Hyderabad Transportation thread

[rizwan3]

Miyapur bus terminal to cost Rs. 100 crore


Project to be taken up on design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis

It is expected to reduce traffic woes in and around the city

HMDA has called for interested developers for the project

HYDERABAD: The ambitious proposal of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to set up an Inter City Bus Terminal spreading over 55 acres at Miyapur is to come up at a cost of Rs.100 crore.

To be located at a site on Miyapur-Kompally Intermediate Ring Road, the project is to be taken up on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis.

Among a host of other features it is to have bus bays/platforms for outstation buses as well as city buses, budget hotel and dormitories, rest rooms for drivers, restaurants, convenient shops and health centre. Apart from ATMs and bank extension centres for the crew, it will have bus repair/service centres, filling stations and auto spare parts. The HMDA has called for interested developers for the project which is expected to come up with minimum development obligations within three years of the agreement.

These obligations include one lakh sft commuter terminal, 200 bus bays and platforms for outstation buses, 30 bus bays for city buses apart from idle parking for 1,000 buses.

The other features to be incorporated in the terminal which when ready is expected to reduce traffic woes in and around the city include budget hotel with 100 rooms and dormitories that could accommodate 750 drivers. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister K. Rosaiah has approved the Master Plan of Core Hyderabad Area and a G.O. likely to be issued in a couple of days. With this, the process initiated almost two years back on the Master Plan reached a culmination. “It is completed and the approval gives us satisfaction,” said HMDA Commissioner B.P. Acharya.

[Prodigist]

Bus Rapid Transit System in doldrums

The much-hyped Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) from Rethibowli to JNTU Kukatpally is in doldrums with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) unable to raise funds for the proposed project. As a result, the corporation has put formation of the special purpose vehicle (SPV) for BRTS on hold.

The 18-km stretch, one of the busiest routes in the city, from Rethibowli-Hi-Tec City-JNTU at Kukatpally was chosen for BRTS as there is scope for widening and development of the road.

The Unified Metropolitan Traffic Authority (UMTA) had last year decided to tap about Rs 180 crore under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to take up BRTS. However, the Union government kept the project pending as Andhra Pradesh had utilised Rs 2,475 crore more than the allocated funds. Another 38 projects, worth about Rs 3,392 crore, are still pending with the government.

With no signs of fresh sanctions to the state, the UMTA and GHMC are planning to take a soft loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has already taken loan for the Outer Ring Road (ORR) phase II and the Hussainsagar cleaning programme.

The state government is under pressure to take up the project as it assured the Bhure Lal Committee on Action Plan for Improvement of Air Quality in Hyderabad. The GHMC assured the committee at the recently held meeting that SPV for BRTS would be formed as soon as possible.

"The proposals for formation of SPV are being prepared and sent to the state government for approval. The GHMC commissioner will be chairman of the SPV and one of the executive directors of APSRTC will act as managing director of the proposed SPV," a senior GHMC official told TOI.

Officials see no purpose in forming an SPV unless the state government gets funds for BRTS. BRTS for the city was proposed three years ago. Feasibility studies were conducted on major routes like Uppal-Mehdipatnam, Uppal-Aramghar and other areas. Finally, it was decided to have BRTS on Rethibowli-Kukatpally stretch.

Last year, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) had completed a feasibility study and submitted a report, including environmental and social assessment study and preliminary designs.

It was decided that while GHMC would provide infrastructure facilities for BRTS like road widening, APSRTC would provide buses and operate them on the this route.

[razzy]

Television sets in buses on the anvil

Staff Reporter

Hyderabad: The APSRTC in an effort to provide information and entertainment to passengers while travelling is planning to install television sets in buses. The Corporation plans to install television sets in all its buses, including Garuda, Super Luxury, Deluxe, Express, Pallevelugu and in all city services.

To begin with, television sets will be installed in Garuda, Super Luxury and Deluxe buses and then the service would be extended to other buses in a couple of months. The contract to install television sets was bagged by Mega Engineering Infrastructure Limited, a private firm, said APSRTC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director B. Prasada Rao.

This would serve as a double advantage for the corporation. While, passengers would be entertained during the journey, the service provider would pay a rent monthly of Rs. 225 per bus to the Corporation, informed Mr. Rao.

By installing televisions in buses, the corporation intends to generate revenues by telecasting commercial advertisements, propagate its offers and services to commuters besides, providing entertainment to commuters during their journey in buses.

[dineshpkm]

i saw new kind of tata marcopolo last week

[rizwan3]

No funds for improvement of MMTS services!

Arrival of pending six rakes from the ICF in Chennai is far from likely

Bureaucratic maze delays payment of 22 crore to Integral Coach Factory

It takes 9 months from payment date to deliver coaches to SCR

HYDERABAD: South Central Railway's plan to improve MMTS services once the pending six rakes or trains with nine coaches each arrive from the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, is unlikely to fructify. That's because the pending payment of Rs. 22 crore to ICF continues to be stuck in a bureaucratic maze, despite an official order being issued in the first week of July clearing the release of money.

Even as letters were being exchanged between the railway authorities, GHMC officials and the mandarins in the Secretariat, the latest is that the Finance Department claims there was no money to be released!

Quite shocking, since funds were cleared at the high political level following persistent efforts put in by the officials concerned to get the seemingly meagre payment cleared. The official papers have been moved through at least 15 different stages for releasing the money and at times, the file papers were not being circulated for some flimsy reason or other.

The payment had been pending with the Finance Department for quite sometime before an initiative was taken to clear at the level of the Chief Minister's Office as well as the Chief Secretary. All hopes of getting rakes anytime soon are going to be dashed since it could take at least nine months from the date of payment for the ICF to manufacture the coaches and deliver them to SCR, point out senior officials.

The ICF had earlier put the amount at Rs. 14.64 crore as there was already a sum of Rs. 13.80 crore available with it. The total cost for the six trains was estimated to be Rs. 56.88 crore with the Railways and government sharing the cost equally. The amount escalated to Rs. 18 crore and to Rs. 22 crore due to the delay.

Once the new rakes arrive, the number of daily services can be increased from the current 104 and more commuters can travel as some of the six-coach trains will be given the extra three coaches. Phase one project was taken up on 50:50 cost sharing venture of Indian Railways and State government by strengthening the existing rail infrastructure at a total cost of Rs. 178 crore in 2003. Only 10 trains of the proposed 16 trains were delivered when the services were launched.

More than 1.3 lakh commuters travel by MMTS on the Secunderabad-Hyderabad-Lingampalli (28 km) and Secunderabad-Falaknuma (15 km) routes oblivious to frequency hassles and lack of feeder services from stations.

[us2cyberabad]

MMTS services to be beefed up soon, says SCR
source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/hydera...es/207481.html

Read more: MMTS services to be beefed up soon, says SCR - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...#ixzz0zyjkbLan
HYDERABAD: Eight more Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) services and the much-awaited train tracking system will be launched by March 2011. Also, the South Central Railway (SCR) has agreed to introduce Sunday services between Falaknuma and Lingampally on a trial basis soon.

The SCR officials have assured to introduce the new services during non-peak hours during a meeting with MMTS Travellers' Group here a couple of days ago.

Officials said that trials have been conducted successfully for mobile satellite service-based Train Tracking and Passenger Information System for MMTS trains and Auto Generated Public Address System at all MMTS stations for efficient announcements. "The project costing Rs two crore has been sanctioned and will be in place by the end of the financial year," they added.

Lingampally, Hi-Tec City, Hafizpet, Borabanda, Bharatnagar and Uppuguda railway stations have been identified as very busy stations and additional counters would be installed there.

"The group requested the officials to have contracts in place for cleaning of trains, seats and overhead bins too. If there is any change in the dedicated platforms for MMTS trains at Secunderabad station, officials have agreed to make announcement in advance. Display of timings board will also be provided at six more places at the Secunderabad station for commuters," K Vijayraghavan of MMTS Travellers' Groups told STOI.

The SCR agreed to provide shelter at Hi- Tec City railway station at a cost of Rs 90 lakh and lighting facilities at a cost of Rs 80 lakh at Lingampally and Fatehnagar stations which are expected to be completed by the first quarter of next year.

On security aspect, the SCR officials said 214 Home Guards have been posted at MMTS stations, ensuring that in each shift there would be at least two to four guards at every station. "Each MMTS train is being escorted by an RPF personnel and two Home Guards," they added.

[rizwan3]

MMTS to operate specials

Staff Reporter

Hyderabad: The South Central Railway in order to clear extra rush of passengers in connection with the Ganesh idol immersion is operating 15 special trains on different routes from Wednesday 10 p.m. to Thursday 4 a.m.

Accordingly, GHF-1 Hyderabad-Falaknuma special train will depart Hyderabad at 11.10 p.m. and arrive Secunderabad at 11.40 and depart at 11.45 p.m. and arrive Falaknuma at 12.15 a.m.

GHF-2 Hyderabad-Falaknuma special train will depart Hyderabad at 1.50 a.m. and arrive Secunderabad at 2.20 a.m. and depart at 2.30 a.m. and arrive Falaknuma at 3.00 a.m.

GFH-1 Falaknuma - Hyderabad special train will depart Falaknuma at 12.25 a.m. and arrive Secunderabad at 12.55 a.m. and depart at 1.00 a.m. and arrive Hyderabad at 1.30 a.m.

GFH-2 Falaknuma-Hyderabad special train will depart Falaknuma at 3.10 a.m. and arrive Secunderabad at 3.40 a.m. and depart at 3.50 a.m. and arrive Hyderabad at 4.20 a.m.

GHL-1 Hyderabad-Lingampalli special train will depart Hyderabad at 10.50 p.m. and arrive Lingampalli at 11.30 p.m.

Hyderabad-Lingampalli special train GHL-2 will depart Hyderabad at 12.40 a.m. and arrive Lingampalli at 1.20 a.m. Hyderabad-Lingampalli special train GHL-3 will depart Hyderabad at 1.20 a.m. and arrive Lingampalli at 02.00 a.m. Hyderabad-Lingampalli Special train GHL-4 will depart Hyderabad at 1.00 a.m. and arrive Lingampalli at 1.40 a.m.

GLH-1 Lingampalli- Hyderabad special train will depart Lingampalli at 11.40 p.m. and arrive Hyderabad at 12.20 a.m. GLH-2 Lingampalli- Hyderabad special train will depart Lingampalli at 1.30 a.m. and arrive Hyderabad at 12.20 a.m. GLH-3 Lingampalli- Hyderabad special train will depart Lingampalli at 1.20 a.m. and arrive Hyderabad at 2.00 a.m.

GLS-1 Lingampalli-Secunderabad MMTS special train will leave Lingampalli at 2.00 a.m.and arrive Secunderabad at 2.40 a.m

GSH-1 Secunderabad-Hyderabad special train will leave Secunderabad at 11.20 p.m. and arrive Hyderabad at 11.50 p.m. GSH-2 will leave Secunderabad at 11.50 p.m. and arrive Hyderabad at 12.20 a.m.


GHS-1 Hyderabad- Secunderabad special train will leave Hyderabad at 2.20 a.m. and arrive Secunderabad at 2.50 a.m., said a press release.

[p.raghavendra6]

Source: The Hindu

SCR launches Mathrubhoomi



HYDERABAD: Women passengers plying in MMTS trains can now enjoy hassle-free journey as South Central Railway (SCR) on Monday launched the much-awaited Mathrubhoomi ladies special on Falaknuma-Lingampally route.

Everyday over 40,000 women passengers commute in MMTS trains across different destinations in twin cities. Two exclusive ladies special services would be operated on the Falaknuma-Lingampally route and they would be guarded by lady security personnel and ticket checking staff will also be ladies.

Besides, Mathrubhoomi ladies special trains, SCR has also launched Hyderabad-Ajmer bi-weekly express, Kacheguda-Mahabubnagar, Kacheguda- Miryalguda Diesel Electrical Multiple Unit (DEMU) passenger trains.

Chief Minister K. Rosaiah flagged off these trains at Kacheguda Railway station in the presence of Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister said Hyderabad-Ajmer express was a special train as it connects pilgrims from different religions. The State and Central governments should work in coordination and come up with such services, which aid in passengers' convenience, he said.

Facilities

South Central Railway General Manager M.S. Jayanth said passenger amenities, including extension of platform shelters, Online train tracking system, better illumination would be taken up at all the MMTS station in twin cities with a cost of Rs.6 crore.

Mr. Jayanth further informed Kacheguda railway station would be developed by installation of escalators, second entry from the Amberpet side and construction of new waiting halls at the station. All these works would be taken up with a cost of Rs. 22 crore and would be completed in a year's time, he added.

The MMTS Travellers Group appreciated the inauguration of Mathrubhoomi (ladies special) MMTS service.

Describing it as a milestone on the history of MMTS, the group said this would be of great help to women passengers, in a press release issued here on Monday.

They also requested the government to cooperate with South Central Railway and augment MMTS services and also release funding necessary for commencement of phase-II works.

[rizwan3]

City awaits its mega bus bay

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad will get Asia's largest bus station when the Rs 100-crore Inter City Bus Terminal (ICBT) housing 200 bus bays comes up at Miyapur near Kukatpally, the civil works for which is likely to begin in January, 2011. This facility will be bigger than the present Koyambedu Bus Terminal in Chennai, which has 180 bus bays.

Once this facility becomes operational, inter-city and out-station buses, which currently operate from Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) in Imliban, Old City, may not be allowed to enter the city limits. The distance between ICBT and MGBS is 20 kms.

The construction of the bus bay is likely to take two years' time.

The 162-kms Outer Ring Road (ORR), part of which has been constructed, is expected to be completely ready in 2012.

APSRTC is yet to draw a proposal on providing city bus services to ICBT from various areas of Secenderabad-Hyderabad. However, the proposed metro rail project will have a station just two kms from the proposed ICBT, thus providing passengers an alternate connectivity. The rail connectivity is scheduled to be operational on this corridor by 2015.

The ICBT will be used by APSRTC buses and other buses of government-owned coporations from other states. As of now, APSRTC and other state government-owned corporation buses put together, operate 3,500 buses carrying about 1.20 lakh passengers every day. The ICBT will also be used by city buses.

Two developers, GKC consortium and DEC consortium, have come forward to take up the project. The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the project has been completed, while technical evaluation is likely to take place next week. Financial bids are expected to be completed in two months.

The mega project, which will come up on 55 acres land at Miyapur, is being taken up by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) under Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis, HMDA chief engineer V Madhwaraja told TOI.

The ICBT will come up on the Miyapur-Kompally intermediate ring road connecting National Highway 9, about two kms from Miyapur crossroads.

HMDA will sign an agreement with the developer, leasing the ICBT for 33 years which includes construction period, after which it would be transferred to the Authority.

The developer will make revenue from commercial space, while HMDA will be paid an annual lease rent during the concession period. The developer who wins the bid would be required to pay upfront authorisation premium of Rs 10 crore at the time of signing of agreement.

The developer cannot use more than 20 per cent of the passenger waiting area and platform bays for commercial use in the ground floor.

[dr_thapalathy]

guys, please post more info about the Garuda buses in APSRTC and the city volvo buses running in various cities of AP???

[rizwan3]

http://www.hindu.com/2010/10/24/stor...2462810500.htm

Technical clearance awaited for bus terminus at Miyapur


55 acres earmarked for the project

Terminus to have 200 bus bays and platforms meant for outstation buses

With a host of associated facilities, it is to be set up under the PPP mode

HYDERABAD: The proposal to set up an Inter City Bus Terminal at Miyapur by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has been submitted for technical clearance. After this clearance is given, the proposal is to be forwarded to the financial committee for necessary approvals before work could be started.

The dedicated bus terminal facility, with a host of associated facilities, is to be set up under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode at an estimated cost of Rs.100 crore. Expected to take shape as one of the biggest such facility in the country, a site of 55 acres has been earmarked for it on Miyapur-Kompally Intermediate Ring Road.

Proposed on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis, the model bus terminus envisages at coming up with several ancillary facilities including those meant for the crew. These are to include a budget hotel for drivers and staff, convenient shops, adequate food courts, health centres and also dormitories.

The Inter City Bus Terminus would come up in such a way that it can earmark 200 bus bays and platforms exclusively meant for outstation buses and another 30 bays for buses shuttling to and fro from the city.

“The technical committee is evaluating the proposal and sought some clarifications ,” the HMDA officials informed.

[Prodigist]

RTC’s dream terminals along Outer Ring Road

It’s been almost a year since a proposal has been made to construct city bus terminals-cum-depots (TCD) along the Outer Ring Road (ORR), but things have not moved an inch yet. Not to speak of construction, even land to locate these facilities has not yet been identified by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).RTC officials proposed to construct 22 TCDs at various locations along the ORR for the convenience of commuters.

They planned these terminals to be full-fledged facilities, akin to malls, providing everything to the commuter from provisions to food courts. Commuters could park their vehicles in the terminals, catch a bus to work, come back and on the way home pick up necessary things at the terminal itself

The RTC officials held several rounds of discussions with the HMDA officials for identification of suitable government sites to take up construction of the TCDs. However, the HMDA, which is the authority to alienate the government land to the RTC, has not yet moved on the proposal.

The issue was even discussed in the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), the apex body led by the chief secretary to deal with traffic and transport issues under the HMDA jurisdiction, but still there has not been much progress from the urban body’s side.“With the city expanding fast to the suburbs, there is a need to catch up by providing amenities in the suburbs which are going to be hubs of development in the future,” an RTC official said. “We are hopeful that the land will be allocated to us soon as it is important to provide transport facility between the city and its suburbs,” officials said.

[World8115]

Source

The 60-foot stretch on the Begumpet road-over-bridge, which is weak and cannot take vehicular load, is finally all set to be strengthened and thrown open for vehicular traffic.

Pragati Consultants, a technical firm that was given the task of studying and suggesting ways of fortifying the weak portion of flyover, will submit its report by month end.

It will then be sent to the South Central Railway and the Indian Institute of Technology for clearance, the GHMC engineer-in-chief, Dr Panduranga Rao, said. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation will carry out the fortification work. Normally, it is the Railways that take up construction or repairs on road over bridges that stretch over railway tracks. But in the case of the Begumpet flyover, the GHMC stepped in after the SCR dilly-dallied on the issue.

Currently, the 60-foot weak stretch has a road divider, or to be precise, a footpath that was not removed when the new Greenlands flyover was merged with the Begumpet RoB.

The footpath is a major bottleneck for vehicular traffic. This divider was constructed by the SCR authorities 23 years ago when it constructed the portion of the flyover over the railway tracks.

Dr Rao said the stretch is weak because right below it are the railway tracks. “When the Begumpet RoB was constructed, no one had thought that the RoB would be widened later.”

It may be mentioned that the GHMC had swung into action only after the then Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, had pulled up officials for leaving a road divider in the middle of the flyover.

[stormmaker]

HYDERABAD: Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday flagged off 27 low floor buses, including five AC buses from ECIL depot.

The new fleet is equipped with auto transmission technology, which will enable the driver to do away with pressing clutch and shifting gears in busy city traffic.

RTC officials said that these AC buses cost Rs 50 lakh and the non AC low floor buses will cost Rs 45 lakh each.

APSRTC ED G Jayarao said that within a month, another 27 AC and 167 non AC low floor buses will be added to the city bus fleet.

The new AC buses will be operated in busy routes like Secunderabad - Mehdipatnam, Koti - Kondapur/KPHB, Dilsukhnagar - Patancheru and Jubilee Bus Station - Falaknuma.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/7119980.cms

[stormmaker]

Hyderabad, Dec. 17: The Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, on Friday inaugurated the Commuter Amenity Centre at ECIL crossroads and flagged off 27 new Metro buses that will be plying on the city roads.

The new amenity centre will let people park their personal vehicles at the terminal and then travel by bus to and from their destinations.

In addition to this the centre will also have an e-seva centre, internet café, banks, ATMs, restaurants, a supermarket, an emergency medical aid centre, a passenger information system, dormitories and many other facilities.

The bus depot will have 12 platforms with as many as 300 buses plying to and from the terminal. The buses will make 2,000 trips every day and will cater to 1.40 lakh passengers

Similar amenity centres will come up in 10 other locations in the city under the JNNURM scheme at a cost of `162.13 crores.

Earlier in the day, NSUI activists had raised slogans demanding that the bus depot be named after YSR.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/hyder...etro-buses-755

[vijayv3705]

Hi guys,
I travelled by the new Marcopolo from Kothi to KPHB. The buses are good but the problem is really with the maintenance of these buses. The conductors and drivers can certainly close the doors but they don't.

Government has spent a fortune on these vehicles but the RTC does not care for the condition of these buses even after charging some hefty amount.

[dineshpkm]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[World8115]

Source

After keeping the proposal in cold storage for more than a decade, plans to construct a road under bridge (RuB) near the busy Safilguda station, has finally taken shape.

The proposed RuB will be a four-lane underpass.

Construction will be taken up by the South Central Railway (SCR) along with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) at a cost of more than `31 crore. The cost will be shared in the ratio of 1:3.

Proposal for the RuB was initiated in 2000 by the erstwhile Malkajgiri municipality but was held up because of delay in land acquisition. After formation of GHMC, the matter was taken up vigorously with Defence authorities and the proposal was accepted in principle in February 2008.

M\s Stup Consultants prepared a detailed project report which gave options of both a road over bridge and RuB. However, a RuB was preferred as it would keep the junction at the level crossing active. Secondly, substantial reduction of land acquisition was possible, from 14,000 sq m for the RoB to 11,000 sq m for RuB. The proposal was given final clearance from the GHMC in 2009.

Railway authorities while accepting the four-lane bridge proposal have suggested to stick to the two-lane underpass for calculating cost sharing proposals and are insisting for extra cost to be borne by the GHMC.

Cost of bridge proper (railway portion) is going to be around `15 crore, with approach roads costing `16 crore. GHMC Standing Committee which met last week, gave green signal to the RuB.

[raghussc]

Thank God atlast ! I'll be happy when I see the first construction worker at the site ! It's such a horrendous junction in the whole city !

[Babji]

Date:09/02/2011 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2011/02/09/s...0962300300.htm

Transportation study: panel favours LEA Associates

Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD: For the Comprehensive Transportation Study (CTS) being taken up by Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) along with other civic bodies, the technical advisory committee has recommended LEA Associates South Asia in joint venture with LEA International, Canada, which quoted the lowest of Rs.11.34 crore.

Vast experience: In a press release issued here on Tuesday, the HMDA informed that the firm has over 40 years of international and Indian experience in traffic and transportation projects such as Comprehensive Transportation Study for Mumbai, Delhi etc.

The firm is also involved in Mono Rail, mass transit projects of Mumbai and Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) for Ahmedabad.

Team of professionals: For the CTS, the firm will be engaging a team of 15 professionals led by T.S. Reddy, Transportation Engineer, who served as Head of the Department for T&T Department in Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi; John T. Long, Transport Specialist from Canada; John Farrow, Urban Development and Finance Specialist; H.M. Shivanand Swamy of CEPT; Vidyadhar Phatak and B.I.Singal, Railway Planner/Engineer who worked in Metro Rail for Hong Kong, Taipei and Delhi, according to the release.