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Showing posts with label KMRL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KMRL. Show all posts

Saturday, 6 May 2017

21:59

Kochi Metro to get safety certificate on Monday

Kochi Metro to get safety certificate on Monday
Prime Minister’s date awaited for commissioning transport system

The apparent quality of work on Kochi Metro stations is better than that of Bengaluru and Chennai metros and the safety certificate to commence commercial operations on its 13.20-km-long Aluva-Palarivattom corridor will be submitted to Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) on Monday, Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) K.A. Manoharan has said.
He was addressing reporters here on Friday evening after a five-member team led by him concluded inspection of the elevated rail corridor, 11 stations on the route and the metro’s depot in Muttom.
“Appreciable work has been done on theme-based stations. My team is satisfied with the safety measures and they will be analysed further while submitting the report,” Mr. Manoharan said.
He added that some more CCTV cameras and information boards had to be installed in stations. The KMRL had assured that this would be done in a week. Some improvements were also required in signalling and telecom systems.
“We inspected tracks, interface between signalling and telecommunication systems and trains, stations, fire alarms, CCTV systems and the information/public address system,” he said. Speaking to The Hindu, an elated Managing Director of KMRL Elias George said he was delighted to hear the CMRS appreciating theme-based stations.
“Soon after receiving the safety certificate and inspection report on Monday, we will carry out service trials using ‘dummy’ passengers, while Kudumbasree workers and securitymen will be exposed to managing the crowd that is expected to pour in once the project is commissioned. The date will be decided based on the Prime Minister’s convenience.
He added that uplifting literary quotes from Malayalam, Indian and world literature will be displayed in stations and trains. “We took a cue from the London Tube where poetry verses are displayed in trains,” he said.
Metro sources said the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation would have to carry out suggestions made by the CMRS, following which KMRL would have to give compliance report to the CMRS. The CMRS also verified competency of metro personnel and his recommendations are expected to figure in Monday’s inspection report.
Others who were present included the Deputy Commissioners of Railway Safety, G.P. Garg and E. Srinivas, and KMRL directors .

Source:The Hindu 
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Monday, 19 October 2015

10:47

Alstom offers Driverless Trains to Kochi Metro

Alstom offers Driverless Trains to Kochi Metro

Kochi: With the first lot of Kochi Metro coaches expected to arrive by mid-December, Alstom has offered two crucial value additions that together cost Rs.55 crore.

A pioneering initiative to regenerate 99 per cent of braking energy of each train would increase the project cost by Rs.15 crore, from Rs.633 crore to Rs.648 crore. The proposal has been submitted to the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL).

Another first

Another first-time-in-India initiative is Unmanned Train Operation (UTO) that could escalate procurement cost of 75 coaches by another Rs.40 crore to Rs.688 crore. A proposal on this is expected to be submitted to the KMRL shortly.

“The total increase of Rs.55 crore is marginal since its pay-back (break even) period will be less than four years. We are awaiting response from the KMRL since the first few coaches must be delivered in two months,” said Bharat Salhotra, MD (Transport – India and South Asia) of Alstom. The firm is trying to hard-sell its regenerative braking technology branded Hesop to the KMRL.

“Using this, 99 per cent of braking energy of each train can be fed back into grid or can be used by the train that follows. This will result in phenomenal savings to the KMRL, while ushering in a revolutionary green technology in Kerala,” said Mr. Salhotra.

Safer journey ensured

The manned trains can be transformed into unmanned ones by making slight structural and engineering alterations. This will ensure safer journey since the remote probability of human error can be ruled out.

The UTO technology will also ensure more comfortable journey since trains will operate as per standardised norms – no sudden acceleration and braking by unskilled drivers, while enabling structured time gap between trains. All these contribute to lessening wear and tear of trains, thus lessening life-cycle cost, sources associated with the metro coaches said.
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Tuesday, 8 September 2015

09:51

Kochi Metro directors to visit Alstom’s Valenciennes Rolling Stock Factory in Paris

Kochi Metro directors to visit Alstom’s Valenciennes Rolling Stock Factory in Paris

Kochi: Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson is to lead a two-member delegation later this month to France to visit Alstom Transport’s Valenciennes Rolling Stock Factory in Paris and to meet the top management on the rolling stock for Kochi Metro.

Mr. Thomson, is to be accompanied by the Additional Chief Secretary and Managing Director of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, Elias George in the two-day visit to Valenciennes, a town next to the Belgian border.


The visit follows the invitation extended by Alstom Transport, the manufacturers of rolling stock for Kochi Metro, to the two top IAS officials who are also board members of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd.

In a request to the government in August, Mr. George has pointed out that 3D animation of the Metro train has been completed by the rolling stock manufacturer who bagged the bid floated and it was the last chance for viewing it.
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Thursday, 3 September 2015

23:32

Kochi Metro to have Futuristic, Cost-effective Coaches

Kochi Metro to have Futuristic, Cost-effective Coaches

Also, a High-level meet to put Kochi metro on fast track

Kochi: Coaches of the Kochi Metro Rail, the design for which will be unveiled by the Chief Minister here on Thursday, will be the most modern in the country, with the capability to be converted into driverless coaches in future. According to the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) authorities, they will also be the most cost-efficient coaches procured for any metro system in India.

The Kochi Metro trains will consume less energy when they accelerate and provide high regeneration during braking. In addition, the communication-based train control system will drive the train at optimum energy-saving speed. It also has the key features needed to upgrade to the driver less mode in future. The stainless steel car body facilitates easy maintenance, durability and robustness, with a low noise-level. The trains are designed for a minimum of 35 years of service life.

The KMRL has appointed Tata Elxsi as the design consultant for enhancing customer experience in the metro system. The contract to build and supply 25 state-of-the-art trains for the KMRL was awarded to Alstom in October 2014.

Alstom is in charge of the design, manufacturing, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the standard-track-gauge trains, with an option to supply 25 additional metro sets.

Each train will be composed of three cars of about 65 metre length, with capacity to carry up to 975 passengers.

The Metro cars will be manufactured at Alstom’s facility at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh. Delivery of the cars for the Kochi Metro Rail will be one of the fastest in the world, with an initial delivery period of only eight months.

A high-level meet to be chaired by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on Thursday will try to resolve the latest bottlenecks in the implementation of the Kochi Metro Rail project, including the dispute between the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and St. Albert’s College over land usage and the remaining land acquisition hurdles before the State’s ambitious venture.

The work on Kochi Metro’s International Stadium station and adjacent pillars had been affected after the GCDA insisted on the State government handing over land near the first Goshree bridge to compensate for the 65 cents it had to give to St. Albert’s College in the stadium.

N. Venugopal, Chairman of the GCDA, said on Wednesday that the authority was ready to hand over the land to St. Albert’s but on a condition that the government should give GCDA 72 cents near CMFRI located next to the first Goshree bridge.

“We will also bring the unilateral stance adopted by the college authorities in this issue before the Chief Minister at the meeting,” he said. KMRL sources said other issues to be discussed at the meeting included the deadlock over the transfer of 17.31 acres owned by the Public Works Department at Kakkanad; approval for the water transport project for funding from KfW, the German funding agency; and approval of the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) Act.

Mr. Chandy will also unveil the interior and exterior designs of Kochi Metro coaches along with the new brand identity of KMRL at CIAL on Thursday.

Metro chief visits Champakkara market
Providing a glimmer of hope to fish merchants based at Champakkara Market, the MD of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) Elias George and District Secretary of CPI(M) P. Rajeev, MP conducted a joint visit of the premises on Tuesday.

The merchants and vendors had aired their concern at the market space dwindling considerably when Kochi Metro’s piling works commence in the premises and the area is barricaded. Mr Rajeev said that they also want proper access for lorries carrying fish to reach the market located in Vyttila-Pettah Road.

Lorries carrying fish from different harbours, including from other States arrive here daily and the business volume is in the range of Rs 40 to Rs 50 lakh per day. A good share of the market can be relocated if two more plots are acquired and vendors relocated there, he said.

The metro agency has assured that the proposal will be taken up with State government. On rebuilding Champakkara Bridge as a four-lane one, he said that this can be done on the lines of North overbridge that was rebuilt about two years ago.

KMRL officials said that a meeting will be held involving Kochi Corporation, Revenue Department, people’s representatives and fish merchants in a week, prior to finalising plans.

“As for the bridge, we have asked DMRC to prepare a plan to widen it into four lane, for which funds worth approximately Rs 30 crore have to be earmarked under metro’s preparatory works.”
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Saturday, 13 June 2015

07:05

Kochi Metro, Axis Bank ink pact for fare collection

Kochi Metro, Axis Bank ink pact for fare collection

Kochi: Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has signed a public-private partnership (PPP) pact with Axis Bank for the automated fare collection (AFC) system. The agreement was signed between KMRL managing director, Elias George, and Axis Bank managing director and CEO, Shikha Sharma, in the presence of urban development minister, Venkaiah Naidu, in Delhi.

Under the agreement, investment for the entire funding required for the AFC system will be undertaken by Axis Bank, which will also maintain it for 10 years.

The the bank will pay a royalty of Rs 209 crore over the next 10 years for the right to be KMRL’s partner in this endeavour. In return, Axis Bank will get the right to issue co-branded cards, which will function as a smart card as well as a ticket, to the users of the metro.

In addition to this, 0.2 per cent of Axis Bank’s gross revenue, from the utilisation of this card outside KMRL’s ecosystem in various mercantile outlets and internet transactions, will also accrue to KMRL over the next 10 years, a press statement said.

Axis Bank is partnering with Asis electronik Ve Bilisim Sistemleri, AS, a Turkish company, for the infrastructure and AGS Transact Technologies Limited for the integration and maintenance in the system.

The AFC system is a critical core component of any metro system. It includes complex hardware and software installed at entry points of metro stations as well as buses and boats. It uses radio frequency identification devices (RFID) to collect fares from the users. In such a system, the metro ticket can be in the form of a co-branded card or an NFC-enabled smart phone or a ‘patch’ on a mobile device or any other surface with NFC stickers or QR code, or even as a paper-coupon.

The smart card can be linked with any bank account of the user, in any bank, including Jan-Dhan Yojana, said, George.

Shikha Sharma said creating a payment infrastructure that supports cashless payments is an integral part of growth of smart cities in the country.

KMRL is planning a ‘click and collect’ system whereby the commuter will be able to order goods and services using this card, which can be delivered at all metro stations. It is also planning to start a drive for including a variety of local and national goods and services that can be accessed using the KMRL-Axis Bank co-branded card.

This is also for the first time that the AFC solution has been enabled on the Cloud-based hardware in line with KMRL’s IT philosophy of ‘open standards on the Cloud’. In addition to the co-branded card, the bank will also develop a mobile app, which can be used for ticketing as well as e-commerce.

This initiative is unique in that it is for the first time that ‘open-loop’ smart cards are being introduced in the metro system. The urban development ministry has mandated all metros to have an integrated smart card system, which can be used in all transit. KMRL had appointed Ernst & Young as consultants for drawing the specification of the smart card system.
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Saturday, 25 April 2015

07:30

Kochi Metro board meet to okay Axis Bank deal

Kochi: An urgent meeting of the board of directors of Kochi Metro Rail Limited will be held in New Delhi on Friday to approve the Axis Bank deal for automatic fare collection card.

The KMRL can go ahead with further steps only after getting the board’s approval. Recently, the Axis Bank had  won the national bid for developing and running the automatic fare collection system for Kochi Metro.

In a major deal that will save cost and ensure a future revenue stream, the bank has promised to invest for the system.  It  will also make a one-time royalty payment of Rs 209 crore to the KMRL.

The deal will help the KMRL  save Rs 500-600 crore, the estimated cost for the development and running of the system for all modes of transportation for 10 years.

Coaches of Kochi Metro to be decked with exotic interiors, colours

Tata Elxi, the consultant of the metro for comfort features and branding of coaches, has made an initial presentation at Kochi Metro Rail Limited office.

They say the proposed colour, design and interior features are at par with the international standards.

The next round of meetings with the KMRL officials will be held on April 28 and it will finalise the colour pattern and customer features.

As per the plans, the exterior will be steel coloured while the interior will be painted cool and comfortable colours.

There will be two types of seats, ‘normal’ and ‘priority’. The priority seats, with a different colour pattern, will be reserved for pregnant women, senior citizens and women carrying babies.
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Thursday, 16 April 2015

06:45

Axis Bank wins Cloud based Automatic Fare Collection solution on Cobranded Debit Cards for Kochi Metro

Kochi: Axis Bank has signed a first-of-its-kind agreement with Kochi Metro Rail (KMRL) for implementing the latter’s Automatic Fare collection System (AFC) with a debit card, after winning an international competitive bid. The bank will issue co-branded debit cards to the users of the Kochi Metro system, which will double up as a metro ticket.

The Mumbai-based bank has agreed to pay a royalty of Rs 209 crore to KMRL over the next 10 years for the right, apart from investing the entire funds required for the AFC infrastructure across its stations, including phase-ll. Moreover, the entire maintenance of the AFC system for 10 years will also be undertaken by the bank.

In addition to this, 20% of Axis Bank’s gross revenues, from the utilisation of this debit card outside KMRL’s ecosystem in various mercantile outlets and internet transactions, will also accrue to KMRL over the next 10 years. KMRL claimed that it is the first time such an innovative model is being launched anywhere in the world. This business model is expected to change funding models for AFC systems in the metro industry globally.  KMRL, which is looking at expanding its services to water transport in the city, under the proposed Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority, will offer the smart card system in ferry services as well.

“This model of external investment in critical components of the metro system is a `win-win’ proposition for all the three stakeholders – the public, the metro administration as well as the bank”, said Elias George, managing director, KMRL. “The bank will also pay an additional royalty of Rs. 209 crore to the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) over the next 10 years for retaining the right to be KMRL’s partner in this endeavour,” he said adding, “the bank will also ensure operation and maintenance of the AFC system for 10 years. It will issue co-branded debit cards to the users of the metro system. In addition, the KMRL will get 20 per cent of the bank’s gross revenue (which is approximately a percentage of the purchase value of merchandise from shops or online purchases) over the next 10 years”.

Terming this as a business model which would have global ramifications, Mr. George further said it was for the first time that such an innovative model was being launched anywhere in the world. “This model which we designed is expected to change funding models for AFC systems in the global metro industry. The big sum saved by way of capital and maintenance cost and the Rs. 209-crore the bank will pay us will be used for metro’s operation and expansion projects,” he said.

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Thursday, 21 August 2014

16:15

Review Meeting Metro work -CM Oommen Chandy

Review Meeting Metro work - CM Oommen Chandy

A high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on Wednesday has asked the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to pay compensation for land acquisition through the district administration.

The meeting held in the Secretariat decided that 0.61 hectares would be acquired from Apollo Tyres, Kalamassery, for Kochi Metro. The orders will be issued on Thursday. The Aluva Municipality and the Kochi Corporation were asked to hand over land in their possession for the project. Government guidelines would be followed in awarding compensation for the two local bodies.

The proposal to acquire the land near the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, taken on lease by St. Albert’s College, came up for discussion. The college and the Greater Cochin Development Authority should be given compensation. The District Collector was asked to submit a proposal and the next Cabinet would decide on the issue.
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Wednesday, 13 August 2014

18:07

French firm Alstom bags bid for supply of Kochi Metro Rail coaches

French firm Alstom bags bid for supply of Kochi Metro Rail coaches

Kochi:  The French multinational company Alstom has won the bid to supply 75 coaches for the Kochi Metro Rail project.

The financial bid was opened at the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) head office on Monday.

The firm quoted Rs.633 crore, while the Hyundai Rotem-BEML joint venture firm quoted Rs.806 crore.

The bid estimate was approximately Rs.856 crore. This works out to Rs.8.43 crore a coach of Alstom and Rs.10.75 crore for Hyundai.

The bid had been retendered at the behest of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) not withstanding the concerns raised by the DMRC – the executing agency.

Citing that the retender would delay procurement and trial runs, the DMRC wanted to award the contract to Hyundai, the sole bidder for a tender floated by it early this year. “By insisting on retendering, we could save Rs.174 crore. Alstom is supplying coaches for Chennai Metro at around 20 per cent more than its bid for the Kochi project. Bangalore Metro coaches are 30 per cent costlier. 

This is a major achievement since the order was for 75 coaches (for 25 trains). A formal contract will be finalised in a month. Details like letter of intent and concurrence of French overseas lending agency AFD (which is expected to give Rs.1,500-crore loan for the metro) are awaited,” KMRL sources said.

Alstom has a manufacturing unit at at Tada in Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh, bordering Chennai. “The firm has indigenised production to the tune of 85 per cent – which means we get coaches made in India based on European technology,” the sources said.

The manufacturer will have to design, manufacture, supply, test, and commission coaches latest by December 2015 (as compared to August 2015 as was initially scheduled), so that trial runs can begin in early 2016. The bid for the coaches is the biggest single contract of the Rs.5,181-crore Kochi Metro, which is scheduled for commissioning in June 2016.

Passenger capacity

As per specifications, each three-coach rake of Kochi Metro must have a ‘crush load’ (maximum coach capacity) of 975 passengers – 136 sitting and 839 standing. The centre coach will have more capacity.
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Wednesday, 6 August 2014

07:22

Kochi Metro Rail appoints Ernst &Young as Consultant

Kochi Metro Rail appoints Ernst &Young as Consultant

Kochi: Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has appointed Ernst & Young as consultant for developing the ‘common smart card ticketing solution’ for the proposed Kochi metro. According to a KMRL release, the consultant is expected to deliver the detailed feasibility report within six months. Its responsibility includes preparation of policy for implementation of the smart card-based ticketing system and discussions with all the stakeholders for implementation of the Smart Card.

Subsequently, a suitable institution would be identified by KMRL for the implementation of ‘open loop, smart card’ system. This is expected to be implemented by the time Kochi’s metro is commissioned in December 2016. Once this is rolled out, Kochi would be the first city in the country and may be one among the few cities in the world having an open loop card payment system capable for multi model transport ticketing. KMRL is also a nodal agency for implementation of Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) and creation of Urban Transport Fund.

UMTA-Kochi envisages a common smart card for all payment applications including transport, shopping and all other payment needs. These smart cards could be used on the networks/ticketing terminals as well, the released added.
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