ProUI

Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) is chalking out an action plan to give the city an image makeover in time to welcome the Kochi Metro. The plan is to build formidable infrastructure and develop efficient transport modes in the city by the time the metro rolls out in mid 2016.KMRL decided to draw up the plan after residents’ associations, trade bodies and NGOs suggested that the city’s infrastructure be strengthened in tandem with the commissioning of Kochi Metro. Transport experts had opined that the metro would be a success only if allied modes of transport got a fillip.To give the city a spanking new look roads will be constructed, narrow junctions will be widened and water transport will be developed. The Unified Metropolitan Transportation Authority (UMTA), with KMRL’s MD Elias George at the helm, is expected to spearhead these projects, in partnership with civic agencies and government departments.Key roads that will be widened include Vyttila-Pettah Road and Thammanam-Pullepady Road. The Greater Cochin Development Authority has assured speedy commissioning of Vyttila Thykoodam-Chilavanoor-Thevara Bund Road. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will also construct a flyover and a pair of two-lane bridges at Edappally Junction.The State government has agreed to pool in funds for constructing flyovers at three other junctions on the NH 47 Bypass.The projects will be executed simultaneously with Kochi Metro works to reduce traffic bottlenecks along the 25-km-long Aluva-Pettah metro corridor.

The projects are expected to ensure seamless connectivity of the metro with road and water transport.

Mr. Elias George said other modes of transport had to be on the same track as the metro, as the metro’s ‘financial rate of return’ might be low. “Developing allied transport modes and integrating them with the metro will ensure sound ‘economic rate of return’. KMRL’s initiative is aimed at improving positive externalities, together with the metro. This is crucial for the investment for the metro to be cost-effective,” he said.

The metro is expected to usher in Transit Oriented Development (TOD) on either side of the Aluva-Pettah corridor, giving a fillip to commercial activities.

French loan

A team from AFD, a French financial agency, will visit Kochi from September 16-18. Following the visit they will decide on formally declaring the grant of a loan for the metro. The team is expected to hold talks with Minister for Transport Aryadan Mohammed, the Kochi Mayor, GCDA Chairman and MLAs from the district. As the French team is keen on UMTA developing and integrating different transport modes, a meeting would be held with the Transport Secretary and Chief Town Planner.

Sreedharan visits sites

On Tuesday, DMRC’s Principal Advisor E. Sreedharan visited the site for the metro’s coach-maintenance yard at Muttom near Aluva and the casting yard at HMT.

He also inspected the Aluva-Ernakulam South stretch, where piling, test piling and soil testing works are on. Later, he interacted with DMRC officials and took stock of the progress of works.

To build formidable infrastructure and develop efficient transport modes in the city by the time the metro rolls out in mid 2016.

With an aim to provide better passenger amenities and comfort to the commuters and also to clear wait listed passengers, Railways have decided to augment two additional AC-3 tier coaches in 22823/22811 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express from 1st September to 30th September 2013.

The frequency of Tr. No. 12761 / 12762 Tirupati-Karimnagar-Tirupati Express will be increased from Weekly to Bi-Weekly.Accordingly, with effect from 7th September 2013, the frequency of Train no. 12761 Tirupati-Karimnagar Express, currently departing Tirupati at 22 40 hrs  on Wednesdays, will depart o­n Saturdays also.
      With effect from 8th September, 2013, the frequency of Train no. 12762 Karimnagar - Tirupati Express, currently departing Karimnagar at 19 15 hrs o­n Thursdays, will depart o­n Sundays also.

South Eastern Railway(SER) has advisedtemporary augmentation ofTrain Nos.12245/12246 HOWRAH-YESVANTPUR-HOWRAH DURONTO EXPRESS which have been extended to the dates mentioned against each,for clearance of extra rush.The details are as follows :--

Train No. 12245 HOWRAH-YESVANTPUR DURONTO EXPRESS runs with o­ne additionalAC 3-tier Coach o­n 03rd, 04th, 07th, 08th 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 20th, 21st,24th, 25th, 28th&29th September, 2013.One additional Second Class Sleeper coach is also attached to the same Train o­n 01st, 06th, 10th, 14th, 18th, 22nd &27th September, 2013.

In the return direction, Train No.12246 YESVANTPUR-HOWRAH DURONTO EXPRESS runs with o­ne additional AC 3-tier coachon 05th, 06th, 09th, 10th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 19th , 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 27th, 30th Sept. 2013 & 01stOctober, 2013.One additional Second Class sleeper coach is also attached to the same Train o­n 03rd, 08th, 12th, 16th, 20th,24th & 29th September, 2013.

Train no. 16352  Nagercoil – CST Mumbai Bi-weekly Express will be diverted to run via Renigunta with out touching Tirupati with effect form 5th September, 2013.Similarly, in the return direction, Train No. 16351 CST Mumbai – Nagercoil Bi-weekly Express will be diverted to run via Renigunta with out touching Tirupati with effect  from  07thSeptember, 2013.

Government has identified the 11-km Shastri Park-Trilokpuri sector for the first line

Delhi is likely to get it first monorail by 2017, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Tuesday.She said the city needs a transport system that is not only efficient and accessible, but also that will allow people to live in a healthy environment.Speaking at a meeting on the Indo-Japan Monorail and Light Rail Transport here, Ms. Dikshit said her government had identified the 11-km Shastri Park-Trilokpuri sector for the first monorail line.“We need to identify more corridors. Delhi would also like to welcome other means of transport, whether it is trams or something else, as long as they are air and noise pollution free and help the citizens to live in a healthy environment,” she said.Monorail systems that can easily navigate through congested and narrow areas and have a high-carrying capacity are being touted as a means of improving connectivity, especially in those areas where buses and the Metro cannot reach.“The Metro currently covers 192 km and carries about 22 million people everyday. The population of the city is expected to grow to 17 million by 2021 and we have to think of long-term solutions to the transport problem,” the Chief Minister said.

Ms. Dikshit said the government got a study conducted by the DMRC and the conclusion was that monorail is the answer to the problem.

Earlier, Union Minister for Urban Development Kamal Nath described the monorail as a means of supplementing the Metro in the city.

In his address, Mr. Nath said: "Monorail is not a substitute, but a supplement to the Metro service. There should be a detailed project report carried out to study how monorail can better our Metro system."

The Minister said given the advantages of monorail, several States in India have already begun working on introducing it. “Maharashtra has decided on two 20-km corridors, Delhi is actively considering an 11-km corridor, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have also shown interest.”

The monorail technology, he said, was cost effective and had many advantages like capability to be introduced in narrow roads and being able to negotiate sharp turns and steep gradients.

“It will also lessen land acquisition problems and is a quicker, easier transport system,” the Minister said.

Hoping that India can learn from Japan, where monorail has been in use for over 50 years, the Minister said this mode of transport was a viable option in small and mid-sized cities.

It is also suitable for those corridors of mega cities where the demand for a Metro is not high.

"Even the 12th Five Year Plan said there should be LRT (light rail transit) systems in million-plus cities and India has 53 of those,” Mr. Nath said.

शहामतगंज, इज्जतनगर और सीबीगंज का नजारा जल्द बदला नजर आएगा। रेलवे इन तीनों जगह पर शॉपिंग कॉम्पलेक्स बनाएगा। इसके लिए रेलवे बोर्ड ने रेल लाइन डेवलपमेंट अथॉरिटी (आरएलडीए) को मंजूरी दे दी है।
शहामतगंज, इज्जतनगर और सीबीगंज में रेल मंडल की बेशकीमती जमीन खाली पड़ी है। इन पर अवैध कब्जे भी हो गए। अब रेलवे ने कब्जे हटाकर इन जगहों का उपयोग करने की योजना बनाई है। इससे रेलवे की आय में इजाफा होगा साथ ही शहर को तीन बड़े कॉम्पलेक्स भी मिलेंगे। डीआरएम चंद्रमोहन जिंदल ने बताया कि पूर्व में भी शहामतगंज की 24.40, सीबीगंज की 40.03 और इज्जतनगर की 23.50 हेक्टेयर भूमि पर कॉम्पलेक्स बनाने का प्रस्ताव भेजा था। मगर, उस दौरान रेलवे बोर्ड की मंजूरी नहीं मिली थी। लेकिन अब मंजूरी मिल गई है। जिसके चलते जल्द ही टेंडर होने के बाद निर्माण शुरु होगा। डेडीकेटेड फ्रेट कोरीडोर, नई दिल्ली में समूह प्रबंधक के पद से प्रमोशन होकर इज्जतनगर रेल मंडल के डीआरएम बने श्री जिंदल ने रेल मंडल के यात्रियों को बेहतर सफर मुहैया कराने का आश्वासन दिया। पंजाब के भंटिडा निवासी चंद्र मोहन जिंदल उत्तर रेलवे, भुसावल, अंबाला, फिरोजपुर और हाजीपुर रेल मंडलों में मुख्य भूमिका निभा चुके है। उन्होंने कहा कि रेल मंडल की ट्रेन, स्टेशन में साफ-सफाई और टिकट, पार्सल, गुड्स से आय बढ़ाने के लिए मेहनत की जाएगी। इसके साथ ही रेल दुर्घटनाओं को रोकने की बात कहीं। उन्होंने बताया कि मालभाड़े से आय बढ़ाने को गुड्स का अलग ट्रैक डाला जा रहा है। एक लाख करोड़ के प्रोजेक्ट से 80 फीसदी कार्य हो चुका है। इस मौके पर एडीआरएम सोमेश कुमार सिंह, सीनियर डीसीएम आशीष भाटिया समेत तमाम रेल अफसर मौजूद थे। नए डीआरएम ने कहा कि बरेली सिटी से काठगोदाम जाने को जल्द ही ट्रेन परिचालन होगा। इस समय ट्रेन लालकुआं तक जाती है। मगर, भेजे गए प्रस्ताव पर इस माह में मंजूरी मिल जाएगी। इससे यात्रियों को काफी राहत मिलेगी। इसके अलावा बरेली-कासगंज ब्राडगेज को जल्द पूरा कराने की बात कहीं।

The members of the Uttariya Railway Majdoor Union (URMU) have demanded that the authorities ensure maintenance of their residential quarters.During a meeting held at Railways Electric Shed, here on Wednesday, the members also demanded to increase the limit of bonus which is given on the occasion of Dushehra.URMU assistant divisional secretary ML Prashar said, “The conditions of quarters for the employees are in a very bad shape and are an open invitation to a mishap.These quarters have not been maintained for a long time. We want authorities should take immediate steps to repair the residential quarters.”“The condition of roads is pitiable in the railway colony. These roads should be reconstructed at the earliest. The electricity wiring should be underground and all should be given permission to install air conditioners at their homes,” he added.“We are forced to drink contaminated water. The officials concerned should take steps to clean the water supply tanks, which have not been cleaned for many months. They should ensure provision of safe drinking water for the residents,” Prashar added.URMU member Ajay Sahni said, “The employees should be given new uniforms. There are no provisions of separate washrooms for female employees at carriage depots. Separate washrooms should be constructed soon. If our demands are not completed then we would be forced to resort to agitation.”

Southern Railway has announced cancellation of the following passenger trains due to operational reasons. The Thanjavur – Kumbakonam passenger (56040) leaving Thanjavur at 6.05 p.m. will not run on Wednesdays up to September 18. Kumbakonam – Thanjavur passenger (56039) leaving Kumbakonam at 8.05 a.m. will not run on Thursdays up to September 18, a Southern Railway press release here said.

With an aim to provide better passenger amenities and comfort to the commuters and also to avoid rush in other trains, Railways have decided to run a special train between Dibrugarh and Velankani.

05906 Dibrugarh-Velankani special will leave Dibrugarh o­n 4th September 2013 (Wednesday) at 1920hrs and will arrive at Velankani at 1900hrs o­n Saturday. In the return direction, 05905 Velankani-Dibrugarh special train will leave Velankani o­n 9th September 2013 at 0745hrs (Monday) and will arrive at Dibrugarh at 0930hrs o­n Thursday.

This special train has o­ne AC-2 tier, o­ne AC-3 tier, Six Sleeper Classes, Six General Second Class Coaches and Two Guard cum Luggage Vans in its composition having stoppages at Howrah, Kharagpur, Bhadrak, Bhubaneswar, Khurda Road, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada between Dibrugarh and Velankani.