Kolkata LRTS | Proposed

[arijeetb]

This thread will track the developments & discussions related to LRT project that was launched today.

[arijeetb]

WB govt, SREI Infrastructure Finance ink MoU for LRT

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government and SREI Infrastructure Finance on Wednesday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up the country's
first light rail transit (LRT) system. A special purpose vehicle, christened Kolkata Mass Rapid Transit Pvt Ltd, has been formed to implement the proposed Rs 6,000 crore project.

To be executed in two phases, the project will be implemented by a consortium led by SREI Infrastructure and will include technology partner Amex International of Czech Republic and a state government undertaking, West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development.

"I have urged those executing the project to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) by this fiscal and begin construction latest by next year. We will take about four-to-five years to complete the project from the day we commence construction," said West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, addressing mediapersons during the MoU signing ceremony held in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Incidentally, the project will comprise two corridors -- Joka-Esplanade and Esplanade-Barrackpore links. The air conditioned LRT will connect the northern suburbs with the southern fringes of the city through the central business district and cover some 40 kms in just 90 minutes.

It will touch 37 stations including Taratala, Khidderpore, AJC Bose Road, Park Street, Esplanade, Sealdah, Shyambazar, Dunlop, Khardha, Titagarh and Barrackpore.

For starters, the train is projected to carry some 1.2 lakh passengers per month and subsequently, 4.8 lakh passengers per month.

Emphasising the need for such a system, SREI Infrastructure Finance chairman & managing director Hemant Kanoria said, "Road space in Kolkata has shrunk substantially rendering navigability of vehicles impossible. More so, since the number of vehicles have increased manifold over the years. This coupled with the regular inflow of people from districts is making commuting chaotic."

Given the anticipated vehicular growth in the future, and increasingly lower availability of road space and time constraints, construction of flyovers and elevated tracks would be the ideal solution, he pointed out.

"The proposed light rail transit system," Mr Bhattacharjee added, "will meet the East-West Metro at Sealdah to help office goers commuting from one end of the city to the other. Implementation of all three — the light rail transit system, the East-West Metro and the ring road to be built around Kolkata —
collectively will solve the city's transport problem in the near future."

[kolkatausa]

OMG...this is massive. I thought that the LRTS will only connect the southern suburbs but no, it runs the entire breadth of Kolkata LENGTH WISE. Kolkata is gigantic when measured North to South. This must mean that the LRTS track will bypass center city!!!


WOW...simply wow.

question: will the track be laid on a new pattern through the demolition of buildings or will it go on top of a road?

[fred_the_cute_guy]

Yes, this is great. Really great.

Good job, ArijeetB, I wanted to start the thread and you have beaten me to the job.

Hope it happens without the usual lemons coming into the way.

Just like metro rail and mobile phones, Kolkata is again set to lead the way in India. Awesome.

Would be great to see it extended to Kalyani.

[arijeetb]

Originally Posted by fred_the_cute_guy

Yes, this is great. Really great.

Good job, ArijeetB, I wanted to start the thread and you have beaten me to the job.

Hope it happens without the usual lemons coming into the way.

Just like metro rail and mobile phones, Kolkata is again set to lead the way in India. Awesome.

Would be great to see it extended to Kalyani.

fred, thanks Yes, it should be another 'first' for the country to set a trend. The original design about three years back talked of a diversion from Esplanade to Salt lake and another to Panihati. I believe that could not get approved.

question: will the track be laid on a new pattern through the demolition of buildings or will it go on top of a road?

@ kolkatausa - I think tracks would be on top of roads along the center or along the sides.

[HopePersists]

confused about the real differance between LRTS and Monorail.specially in respect of what's being proposed in B'lore and Kolkata.means around how much passengers it could bear and differance of speed between them etc.. if you discover a significant differance between them then which way of transport system would you prefer.thanks.

[arijeetb]

Originally Posted by HopePersists

confused about the real differance between LRTS and Monorail.specially in respect of what's being proposed in B'lore and Kolkata.means around how much passengers it could bear and differance of speed between them etc.. if you discover a significant differance between them then which way of transport system would you prefer.thanks.

the main difference as the term 'mono' implies is there is only one rail. I am guessing the passenger carrying capacity is lower in mono than in LRT. For Kolkata any transit system that can move maximum number of people on a hourly basis will work.

[Kewl Batty]

Originally Posted by arijeetb

the main difference as the term 'mono' implies is there is only one rail. I am guessing the passenger carrying capacity is lower in mono than in LRT. For Kolkata any transit system that can move maximum number of people on a hourly basis will work.

I guess kolkata monorail project is still on.. Check wikipedia for the List of Rapid Transits in India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templat...ansit_in_India

[HopePersists]

Originally Posted by kolkatausa

question: will the track be laid on a new pattern through the demolition of buildings or will it go on top of a road?

here have some information about it:
The Rs 6,000-crore project will mean 1,040-km-long elevated tracks from Barrackpore to Joka, passing through the city’s Central Business District.

“In a city where only six per cent of the total area is used as road space, it is very difficult to create a fast moving transit on the surface level. We really need a mass transit system for having an adequate transport infrastructure in the city in future. The idea of having an elevated train (LRTS) and east-west metro corridor is basically to provide a mass transit in the city,” Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said at the function where the MoU was signed.

source: Indian Express

but i don't know which reporter wrote this "1,040-km-long elevated tracks from Barrackpore to Joka,"
it's a big misprint there.

[kolkatausa]

Originally Posted by HopePersists

here have some information about it:
The Rs 6,000-crore project will mean 1,040-km-long elevated tracks from Barrackpore to Joka, passing through the city’s Central Business District.

“In a city where only six per cent of the total area is used as road space, it is very difficult to create a fast moving transit on the surface level. We really need a mass transit system for having an adequate transport infrastructure in the city in future. The idea of having an elevated train (LRTS) and east-west metro corridor is basically to provide a mass transit in the city,” Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said at the function where the MoU was signed.

source: Indian Express

but i don't know which reporter wrote this "1,040-km-long elevated tracks from Barrackpore to Joka,"
it's a big misprint there.

yeah , should have been a 40KM stretch between barrackpore to Joka

[Raghu0307]

really nice brothers, to hear such a project being implemented. I wish when do the people in other states take a note of all this. By far one of the most under rated cities..

way to go kolkata!!!

[SarafIndian]

Thanks for a separate thread. I was very busy for last couple of days and not abled to join you guys. It is great that they have taken the steps (Even it is just before the election as we know). But there are many obstacles waiting ahead. Land will be the problem again. Just look at the route. I will be surprised if they can manage a single acre of land. Though I always say lets hope for the best. Btw, I would not mind if our CM (or CPM) uses these projects for the election purpose. After all who wants to see that ugly lady as a CM of west Bengal? I want Buddha babu to be our CM again.

[kolkatausa]

Originally Posted by SarafIndian

Thanks for a separate thread. I was very busy for last couple of days and not abled to join you guys. It is great that they have taken the steps (Even it is just before the election as we know). But there are many obstacles waiting ahead. Land will be the problem again. Just look at the route. I will be surprised if they can manage a single acre of land. Though I always say lets hope for the best. Btw, I would not mind if our CM (or CPM) uses these projects for the election purpose. After all who wants to see that ugly lady as a CM of west Bengal? I want Buddha babu to be our CM again.

good news. land won't be much of a problem, because the track will be set atop an existing road.

[Suncity]

I read somewhere that they will submit the feasabilty study for this project in Sept 2009 and construction will start only in 2010.

The route shown will go through some of the busiest and densest parts of Kolkata. How do they plan to build this without causing too much inconvenience is a question. If they need land, then it will be a major headache.

The self declared intellectuals of Bengal plus Miss Mamata will oppose for the sake of opposing. And if Mamata Bannerjee wins the up coming elections then she will probably scrap all development projects and ask people of Bengal to sow potato in the fields and sell garments on footpaths.

The state government seems to be in a foundation stone laying spree because of the elections. Hopefully most of the projects will not meet the same fate as many of the earlier projects.

[kolkatausa]

Originally Posted by Suncity

I read somewhere that they will submit the feasabilty study for this project in Sept 2009 and construction will start only in 2010.

The route shown will go through some of the busiest and densest parts of Kolkata. How do they plan to build this without causing too much inconvenience is a question. If they need land, then it will be a major headache.

The self declared intellectuals of Bengal plus Miss Mamata will oppose for the sake of opposing. And if Mamata Bannerjee wins the up coming elections then she will probably scrap all development projects and ask people of Bengal to sow potato in the fields and sell garments on footpaths.

The state government seems to be in a foundation stone laying spree because of the elections. Hopefully most of the projects will not meet the same fate as many of the earlier projects.

Actually she won't. Mamata was the pro-industrialization voice of WB until the government turned pro-industrialization. Mamata's agitation is for the sake of agitating the government and also to get votes. If Mamata comes to power, she will also follow a pro-industrialization policy but the idea of her coming to power is laughable. She is too ugly for politics. She should try her luck somewhere else...I am looking for a maid.

[jpatokal]

"First"? The privately funded DLF LRT in Gurgaon is way ahead of you.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...0#post17870530

The dates in the article above are all wrong, but HUDA released the RFQ in December 2008, DLF is the sole bidder, and construction should begin in 2009.

[SarafIndian]

Originally Posted by jpatokal

"First"? The privately funded DLF LRT in Gurgaon is way ahead of you.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...0#post17870530

Chill man. No one here to compete with Gurgaon etc. We would be happy if they make it. Whether it is before or after Gurgaon, it hardly makes any difference to us. And we will be proud if Gurgaon gets the first LRT in the country.

[HopePersists]

Kolkata: While the state government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the country’s first Light Rail Transit System (LRTS) in Kolkata, it’s not sure how it will raise funds for the Rs 4,500-crore project that will link the city’s southern suburbs and northern suburbs.
The MoU for the project was signed on Wednesday at a function that was attended by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The first proposal for monorail project was submitted in 1994-95 by the Mukund group but was rejected outright. A modified LRTS project was again mooted in 2004 and the state government announced that the project would come up in 4-5 years. The project, however, remained mothballed.

Though the foundation stone for the mega monorail project has been laid, the state government is still waiting for a detailed project report and funds.

S S Chakraborty, chairman, Consulting Engineering Services (India) Pvt Ltd, the consultancy firm for the project, admitted that the project had been hanging fire for want of funds. “Initially, we went for the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme for which we needed to proceed through the Union urban development ministry and the Planning Commission. We were asked to submit a mobility plan by the Planning Commission, which we did a few years ago. But we are yet to receive any response,” said Chakraborty.

“We were told if we get the funds for the project under the JNNURM scheme, then funds for all other projects under it may dry up. So, we had to drop the idea,” said Chakraborty. “At present, some funds will come from the finance partners of the consortium for which they will collect the royalty for the next 30 years after the project is completed. Some amount of funds will be received from advertisements and rest of the funds will be given by the state government which is equivalent to viability gap funding,” he added.

The state had also urged for a viability gap funding for the project but was denied by the Centre, said a senior transport official.

The CES is not even sure what amount has to be funded by the state and whether it will be able to afford it.

A CES official said the LRTS project was delayed since the state government wanted to go slow on it as the funds for the East-West Metro Corridor project was also not arranged till then.

“It’s only after the Japan Bank for International Cooperation agreed to give loan for the East-West Metro Corridor project that we got the nod for proceeding with the LRTS project,” said the official.

There is a little scope of getting loans from the international banks for the project as the Asian Development Bank does not fund transport projects and the World Bank did not take any interest in it.

State transport secretary Sumantra Cowdhury refused to comment saying he is too busy.

source: Indian Express

[Kewl Batty]

LOL.. the govt. is crazy!!! It is doing in the reverse order... First they should be sure of wat the funds will be and where it'd come from, only then it's should propose...
Proposed now.. no funds, dpr and feasibility.. wat now!!

[kolkatausa]

Originally Posted by Kewl Batty

LOL.. the govt. is crazy!!! It is doing in the reverse order... First they should be sure of wat the funds will be and where it'd come from, only then it's should propose...
Proposed now.. no funds, dpr and feasibility.. wat now!!

they are talking about the monorail not the LRTS. The LRTS will be the first in the country.

besides the source is Indiaexpress...haha....not sure we can trust them.