Boost for Mumbai-Ahmedabad train corridor

In  what could be a big leap for the city, the pre-feasibility study of a high-speed train corridor connecting Mumbai-Ahmedabad has been completed by a private firm and submitted to the railway board for further inspection. Hindustan Times had reported on October 20 about the railways reviving interest in this project.

The railways had a two-day international conference, in the city, on high-speed corridors on October 20-21.

It was a joint conference with countries like Spain, France, Japan and Korea as part of the International Union of Railways (UIC) where high-speed trains exists.

“The pre-feasibility study on high-speed corridors has been completed and has been submitted to the railway board," said S Chandrayan, chief PRO, Western Railway. The railways are looking at ways that will help them implement high-speed train corridors, which will enable trains to run at more than 250 kmph.

"The high-speed corridors should be tailor-made for each Indian city," said chairman of railway board, Vivek Sahai at the conference. The railways are planning to bifurcate these corridors into three phases of 500 km, 500-1,500 km and above 1,500 km.

There are 13,000 km of high-speed corridors across the world, while an additional 17,000-km will be added in the next two years.

source: Hindustan Times

India Plans 960 Billion Rupees of Urban Rail Investment in Next 7 Years

India, the world’s second-most populous nation, estimates 960 billion rupees ($22 billion) will be spent on urban railways by March 2017, as expanding cities stoke demand for public transportation.

To raise part of that, the Indian government will form a fund that invests in city rail systems, Navin Kumar, a secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development, said at a New Delhi conference today. He didn’t provide further details.

Mumbai and the southern cities of Bangalore and Chennai have begun building rail networks to ease congestion and support rising populations. India’s economic growth may help boost the nation’s urban populations to 590 million in the next two decades from 340 million in 2008, McKinsey & Co. said in a report in April.

India is “a big opportunity” for trainmakers, said Rajeev Jyoti, who heads Bombardier Inc.’s transportation business in India. “The demand for mass-transit systems is significantly higher” than previously.

Montreal-based Bombardier opened a factory in India in 2008 after winning a contract to supply New Delhi’s subway operator. The factory builds 32 subway cars a month, Pierre D. St-Onge, the plant’s general manager, said last week.

New Delhi has a 180-kilometer-long urban rail network in operation. Part of the system runs underground.

India will need 35 rail-based transit systems in cities over the next two decades, according to McKinsey.

source: bloomberg

Sri Lanka: Indian FM to kick off the laying of Northern Rail Line in November

The reconstruction of Northern railway line between former LTTE-held Omanthai and Palai and North Western railway line between Medawachchiya and Thalaimannar is scheduled to be launched during the three-day official visit of the Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna in November.

At present, trains operate only up to Thandikulam, three kilometers north of Vavuniya. Before being liberated from the clutches of the LTTE, Omanthai and Palai respectively were the Southern and Northern entry-exit points of the rebel-controlled territory of Vanni. Tiger terrorists removed the railway lines for construction of bunkers while nearly all railway stations had been totally destroyed due to heavy shelling coupled with a quarter century of neglect.

Highlight of Minister Krishna’s visit will be the kicking-off of the laying of the new rail line, which is funded by Indian Government and constructed by Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON).

Although the launching ceremony was earlier scheduled for October 29, 2010 at Medawachchiya, it was postponed due to the unavailability of Minister Krishna to attend the event.

The project is implemented under Uthuru-Mithuru (Southern Friendship) initiative which is under the Waddakkin Wasantham (Northern Spring/ Uthuru Wasanthaya) programme which is closely supervised by Economic Development Minister, Basil Rajapaksa.

The laying of the new North Western track will be executed under two phases. Under Phase One, the 43 km Medawachchiya to Madhu segment is to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 9.1bn (US $ 81 mn) while the Phase Two, under which the Madhu to Thalai-mannar sector will be built, is estimated to cost nearly Rs. 11.8bn (US $ 149.74 mn).

Through Indian Credit Lines, India has committed nearly Rs. 89.6 bn (US $800 mn) to under highly concessionary terms, directed at reconstruction and resettlement in the North.

Last August, IRCON International General Manager, S.L. Gupta, signed the contract for Government of India while Sri Lanka Railways Chairman, P.P. Wijesekara signed on behalf of the Sri Lanka under the auspices of Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ashok Kantha and Sri Lankan Minister of Transport Kumara Welgama.

High Commissioner Ashok Kantha earlier said the laying of the North-Western rail track would re-strengthen the long-standing friendship between the two countries. Despite many obstacles, India is hopeful that the two nations would be able to connect the island to the subcontinent through a rail link, which existed before the full-blown civil war broke out in 1983.

Mega developments in Railway Sector

Meanwhile, top lender to Sri Lanka- China is financing the laying of the 56-km stretch beyond Pallai up to the northern port township of Kankasanthurai.

India is financing the upgrading of the 160 km long Coastal Rail Line from Colombo to Matara under three phases at a cost of Rs. 18.7bn (US $ 167 mn). Rehabilitation of the Colombo-Kalutara segment has already commenced and the 42 km long Galle- Matara segment is to be concluded by end 2010.

Meanwhile in the Southern Sri Lanka, state-run China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMEC) will construct the 110-km long Matara-Kataragama rail track with Chinese financial assistance.

Under Phase One, a 30-km sector from Matara to Beliatta under Phase Two the rail track will be extended to the emerging port city of Hambantota. In the third and final phase, the rail link will be further extended up to sacred city of Kataragama.

On Tuesday, (October 19) President Rajapaksa visited the Omanthai Railway Station to inspect the re-construction of the Northern railway line after chairing the Northern Province progress review meeting held in Vavuniya.

The Asian Tribune learns that the visiting Indian Foreign Minister is to hold discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris.

Sri Lanka also agreed with India setting up two new consulates- one in Jaffna (Northern Province) and the other in the emerging port hub of Hambanthota, as a means of reinforcing its presence in the island.

source: Asian Tribune

India - Door falls off Rajdhani Express on its way to Mumbai

In a major embarrassment for the railways, the door of one of the coaches of the prestigious New Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani Express fell off the moving train on Tuesday.

Sources said the AC-3 coach of the speeding 2952-New Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani Express fell off between Sawai Madhopur and Kota on Tuesday. The incident reportedly occurred near electric wire mast number 960, close to Kapren station. The crew of another train picked up the door and brought it to Kota station later.

Western Railway chief spokesperson Sharat Chandrayan confirmed the incident. “This is the first time such an incident has occurred and preliminary findings have revealed that some passengers had damaged the door while trying to push it open,” he said.

Railway officials said it was not a safety lapse. However, passenger associations blasted the railways for the lapse and said it is unacceptable for the door of a fully air-conditioned train to fall off like this. “Even if passengers had tried to force the door open, it should not have come off. The WR should inspect the coaches before the train starts and ensure proper maintenance,” said Shailesh Goel of the National Rail Users Consultative Council.

“We are inquiring into the matter,” said a railway official. Other such incidents involving the New Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani Express include decoupling of the train and the locomotive at high speed earlier this year.

source: www.dnaindia.com