Metro Rail News Online

Recently, Metro Rail News has conducted an interview with IAS Pankaj Kumar Bansal , Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Limited. In 2013,  Mr. Pankaj Kumar Bansal took over the charge of Chennai Metro as Managing Director, he wondered why platforms of 240 meters needed to be constructed when the train required only 140 to 145 meters to park at the station. He is the 1997 batch IAS officer, ensured that in two years, his team came up with a ‘Yes, We Can’ answer to his 145 meter challenge, arguably “for the first time in the world.” Two key lines were flagged off recently, with passengers now able to travel from Chennai Central to the Airport, with a frequency of a train every 5 minutes, likely to go up to one every two and a half minutes, at just seventy rupees. Here are excerpts from the interview. How long will the project take to complete and what sort of arrangements have been made to ensure commuters do not face any hurdle during the constr...

Chennai: Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has joined hands with IT firm Infosys, an effort to cut down the number of cars on roads and encourage use of public transport. According to the deal, employees of Infosys will now have office buses taking them from the Alandur metro station to their facility at Mahindra World City. Plans are on the anvil to offer this facility to Infosys employees who work out of the Sholinganallur office. The idea behind this initiative was to promote the use of public transportation. In the coming weeks, Infosys employees in Sholinganallur can also avail this facility. They can take the train and reach a certain point, and from there the office buses will pick them to work, said CMRL official. Further sources also said that on Friday, a handful of employees from various points in Chennai took the Metro till the Alandur station and boarded the office bus that was waiting for them. “This pattern will continue henceforth. ‘Good plan’ An Info...

Chennai: Recently the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has appointed two new consultants. Which are Consulting Engineers Group CEG-AECOM consortium and Systra , a France-headquartered company to carry out the detailed design work for Phase II. The companies have been entrusted with preparing the detailed design for the two major corridors in Phase II — Madhavaram to CMBT and Madhavaram to Shollinganallur via Purasawalkam and Mylapore — that will be constructed first, according to official. The official sources releases that in July, the CEG-AECOM consortium was awarded the underground section of Madhavaram Milk Colony-Thousand Lights-Taramani Road and elevated section of Nehru Nagar to Sholinganallur section. The AECOM was a consultant which has also  work on the preliminary design of Hyderabad Metro. Further official data says that Systra, which prepared the design for the Metro Phase, expansion from Washermenpet to Tirvottiyur, has been chosen for the CMBT route. ...

Chennai: There were several road caves in Phase 1, of Chennai Metro Rail. Now, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) in order to be safe from loopholes in upcoming phase II. Planned for soil testing for a few months in Madhavaram before carrying out tunneling work. Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has also decided to make some changes in the alignment according to soil conditions as per officials’ decision. Even though these changes will be minor ones. [caption id="attachment_13356" align="alignnone" width="504"] Chennai Metro Phase II Network Map (PC: CMRL)[/caption] Official said that these changes will be only minor ones. We have planned to do it as we had issues of roads caving-in some areas in phase I because of loose soil and want to avoid them in this phase. About Phase II Projec t The Phase II will criss-cross the city which will consists nearly 108km with 116 stations of this, about 81km out of which 88 stations will be underground while the eleva...

Chennai: The German Financing Corporation (KfW) in association with Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) shortlisted five firms for preparation of feasibility study and Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Mass Rapid Transit Systems (MRTS) under Coimbatore Metro Rail Project. [caption id="attachment_15111" align="alignnone" width="660"] Proposed route map for Coimbatore Metro or Mono Rail Project[/caption] The Chennai Metro Rail Corporation (CMRL) shared the information regarding pre-selection  of five international consortium/consultants namely M/s. Brenner BERNARD, BERNARD Ingenieure and TUV SUD, M/s. CPCS, IMaCS and LRTC, M/s. PADECO, Ardanuy and ICT, M/s. RINA Consulting and Urban Mass Transit Company Ltd. (UMTC), and M/s. SYSTRA and RITES for submitting proposal for the study “Preparation of Feasibility and Detailed Project Report for Mass Rapid Transit System in Coimbatore”. [caption id="attachment_15112" align="alignleft" width=...

Chennai:  Chennai metro rail limited (CMRL) has made a list of more than 800 property owners to whom the notice will be issued for the acquisition of the requirement of land to build 48 stations which are planned in the 107.55 km of phase 2  project. Notice has been issued to around 410 owners who have properties along the alignment planned for 19 stations. They have included the places like Gemini, Sterling Road, Sembium, Otlen Perumbur, Purasaiwalkam, Madhavaram, Chetpet, Nungambakkam because people live nearby to these places. The land in these areas will be used for building the stations and the maintenance yard at Madhavaram. The officials say that CMRL would issue 400 more notices to property owners in the coming days. CMRL would issue 400 more notices to property owners in the coming days. The officials say that CMRL would issue 400 more notices to property owners in the coming days. CMRL would issue 400 more notices to property owners in the comi...

Chennai:   Phase-2 work of Chennai Metro gains momentum with land acquisition process initiated. As per Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) officials, the metro body will be scouting 86 acres of land. The second phase is around 55 km stretch which includes Corridor 3 and 5 respectively. CMRL has already started acquisition for the phase -2 which will have 48 stations. The estimated cost of is around 85,000 crore wherein in out 107.55km, work will begin for 55 km. As part of the process notices have been sent to the residents and property owners whose property falls under the identified stretch. The project is currently waiting for centre’s nod. To ensure the acquisition does not face any hurdle or controversy unlike what is happening in Maha metro, CMRL will acquire land under Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act 1997. The acquisition will not take place as per The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettl...

Chennai: To make travelling via metro easier and hassle-free, Chennai Metro Rail will run share autos along its metro network stations for commuters. This is part of the plan to offer last mile connectivity to those travelling via metro. Chennai Metro officials are going to invite tenders for the project soon. As per the plan, commuter will get a chance to the closest destination at a fee and take an auto to reach the destination. As per officials at Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), tenders for the project will be invited soon. The CMRL officials shared that the lowest bidder will get the contract and get a chance to ply share autos along with elevated and underground stretches. Most probably Tata Magic vans would be operated throughout their metro rail network. Currently small buses were run at few Chennai Metro stations. Commuters were not very happy as the buses were less and the frequency was low. Most commuters felt that the bus facility should be provided at other stretches to...

Coimbatore: The Institute of Urban Transport (India) has recently organised a study tour which was facilitated by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to conduct study on feasibility of Light Metro Rail Systems in Tire II & Tire III cities in India. Pankaj Kumar Bansal, Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) has been nominated for the study tour for Coimbatore Metro Rail Project . In July last year Chief Minister of Tamilnadu Government Edappadi K. Palaniswami had announced that implementation of Metro Rail System in Coimbatore is in active consideration of the Government. Thereafter, CMRL has invited Expression of Interest (EOI) / Project Qualification (PQ) from the reputed consultancy firms. The proposed study is being funded by the German Development Bank, KfW. Reply received from Chennai Metro Rail Ltd against a Petition filed by T. Sudandhira It has been reiterated from a reply received from Chennai Metro Rail Corporation (CMRL) against a pe...

Coimbatore: The Institute of Urban Transport (India) has recently organised a study tour which was  facilitated by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to conduct study on feasibility of Light Metro Rail Systems in Tire II & Tire III cities in India. Pankaj Kumar Bansal, Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) has been nominated for the study tour for Coimbatore Metro Rail Project . In July last year Chief Minister of Tamilnadu Government Edappadi K. Palaniswami had announced that implementation of Metro Rail System in Coimbatore is in active consideration of the Government. Thereafter, CMRL has invited Expression of Interest (EOI) / Project Qualification (PQ) from the reputed consultancy firms. The proposed study is being funded by the German Development Bank, KfW. Reply received from Chennai Metro Rail Ltd against a Petition filed by T. Sudandhira It has been reiterated from a reply received from Chennai Metro Rail Corporation (CMRL) agains...

Chennai: The ambitious and first underground metro station stretch in Chennai Metro is most likely to be other stations on Anna Salai. It was last year the project was kick started for the Thirumangalam and Nehru Park via Poonamallee High Road stretch, now the CMRL officials post inspection would soon open other stations on route together with a part of Central Metro as well as stations on Anna Salai. CMRS completed safety inspection of Chennai Metro It was on Monday that the first leg of inspections of these lines was started by the commissioner of metro rail safety. If the inspection reports are satisfactory, the routes will get a go-ahead by the CMRL officials. CMRL further informed that they will unlock metro rail stretches from Nehru Park to Central Metro and Little Mount to AG-DMS before the end of this month. CMRS completed safety inspection of Chennai Metro Underground Section The inspection was started by the commission of railway safety (CRS), under the ministry of civil avi...

Chennai: In a bid to offer hassle free travel to commuters of metro rail, the authorities are mulling to offer direct train connectivity from Central Metro to airport. In order to initiate the project, Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) will first conduct inspection of the Shenoy Nagar line to the Central stretch this week. In second phase Little Mount to AG DMS stretch will be inspected by the end of the week. A detailed project report will be prepared post inspection to decide on the feasibility of the plan. The report will be handed over to Metro Rail authorities who will then take a call on the project. The final announcement will be made after the reports are scrutinized and necessary changes are carried to be incorporated before the project is officially launched for the public. Chennai Metro has been used by over 34,000 commuters on a daily basis and the number of commuters is likely to touch one lakh once the Chennai Central project is made operational. As per the ini...

Chennai: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) started metro trial run in the underground line between Saidapet and AG-DMS stations on this Monday. During trial run, trains are operated back and forth to test the working of various systems of the train and the route. After opening of commercial run on this stretch, commuters can take a direct ride from AG-DMS station to the Chennai airport. @AlstomIndia Starts trail run of its first train in Chennai Metro Rail Line-1’s down-line tunnel between Saidapet and AG-DMS #ChennaiMetro @cmrlofficial #alstom pic.twitter.com/fCngAwY109 — Metro Rail News (@MetroRailNewsIN) March 13, 2018 This 4-km stretch from Saidapet station (located near Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services, Teynampet) to AG-DMS station (located near Panagal Maaligai) covers four stations — Saidapet, Nandanam, Teynampet and AG-DMS. According to a CMRL official, “Around 1 p.m., the train that departed from Little Mount station (which is a...

Chennai: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) started metro trial run in the underground line between Saidapet and AG-DMS stations on this Monday. During trial run, trains are operated back and forth to test the working of various systems of the train and the route. After opening of commercial run on this stretch, commuters can take a direct ride from AG-DMS station to the Chennai airport. @AlstomIndia Starts trail run of its first train in Chennai Metro Rail Line-1’s down-line tunnel between Saidapet and AG-DMS #ChennaiMetro @cmrlofficial #alstom pic.twitter.com/fCngAwY109 — Metro Rail News (@MetroRailNewsIN) March 13, 2018 This 4-km stretch from Saidapet station (located near Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services, Teynampet) to AG-DMS station (located near Panagal Maaligai) covers four stations — Saidapet, Nandanam, Teynampet and AG-DMS. According to a CMRL official, “Around 1 p.m., the train that departed from Little Mount station (which is a...

Chennai: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) started metro trial run in the underground line between Saidapet and AG-DMS stations on this Monday. During trial run, trains are operated back and forth to test the working of various systems of the train and the route. After opening of commercial run on this stretch, commuters can take a direct ride from AG-DMS station to the Chennai airport. @AlstomIndia Starts trail run of its first train in Chennai Metro Rail Line-1’s down-line tunnel between Saidapet and AG-DMS #ChennaiMetro @cmrlofficial #alstom pic.twitter.com/fCngAwY109 — Metro Rail News (@MetroRailNewsIN) March 13, 2018 This 4-km stretch from Saidapet station (located near Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services, Teynampet) to AG-DMS station (located near Panagal Maaligai) covers four stations — Saidapet, Nandanam, Teynampet and AG-DMS. According to a CMRL official, “Around 1 p.m., the train that departed from Little Mount station (which is a...

Chennai: Chennai Metro Rail Limited has officially released a route map for its ambitious phase 2 metro project that will connect far-flung areas of the city through three corridors. In February, Metro Rail floated nine tenders for detailed design consultants and for soil tests. In one of the tenders, it has released a map of phase 2 with 104 stations, covering 107km. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 85,047 crore. Chennai Metro Phase II Network Map (PC: CMRL) However, after a review of the alignment, CMRL officials said they had increased the number of stations to 116 covering a total 107.55km along three corridors. The tenders CMRL has floated are also for corridor 3 (Madhavaram Milk Colony to Siruseri SIPCOT) that covers the IT hub on the OMR and corridor 5 (Madhavaram to Sholinganallur). Corridor 4 that connect Light House to CMBT is likely to be extended up to Poonamallee at an additional cost of Rs 3,850 crore. A feasibility study is at present und...

Chennai: Chennai Metro Rail Limited has officially released a route map for its ambitious phase 2 metro project that will connect far-flung areas of the city through three corridors. In February, Metro Rail floated nine tenders for detailed design consultants and for soil tests. In one of the tenders, it has released a map of phase 2 with 104 stations, covering 107km. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 85,047 crore. Chennai Metro Phase II Network Map (PC: CMRL) However, after a review of the alignment, CMRL officials said they had increased the number of stations to 116 covering a total 107.55km along three corridors. The tenders CMRL has floated are also for corridor 3 (Madhavaram Milk Colony to Siruseri SIPCOT) that covers the IT hub on the OMR and corridor 5 (Madhavaram to Sholinganallur). Corridor 4 that connect Light House to CMBT is likely to be extended up to Poonamallee at an additional cost of Rs 3,850 crore. A feasibility study is at present und...

Chennai: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is planning to invest Rs 400 crore to start work on its phase-II by floating tenders for three consultants to design civil structures and prepare drawing for execution of civil, architectural, track and other works. The decision was taken during a high-level meeting wherein tenders will be floated to design the alignment of both elevated and underground structures as well as proposed Madhavaram depot. Chennai Metro Rail will fund the project. The cost will be adjusted once the project is approved. Similarly, Chennai Metro Rail will also start the geo-technical investigation for the second phase and tenders in this regard will be floated soon, sources added. Meanwhile, it is learnt that only 50 per cent of the phase-II of Metro Rail will be initially funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and tenders are likely to be awarded in this financial year. Chennai Metro Rail had already submitted a revised Detailed Project Report ...

Chennai: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is planning to invest Rs 400 crore to start work on its phase-II by floating tenders for three consultants to design civil structures and prepare drawing for execution of civil, architectural, track and other works. The decision was taken during a high-level meeting wherein tenders will be floated to design the alignment of both elevated and underground structures as well as proposed Madhavaram depot. Chennai Metro Rail will fund the project. The cost will be adjusted once the project is approved. Similarly, Chennai Metro Rail will also start the geo-technical investigation for the second phase and tenders in this regard will be floated soon, sources added. Meanwhile, it is learnt that only 50 per cent of the phase-II of Metro Rail will be initially funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and tenders are likely to be awarded in this financial year. Chennai Metro Rail had already submitted a revised Detailed Project Report ...

Chennai: Indian Green Building Council (IGNC) has given platinum rating to Chennai Metro’s four  underground stations operational in Phase-1 for adopting green concepts in design, construction and operation. The four underground stations are Thirumangalam, Anna Nagar Tower, Anna Nagar East and Shenoy Nagar which have received platinum rating and global leadership recognition from IGBC. According to a metro official, “We have submitted documents for three other stations and they are under process. The ratings and recognition are given on the eco-friendly features in the stations”. In last year, thirteen elevated stations — including Little Mount, Guindy, Nanganallur Road, Meenambakkam, Airport, Koyambedu, CMBT, Vadapalani, Alandur and St Thomas Mount — had received the certification. IGBC has a rating system and to achieve it a metro rail project must satisfy certain requirements and achieve maximum number of credit points...