[Jai]

Some infra news

Soon, Mumbai to Pune in one hour

Railways Commissions Feasibility Study, Plans High-Speed Corridors

29 May 07
TOI Epaper

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: Close on the heels of a brainstorming session on a high-speed corridor, the Indian Railways has decided to commission a feasibility study to run high-speed trains between Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Pune. Soon, travelling from Mumbai to Pune in less than an hour should not be very difficult to imagine.

The Times of India was the first to report in its edition dated May 15 about Railways’ eagerness to experiment with high-speed trains on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Pune route to attract frequent travellers. The The railways is looking at the prospect of running trains that achieve top speed of more than 250 km per hour.

The proposal got a boost after Railway Board Chairman J P Batra met Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Monday in Delhi and proposed formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to run the high speed services. In fact, Batra had a series of talks with state chief secretary Johny Joseph last weekend in Mumbai.

The Railway Board has had a detailed presentation on high-speed corridor from international transport experts and project financiers earlier this month. Senior officials from the likes of Alstom, one of the pioneers in commissioning high-speed trains, and Suzuki of Japan have given extensive low downs to the railways on the opportunities, hurdles and funding of a high-speed corridor in India.

“The Board is now busy identifying cities within 7-8 hours distance from each other for the high-speed corridor,’’ said sources in the Railways.

Sources said Batra apprised Deshmukh about the brainstorming within railways on starting high-speed trains on certain corridors throughout India.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad route passing through Surat and Baroda is a perfect fit for the high-speed corridor because of its distance of 500 km. “The journey of eight hours can be compressed into less than three hours using a high-speed train running at more than 250 km per hour,” said sources in the railways.

As of now, the average superfast trains run at a speed of 105 km per hour. The Delhi-Agra Rajdhani attains the fastest speed of 150 km per hour on certain stretches of its journey.

Sources in the state government said the railway board chairman might be thinking of a special tunnel route for the high-speed trains to make the journey safer. “The railways is planning to offer special services to make the high-speed train more attractive,’’ said a mantralaya official.

HT Epaper's article on the same:


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CR clears contract to rebuild Kurla terminus

Opening in 2008

29 May 07
TOI Epaper

TIMES NEWS NETWORK



Mumbai: For once, the Central Railway (CR) has stuck to its deadline. It has cleared a contract in time for the construction of a new age station in place of the existing Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Kurla.

The dilapidated and staid structure, which currently serves as the LTT station will make way for a glass and steel construction that is expected to be opened for passengers in December 2008.

CR has appointed Mumbai-based Eagle Constructions to build the station, designed by noted architect P K Das and Associates. And the firm has been asked to start construction from June, instead of waiting for the rains to go away.

“What is the purpose of finalising the bids quickly, if there is no activity on the ground for next three months? Despite rains, the basic foundation work can start,’’ said an official from CR’s construction department.

For CR, the LTT project marks a big shift in construction, as compared to the plain vanilla stations built all these years. For starters, the involvement of a private architect to design the main building is a novelty. Secondly, it has sought to include sophisticated material to create a structure more on the lines of a metro station. “We are spending Rs 24 crore on constructing the station,’’ said the CR official.

It will be the first CR station which will have a subway, directly connecting the arrival bay to platforms located on other side of the station building. Also, the architect has earmarked enough space for landscaping, which is hardly visible in the existing CR stations.

Officials said CR has convinced Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), to extend a ramp from the proposed flyover going over the LTT station. The MMRDA is building the flyover as part of the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road.

The station, with a big canopy in front, would have the booking offices and cabins of the railway officials on the ground floor. The first floor would house the dormitory and a modern food court.

The CR has also started work on the fifth platform to house extra outstation trains. Once the terminus is ready, more trains will be diverted to the new terminus in a bid to decongest CST, which currently serves as the main hub. Moreover, CR is adding at least three new pit lines for the overhaul and maintenance of trains before its journey.