Thursday, 6 June 2013
Monday, 3 June 2013
Railways to launch four-digit helplines
The Railways propose to launch a series of four-digit customer helpdesk lines for 900 crore passengers which will comprise either SMS or voice recording facility or both in some cases. Approving a uniform number scheme for the implementation of the service, the railways have obtained the permission of the Department of Telecom for the purpose.
Initially, only a security helpline was planned on 132, but it has been decided to migrate to a four-digit number for better uniformity and more services to the benefit of passengers. Now with the addition of the fourth digit, the series will start with 1320, which will be a complaint registration service. One can clock his or her complaint both through SMS and voice.
The next numbers, 1321 and 1322, will be the railways helpdesk for catering and security related issues respectively and in both the cases, complaints can be registered only through voice facility.
Officials said these services would be launched in the first phase, while several more would be launched in due course of time for which they have reserved numbers 1323 to 1329 with the Department of Telecom. Launch of these services will depend on the ability to develop the necessary software by CRIS (Centre for Railway Information Systems) to which the railways have entrusted the job.
(K. Balchand, The Hindu dt 4-6-2013)
Initially, only a security helpline was planned on 132, but it has been decided to migrate to a four-digit number for better uniformity and more services to the benefit of passengers. Now with the addition of the fourth digit, the series will start with 1320, which will be a complaint registration service. One can clock his or her complaint both through SMS and voice.
The next numbers, 1321 and 1322, will be the railways helpdesk for catering and security related issues respectively and in both the cases, complaints can be registered only through voice facility.
Officials said these services would be launched in the first phase, while several more would be launched in due course of time for which they have reserved numbers 1323 to 1329 with the Department of Telecom. Launch of these services will depend on the ability to develop the necessary software by CRIS (Centre for Railway Information Systems) to which the railways have entrusted the job.
(K. Balchand, The Hindu dt 4-6-2013)
Sunday, 2 June 2013
Changing tracks to a faster railway
China opens about 15 Metro rail lines a year and is building expertise in operating high-speed trains, while India is only slowly warming up to mass transport solutions.
This is the contrast that France is highlighting, as its companies compete to supply a range of transport technologies and services to India. The public sector French train operator, SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français), is emphatic that the possibility of using high-speed trains as mass carriers should not be neglected.
The competition for high-speed rail also involves Korea, China, and Spain which have operational technologies. Brazil is also looking to implement high-speed rail, but has specified that only accident-free systems can submit tenders, reducing China’s prospects.
The focal point of the Indian effort is the Mumbai-Ahmedabad section, for which SNCF is conducting a feasibility study, and for which the French government has contributed €600,000 out of the estimated total cost of €1 million; there is no charge to the Indian Railways.
The study, begun in January, is expected to go on for a year and define high-speed for India (which in France is 320 km per hour for TGV trains); what kind of fares people can be charged; benchmarking of finance practices including public private partnerships; and the roadmap for manpower training.
On what separates the French high-speed train technology from the Japanese, who pioneered the system, Philippe Dumont, in-charge of issues related to transport in the Directorate of European and International Affairs, Government of France, told visiting journalists that TGV trains could be operated at a normal speed (160 kmph), and on special sections, shifted to peak speeds. This made it possible to integrate them easily with the existing railways. Costs are high for such systems, at €20 million per kilometre in normal terrain, going up to €50 million to cover tunnels, viaducts and so on. But Indian labour costs would make construction cheaper.
Operationally, high-speed trains can optimally connect cities 500 to 1,000 km apart, and in one of the best-known sectors, Paris-Lyon, the peak capacity is 12,000 passengers per hour at 1,000 people per train, providing service once in four minutes. TGV fares are not subsidised.
Six per cent of the world’s transport is on high-speed trains, and France operates 600 trains against about 100 in Japan, meeting the 300 km-plus per hour standard and remaining accident-free over a 30-year period. The Japanese rails are installed on concrete slabs, requiring higher maintenance, while the French use ballasts. Ride quality is better on the Japanese trains, however.
Mr. Dumont candidly pointed out that domestic growth prospects for rail were limited, and there was considerable interest in countries like India.
Urban rail
Alstom, the French engineering group, is firmly in place with its Rs.1,500-crore order to supply 168 coaches by 2015 and six additional cars for the Chennai Metro. It has built a Metro rolling stock factory at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, to cater to Indian demand and will participate actively in future projects. The company competes with Bombardier, Siemens, and General Electric, among others, in Indian railway expansion projects.
On modernisation of the Indian railway system to improve service, passenger comfort and capacity, Jojo Alexander, vice-president for Strategy, Alstom, said there had to be a radical change in approach on the part of agencies such as the Research Designs and Standards Organisation of the Indian Railways. The opening of the electric locomotive tender (to international competition for supply of 1,000 locomotives) represented the first big change.
Bangalore’s model of levying a cess on petrol and diesel to raise funds for its Namma Metro Phase I was encouraging. Such internal funding was important to expand urban rail systems in India, said Sunand Sharma, president, Alstom International, India and South Asia.
The urban rail story in France is centred on improvements to quality and introduction of new options. One component is the renaissance of the tramway system. In the 1960s, all but three cities in the country — Lille, Marseille and Saint-Etienne — had done away with tram tracks to make way for cars. But in the 1970s, the oil shock and car dominance issues helped to change policy, and led to the introduction of a tax on companies to fund public transport. Tramways were reintroduced, and a recent survey showed modern trams capable of carrying over 3,000 passengers per hour per direction, cater to between 33 and 75 per cent of passenger journeys on public transport (bus, Metro and high-service bus representing the rest) outside the Paris region.
An even cheaper alternative, in service in France’s second city Lyon, is the trolley bus that uses overhead traction on the road and is similar to the conventional articulated bus. On a per kilometre basis, a tram costs a fifth of a Metro, while a trolleybus with dedicated corridor costs a fourth of a tram system, based on French costs.
(G.Ananthakrishnan, The Hindu dt 3-6-2013)
This is the contrast that France is highlighting, as its companies compete to supply a range of transport technologies and services to India. The public sector French train operator, SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français), is emphatic that the possibility of using high-speed trains as mass carriers should not be neglected.
The competition for high-speed rail also involves Korea, China, and Spain which have operational technologies. Brazil is also looking to implement high-speed rail, but has specified that only accident-free systems can submit tenders, reducing China’s prospects.
The focal point of the Indian effort is the Mumbai-Ahmedabad section, for which SNCF is conducting a feasibility study, and for which the French government has contributed €600,000 out of the estimated total cost of €1 million; there is no charge to the Indian Railways.
The study, begun in January, is expected to go on for a year and define high-speed for India (which in France is 320 km per hour for TGV trains); what kind of fares people can be charged; benchmarking of finance practices including public private partnerships; and the roadmap for manpower training.
On what separates the French high-speed train technology from the Japanese, who pioneered the system, Philippe Dumont, in-charge of issues related to transport in the Directorate of European and International Affairs, Government of France, told visiting journalists that TGV trains could be operated at a normal speed (160 kmph), and on special sections, shifted to peak speeds. This made it possible to integrate them easily with the existing railways. Costs are high for such systems, at €20 million per kilometre in normal terrain, going up to €50 million to cover tunnels, viaducts and so on. But Indian labour costs would make construction cheaper.
Operationally, high-speed trains can optimally connect cities 500 to 1,000 km apart, and in one of the best-known sectors, Paris-Lyon, the peak capacity is 12,000 passengers per hour at 1,000 people per train, providing service once in four minutes. TGV fares are not subsidised.
Six per cent of the world’s transport is on high-speed trains, and France operates 600 trains against about 100 in Japan, meeting the 300 km-plus per hour standard and remaining accident-free over a 30-year period. The Japanese rails are installed on concrete slabs, requiring higher maintenance, while the French use ballasts. Ride quality is better on the Japanese trains, however.
Mr. Dumont candidly pointed out that domestic growth prospects for rail were limited, and there was considerable interest in countries like India.
Urban rail
Alstom, the French engineering group, is firmly in place with its Rs.1,500-crore order to supply 168 coaches by 2015 and six additional cars for the Chennai Metro. It has built a Metro rolling stock factory at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, to cater to Indian demand and will participate actively in future projects. The company competes with Bombardier, Siemens, and General Electric, among others, in Indian railway expansion projects.
On modernisation of the Indian railway system to improve service, passenger comfort and capacity, Jojo Alexander, vice-president for Strategy, Alstom, said there had to be a radical change in approach on the part of agencies such as the Research Designs and Standards Organisation of the Indian Railways. The opening of the electric locomotive tender (to international competition for supply of 1,000 locomotives) represented the first big change.
Bangalore’s model of levying a cess on petrol and diesel to raise funds for its Namma Metro Phase I was encouraging. Such internal funding was important to expand urban rail systems in India, said Sunand Sharma, president, Alstom International, India and South Asia.
The urban rail story in France is centred on improvements to quality and introduction of new options. One component is the renaissance of the tramway system. In the 1960s, all but three cities in the country — Lille, Marseille and Saint-Etienne — had done away with tram tracks to make way for cars. But in the 1970s, the oil shock and car dominance issues helped to change policy, and led to the introduction of a tax on companies to fund public transport. Tramways were reintroduced, and a recent survey showed modern trams capable of carrying over 3,000 passengers per hour per direction, cater to between 33 and 75 per cent of passenger journeys on public transport (bus, Metro and high-service bus representing the rest) outside the Paris region.
An even cheaper alternative, in service in France’s second city Lyon, is the trolley bus that uses overhead traction on the road and is similar to the conventional articulated bus. On a per kilometre basis, a tram costs a fifth of a Metro, while a trolleybus with dedicated corridor costs a fourth of a tram system, based on French costs.
(G.Ananthakrishnan, The Hindu dt 3-6-2013)
Friday, 31 May 2013
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Transport must change lanes to cruise ahead
What Urban Kerala Needs Today Is A Master Plan That Seamlessly Connects Road, Rail And Water Transport And A Regulating Agency To Oversee A Set Of Time-Bound Projects To Ease Travel Woes
As the UDF regime is about to start its third year in office, a major course correction it has to undertake is to get its priorities right in the transport sector and urgently unbundle some projects that will deliver tangible results in a reasonable period say experts. They feel the state should not waste time, energy and resources on projects like the high-speed rail corridor which will cater to a few sections of the population, but focus on projects, executable in a realistic time frame. This will help the state optimally utilize its limited resources, including land. All issues can be resolved through a master plan for the transport sector that will consider the state as one urban or semi-urban continuum while envisaging seamless connectivity through multiple forms of transport, say experts. The plan T must tap long water bodies, integrate road, rail and water transport. The need of the hour is the introduction of an agency to usher in effective coordination among multiple agencies involved in the divergent modes of transport.
“What we lack primarily is a coordinated approach, with each department trying to retain the hold on their turfs. For instance, the railways may be constructing an over-bridge, but PWD may take its own time to provide an approach road. The water transport department maybe designing means to make a water body navigable without realizing that fisheries department is scripting another project to develop fishing there,” says National transportation planning and research centre (Natpac) scientist T Elangovan.
Transport secretary Elias George responds enthusiastically to the proposal. “An integrated transport network for the whole state is a great idea. No state has done it so far. The Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), which will be introduced in Kochi, will be a pioneering effort in this direction. UMTA will entail unified command and control system for multiple modes of transport,” he says.
Kerala’s vehicle population almost doubles every six years whereas the annual of population growth is only 5%. The latest reports peg the vehicle population at 70 lakh. Earlier, studies have revealed that vehicle density in Kerala is 1:6 against the national average of 1:25. There were 36,115 road accidents in the state last year and 4,107 people had lost their lives while another 25,809 suffered serious injuries in those mishaps.
“Any serious initiative to reduce the accidents should have components to develop parallel modes of transport like railways and waterways along with efforts to augment the road network,” says transport expert and General Secretary of Thrissur Railway Passenger Association P Krishnakumar.
“In the case of railways, priority should be on completing line doubling and electrification works as well as the introduction of automatic signalling system. Only limited portions like Mulanthuruthy-Kottayam and Shoranur–Karakkad remain incomplete on doubling front. These incomplete patches are depriving the state of the advantages of doubling works already over in other sections,” he said.
Studies have established that only Rs 1 crore per kilometre would be required to introduce automatic signalling system. The total length of the rail line in the state, including the Mangalore-Nagercoil stretch as well as Shoranur-Coimbatore line, is only 804 km. So, the total investment required for this would be Rs 800 crore.
“This can be easily generated if the state and railways join hands. Both will have to chip in Rs 150 crore each annually for three years to achieve this. With this, trains can achieve a speed of 150 to 200 km per hour. This means, a journey from Kozhikode to Thiruvananthapuram will take four hours. With the highspeed rail corridor, we will be able to cover the distance in two-and-ahalf hours, but the investment would be Rs 1,20,000 crore,” says Krishnakumar.
Forty years ago, Kerala had navigable waterway of 1,680 km and it has shrunk to 300 km now due to encroachment and other factors. “Present waterways will disappear unless urgent steps are taken to conserve them,” says Elangovan.
Nearly, 20% of the goods and passenger traffic were being handled through waterways in Kerala couple of decades ago. But the share has come down to less than 1% now. The investment required for making one kilometre of waterway navigable is only one-eighth the cost of road works of the same length.
CHUGGING ALONG
“What we lack primarily is a coordinated approach, with each department trying to retain the hold on their turfs. For instance, the railways may be constructing an over-bridge, but PWD may take its own time to provide an approach road. The water transport department maybe designing means to make a water body navigable without realizing that fisheries department is scripting another project to develop fishing there,” says National transportation planning and research centre (Natpac) scientist T Elangovan.
Transport secretary Elias George responds enthusiastically to the proposal. “An integrated transport network for the whole state is a great idea. No state has done it so far. The Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), which will be introduced in Kochi, will be a pioneering effort in this direction. UMTA will entail unified command and control system for multiple modes of transport,” he says.
Kerala’s vehicle population almost doubles every six years whereas the annual of population growth is only 5%. The latest reports peg the vehicle population at 70 lakh. Earlier, studies have revealed that vehicle density in Kerala is 1:6 against the national average of 1:25. There were 36,115 road accidents in the state last year and 4,107 people had lost their lives while another 25,809 suffered serious injuries in those mishaps.
“Any serious initiative to reduce the accidents should have components to develop parallel modes of transport like railways and waterways along with efforts to augment the road network,” says transport expert and General Secretary of Thrissur Railway Passenger Association P Krishnakumar.
“In the case of railways, priority should be on completing line doubling and electrification works as well as the introduction of automatic signalling system. Only limited portions like Mulanthuruthy-Kottayam and Shoranur–Karakkad remain incomplete on doubling front. These incomplete patches are depriving the state of the advantages of doubling works already over in other sections,” he said.
Studies have established that only Rs 1 crore per kilometre would be required to introduce automatic signalling system. The total length of the rail line in the state, including the Mangalore-Nagercoil stretch as well as Shoranur-Coimbatore line, is only 804 km. So, the total investment required for this would be Rs 800 crore.
“This can be easily generated if the state and railways join hands. Both will have to chip in Rs 150 crore each annually for three years to achieve this. With this, trains can achieve a speed of 150 to 200 km per hour. This means, a journey from Kozhikode to Thiruvananthapuram will take four hours. With the highspeed rail corridor, we will be able to cover the distance in two-and-ahalf hours, but the investment would be Rs 1,20,000 crore,” says Krishnakumar.
Forty years ago, Kerala had navigable waterway of 1,680 km and it has shrunk to 300 km now due to encroachment and other factors. “Present waterways will disappear unless urgent steps are taken to conserve them,” says Elangovan.
Nearly, 20% of the goods and passenger traffic were being handled through waterways in Kerala couple of decades ago. But the share has come down to less than 1% now. The investment required for making one kilometre of waterway navigable is only one-eighth the cost of road works of the same length.
CHUGGING ALONG
1 Kochi Metro project starts after much delay
2 Monorail projects at Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram get much-needed push, preliminary works begin
3 KSRTC starts inter-city AC Volvo services
2 Monorail projects at Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram get much-needed push, preliminary works begin
3 KSRTC starts inter-city AC Volvo services
4 For the first time, state government earmarks Rs 200 crore for rescuing cash-strapped KSRTC
5 Mobility hubs, on the lines of the Vyttila Mobility Hub, conceptualized in major towns including Thrissur and Kottayam
6 Plans mooted to increase and reconstruct waterways
7 MVD introduces e-payment facility at all offices in Thiruvananthapuram, to introduce the same across state this year
8 To speed up services, MVD opens eight new sub RTOs
8 To speed up services, MVD opens eight new sub RTOs
(T Ramavarman, Times of India dt 16-5-2013)
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Easy queue project at Thrissur rly station
Thrissur: A project named ‘easy queue’ will be implemented at the railway station here to ensure better services to those hiring autorickshaws from the prepaid counter.
An electronic chip will be installed in autorickshaws that have permits to ply in the town as part of the project.
The printout given to passengers from the counter will now have the vehicle’s details also. “The electronics division of PWD has developed the chips, which will be installed on 4,000 autorickshaws plying in the town,” assistant commissioner of police Shahul Hameed said.
The project will be extended to Sakthan bus stand, North bus stand and KSRTC bus stand later. Police have asked auto drivers to reach the CMS School here with original permit, licence, RC book and its copy to obtain the chips.
(Times of India dt 9-5-2013)
An electronic chip will be installed in autorickshaws that have permits to ply in the town as part of the project.
The printout given to passengers from the counter will now have the vehicle’s details also. “The electronics division of PWD has developed the chips, which will be installed on 4,000 autorickshaws plying in the town,” assistant commissioner of police Shahul Hameed said.
The project will be extended to Sakthan bus stand, North bus stand and KSRTC bus stand later. Police have asked auto drivers to reach the CMS School here with original permit, licence, RC book and its copy to obtain the chips.
(Times of India dt 9-5-2013)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)