. It 

means when train hits with a 

metal or hard objects it will 

stopped automatically. 

Noise reduction device: The 

wheels of these trains are 

equipped with noise reduction 

devices. 

Driverless train safety fears 

One of the main objections to 

fully driverless metro networks 

is a perception that handing 

total control over to an 

automated 

system poses 

a threat to 

public 

safety. This 

is partly 

driven by 

the natural 

comfort 

derived from 

having a 

qualified 

human 

driver on the train to react to 

unusual situations and provide 

a friendly face to the public. 

Will It Be a Success? One of 

the main drawbacks to 

driverless metro trains is a 

common thought that handing 

total control over to an 

automated system can put 

passengers at risk. We are 

always used to travel in public 

transport driven by a trained 

driver who can respond to 

unusual situations and provide 

a friendly atmosphere to the 

public. However, we cannot 

ignore the benefits of driverless 

trains. 

Driverless trains have the 

advantage of not committing 

human error. Automated 

metro trains are more energyefficient 

and always run on 

schedule. It is said that energy 

consumption by these trains 

can be cut by 30% depending 

on the degree of automation. 

Moreover, these trains will be 

able to carry 50 passengers 

more in each coach as 

compared to the driver-driven 

metro trains. Considering the 

driverless metro networks in 

advanced cities of the world 

whose safety records are 

generally excellent, we should 

not worry much about the 

safety of driverless trains in 

Delhi. 


Urban underground space: Solving the 

problems of today’s cities 

- By Geo-Engineering Department, Delft University of Technology 

The world-wide trend of increased urbanization creates problems for expanding 

and newly-developing cities alike. Population increase leads to an increased 

demand for reliable infrastructure, nowadays combined with a need for increased 

energy efficiency and a higher environmental awareness of the public. The use of 

underground space can help cities meet these increased demands while remaining 

compact, or find the space needed to include new functions in an existing city 

landscape. In many cases, underground solutions to urban problems are only 

considered if all other (above ground) options have been exhausted. When 

underground solutions are considered and evaluated from the planning or initial 

project stages onwards, more optimal solutions will become possible. 


The world is increasingly an 

urban environment. Since 2008 

more than half of the world 

population lives in cities and 

the world population is 

expected to increase to roughly 

10 billion people over the next 

four decades. As the world’s 

rural population is projected to 

remain stable in this period, 

that increase will occur in 

urban areas. By 2050, 70% of all 

people will live in cities and 

the world urban population 

will have more than doubled 

compared to the turn of the 

century. 

In developing countries, where 

most of this uncontained 

population growth will take 

place, the rapidly expanding 

cities will need to meet the 

increased demands for 

infrastructure. Without 

efficient 

transport 

infrastructure, cities will 

sprawl away from the urban 

core, which strains the 

environment by creating more 

traffic congestion and travel 

time, loss of valuable farm 

land, and inequitable allocation 

of resources. In the developed 

countries the urban expansion 

is less rapid, but the 

demographics of the 

population will change, with 

an increasingly large group 

over 60. These population 

changes bring about new 

demands on the functions a 

city must provide and on the 

layout of the city, and call for 

continuous improvement in 

sustainable and resource 

efficient urban development. 

Although high urban density 

can help cities become more 

energy and resource efficient, 

urban density alone is not 

sufficient to obtain a high 

standard of living. Comparing 

the most densely populated 

cities with the most liveable 

ones shows there must be other 

factors involved. This paper 

proposes that an efficient and 

integrated use of the 

underground is one of these 

factors and gives a brief 

overview of the possible 

solutions the underground 

offers to improve the factors 

contributing to quality of live: 

safety, health, convenience, 

and comfort. 

An urban population that is 

increasingly aware of the 

factors that improve quality of 

living, poses increased 

demands on their environment 

with respect to: reliable and 

safe transport of people and 

goods; dependable utilities, 

water distribution and 

sewerage 

systems; 

sustainability of the 

environment and limited urban 

sprawl; green spaces and 

recreational areas; reduced 

energy use and reduced 

emissions and noise levels; 

aesthetics and conservation of 

heritages; efficient use of realestate 

and public space. In 

ARTICLES | 

existing urban areas these 

demands pose significant 

challenges, as the space needed 

for developing new functions 

or relocating and improving 

existing ones is often not 

readily available. Placement of 

infrastructure and other 

facilities underground presents 

an opportunity to find the 

needed space, but it is often 

considered only as a last resort. 

This stems from a paradox, as 

the underground is considered 

only when surface space is 

exhausted and no other 

solutions exist anymore for the 

complex urban problems to be 

tackled. This complexity and 

the obstructed access to the 

underground, created by the 

lack of space for the problem to 

be solved, almost inevitably 

lead to higher cost, giving 

underground solutions an 

expensive image, which in turn 

leads it to be considered less 

readily. 

In newly developing 

metropolises that paradox need 

not exist, as initially the access 

to the underground is not 

obstructed and unique 

opportunities exist, if 

engineers, city planners and 

decision makers can come 

together and recognize that in 

order to reach an optimal 

solution, the underground 

option needs to be considered 

and used from the start. 


ARTICLES | 

The rapid and unconstrained 

expansion of these cities is 

only part of the problem. 

Structured city planning that 

includes underground options 

is still limited to a few 

examples. In general the 

awareness that the 

underground offers a possible 

solution for urban problems 

remains low, even though the 

issue has been raised on 

numerous occasions, 

e.g. Webster, 1914 and Sterling 

and Carmody, 1993. Recently 

Working Group 20 “Urban 

Problems – Underground 

Solutions” of the International 

Tunnelling and Underground 

Space Association (ITA) 

presented an overview of 

exemplary 

projects 

highlighting underground 

solutions to typical urban 

problems, in a renewed 

attempt to raise this 

awareness. WG20 was 

founded in 2002 as part of ITA 

in order to identify urban 

problems that have been 

solved, or could have been 

solved, by the use of 

underground space or 

facilities, and to increase the 

awareness inside and outside 

the ITA. Other groups active in 

raising such awareness include 

the Committee on 

Underground Space (ITACUS), 

also part of ITA, and the 

Associated research Centers 

for Urban Underground Space 

(ACUUS), an international 

interdisciplinary association. 

Urban underground solutions 

Many dense urban 

environments face problems 

due to lacking infrastructure 

for transit, distribution of 

resources, goods and services. 

When paired with the 

demands listed above, these 

problems can be elaborated to 

include: traffic congestion; 

poor environmental conditions 

due to noise and air pollution; 

lack of safety, security, and 

protection against natural 

disasters and flooding; 

crowding and lack of space for 

work and recreation; 

restrictions when preserving 

aesthetic qualities and 

(cultural) heritages of the 

urban environment; aging 

infrastructure for distribution 

of resources, sewage 

conveyance and treatment; and 

combination effects of the 

above. 

Traffic congestion 

Probably the most recognized 

problem is the need for 

congestion relief in city streets. 

Time can be saved by using 

separated rail systems in order 

to reduce the rush hour traffic 

pressure. Hundreds of hours 

per worker per year can be 

saved in this way, as the cost 

of congestion in OECD 

countries is estimated to be 

equivalent to about 2 percent 

of the GDP. 

But mass transit systems offer 

other benefits, as they tend to 

require less surface area than 

road traffic. Studies show that 

car traffic takes up 30 to 90 

times more space than metro 

systems. Similarly, public road 

transport takes 3 to 12 times 

more space. By moving from 

above ground car traffic to 

underground mass transit 

systems, enormous amounts of 

surface land can be freed up 

for other uses. 

Continually improving 

tunnelling and excavation 

support technology adds to the 

success of urban rail systems. 

Advances in Tunnel Boring 

Machine (TBM) technology 

now allow tunnelling in more 

difficult ground conditions – 

even below the ground water 

table – with little disturbance 

to the surface. The surface 

influence is nowadays limited 

enough to realize bored 

tunnels even in highly 

sensitive city environments 

with protected cultural 

heritages, such as for example 

the historic city centres of 

Amsterdam and Rome. 


Pollution and noise 

Highway noise and emissions 

from vehicles are recognized 

as pressing problems in urban 

areas. In order to reduce the 

noise impact, sound barriers 

may be erected, but the visual 

impact of such measures is 

major. It is often the case that 

residential property values 

near freeways are reduced due 

to high noise levels from cars 

and exhaust emissions. Also, 

there are associated health and 

safety issues for living close to 

a freeway. 

Once again, moving passenger 

transport from cars to mass 

transit systems can reduce the 

noise and pollution impact at 

the local level, but also at a 

larger scale as mass transit 

systems tend to be more 

energy efficient and substantial 

energy savings can be obtained 

by the increased use of metro 

systems. 

Alternatively, over the last few 

decades, many cities have 

constructed ring roads and 

roadway tunnels to improve 

their traffic conditions and to 

adapt the road network to the 

predicted demand. At the 

same time the travel times 

have improved and the impact 

of traffic on the surrounding 

residents has been reduced. 

Now, with city developments 

encroaching on existing ring 

roads, several cities have 

started to move surface 

sections of these ring roads 

below ground in order to 

further reduce their impact. 

Some examples are the doubledeck 

tunnels in the A86 in 

Paris, the large diameter 

tunnels for the M30 in Madrid 

or the cut-and-cover tunnels 

for the A10 in Amsterdam. 

An even greater impact on 

their surroundings may be 

caused by the elevated 

highways, mainly constructed 

in the 1950s and 60s in a 

number of, mainly US, cities; 

for example Boston, Seattle, 

and San Francisco. These giant 

elevated structures through 

down-town areas are now seen 

as unsightly, noisy, possibly 

unsafe, and provide only 

limited access to areas adjacent 

to the freeway. Many cities are 

considering or in the process to 

replace the elevated highways 

by urban road tunnels. An 

example is the Alaskan 

Highway in Seattle, which 

when completed will be the 

largest diameter bored tunnel 

in the world. 

These transitions from surface 

or above-surface roads to 

underground solutions in 

more or less the same location 

are often complex and costly. 

While the original decision to 

build these roads above 

ground often focused only on 

direct construction costs, 

decision makers should 

include real-estate impacts, 

ARTICLES | 

structural life span, and longterm 

sustainability when 

making such choices. This 

would help to avoid such 

unfavourable situations and 

reduce the life time cost of 

urban transport. 

Protection against natural 

disasters 

With concentration of 

population, urban areas are 

particularly vulnerable to 

failures in infrastructure due to 

ageing of the systems or those 

caused by other natural forces. 

Growth of population not only 

means more people are relying 

on the infrastructure, but at the 

same time that the man-made 

facilities may increase the 

severity of the disaster. For 

example, urbanization means 

more paved area leading to 

more severe flooding, as well 

as loss of water resources 

recharging groundwater. 

Underground rivers can be 

constructed to increase run-off 

or divert storm water. Large 

diameter tunnels have been 

bored below cities such as 

Buenos Aires and Tokyo for 

this purpose. The SMART 

tunnel in Kuala Lumpur takes 

this concept a step further, as 

this tunnel functions as a road 

tunnel during dry periods and 

is closed off for traffic and 

used as a storm-water tunnel 

during flooding periods. 


Also, it should be realised that 

the underground may provide 

a setting that is difficult to 

build in, but that underground 

structures offers better natural 

protection 

against 

environmental elements, 

including destructive weather 

and seismic events. 

Underground facilities and 

metro systems are less prone to 

earthquake damage have 

suffered little or no damage in 

major earthquakes. 

Lack of space and preservation 

of heritage and environment 

Most of the underground 

examples above are not 

intended for a long-term 

human presence. This stems 

from the human preference to 

live, work and recreate above 

ground. 

Historically, 

underground structures were 

primarily intended for shelter 

or served as entry and 

connection points for mass 

transit systems. Over time, a 

wider range of functional 

facilities has taken up 

underground residence, but 

Utility tunnels, small tunnels 

placed at shallow depth that in 

turn contain cables and ducts 

for different utilities, are a 

solution here. Not only do they 

reduce the effective footprint 

for utilities, as they can be 

placed closer together inside 

the utility tunnel, but these 

utilities can also be inspected 

often still with a short intended 

stay for individuals below 

ground. Mostly the aim was to 

free surface space for other 

human needs and to improve 

the living conditions of cities. 

Recently, the aim is more and 

more to not only keep surface 

space free and to create new 

space and functions, but to do 

so in a manner that preserves 

existing buildings and cultural 

heritages. This is especially 

true for public functions 

housed in historic monuments. 

In all these cases additions to 

existing monuments have been 

realized without lowering the 

visual quality of the original 

buildings, and at the same time 

creating new floor space, with 

limited access points and a 

small footprint in order to 

preserve the security of the 

buildings and their collections. 

And such underground 

extensions to monumental 

buildings are not limited to 

public buildings, but 

nowadays also include private 

and repaired without the need 

to dig in the subsurface. 

Not only utility pipelines, but 

also the associated treatment 

plants and facilities can be 

placed underground. 

Underground waste water 

treatment plants such as in 

Stockholm, Rotterdam or 

ARTICLES | 

residences, with the iceberg 

houses of London as the 

grander examples of the 

possibilities the underground 

offers. 

Utilities and infrastructure 

Focusing on the larger 

underground facilities it is easy 

to overlook the many utilities 

that are traditionally placed 

below ground. Especially the 

addition of separated sewage 

systems for household waste 

water streams and storm water 

and of distributed heat-andcold 

storage systems or 

shallow geothermal systems 

requires a large underground 

footprint if all placed directly 

in the ground. If not properly 

regulated and zoned, the 

increasing number of utilities 

creates underground space 

shortages in the shallow 

subsurface utility layer, and 

often causes increased surface 

disruptions given the increased 

number of parties that needs to 

inspect, repair or replace their 

underground utilities. 

Guangzhou City show how 

such facilities not only free up 

space at surface, but also reduce 

the olfactory impact to 

neighbouring residences 

normally associated with these 

plants and help reduce the 

overall environmental impact of 

waste water. 


Underground development is 

an important tool in 

developing and reshaping 

urban areas to meet the 

challenges of the future. 

Placement of infrastructure 

and other facilities 

underground presents an 

opportunity for realizing new 

functions in urban areas 

without destroying heritages or 

negatively impacting the 

surface environment, and at 

the same time brings 

opportunities for long-term 

improvements in the 

environmental impact of cities 

and more efficient use of space 

and resources. These benefits 

are there for existing, 

redeveloping cities, but can be 

implemented for newly 

developing cities more easily 

and more cost effectively, for 

even greater benefits. 

The number of examples given 

in this paper is limited, but 

already in this small set it can 

be observed that many of these 

underground solutions can 

solve or help improve multiple 

of the problems that urban 

development face: traffic 

congestion; environmental 

problems; lack of (green) space; 

ARTICLES | 

need for protection against 

disasters; lack of infrastructure 

for food, energy, water and 

sanitation. 

When planning and 

developing cities, the 

underground should not be 

overlooked by planners, 

engineers and decision makers. 

Raising the awareness of the 

benefits underground space 

can bring is a first step towards 

a systematic use of 

underground space in urban 

environments. 



Indian Railways is all set to experiment with 

Spain's high speed Talgo trains 

- By Shreya Biswas 

Hold your horses, passenger! We may soon get to enjoy the luxury of Spanish 

coaches on the Rajdhani and Shatabdi express trains. 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. 

What is Talgo? 

Talgo is one of the leading companies in the Spanish railway sector. It started out in May 

1941, and has now has businesses almost all around the world. Talgo's headquarters lie in Madrid, 

Spain. 


ARTICLES | 

Here's all you need to know about the 

Talgo trains that we are about to 

welcome on our railway tracks: 

High Speed Trains: A Talgo 250 can 

run at the speed of 250 kmph. 

However, trials in India will only be 

conducted at 150-160 kmph. 

Lighter Trains: 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. 

Less Maintenance: 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 

maintenance". Unlike that for Japanese bullet 

trains, no major overhauling of tracks is said to 

be required for running Talgo trains in India. 

Passenger facility: Amenities like footrests, 

reading lights, tables, audio entertainment 

control, etc. are provided for every individual 

seat. The trains also come with monitors for 

video entertainment. Talgo's official website 

also promises shower units, in-house restaurant 

and a cafeteria car for passenger coaches. 

Advanced Technology: Talgo trains have the technology to keep interiors pleasant even when the 

temperature outside crosses 50 degree Celsius or drops below -20 degree Celsius. 

Energy Efficient: 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 consumption". 

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

Pretty and efficient, yes, but these fancy Talgo trains will make train travel more expensive than it is 

now. 


Smart Cities Project: India’s smart cities will 

need smart transport 

- By Ruchita Bansal 

With many Indian cities set to become larger than most countries, both in terms of 

GDP and population, mobility should be high on agenda . 

About 30 per cent of India’s 

one billion population lives in 

cities. This number is nearly 

equal to the total population of 

the US. The projections 

indicate that the urban 

population will be close to 600 

million by 2031 and many 

metro cities will emerge by 

then. Already, the number of 

metro cities with population of 

one million and above has 

increased from 35 in 2001 to 50 

in 2011. The number is 

expected to rise to 87 by 2031. 

All this would require 

increased investment in the 

urban infrastructure. These 

investments will define 

livability of the cities. At 

present, 70 to 75 per cent of 

modes of commuting in most 

of the Indian cities comprise of 

walking, cycling and public 

transport despite the 

skyrocketing numbers of 

motorised two wheelers and 

cars in the last two decades. 

This variation in modal shares 

among the above mentioned 

modes has a relationship 

between size of the city and its 

per capita income. 


Small- and medium-sized cities 

have a lower income than the 

mega cities and thus 

dependency on private modes 

there is comparatively lesser. 

The World Health 

Organization (WHO) now 

classifies 

disability, 

unproductive life years, and 

premature deaths that are 

related to road injuries as a 

significant health impact of 

motorisation. According to the 

Union Ministry of Road 

Transport and Highways, close 

to 500,000 road accidents were 

reported in the year 2012 and 

as much as 11 per cent of 

global road-injury deaths occur 

annually in India alone. 

Urban transport reforms have 

taken roots in India. The 

momentum for this has come 

from the national policies as 

well as state government 

programmes. 

With the introduction of a new 

mission, 100 smart cities and 

500 cities in India will be 

rejuvenated and transformed 

with an allocation of close to Rs 

1 lakh crore, for a period of five 

years. The Union Cabinet has 

already cleared Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi’s pet 

projects—smart cities spread 

across the country and a new 

urban renewal mission named 

after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 

replacing the existing one 

named after Jawaharlal Nehru. 

“Smart city aspirants” will be 

selected through a “City 

Challenge Competition” 

intended to link financing with 

the ability of the cities to 

perform and achieve the 

mission objectives. Each state 

will now shortlist a certain 

number of “smart city 

aspirants” as per the norms 

that will be indicated and will 

prepare smart city proposals 

for further evaluation to seek 

support from Centre. 

The move is expected to recast 

the urban landscape of the 

country to make it more 

liveable and inclusive but how 

do they tend to achieve that as 

this is not the first urban 

renewal mission launched in 

India to improve the urban 

infrastructure. 

A similar mission was 

launched in India in 2006, 

known as Jawaharlal Nehru 

National Urban Renewal 

Mission (JNNURM), and was a 

reform driven Central 

assistance programme for 

development of infrastructure 

to provide fast track and 

planned development for the 

65 targeted cities in India. 

Funding was tied to a set of 

mandatory and optional 

reforms targeted at municipal 

governance and sectoral 

reforms. It envisaged a total 

investment of US $20 billion 

over seven years, which is 

ARTICLES | 

equal to funding in the smart 

cities mission. 

While the overall JNNURM 

reforms had targeted all urban 

infrastructure sectors, the 

transport sector had hogged 

about quarter of the JNNURM 

funds. Even though about 30 

states and union territories 

qualified for the JNNURM 

funds, transport sector funding 

was allocated majorly to Delhi, 

with mega cities bagging the 

maximum numbers of projects. 

For getting approval for 

transport projects, the 

guidelines recommend that the 

transport infrastructure 

improvement schemes should 

be in compliance with the 

NUTP (National Urban 

Transport Policy) that had laid 

down the guiding principle for 

sustainable mobility with clear 

thrust on public transport, nonmotorised 

transport, and 

transit oriented development. 

The project analysis, however, 

showed that the identified and 

approved projects were not in 

sync with the spirit of the 

NUTP. The actual spending 

has been locked in car centric 

infrastructure. 

In JNNURM, under the 

transportation reforms, the 

roads and flyovers category 

dominated with as much as 70 

per cent of the total number of 

projects and 15 per cent were 

mass-transit projects. 


In the name of promoting 

public transport, cities came up 

with new public transport 

systems such as Bus Rapid 

Transit (BRT) and rail-based 

systems like Metro, Light Rail 

Transit (LRT) and monorail. In 

many cities, BRT and bicycleinclusive 

plans were approved 

by the Centre with less focus 

on space for pedestrians and 

cyclists. This was despite the 

fact that nearly 50 per cent trips 

are made on foot, by bicycle, or 

by intermediate public 

transport systems in Indian 

cities. 

What ails transport reforms? 

The mandatory reforms 

enlisted and envisaged under 

JNNURM scheme required city 

development plans to be 

prepared (in 2005) and stated 

certain mandatory and 

optional reforms but they did 

not mention any reforms for 

urban transport. The second 

economic stimulus package in 

2008 was tied to several 

reforms specifically related to 

transport sector such as 

creation of urban transport 

fund, parking policy, 

advertisement policy and 

constitution of Unified 

Metropolitan Transport 

Authority (UMTA) that is duly 

notified by the state, at the 

state and city levels. 

The funding of transport 

projects was to be done in two 

installments; the first 

installment was given to the 

selected cities which showed 

interest in procurement of 

buses from the central 

government. However, a 

mandatory clause for release of 

second installment was giving 

detailed statement of each of 

the reforms at city and state 

level. The status of reforms 

track showed that of the total 

65 cities only five to ten cities 

had implemented at least one 

reform. 

The monitoring and evaluation 

framework for the JNNURM 

programme was archetypal of 

any government-sponsored 

programme which rested on 

tracking of utilisation of 

monetary funds associated 

with physical targets of 

construction work with least 

attention to benefits accruing to 

the mass. 

Is technology the answer? 

The main focus during 

JNNURM mission and now in 

smart cities approach is 

introducing new technologies 

as the argument is that it will 

solve the traffic chaos and will 

serve the high-density 

demands expected on a few 

corridors in the city but Indian 

cities have high-density 

developments in the form of 

urban slums. This is one of the 

ARTICLES | 

reasons why a good integrated 

system is more in demand. But 

most of the cities which have 

developed metro systems have 

really not looked into a holistic 

approach of planning which 

fails the system in a city and 

thus pushing people to depend 

on private transport. 

The other pillar of managing 

Indian cities is their 

governance. The poor state of 

governance in India cities is 

evident to any citizen living in 

one of them. According to 

McKinsey report on India’s 

urban awakening, since by 

2030 many of Indian cities and 

metropolitan areas will become 

larger than most countries in 

terms of both GDP and 

population, it is vital that India 

addresses such questions. 

Without comprehensive city 

governance reforms, India will 

deteriorate even further and 

rapidly. There has to be better 

cohesion between the various 

agencies responsible for urban 

development and planning. 

Every urban plan will need to 

have a long-term view only 

then will economic growth 

happen otherwise such 

missions are a big failure and 

create monstrous disasters in 

the form of flyovers and high 

investment mass transit 

projects with no proper feeder 

services, high accident rates 

and risk to health through 

increasing air pollution. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS | 

Delhi Metro | DMRC launched free Wi-Fi facility for Airport Line commuters 

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) 

launched ‘Free Wi-Fi’ facilities at Metro stations 

on its Airport Express Line. DMRC’s Managing 

Director, Dr. Mangu Singh launched the facility 

at the Shivaji Stadium Metro station. For the 

facility, DMRC has tied up with a consortium led 

by M/s Techno Sat Comm which presently runs 

India’s first Wi-Fi on train service on the Delhi- 

Howrah Rajdhani Express. The facility will use 

the globally acclaimed “T-Track 2.0 Wave 2 

Solution”, also used on high speed trains 

worldwide. With the facility, passengers will be 

able to use all standard internet applications 

inside the station premises like email, Face book, 

Google, video chat as well as live streaming of 

cricket and football matches etc. The Delhi 

Metro, in association with Rail Tel Corporation 

presently provides Wi-Fi facility at four of its 

major stations – Rajiv Chowk, Kashmere Gate, 

Central Secretariat and Hauz Khas. 

Nagpur Metro | Nagpur Metro Rail launches its Mobile App for public information 

The Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation launched its 

Mobile App for providing project updates to the 

public. Nagpur Metro App aims to provide all the 

information related to Nagpur Metro in an easy 

and efficient way. The main features of this App 

includes; to update complete information about 

Nagpur Metro, to provide information about 

Nagpur Metro work status, to provide advisory 

and updates on Traffic Diversion in city due to 

work by Nagpur Metro, to receive suggestions 

from the public and provide updates on latest 

happening through their Media Releases. 


HONOR / AWARDS | 

Delhi Metro | DMRC bags the Prestigious World Green Building Council Award 

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has 

been awarded with this year’s prestigious Asia 

Pacific Region Network Award constituted by 

the World Green Building Council for 

demonstrating “Industry Leadership in 

Sustainability”. The award recognises 

organisations which are truly integrating 

sustainability into their business models and 

contributing to the transition towards a 

sustainable built environment. The award is the 

recognition of works done by DMRC in spurring 

green building activities in both construction 

and operations. This is the first time an Indian 

company has been awarded with this prestigious 

honour. The award committee considered the 

initiatives taken by Delhi Metro in the field of 

environmental sustainability by following 

‘management by objectives’ approach towards 

climate change, green in-built environment, 

energy efficiency, Clean Development 

Mechanism (CDM), solar power etc. The award 

was presented to Dr. Mangu Singh, Managing 

Director, DMRC and Sh. AK Gupta, Director 

(Electrical), DMRC in Mumbai by Mr. Tai Lee 

Siang, Chair - World Green Building Council. 

Lucknow Metro | LMRC bags first APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial award on 

Innovation in Governance 

Shri Kumar Keshav, Managing Director, 

Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC), has 

been awarded with the prestigious Dr. APJ 

Abdul Kalam Memorial Award on Innovation in 

Governance. The award was given to the 

Managing Director during the Dr. APJ Abdul 

Kalam Memorial Summit on Innovation in 

Governance organised at Vigyan Bhawan, New 

Delhi. It is yet another achievement and public 

recognition for Lucknow Metro as the 

Corporation’s sincere effort and dedication in 

innovation in governance and project 

completion is recognised in such a glorious way 

at the national level.

Metro Rail News December 2016

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?