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Ten metro rail projects transforming Indian cities 30 Jul, 2013 Text: AgenciesThe Metro fever is catching up in smaller cities, thanks largely to the success of Delhi Metro. Cities like Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Bhopal are making a case for Metro, even though they don't qualify because of the population cut-off...
We take a look at how Metro connectivity has helped many cities in India and the upcoming networks:

Due to operational reasons,Railway has decided to renumber the train no. 12430/12429 Hazrat Nizamuddin-Bangalore City- Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express train as 22692/22691 Hazrat Nizamuddin-Bangalore City- Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express train from 01.10.2013 from both the directions.
The other features like timings, route, stoppages, composition etc. will remain as unchanged.

Monsoon-related problems are a thing of the past for the Konkan Railway with safety measures being netted in place and only a minor waterlogging of tracks – due to heavy rains – coming back to normal last week.

‘Rock slides and landslides of the past have been prevented through safety netting cladding and flattening of slopes alongside the train movement route, besides round-the-clock patrolling by night watchmen at vulnerable sites,’ Baban Ghatge, senior manager, public relations, Konkan Railway, told the Millennium Post.

‘Before and after the monsoons, we carry out a survey of vulnerable mountain slopes adjoining the Konkan Railway track. However, with half of the monsoons already over, we are confident of our train services running smoothly on track,’ he said.

He said ,Konkan Railway has decided to run a special DMU train between Madgaon– Karwar - Madgaon from 1 August (except Sunday) till further notice for convenience of passengers. Train No: 07103 will depart Madgaon at 11.50 hours and arrive at Karwar at 13.35 hours, while train number: 07104 will depart Karwar at 14.50 hours and arrive Madgaon at 16.10 hours.

The story of the 22.7 km Delhi airport metro line, a project which Reliance Infrastructure’s subsidiary Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Ltd (DAMEPL) washed its hands off a month ago with great difficulty, seems to be like that of an unwanted child.Both the parents — the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which built the civil structure and spent over half of the Rs 5,700-crore project cost and DAMEPL, which had brought in the rolling stock and accepted to run it for 30 years — are unwilling to operate the metro rail service as they found the returns on their investments were not up to their expectations.It is a story that needs to be reflected upon and lessons need to be learnt, more so, because the Government is pushing for many more such projects.

ENDS DEAL

DAMEPL, almost a year after issuing multiple warnings that it had issued a termination notice for the project, announced on July 1 that it had exited the airport metro. Reliance Infra also said that DAMEPL had terminated the concession agreement — the contract between DMRC and DAMEPL — in October, 2012.The DMRC, which had pushed for the project in early days, was forced to listen to the Urban Development Ministry and the Delhi Government, both of which own 50 per cent each in DMRC.

On June 28, after a hurriedly-called DMRC Board meeting, Sudhir Krishna, DMRC’s Chairperson and Secretary, Urban Development Ministry, said DMRC would operate the line in ‘public interest’.

DMRC’s concerns were understandable. Its Director (Operations) Sharat Sharma told reporters on the day DMRC took over the project that while DAMEPL had not shared its entire balance-sheet, it was estimated that DAMEPL was running a loss of Rs 4 crore every month.

OVER-ESTIMATED RETURNS

Both DMRC and Reliance Infra overestimated the returns. Krishna, who stepped in when the project became operational, told Business Line, “All parties involved in the project should have done more due diligence at all levels.”

Conceived in the run-up to Commonwealth Games held in 2010, DMRC pushed the project as feasible and estimated that it would attract 42,000 passengers daily. RITES, a Railway’s consultancy arm, which was given the job to evaluate the technical feasibility of the line, had based its passenger numbers on the development of Aerocity around the Delhi airport, which was being developed by GMR on a public-private-partnership (PPP) basis, an official involved in the process said.

Aerocity has not yet materialised due to various reasons. Currently, daily passenger numbers on the line stand at about 13,500, according to a DMRC spokesperson.

While the actual ridership numbers are much lower, it was pointed out that even with a 40,000 daily ridership, such a large project could not be feasible.

“When I joined in November 2006, approval of DMRC’s proposed airport metro line was facing some problems in getting the Cabinet nod, and DMRC’s E. Sreedharan wanted it to be approved fast as the project was supposed to be ready ahead of the Commonwealth Games. I did work towards getting a Cabinet nod,” M. Ramachandran, the former Urban Development Secretary, told Business Line.

(He was DMRC Chairman when the project was approved and construction was started. Ramachandran retired in June 2010, when the project was under implementation.)

WHY PPP?

But, then why undertake a project that was unlikely to be feasible on a PPP basis? Sreedharan was, anyway, against undertaking this project on PPP mode.

“Those were days of Planning Commission promoting PPP in infrastructure, and metro projects were not built under PPP till then. So, this was thought to be the first metro project, where a private investment element could be tested. In those circumstances, it was decided to undertake the project as a part/hybrid PPP project,” said Ramachandran.

Rights to develop land parcels for commercial development were attached to the project as sweeteners and bidders were asked to bid for developing and operating the project over 30 years, based on their assessment of revenues from land development.

“We have to depend on PPP for taking on future projects, it is just that more thinking needs to go in,” said Krishna.

However, Ramachandran said the country is yet to see a successful PPP metro project.

PROJECT STRUCTURE

But, even if the Government chose the PPP model, why split the project implementation right in the middle where the rail-wheel interaction is inter-dependent? Didn’t anyone anticipate that in case revenues for the concessionaire turned out to be lower, it would be easy for him to blame problems in civil structure and walk out of the project?

DMRC alluded to such a possibility last year when it said Reliance Infra had been wanting to exit due to financial reasons and not technical, reports said.

Should not the concessionaire be handed over the entire job to ensure full responsibility for project?

Incidentally, none of the other metro projects are being implemented in this ‘hybrid-PPP’ manner. “As we were racing against time, this model was thought to be the best solution. So, DMRC was to do part of the civil work (to get around clearances and right-of-way issues),” Ramachandran said.

CONSULTATION VS DEADLINE

DMRC may have proved its worth in project implementation, but it should have taken time to decide on the PPP framework.

For instance, Business Line learnt the concession agreement between DMRC and concessionaire came up for Board approval at a time when the bidding process had started.

On whether the contours of the concession agreement were discussed in detail and approved by the Board, which had representation from Urban Development Ministry, Delhi Government and Railway Ministry, Ramachandran said they were “subsequently approved,” but declined to comment on the timing when the agreement came up for discussion in the Board.

Asked why the Board did not insist on being more involved, he said, “DMRC was an all-powerful Board, with almost all power delegated to E. Sreedharan, who had a proven record of performing on time. So, one did not micro-manage the DMRC matters.”

“Moreover, the time taken in getting a full concession agreement approved through Cabinet inter-ministerial discussion was known (two-three years). That would have jeopardised the deadline,” defended Ramachandran.

Should the Government devise a mechanism to rule out aggressive bids? This issue has been talked about in context of failing PPP projects across sectors, but nothing has been done.

IRRATIONAL ESTIMATES

Reliance Infra’s estimations on returns from the project were also way off the mark.

Right at the bidding stage, Reliance offered money to DMRC for operating the project. The second bidder — an L&T-GE consortium — had actually asked for an annual subsidy of Rs 346 crore or an interest-free debt of Rs 1,440 crore for a longer term.

Way back in 2009, ICRA had raised concerns on the risks, on Reliance Infra’s debt and said, “The success of the project crucially hinges on DAMEPL’s ability to execute the real estate development as planned. The real estate-related revenue would account for almost 70 per cent of total revenues in the initial years and more than 50 per cent of total revenues during the entire concession period and, hence, exposes the project to variation in real estate lease rentals in the New Delhi region. The project is also exposed to the market or traffic risks that are typical to transportation projects and to interest rate risk given that the interest on the loans would be reset at regular intervals.”

“Reliance counted on a lot of real estate upside, forgot the fundamental economics. The clarity of roles and responsibility between DMRC and consortium required more thought from day one,” said an official, who was involved in the bidding process.

Incidentally, even as Reliance wriggled out of this project, it is also seeking additional sweeteners in the Mumbai metro project, which it is implementing on PPP basis.

OWNERSHIP PATTERN

Genetically a private owner is bound to operate a project with an eye on profitability and accountability to shareholders, while Government-owned bodies do not have such pressures.

So, while devising a metro system for a city, it is best to have a common ownership structure, particularly in the Indian set-up where any steps taken by a Government official to make life easy for a private partner is bound to come under audit scanners such as CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) and CVC (Central Vigilance Commission), said Ramachandran.

Ramachandran said that in Mumbai, where different metro lines are under implementation with different forms of ownership, each owner has different aims and the challenge is in ensuring a smooth integration in a manner that welfare of all project owners is maximised.

And how do you build it into the concession agreement? Unlike the Government, private firms have to depend on high cost finance.

To work out a middle path for entities with different interests, there should have been a regulator to sort out disputes at the initial stage.

“Who does one go to when there is a problem? There should have been a provision for a regulator in the sector. Frankly, the concessionaire never approached me for any kind of problem during the project implementation . So, even if they were facing problems, I think they were sorting it out with DMRC,” said Ramachandran.

THE LESSONS

It is not clear what DMRC, which had a key role in implementing the project, aims to do in order to make the project feasible.

Now that the divorced parents are unlikely to patch up, most of the experts agree on at least a few points.

“First difficulty has been averted by keeping the project up and running, so that public is not inconvenienced. An escrow mechanism with the lenders has been worked out. As per the agreement, bankers have to also take a call on whether they want to bring in another developer,” said Krishna.

While admitting that keeping the service running is a good step, Ramachandran said that DMRC should run it. But, in future DMRC will also have to coordinate properly with Delhi International Airport Ltd and airlines, to ensure the line functions as a connecting line to airport, with check-in facilities, said Ramachandran.

Simultaneously, there is a need to connect the airport line with the Delhi Metro network at different points to increase traffic on this line.

Second, the airport metro line could be extended to places like Gurgaon, from where a lot of traffic originates. DMRC could tie up with Haryana Government for grant on this.

“With just 5-6 km extension, the airport end can meet Delhi Metro’s Gurgaon network. This would require expense of Rs 1,000-1200 crore,” said a senior official in a project management consultancy.

Meanwhile, at a financial level, whether the project’s grandparents — Delhi Government and Urban Development Ministry — will put in additional funds of about Rs 1,700 crore, as demanded by the single-parent DMRC, to keep the project running, remains to be seen.

NEW DELHI: Passengers in a survey have said Delhi Metro was the most comfortable mode of commuting in the city.The survey covered more than 85,000 respondents during the 'Customer Satisfaction Week' from July 15 to 21 and again on July 26, at the top 22 Metro stations having the highest ridership/footfalls.The commuters who took the survey have rated DMRC highest in comfort with 7.42 out of 10 and customer care at 7.38, followed by information dissemination at 7.30.Surveys were done on eight crucial aspects of Metro operations and each aspect was made the theme of the survey for one day of the week each.The topics which were covered were availability, accessibility, information, quality of service, customer care, comfort, security & safety and Commuter related aspect outside the metro station.Many subheads were created for each of these aspects and the commuters were asked to rate the services on the scale - excellent, very good, good, satisfactory and need improvement.Some of major subheads were- modes of access to DMRC system, first and last train timings, frequency of trains, facilities for the disabled and elderly, buying tokens and smart cards, adequacy of lifts and escalators, availability of parking, among others."The findings of the survey reveal that the commuters are largely satisfied with the quality of service offered to them and have rated Delhi Metro as VERY GOOD."However, DMRC will not rest on such laurels and will continue to serve its public with utmost dedication and commitment and bringing out necessary changes/improvements whenever required," a DMRC spokesperson said.However, areas where the public felt that further improvement could be done pertains to quality of smart cards and tokens, condition of roads, drains and pavements, encroachment and tackling beggar nuisance outside metro stations.Among the respondents, 75.8 per cent were males while the rest were females.Office going professionals (service sector) and students formed a bulk of the ridership as they comprised 62. 5 and 30. 4 percent of the total respondents respectively.Commuters belonging to the age group between 19 and 30 years formed the majority among the respondents at 68.6 per cent, while those belonging to the age group between 31 and 50 years were the second biggest group with 21.8 per cent.Presently the ridership of the Delhi Metro has reached above 23 lakhs.Among the metro stations where the survey was conducted include Rajiv Chowk, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, Karol Bagh, Laxmi Nagar, Uttam Nagar East, Saket, Vaishali, HUDA City Centre, Shahadra, MG Road, G T B Nagar, Hauz Khas, Dilshad Garden, Noida City Centre, Central Secretariat.

Passengers arriving at the Ernakulam Junction Railway Station are literally having to contend with a rather unneccessary barrier nowadays, courtesy the Railways. The barricade set up by the Railway authorities in front of the station is proving to be nuisance for hundreds of passengers who use the station premises everyday.

According to Sumesh G, a commuter who arrived at the station to board the Netravati Express, the barrier, apparently set up to avoid crowding at the station premises, is not passenger-friendly, as commuters are forced to trudge for nearly five to ten metres to reach the station entrance because of the ill-placed barricades, all along tugging heavy luggage through it. In the past, passengers could easily get down at the entrance of the station as vehicles were allowed through the route. Most passengers believe that the Railways had no right to block a public entrance. Also, the barricade was making it difficult for vehicles to maneuver their way out of the station.

However, offering their version on the issue, Railway officials said that the decision to set up the barricade was taken due to the heavy rush of vehicles in front of the Railway station. “Whenever the Venad Express, the Chennai Mail or other passenger trains arrive at the station, there is a heavy flow of vehicles in front of the station premises, which makes it rather difficult for the smooth exit and entry of passengers. We erected the barricade after orders were issued in this regard by the Divisional Railway Manager’s office,” said Ernakulam Area Manager P L Ashok Kumar.

He added that at every major station except at Thiruvananthapuram Central, entry of vehicles at the entrance of the stations is prohibited. “A few days earlier, a vehicle nearly blocked the entire entrance at the station because of the way it was parked. Also, in the morning, buses enter the station creating a block at the entrance. Also, even though we have set up the barricade, if there are aged or unwell persons, we open an alternate route for their entry,” Ashok Kumar added.

Based on the complaints brought to the notice of the authorities, DRM Rajesh Agarwal has said that he would study the matter and remove the barricade if it was causing difficulty for the passengers at the station.

New Delhi: A Delhi Metro train left the Central Secretariat station Tuesday afternoon with a bag of a commuter who could not get in stuck between the doors.As the doors of the Delhi University bound eight-coach train closed at the station, a young man who had tried to board it tried desperately to pull out his bag.Others on the platform tried to help him, while those inside the coach tried to push out the bag.But the train took off even as the startled commuter began running with it on the platform.One passenger contacted the driver through the emergency speaker system but the train didn't halt -- and the bag remained stuck between the doors till the next station at Patel Chowk.

ROHTAK: The bi-weekly Shatabdi train between Ludhiana and Delhi will run seven days a week, Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said here today.The express train will also have a stoppage at Jind in Haryana, the Union minister told reporters here.Kharge was here to lay foundation for Rs 181 crore Rohtak Railway bypass line.The bypass would replace the old Rohtak-Gohana rail track starting from the railway station upto Makrauli Kalan village in the district.The bypass would ease the traffic jams in the city. The Minister said that with the shifting of this line, a third Rohtak-Samargopalpur line will be available which will facilitate straight route to Panipat."This will help the development of Rohtak city, because the earlier Rohtak-Makrauli line will be eliminated," Kharge said.He appreciated the progress made by Haryana and said the state is producing sufficient foodgrains and "adequate railway network is required for its transporting."He also thanked UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for entrusting him with the responsibility of Railway ministry and said that efforts are being made to improve the facilities for commuters.Road minister Oscar Fernandes, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Rajya Sabha MP Shadilal Batra, Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda and Railway Board Chairman Arunendra Kumar were present at the occasion.

Hooda said, "in 1957, Rohtak-Panipat railway line was provided with the efforts of his father late Ranbir Singh and at that time Hanumantaya was the Railway Minister".

"34 years back, Rohtak-Bhiwani railway line was constructed when Bansi Lal was the Chief Minister and after that no other rail project was considered for Haryana," the Chief Minister said.

"Rohtak-Jhajjar-Rewari railway line was sanctioned in 1997, when I was MP. This railway line is operational now. The work of Sonipat-Gohana-Jind railway line is in progress," he said.

New Delhi: In a setback to Udhampur-Katra rail link project, the work on the 25-km-long stretch has been slowed down after the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir over the BSF firing incident at Ramban.

The Katra line was expected to be operational by the end of August as work was going on full throttle. But now it is further delayed and likely to be commissioned in October this year.

"The workforce involved in laying the tracks between Udhampur and Katra, part of the Kashmir rail link project, had fled after the turmoil in the state due to the firing incident and it has affected the progress of the ongoing work," a senior Northern Railway official involved in the project said.



He said majority of the skilled workforce were from outside of the state including Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar.

Though the work has been resumed in the section, the pace is slow as all the workers have not yet returned, the official said.

The ballast-less track is being laid on the Udhampur-Katra section which involves about 11 km of tunnelling, nine major bridges, 29 minor bridges and 10 rail overbids/rail under-bridges.

Trial run will be conducted on the route after the completion of laying the track and the Commissioner Railway Safety will inspect the line before giving the clearance.

We are trying to make the line operational before the commencement of Navaratri, official said.

All the tunnelling as well as bridge works have been completed.

दिल्ली-रेवाड़ी सेक्शन के बिजवासन रेलवे यार्ड में ओवरब्रिज कार्य हो रहा है, जिससे 31 जुलाई से दो अगस्त तक रेल परिचालन बाधित रहेगा। इस दौरान मध्यरात्रि 12.40 बजे से तड़के 3.40 बजे तक इस सेक्शन पर रेल यातायात बंद रहेगा। 31 जुलाई को हरिद्वार-अजमेर एक्सप्रेस (19610) ट्रेन को दिल्ली रेलवे स्टेशन पर 85 मिनट रोककर चलाया जाएगा। जबकि दो अगस्त को अजमेर-हरिद्वार एक्सप्रेस (19609) ट्रेन को गुड़गांव रेलवे स्टेशन पर 75 मिनट तक रोका जाएगा।
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कई ट्रेनों में अतिरिक्त कोच
जासं, नई दिल्ली : यात्रियों की सुविधा के लिए कई ट्रेनों में अक्टूबर माह तक अतिरिक्त कोच लगाए गए हैं। दुर्ग-निजामुद्दीन छत्तीसगढ़ संपर्क क्रांति एक्सप्रेस (12823/12824) में एक नवंबर तक तथा दुर्ग-जम्मूतवी सुपरफास्ट (12549/12550) में 31 अक्टूबर तक एसी-2 के एक-एक अतिरिक्त कोच लगाए गए हैं। वहीं बिलासपुर-अमृतसर छत्तीसगढ़ एक्सप्रेस (18237/18238) में दो नवंबर तक एक एसी-3 अतिरिक्त कोच लगेगा।
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ट्रेन का नंबर बदलेगा
जासं, नई दिल्ली : हजरत निजामुद्दीन-बेंगलूर सिटी राजधानी एक्सप्रेस का नंबर एक अक्टूबर से बदल जाएगा। अभी इसका नंबर 12430/12429 है, जिसे बदलकर 22692/22691 किया जा रहा है।