This project really excites me. Am gonna keep a track of how the railway engineers tackle the numerous problems in their way.Devraj Dasgupta | TNN
The idea floated in Lalu Prasad’s railway budget — about exploring the option of running air-conditioned trains on elevated Mumbai Central-Virar tracks — may sound too daunting an engineering challenge but experts say it can actually be made to work in Mumbai. What these experts — from both private and public sectors — are more worried about is the project’s financial viability.
The railway budget admitted that expansion of the existing suburban network would not be sufficient to handle Mumbai’s growing commuter traffic; so it proposed a pre-feasibility study for a 55-km elevated corridor for air-conditioned trains between Mumbai Central and Virar. RITES, a railway consultancy agency, will prepare the report.
RITES executive director D Swaroop refused to go into details of the study: “It is too early to say anything.’’ But a senior Delhi Rail Bhavan official said an elevated corridor above the existing tracks was actually a good idea as there would be no problems of removing encroachment and acquiring land. “But then such a project will have to pass over existing bridges, flyovers and railway signals and electrification equipment,’’ he said. So it will have to come up at a height of at least 18-20 metres above the existing tracks.
The budget proposes a public-private-partnership model and private players, therefore, will have to be given major concessions, say officials. “A typical PPP contract gives a private player the right to recover investment over a 30-year period. Indian Railways will have to either allow the private operator to charge high ticket rates or subsidise it with government funds,’’ the senior ministry official said. Air-conditioned services would have fewer patrons and higher running costs, forcing any operator to charge high ticket rates, he added.
But it is the cost of the project itself that has officials more worried. Every kilometre of the elevated corridor in Delhi Metro cost Rs 110 crore three years back, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson Anuj Dayal said. “This includes the cost of civil engineering, signal and telecommunication, electrification and even the trains,’’ he added. The first leg of Mumbai Metro, spanning the Andheri-Versova-Ghatkopar stretch, is going to cost almost Rs 196 crore per km of elevated track just seven metres above surface.
So a replication of the Mumbai model will make the 55-km project cost Rs 11,000 crore right now. The cost will obviously go up with time.
Engineering major Siemens director V Parulekar said advanced technology was there to run trains on high corridors. “Trains are running on elevated corridors in several cities of the world. The only difference in this case is the additional height as the corridor will have to come above the existing infrastructure and this will add to the cost,’’ he said. FROM THE BUDGET
The suburban services are the lifeline of Mumbai.... Even after the completion of (both phases of the) Mumbai Urban Transport Project, suburban services will not be able to meet the demand of the ever-increasing population. There is also a perceived need to introduce airconditioned services in Mumbai. Therefore, we have taken a decision to conduct a pre-feasibility study for the introduction of an elevated fully airconditioned metro service between Mumbai Central and Virar stations on Western Railway.
WHAT’S A PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY?
A pre-feasibility study is a preliminary study undertaken to find out whether it is possible to implement a project or not. This need not go into minute technical or financial details and is followed by the main feasibility study.
THE COST
A-C TRAINS ON ELEVATED TRACKS
Rs 196 crore is needed to construct every kilometre of elevated tracks and then run airconditioned trains on them (Mumbai Metro estimates); this estimate takes into account expenses for everything (from tracks to trains).
SURFACE TRACKS
Around Rs 3.5 crore is needed to construct every kilometre of tracks on the surface; but this estimate does not include the cost of procuring and running rakes. THE PLANS The railway ministry is exploring the possibility of running air-conditioned trains on an elevated track.
THE ROUTE
Mumbai Central to Virar
THE DISTANCE
55 km
OPTION I
Western Railway can construct new tracks which will not necessarily run above existing tracks on the surface
ADVANTAGE
Planners and engineers will not need to take into consideration any of the existing infrastructure that is already there; in other words, when they lay the new tracks, they will not have to bother about existing foot-overbridges, flyovers or wiring coming in the way.
DISADVANTAGE
But stretches where there is no existing railway infrastructure will, in all probability, have other commercial or residential structures. Owners or occupants of these structures almost always go to court whenever there is a move to displace them and litigations have been known to delay projects for decades. Rehabilitation is also a contentious issue.
VERDICT: NOT FEASIBLE
OPTION II
Engineers can build new tracks above the existing railway lines
ADVANTAGE
Very little non-railway land will be needed if the new tracks are built above the existing tracks. So, in one move, railways can do away with the problem of litigations and rehabilitating project-affected persons.
DISADVANTAGE
Planners and engineers will have to keep in mind the existing infrastructure — wiring, foot-overbridges and east-west flyovers — and build above them. Going more than one tier above the existing tracks will automatically raise costs.
VERDICT: COSTLY BUT PRACTICAL
DREAM MACHINE
The Idea Of Running A-C Trains On Elevated Tracks Is Not As Implausible As It Seems; But Finances May Be A Problem
Devraj Dasgupta | TNN
The idea floated in Lalu Prasad’s railway budget — about exploring the option of running air-conditioned trains on elevated Mumbai Central-Virar tracks — may sound too daunting an engineering challenge but experts say it can actually be made to work in Mumbai. What these experts — from both private and public sectors — are more worried about is the project’s financial viability.
The railway budget admitted that expansion of the existing suburban network would not be sufficient to handle Mumbai’s growing commuter traffic; so it proposed a pre-feasibility study for a 55-km elevated corridor for air-conditioned trains between Mumbai Central and Virar. RITES, a railway consultancy agency, will prepare the report.
RITES executive director D Swaroop refused to go into details of the study: “It is too early to say anything.’’ But a senior Delhi Rail Bhavan official said an elevated corridor above the existing tracks was actually a good idea as there would be no problems of removing encroachment and acquiring land. “But then such a project will have to pass over existing bridges, flyovers and railway signals and electrification equipment,’’ he said. So it will have to come up at a height of at least 18-20 metres above the existing tracks.
The budget proposes a public-private-partnership model and private players, therefore, will have to be given major concessions, say officials. “A typical PPP contract gives a private player the right to recover investment over a 30-year period. Indian Railways will have to either allow the private operator to charge high ticket rates or subsidise it with government funds,’’ the senior ministry official said. Air-conditioned services would have fewer patrons and higher running costs, forcing any operator to charge high ticket rates, he added.
But it is the cost of the project itself that has officials more worried. Every kilometre of the elevated corridor in Delhi Metro cost Rs 110 crore three years back, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson Anuj Dayal said. “This includes the cost of civil engineering, signal and telecommunication, electrification and even the trains,’’ he added. The first leg of Mumbai Metro, spanning the Andheri-Versova-Ghatkopar stretch, is going to cost almost Rs 196 crore per km of elevated track just seven metres above surface.
So a replication of the Mumbai model will make the 55-km project cost Rs 11,000 crore right now. The cost will obviously go up with time.
Engineering major Siemens director V Parulekar said advanced technology was there to run trains on high corridors. “Trains are running on elevated corridors in several cities of the world. The only difference in this case is the additional height as the corridor will have to come above the existing infrastructure and this will add to the cost,’’ he said. FROM THE BUDGET
The suburban services are the lifeline of Mumbai.... Even after the completion of (both phases of the) Mumbai Urban Transport Project, suburban services will not be able to meet the demand of the ever-increasing population. There is also a perceived need to introduce airconditioned services in Mumbai. Therefore, we have taken a decision to conduct a pre-feasibility study for the introduction of an elevated fully airconditioned metro service between Mumbai Central and Virar stations on Western Railway.
WHAT’S A PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY?
A pre-feasibility study is a preliminary study undertaken to find out whether it is possible to implement a project or not. This need not go into minute technical or financial details and is followed by the main feasibility study.
THE COST
A-C TRAINS ON ELEVATED TRACKS
Rs 196 crore is needed to construct every kilometre of elevated tracks and then run airconditioned trains on them (Mumbai Metro estimates); this estimate takes into account expenses for everything (from tracks to trains).
SURFACE TRACKS
Around Rs 3.5 crore is needed to construct every kilometre of tracks on the surface; but this estimate does not include the cost of procuring and running rakes. THE PLANS The railway ministry is exploring the possibility of running air-conditioned trains on an elevated track.
THE ROUTE
Mumbai Central to Virar
THE DISTANCE
55 km
OPTION I
Western Railway can construct new tracks which will not necessarily run above existing tracks on the surface
ADVANTAGE
Planners and engineers will not need to take into consideration any of the existing infrastructure that is already there; in other words, when they lay the new tracks, they will not have to bother about existing foot-overbridges, flyovers or wiring coming in the way.
DISADVANTAGE
But stretches where there is no existing railway infrastructure will, in all probability, have other commercial or residential structures. Owners or occupants of these structures almost always go to court whenever there is a move to displace them and litigations have been known to delay projects for decades. Rehabilitation is also a contentious issue.
VERDICT: NOT FEASIBLE
OPTION II
Engineers can build new tracks above the existing railway lines
ADVANTAGE
Very little non-railway land will be needed if the new tracks are built above the existing tracks. So, in one move, railways can do away with the problem of litigations and rehabilitating project-affected persons.
DISADVANTAGE
Planners and engineers will have to keep in mind the existing infrastructure — wiring, foot-overbridges and east-west flyovers — and build above them. Going more than one tier above the existing tracks will automatically raise costs.
VERDICT: COSTLY BUT PRACTICAL
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