Urban Transport Infrastructure July 2021

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ISSN 2581-8023 COVER INR 300

World’s exclusive Journal for Urban Mobility Industry loved by 10 million readers worldwide

VOLUME III ISSUE 16 JULY 2021

Anniversary Special 6 years of Smart Cities Mission India

Freight Smart Cities India unveils plan to develop 75 freight smart cities

Station Redevelopment First Airport-like Railway Station launched in India

Case Study Unsung Success Story of iBus – Indore BRTS

Hydrogen for Travelling Use of Hydrogen as a transportation fuel

SMART CITIES Transforming lives with technology Scan from here to read online

infrastructure

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URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE | JULY 2021 | ISSUE 16

REGULAR COLUMNS

06

Editorial Advisory Board

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Subscription Form

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Editor’s Note

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Round Up

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Editorial Calendar and Rate Card

24 INTERVIEW 24 32 36

EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE 21 14 14

India celebrating Six Years of Urban Transformation

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Role of Freight Smart Cities to enhance Urban Freight System

Managing Director, NCRTC

H. K. Raghu

Executive Director (Urban Transport & HS), RDSO

Saurabh Choudhary CEO, BizSpan

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

27 Years of Delhi Metro

By Metro Rail Today, New Delhi

Vinay Kumar Singh

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Rail Infra and Mobility Business Summit & Awards 2021 (Second Edition)

By Urban Transport News

By Urban Transport News

By India Brand Equity Foundation

We’ve completed three years in media business on 24th July, 2021.

Thank you readers for all your efforts and accomplishments!

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URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE JULY 2021

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40 BRTS

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HYDROGEN FOR TRANSPORT Bus Rapid Transit Systems in India: An Overview

By B. Dakshinya, Member of NOSPlan, JNAFAU

ARTICLES/OPINION

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Moving cities toward a cleaner future

By Kartik Gopal & Maria Lopez Konde, IFC Infrastructure

Sustainable Transportation Opportunities for India

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Hydrogen For Traveling

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Hydrogen as a transportation fuel in India

By Jatinder Cheema & Faiza Khan, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

STATION DEVELOPMENT 26

Gandhinagar Capital: India’s first Airport like Railway station inaugurated in Gujarat

By Urban Transport News

By Dr. Ashish Nayan, Manager, Deloitte India

Semi High-Speed Rail: A cost-effective sustainable transportation model

By Claudio Descalzi, CEO, Eni S.p.A.

PROJECT STUDY iBus: The Unsung Success Story in Urban Bus Transport

By V. Ajeeth Kumar, MD, K-RAIL

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Electric buses could decarbonise Indian public transport

EVENTS

By Prashanth Bachu, Urban Planning Specialist, Gear Change

By Muralidhar Swaminathan, Journalist

India’s cities need to be sustainable, not smart

By Jasmine Singh, Arvind Unni & T. S. Panwar

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Event Report: Building upon the success of UITP India Bus Seminar 2021

57

Industry Event Calendar 2021

By UITP India

URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE JULY 2021

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URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Our distinguished advisory board has been assembled to guide Urban Transport Infrastructure Journal to become even more representative of rail, metro and urban transport industry. Members have been invited from the highest levels of the industry and academic/research institutions to ensure high quality content so that the journal can continue on its path of success.

Karuna Gopal Smart Cities Advisor Foundation for Futuristic Cities, Hyderabad

Dr. Richa Chowdhary Associate Professor University of Delhi, New Delhi

Dr. Surabhi Singh Associate Professor Institute of Management Studies (IMS), Ghaziabad

Ar. Priyanka Kumar Urban Planner Regional Centre for Urban & Environmental Studies, Lucknow

Dr. Vivek Vaidyanathan Sudhanshu Mani, IRSME Urban Transport Scientist Urban Rail Expert Center for Study of Science, Ex-GM/ICF, Indian Railways Technology & Policy (CSTEP), Bangalore

Rajesh Agrawal Corporate Consultant, Former Member (Rolling Stock), Railway Board

MC Chauhan, IRSEE Railway Expert Ex. Chairman –KMRC, Ex. GM/NCR, Indian Railways

Keshav Mishra Dr. Valavan Amudhan Rail & Transit Infra Expert, Public Transport Expert Vice President, GR Infraprojects Executive Director-TECHSACS

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VOL. III / ISSUE 16

JULY 2021

Mamta Shah Managing Editor Vinod Shah Head - Marketing Anushka Khare Associate Editor Naomi Pandya Associate Editor Surya Prakash Head of Design Vandana Shukla Production Manager Himani Gupta Marketing Manager Urban Transport Infrastructure is being published monthly by:

Urban Transport News F-35, First Floor, Pankaj Grand Plaza, Mayur Vihar Phase-I, New Delhi-110091 Tel: 011-4248 4505, +91-9716 4545 05 E-mail: editor@urbantransportnews.com Web: www.urbantransportnews.com Subscriptions: Metro Rail News Magazine is sent without obligation to professionals and key opinion leaders working in urban transport industry in India and other countries.

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Disclaimer: The facts and opinions expressed by the authors/contributors here do not reflect the views of editorial team or editorial board of Urban Transport News or Metro Rail Today Magazine.

Dear Readers, While we're delighted to celebrate the third anniversary of Urban Transport News with some insightful reminiscences, our focus this year is, as always, on the current state and future of urban rail and transportation industry.

When it comes to marking anniversaries, publications can sometimes mire themselves in the past. Well, while we're delighted to note and celebrate the 3rd anniversary of Urban Transport News with some insightful reminiscences, our focus this year is, as always, squarely on the current state and future of the transportation industry.

In a world where innovation, managing change and new skills and knowledge are demanded, innovators are in the process of researching and developing solutions in view of ‘new normal’ and they need all the most current information they can get. This will help them make a wise, forward-looking decision.

So, again this year, we're offering an exciting mix of features, plus realtime updates that will, we hope, give new professionals the useful advice and helpful information that they'll need as they engage in their professional life for the first time.

I'd like to thank everyone involved in this year's edition (with a special thanks to our highly skilled editorial advisory board members). Without their efforts, and the work of those who have launched and sustained our news portal and this journal over the last years, we'd have nothing to celebrate, so please enjoy!

Kindly share your valuable feedback so that we can improve and provide more useful information to our readers in future editions.

Stay Safe and Stay Happy!

Mamta Shah Managing Editor editor@urbantransportnews.com

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URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE JULY 2021

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ROUND UP

HIGHLIGHTS OF MAY - JUNE the next two years, following his tenure as UITP Vice President.

Dubai RTA unveils Zero Emission Plan for the City Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) had unveiled a long-term plan to have zero emissions public transport in Dubai by 2050. As such, RTA becomes the first government body in the MENA region to map out such a comprehensive plan for public transport and related infrastructure.

KMRL, Kerala Govt. sign MoU for incorporation of SPV for O&M of Kochi Water Metro.

Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. (KMRL) and the Govt. of Kerala signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for incorporation of a special purpose vehicle, Kochi Water Metro Ltd (KWML) for Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the Kochi Integrated Water Transport Project.

LA Metro commences work on US$900mn Airport Metro Connector project The LA Metro Authority started work on Airport Metro Connector Project. The new LA Metro project will connect Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with the city’s transport network, with light rail and bus connections planned for the new transport hub.

UK Government agrees to fund £1.08 bn to Tranport for London for London Underground The Government of United Kingdom (UK) has agreed a third funding and financing package for Transport for London (TfL) worth around £1.08 billion, ensuring the continued running of London Underground network as the UK continues to progress along its roadmap through the COVID-19 pandemic.

UITP appointed Khalid Alhogail as President for 2021-2023 UITP has appointed its newest President after the General Assembly voted for Khalid Alhogail to take up the role for

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SBI sanctions Rs 372.5 crore loan for Noida International Airport Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) has secured loan worth Rs 372.5 crore from the State Bank of India (SBI) for development of the Noida (Jewar) International Greenfield Airport Project.

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ROUND UP

Govt. of India approves implementation of Phase 2A & 2B of Bangalore Metro

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) proposed development of metro corridor on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL).

The Union Cabinet of Government of India has approved implementation of the Phase 2A (KR Puram-Silk Board corridor) and Phase 2B (Airport Line) of Bangalore Metro Rail Project.

K-RIDE accords priority status to two corridors of Bengaluru suburban rail project UKMRC BoD approves implementation of Metro Neo system in Dehradun The Board of Directors of Uttarakhand Metro Rail, Urban Infrastructure and Buildings Construction Corporation Limited (UKMRC) has approved implementation of the Metro Neo System in Dehradun.

Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited (K-RIDE) accorded priority status to two corridors viz. Corridor 2 and 4 of the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (Bengaluru Commuter Rail System).

MMRDA commence dynamic testing and trial run on Mumbai Metro lines 2A, 7 The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) commenced dynamic testing and trial run on 20 km long priority sections of the Mumbai Metro Phase I Line 2A Project (Dahisar-DN Nagar) and the Mumbai Metro Phase III Line 7 (Andheri East-Dahisar East).

17 firms submit bids for execution of civil works at Dholera airport A total of 17 firms have submitted bids for detailed designing, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of airport infrastructure of operational area for 4E category operation of airport i.e. runway, taxiway, apron, perimeter road etc., including associated electrical works under Phase I for the Dholera (Federa) International Airport Project.

MMRDA proposes development of metro corridor on MTHL

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NIAL submits revised master plan of Noida airport to MoCA Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) has submitted the revised master plan of the Noida (Jewar) International Greenfield Airport Project to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).

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ROUND UP

Highways will achieve the target of 40 kilometers per day of highway construction in the current fiscal. He said that the Government of India is permitting 100% FDI in the road sector.

IIT Delhi launches Post Graduate Engineering Programme in Electric Mobility

Centre approves extension of Delhi-Panipat RRTS to Karnal

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi will start a new Post Graduate programme ‘M. Tech in Electric Mobility from academic session i.e. 2021-22. The programme will be offered by the Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART) at IIT Delhi. The IIT Delhi Board has recently given its approval to start the new M. Tech. programme.

The Union Cabinet of Government of India has approved the proposal of extension of the Delhi - Panipat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) Corridor to Karnal.

Wabtec to provide major rolling stock components for Delhi-Meerut RRTS Train Wabtec Corporation announced that it will support the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transport Systems (RRTS) with critical component orders valued at about $15 million for new rolling stock. The company will supply advanced technology brake systems, pantographs, roof disconnector switches and fully integrated passenger information systems to Alstom, which is building the coaches for the project.

Urban Transport News concluded three-day webinar series “Rail & Metro Infrastructure 2021”.

Urban Transport News and Metro Rail Today jointly concluded a 3-day on demand webinar series “Rail & Metro Infrastructure 2021” from June 28-30, 2021. In 14 sessions, a total of 34 national and international speakers and 796 delegates participated in the webinar programme.

The webinar was broadcasted on YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook platforms also. The programme was appreciated by key industry leaders and decision maker groups.

India targets road construction worth Rs 15 lakh crore in next two years The Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Nitin Gadkari said that the Government is giving utmost priority to the development of infrastructure and has set a target of road construction of worth Rs 15 lakh crores in next two years. He was confident that the Ministry for Road Transport & WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

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DDA focuses on Smart Public Transportation System in Delhi Master Plan 2041

RTA, ZTSR Group sign MoU for revival of suspended Sky Rail Transport in Dubai

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has issued a draft Master Plan 2041. The Master Plan 2041 of Delhi envisages a transport system equipped with state-of-the-art technology to encourage the use of public transport. This ranges from strategic corridors to redevelop the historic ring rail network to strengthen high-speed connectivity.

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that the authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zhong Tang Sky Railway Group as part of its endeavours to come up with innovative solutions for developing a futuristic suspended transport network in Dubai. The MoU signed between Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim Younes, CEO of Rail Agency (on behalf of RTA) and Tang Tong, Chairman of Zhong Tang Sky Train (on behalf of the Group) in presence of Jaber Al Bahandi, Chairman of Centurion Company (The UAE representative of Zhong Tang Sky Railway Group) and Tariq Al Bahandi, Head of Development at Centurion.

Wabtec, General Motors join hands to develop Hydrogen Fuel Cell Solutions for Rail Industry Wabtec Corporation and General Motors signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MoU) on June 15, 2021, to advance the two companies’ shared vision of a zero-emissions future in transportation. Wabtec will bring its expertise in energy management and systems optimization, to develop a solution for heavy haul locomotives that takes full advantage of GM’s advanced technologies.

Turkey plans to expand 16,700 km railway network by 2023 Turkey government is planning to expand its railway network by 16,775 kilometers by the Turkish Republic's 100th anniversary in 2023, said Adil Karaismailoğlu, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister on June 5, 2021. The current length of railways in the country is 12,803 kilometers, Karaismailoğlu told the media personnel in the central province of Yozgat adding that Turkey has made significant railway investments over the last 19 years.

NTPC REL to set up India’s first green Hydrogen Mobility project in Ladakh NTPC REL, a 100% subsidiary of NTPC, signed a MoU with the Union Territory of Ladakh, to set up the country’s first green Hydrogen Mobility project in the region.

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India celebrating Six Years of Urban Transformation  Vinod Shah, Head Communications, Urban Transport News

T

he purpose of the Smart Cities Mission is to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local area development and harnessing technology, especially technology that leads to Smart outcomes.

On June 25, 2021, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India has organised an online event on here today to commemorate 6 years of the three transformative Urban Missions vis. Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), which were launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 25, 2015. The Anniversary event highlighted some of the important initiatives being implemented under Smart Cities Mission.

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The event was presided by Shri Hardeep S. Puri, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Housing and Urban Affairs and was attended by key urban stakeholders from Central and State Governments including Principal Secretaries of States/UTs, Municipal Commissioners of Cities, and MDs/CEOs of Smart Cities. The date also marked the 45 years of establishment of National Institute of Urban Affairs, an autonomous body of MoHUA, tasked to bridge the gap between research and practice on issues related to urbanization.

Union Minister of State (I/C), MoHUA, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri released a short movie that encapsulated the Mission’s journey of six glorious years in fulfilling the dream of a pucca house for millions of Indians. In line with the vision of Prime Minister- ‘Housing for All’ by 2022, PMAY-U has registered outstanding success. So far, about 1.12 crore houses have been sanctioned for its beneficiaries, out of which more than 83 lakh houses are grounded and more than 50 lakh completed.

At the event which was attended by Secretary, MoHUA, Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, other senior officials of MoHUA, States/UTs/ULBs, a short movie contest ‘Khushiyon ka Ashiyana’ was declared open for students, youths, non-governmental organisations, institutions and individual/groups in the run up to India’s 75th Independence. Accordingly, 75 such movies under

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FROM THE HISTORY

diverse aspects of the Mission like Housing for All, Sapno ka Aashiyana, Laabharthiyon ki Zuban Se, Women Empowerment, Livelihood, Life Transformation will be selected by a jury of eminent persons. 25 awards each under the Gold, Silver and Bronze categories will be given away along with a cash prize and citation from MoHUA. A video testimonial ‘Ghar Hua Apna, Pura Hua Sapna’ of PMAY-U beneficiaries who have experienced life transformation on moving into a pucca house were also released at the event.

In addition, MoHUA announced that 75 ‘Awas Par Samvaad’ workshops will be held across States/UTs in Schools/Colleges/Institutions to propel the ‘Housing for All’ as a universal theme.

PMAY (U) implementation has followed the ethos of Cooperative Federalism in which MoHUA delegated powers to States / UTs for project formulation, appraisal and approval. Further, the success of the Mission can be attributed to its robust financial model of which, Direct Benefit Transfer has been a key element. Besides, use of Information Technology for real time monitoring and technological innovation, additional funding through Extra Budgetary Resource over and above Budgetary allocations have been major contributors. The houses sanctioned so far under the Mission involve an investment of Rs7.35 lakh crore with Central Assistance of Rs1.81 lakh crore. As of now, over Rs100,000 crore of Central Assistance has already been released. Infusion of such a large amount of funding has propelled the economy. For sustained funding support to keep the pace of construction activities, over and above Budgetary support, a corpus of Rs 60,000 crore through EBR was mobilized under National Urban Housing Fund (NUHF) wherein Rs 43,000 crores has already been drawn.

Affordable Housing Fund Rs20,000 crores are being utilized in the last 3 years.

Acknowledging the diversity in housing demand across various income groups of the country, for the first time interest subsidy on home loans have been given to MiddleIncome Group having annual income of up to Rs18 Lakh under PMAY-U’s Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS). Nearly 16 lakh beneficiaries belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Lower Income Group (LIG) and MIG have so far been brought under the fold of CLSS. Due to its forward and backward linkages to other sectors, the current investment made by the Government in the sector, has created almost an estimated 689 crore person days of employment translating into around 246 lakh jobs and led to consumption of 370 Lakh MT of cement and 84 Lakh MT of steel.

Over the years, the Government has taken up various measures for adopting construction technology reforms in WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

the housing. MoHUA organised Global Housing Technology Challenge India (GHTC-India) in 2019 to identify and mainstream globally best available proven construction technologies that are sustainable, green and disaster-resilient to enable a paradigm shift in affordable housing. On 1st January 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ushered the Nation into a new era of construction technology. He laid the foundation of six Light House Projects (LHPs) in the country through video conference.

The LHPs, that are being built under PMAY-U showcase the best of new-age alternate global technology in housing construction sector, selected through GHTC-India.

SMART CITIES MISSION PROGRESS Cities

100

Projects

5151

Proposed Investment (in Cr)

Rs205,018

Tendered Projects (in Cr)

Rs181,902

Work Order Stage (in Cr)

Rs150,180

Works Completed (in Cr)

Rs50,634

(Source: Smart Cities Mission Website)

As a response to the reverse migration taking place due to the COVID-19, MoHUA launched Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs), a sub-scheme under PMAY(U) for urban migrants/ poor. Under Model 1, a total of 2,588 houses have been made operational in Chandigarh and Surat (Gujarat)and RFPs are issued for 6,649 houses across other States. Under Model 2, so far, proposals for about 80,000 ARHC units have been received from Public/Private entities in 17 States/UTs. Second round of EoI has been issued on for shortlisting of additional entity with last date as 30th June 2021.

Investment under ARHCs is expected to create 11.74 crore person days of employment with 3.89 crore direct and 7.84 crore indirect in nature. In terms of jobs, it works out to be a total of 4.19 1akh with 1.39 lakh direct and 2.80 lakh indirect jobs. ARHC has elicited remarkable response on ground. Under Model 2 of the scheme, proposals from public/private entities for about 80,000 units have been received from across 17 States / UTs. Encouraged by thetraction, MoHUA has issued second EoI for inviting proposals under ARHCs. Nearly 22,000 PMAY-U houses were used as COVID facilities.

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COVER STORY

As the Mission moves ahead, there has been a need to address life transformation issues that arise out of moving into a new house and neighbourhood. To address this, ANGIKAAR, a campaign for social change management was initiated by ‘Housing for All’ (HFA) Mission on 29th August 2019. It has achieved the objective to build capacities of PMAY -U beneficiaries in adapting to change though door-to-door awareness on best practices in water & energy conservation, health, hygiene, sanitation and financial literacy.

Further, an enabled environment was created through convergence with various Urban Missions and schemes of other Central Ministries. It is an unique initiative in the urban housing sector that embraced and brought into its fold welfare oriented schemes of the State and Central Government.

A campaign of this magnitude in the urban housing sector is a result of the collective efforts and proactive participation of PMAY (U) beneficiaries, States / UTs / ULBs and elected representatives. Around 18,500 ANGIKAAR Resource Persons were trained by about 2,200 specialists of City Level Technical Cells (CLTCs) working in 4,427 cities of PMAY (U). They acted as foot soldiers and helped propagate the message of the campaign.

Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation (AMRUT) Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is the first focused national water Mission and was launched on 25th June, 2015 in 500 cities covering 60% of the urban population. All cities having population above 1 lakh are covered under Mission. Providing piped water supply and sewerage & septage management in Mission cities is the major focus of the Mission. Storm water drainage, non-motorized urban transport and green spaces & parks are minor components of Mission. Overall Mission allocation is Rs1 lakh crore including central share of Rs50,000 crore. State action plans amounting to Rs77,640 crore for basic infrastructure projects were approved, against which projects worth Rs79,772 crore have been grounded. So far, work worth Rs52,477 crores (66%) has been carried out.

AMRUT has a reform agenda with focus on e-Governance, energy audit, credit rating of ULBs, efficient town planning, online building permission system and raising funds by floating municipal bonds by ULBs. Under energy audit, 88 lakh streetlights have been replaced with energy efficient LED lights against target of 101 lakh leading to energy savings of 193 crore units and reduction in CO2 emission by 15.4 lakh tons per annum. Energy audit of water pumps have been completed in 396 cities in 27 States/UTs. 11,385 water pumps are identified for replacement, of which 667 pumps have been replaced. As per The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), 84.6 lakh tons carbon footprint reduced through various initiatives under AMRUT. Credit rating work has been awarded for 485 cities and completed in 470 cities. 164 cities have received Investible Grade Rating (IGR), including 36 cities with rating of A- or above. Ten ULBs namely Ahmedabad, Amravati, Bhopal, Ghaziabad, Hyderabad, Indore, Lucknow Pune, Surat and Visakhapatnam have raised Rs3,840 crore through issuance of municipal bonds.

Online Building Permission System (OBPS) withseamless integration with internal/ external agencies has been made operational in 2,465 towns including 452 AMRUT cities.

India’s rank in Ease of Doing Business (EODB) in construction permits has jumped to 27 in World Bank’s Report (DBR)-2020 from 181 in 2018.

Master Plans of AMRUT cities are being prepared based on Geographical Information System (GIS) through a subscheme costing Rs515 crore. National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad has been roped in to provide satellite photos and for digitization of city maps. So far,final GIS based Master Plans have been prepared for 66 cities and drafts plans have been prepared for another 61 cities. In order to ensure efficient land use, a sub-Scheme on Local Area Planning and Town Planning Scheme (LAP/TPS)in 25 cities costing Rs50 crores is in progress. ***

So far, 105 lakh household water tap connections and 78 lakh sewer/ sepatage connections have been provided under Mission and in convergence with other schemes.

Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) capacity worth 1,240 MLD have been created, of which 907 MLD is being recycled/ reused. Another, 4,800 MLD STP capacity is under development. Through projects in drainage sector, 1,840 water logging pointshave been eliminated. 1,850 parks & green spaces (3,770 acre) added. 800 parks (1,600 acre) are in progress. 180 projects in non-motorized urban transport sector have been completed.

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Role of Freight Smart Cities to enhance Urban Freight System  India Brand Equity Foundation

I

ndia is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, driven by rising demand for goods and services among citizens and rapid urbanisation. These have boosted the country’s economic growth. The country’s economic activity is mostly driven by Indian cities—estimated to contribute to ~70% of India’s GDP (gross domestic product) by 2030.

Movement of goods plays a significant role in various sectors (such as e-commerce) to ensure timely product deliveries to customers and contribute to the overall economic growth.

In July 2021, the Indian government introduced plans for ‘Freight Smart Cities’ to enhance urban freight efficiency and reduce logistics costs in an effort to recognise the need for managing movement of goods to improve the city freight traffic. This is likely to boost all sectors of the economy.

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India is experiencing a robust urbanisation and to keep with the requirement, we need to use energy efficient and climate friendly freight solutions. We must move from regulatory approach to a freight friendly transportation approach.

Hardeep Singh Puri Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India

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PROJECT PLANNING

The initiative encompasses the following plan: • Phase I – Identification of the initial 10 cities to be developed as ‘Freight Smart Cities’ • Formation of city-level logistics committees in 10 cities – including member participation from the government and the private sector • These committees are to co-create ‘City Logistics Plans’ such as promoting electrification of urban freight, building peri-urban freight centres, developing truck routes and managing night-time deliveries • Expansion of the initiative to the next 75 cities in Phase II. Target segment includes all state capitals and cities that have >1 million population The government’s increased focus on enhancing urban freight traffic is estimated to reduce logistics costs (as a share of the GDP) to 10% by 2022, from 14% in 2018. This is estimated to save ~Rs. 10 lakh crore (US$ 133.81 billion), according to RMI Analysis (published in June 2021).

Thus, with implementation of the new freight plan, the government aims to address key concern areas (environmental impact, logistics-related high costs, etc.) of the current urban freight system and improve efficiencies to meet the rising demand, create employment opportunities and boost economic competitiveness.

Role of ‘Freight Smart Cities’ in Improving Urban Freight Efficiency

Key Trends and Government Initiatives

According to an RMI India report, the demand for urban freight in India is projected to increase ~140% by 2030.

Further, India is witnessing robust growth in sectors such as e-commerce, which is expected to further boost the demand for urban freight. According to a report published

by GlobalData, the e-commerce industry in India is expected to grow at ~141% to reach US$ 111.4 billion in 2025, from US$ 46.2 billion in 2020.

By implementing ‘Freight Smart Cities’, the government plans to address the following key challenges of the current urban freight system.

The urban freight system is experiencing the following key trends: Multimodal Logistics Parks In 2017, the Indian government approved 34 multimodal logistics parks in India. Key cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Surat, Chennai, Nagpur, Vijayawada and Guwahati are expected to witness development of large logistics parks. In 2020, the foundation stone was laid for the Rs. 694 crore (US$ 92.76 million) multimodal logistics park in Assam. The park provides connectivity through road, rail and inland waterway. It is expected to be a

Key Challenges

Current Urban Freight System

Improved Urban Freight Efficiency

Environmental impact

As per RMI Analysis, urban freight accounts for ~10% of India’s freight-related CO2 emissions.

These vehicles impact air quality as they add up to 23 kilo tonnes of Particulate Matter (PM) emissions and 305 kilo tonnes of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) emissions annually.

As per the RMI report, by implementing the new freight system, India is estimated to save ~10 giga tonnes of CO2, 500 kilo tonnes of PM and 15 million tonnes of NOx emissions (by freight transport) by 2050.

High Costs

India aims to reduce logistics costs (as a share of Final-mile freight movement in cities accounts for the GDP) to 10% by 2022, from 14% in 2018. This ~50% of the total logistics costs in India’s e- translates into savings of ~Rs. 10 lakh crore (US$ commerce supply chains.

133.81 billion)

Congestion

The government aims to reduce truck traffic on Traffic congestion and delays are caused by roads by achieving 48% decrease in vehicularfreight activity by 2050. inefficient driving and parking practices.

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FREIGHT SMART CITIES

consolidation or distribution centre for the North-Eastern states as well as a cross-border trade centre with Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Automated Parcel Delivery Terminals Smartbox, a provider of parcel locker solutions, offers customers one-time password to unlock their delivery box and gather their packages. The service is operational in cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai.

In September 2019, Smartbox became a member of NASSCOM-National Association of Software & Service Companies.

Industrial Planning In 2021, the Delhi Development Authority passed the ‘Delhi Master Plan, 2041’. The plans present an outline for future development in the city, empowering stakeholders to understand policies pertaining to land parcels. The ‘2041 Plan’ intends to reduce pollution in the city by separating the urban area into residential, commercial and industrial zones. It underlines zoning limitations to reduce adverse impact on the health of residents from industries.

The Indian government’s initiatives efficiencies in the logistics sector

to

improve

Logistics Efficiency Enhancement Program (LEEP) In 2015-16, the Indian government introduced the Logistics Efficiency Enhancement Program (LEEP) to improve logistics efficiency, leveraging infrastructure solutions such as creating 35 multimodal logistics parks as well as establishing technological and digital solutions such as goods tracking.

Bharat Stage (BS) Emission Norms In 2016, the Indian government issued a draft notification for ‘Bharat Stage (BS) VI emission standards’, outlining objectives under the ‘Bharat Stage Emission Norms’ to reduce emissions from motor vehicles and enhance vehicle efficiency. The BS VI has been effective since April 2020.

FAME II Scheme In 2019, the Indian government introduced the FAME II scheme, a subsidy to boost manufacturing and deployment of EVs. The scheme aims to reduce the TCO (total cost of ownership) of EVs by offering direct subsidies. Under the FAME II scheme, the government allocated Rs. 8,596 crore (US$ 1.15 billion) as direct subsidies for electric vehicles and Rs. 1,000 crore (US$ 133.67 million) for charging infrastructure.

building efficiencies of the logistics sector and reduce logistics costs as a share of the GDP. Infrastructure Development The government is focusing on strengthening the infrastructure to boost rising demand for freight. Under the Union Budget 2021-22, the Government of India has allocated Rs. 118,101 crore (US$ 15.79 billion) to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Development of the sector is expected to boost growth of the logistics sector.

Recent Development In July 2021, a consultative meeting was conducted by the Indian government key stakeholders to discuss areas of progress in the ‘Freight Smart Cities’ initiative. Key highlights of the development are as follows: In July 2021, the government launched a portal and handbook, highlighting 14 actions characterising highleverage spaces for cities to expand their economic competitiveness and reduce pollution & congestion. These actions are aimed at low-cost, low-effort approaches that could be quickly adopted with the related public and private stakeholders.

In July 2021, the government announced that its logistic division has collaborated with GIZ (Germany) under the Indo-German Development Cooperation, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and RMI India to work on the freight smart city initiatives. To boost participation of cities in the initiative, a trial is expected to be declared soon.

States and cities such as Hyderabad, Amravati, Gujarat, Panjim and Shimla have boosted efforts towards improvement of the city freight logistics.

Conclusion The ‘Freight Smart Cities’ initiative’s handbook presents a significant roadmap to Indian cities, highlighting the global best practices to improve logistics efficiencies and economic competitiveness. Realising the potential of efficient urban freight systems, the government is in line with its framework to implement an efficient urban freight system. The improved solutions are also expected to boost the country’s ranking in the Logistics Performance Index as well as deliver a cleaner & safer urban environment for the country. ***

National Logistics Policy (Draft) In 2019, the Indian government issued a draft on the ‘National Logistics Policy’ to boost economic growth by

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Bus Rapid Transit Systems in India: An Overview  B. Dakshinya, Member of NOSPlan, JNAFAU

brilliant transportation system inspired various other countries to adopt similar systems in their cities. During the 1970s, development of BRTS was done mostly in North and South America, only after 1990s did the system make its way to other continents. Quito, Equador (1996), Los Angeles, USA (1999) and Bogotá, Columbia (2000) are few cities which have implemented this transit system. Bogotá’s success drew attention of the world. It is the most famous and advanced BRTS in the world.

BRTS in India

B

us Rapid Transit System or commonly known as BRTS is a high-quality transit system which is based on buses. Its features are mostly similar to that of metro rails. BRTS consists of one single lane which can transport up to 20,000 passengers in one direction per hour. It is one of the most successful transport systems, which reduces delays, accidents, congestion and various other problems. This system is highly accepted in India because it helps the society in achieving their needs. The construction of BRTS is quite simple when compared to other transit systems. Big budgets or high-level technologies are not required as the existing roads itself can be converted into BRTS lanes.

History of BRTS The BRTS concept was implemented for the first time in Curitiba, Brazil in 1974. It was developed by the then mayor, Jaime Lerner and was called ‘Surface Metro’. This

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In India, cities like Jaipur, Ahmadabad, Indore, Vijayawada, Delhi, Pune, Bhopal and Rajkot have successfully implemented BRTS, covering a total network of 120km. The total investment for these transit systems have been more than 13.6 billion rupees. The first BRTS in the country to be operated was Rainbow Bus Rapid Transport System in Pune and Pimpiri Chinchwad in the year 2006. Many more routes are yet to be constructed in cities across India. Hyderabad, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli routes are in planning phase and are yet to be finalized.

Need of BRTS With the increase in population in urban areas, there is an equal amount of increase in demand for cheap, convenient and safe public transportation system in India. Rail-based transit systems are expensive to construct and maintain.

The construction of rail-based systems take a long time, hence they cannot be in reach for a long time to come.

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BRTS

People and the government prefer a new cost effective, fast mode of transport for the convenience and conveyance.

BRTS full fills these requirement’s, as it is fast, costeffective, safe, and comfortable. BRTS can serve to all types of environment be it sub urban or urban. The buses can be driven by humans or electronically guided, can be driven on aerial structures, freeway medians and underground.

Features of BRTS Separated lanes: In BRTS system, the inner most lanes are allotted to buses, to ensure that congestion do not delay the buses.

Off board fare collection: Passengers pay the bus fare in the station instead of paying on board. This reduces the passengers to cause delays in normal city buses.

Platform level boarding: At grade bus lanes are preferred for easy access, operational flexibility and reducing costs.

Stations: The station which is the entry point vary in design from simple stops with shelters to multi-modal terminals.

Real-time Information: Route maps, signage and real-time information are displayed in stations or in vehicles.

Types of BRTS Level of BRTS

Characteristics

Full BRTS

• Metro quality service • Integrate network of routes and corridors • Closed, high quality stations • Off-board fare collection • Frequent and rapid service • Modern, clean vehicle • Marketing identity • Superior customer service

BRTS

• Segregated bus way • Typically, pre board fare payment • Higher quality stations • Clean vehicle technology • Marketing identity

BRTS Lite

• Some form of bus priority but not fully segregated bus ways • Improved travel time • Higher shelters • Clean vehicle technology • Marketing identity

Basic

• Segregated bus ways/ single corridor services

Busway

• On-board fare collection • Basic bus shelter • Standard bus vehicles

Advantages of BRTS • Grade separated provides high sense of safety and saves travel time • BRTS lanes do not interfere with mixed traffic • Designated curb side bus-only lanes improve BRT travel time making buses competitive with automobile • Converted High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, allow buses to operate faster, more reliably and more safely than buses in mixed traffic lanes Disadvantages of BRTS • Construction of graded lanes has high capital value • Lanes with no interference may not be attainable always • Implementation of new bus lanes with street widening may displace parking and pedestrian paths • Since buses share lane with HOV’s, automobiles may impede bus operations. This make HOV lanes less efficient than bus only lanes.

BRTS has proven itself to be successful and a sustainable mode of transportation throughout the world. It is over the edge when compared to other modes of transportation, given its high sense of safety through provision of separate lanes for the buses. The bus fare, quality of the buses, air conditioning adds up to its charm thus making it popular among the masses. The total construction expenditure is also significantly lower when compared to MRTS, since existing infrastructure is but to use. However, the implementation of BRTS has few challenges too, like, the city must have adequate number of cross sections in order to provide right of way to the buses, maintain the quality of mixed traffic lanes and minimize noise levels and maintain air quality. ***

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INTERVIEW

Our target is that in March 2023, rapid rail will start running on 17 km of this corridor and gradually its sections will be opened.

By 2025, passengers of Delhi will be able to reach Meerut in an hour by Rapid Rail. We estimate that in 2025, 8 lakh passengers will travel daily on Rapid Rail.

-

VINAY KUMAR SINGH Managing Director, NCRTC

The proposal to build semi high-speed rapid rail (Regional Rail Transit System) between Delhi and Meerut was in the files for a long time. Its construction started two years ago, but only a year later, Covid-9 put brakes on all activities. Due to this the work of Rapid Rail was also affected. Will this project be completed on time? Who will run the Rapid Rail? How much will be the fare between Delhi-Meerut and when will work on the rest of the corridors? In a recent media interaction, Vinay Kumar Singh, Managing Director of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has replied to all these questions.

What is the status of construction of Rapid Rail between Delhi and Meerut?

The construction work is going on in full swing on this route. A large number of pillars have been prepared in the UP part. Tunnel construction work in Delhi's Anand Vihar will start soon. Our target is that in March 2023, rapid rail will start running on 17 km of this corridor and gradually

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its sections will be opened. By 2025, passengers of Delhi will be able to reach Meerut in an hour by Rapid Rail. We estimate that in 2025, 8 lakh passengers will travel daily on Rapid Rail.

Work stopped due to Covid, has it affected the construction? Will the cost also increase?

The work was stopped during Covid. At that time oxygen was being supplied for covid patients, so oxygen supply was stopped for construction works. But now we have time to start this entire line, so it should be expected that if there is no major hurdle, then the rapid rail will run on time. As far as cost escalation is concerned, it will be finalized only when the project is completed.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all the metro companies of the country are stuck in financial crisis. The average cost of construction of Rapid Rail is also around Rs 370 crore km, so what is the preparation for Rapid Rail not to face any crisis?

We will focus on reducing the cost. Many metros are currently handing over some work to private companies, so

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INTERVIEW

that the cost can be reduced. To reduce the cost, we will also give the responsibility of running the rapid rail operations to a private company so that the expenses can be reduced. For this, we will find good companies and have a detailed agreement with them so that there is no inconvenience to the passengers. Apart from this, we will also keep a backup plan so that if the agency faces any problem, then the speed of Rapid Rail does not stop.

But there will also be safety concerns in this and the fare burden will not increase on the passengers? What is the estimate of how much the Rapid Rail will cost?

making similar arrangements for Alwar line also. The Alwar line will also connect to INA, Munirka and Aerocity metro stations in Delhi. Similarly, the station of Panipat line will be connected to the Kashmere Gate metro station.

In the coming time, altogether 7 out of 8 lines of Delhi Metro will have rapid rail connectivity. Apart from this, passengers will not have to take separate tickets for the fare.

With the same card, you will be able to travel in Metro, Rapid Rail.

What is the status of Alwar and Panipat line of Rapid Rail?

How will the new system develop if we don't do any experiments? Well, for safety, we are making a foolproof plan.

Metro Act will be applicable on Rapid Rail also. Just as there are strict rules of safety and security in it, so will it be here too. As far as the fare is concerned, according to the DPR estimate, the fare will be around Rs 2 per km. The private agency will not have the right to increase the fare later. Like the Metro, the fare committee will decide, which is formed under the chairmanship of a judge.

As far as the fare is concerned, according to the DPR estimate, the fare will be around Rs 2 per km. The private agency will not have the right to increase the fare later.

Like the Metro, the fare committee will decide, which is formed under the chairmanship of a judge.

We have got approval from Government of Haryana and Delhi for 106 km route from Sarai Kale Khan to SNB for Rapid Rail to be built from Sarai Kale Khan to Alwar. It is expected that soon the central government will also give its approval. At present, we are doing pre-construction work, so that after getting the approval, it does not take much time to start the construction work. The DPR of Panipat line has also been prepared. ***

Will there be any arrangement like feeder bus for Rapid Rail?

Talks are going on in UP for feeder buses. In Delhi, we are doing integrated planning. Our Meerut line in Delhi will connect with bus stands and metro stations at two places so that the passenger does not face any problem for onward journey by getting off the rapid rail. Similarly, we are

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Gandhinagar Capital Railway Station

India’s first Airportlike Railway station inaugurated in Gujarat

A major step towards optimizing India’s transport infrastructure.

Gandhinagar railway station hosts a world-class Convention Center and will act as an important reference point for working professionals and tourists alike. ~ Ashwini Vaishnaw ~ Union Railway Minister, Govt. of India

I

ndian Railways has made a giant leap in Station Redevelopment program as Gandhinagar Capital Railway station is set to offer modern services to the Nation. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has inaugurated newly developed Gandhinagar Capital Railway Station on Jun 16, 2021.

This is a unique project taken up in partnership with Govt of Gujarat and Ministry of Railways through IRSDC (Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation) forming a joint venture company named GARUD (Gandhinagar Railway and Urban Development Corporation).

Redevelopment of Gandhinagar Capital railway station will act as a city booster and create investment cycle, job opportunities and in general uplift the economy of Gandhinagar, which is the capital of the state of Gujarat.

This is first of its kind project in India and will pave the way for similar development in land stressed cities like Mumbai and Bangalore. As a part of this mission, work on the redevelopment of 125 stations is in progress. Out of

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STATION DEVELOPMENT

this, IRSDC is working on 63 stations, and RLDA is working on 60 stations with two stations being taken up by zonal railways. The total investment for the redevelopment of 123 stations along with real estate development is more than Rs 50,000 crore.

The station is future ready, and the concourse will be used for departing passengers when the passenger numbers increase at the station. However, in the near future, it is planned to open retail, food and entertainment outlets in this area to serve the demands of the passengers as well as the local population. Market players such as Big Bazaar and Shopper’s Stop have also shown interest in opening their mini outlets making it convenient for the passengers and local population to shop at the station. The redeveloped station will function like a “city centre rail mall” where travel will be one of the several functions that it will serve.

The station offers an accessible environment for the divyangjan and has lifts and ramps at all locations. Other facilities like tactile flooring are also provided. The station is equipped with modern facilities like ample waiting spaces, through columnless roof to provide protection against sun/rain etc, air conditioned multipurpose waiting hall, baby feeding room, improved signages and modern toilets, interfaith prayer room for the common man. Other amenities like the art gallery, theme facade lighting, etc will provide additional attractions which will not only enhance passenger satisfaction but will also prove to be a matter of pride for all as this station can boast of many firsts in the country. Without the concourse, the redeveloped station has been designed to handle 1,500 passengers in peak hour.

With the concourse, the capacity will go up to 2,200 passengers in the peak hour.

is the Indian Railway's first station to have adopted this model for redevelopment. A one of its kind unique, column free sleek and economical space frame of 99-meter (105 m curvilinear) span over platform (longest such span in Indian Railways comprising of 120 Kg/Sqm steel only) with weather proof seamless aluminium sheeting is provided at the redeveloped station. Providing subways, large foundations to support the tall building and launching the through roof trusses were unique engineering challenges which were addressed successfully during execution of the work. In fact, learnings from this project are going to help in execution of such complicated projects in crowded areas of cities and the impact of this project will be far and wide.

Daily changeable theme-based lighting with 32 themes is one of the key highlights of the Gandhinagar station which is the first ever on Indian Railways. The concept behind the theme lighting as planned for Gandhinagar Railway Station is to use the redeveloped station as a big canvas.

The LED lights are designed to change the hues everyday to add “colour to concrete” & bring life to the building after sunset. The dancing lights shall be used to make the place as a destination for common man. When the facade lighting on the station will interact with the Dandi Kuteer situated opposite the railway station, with one of the tallest building in Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar area at 77m in the backdrop, it will be a sight to behold.

The people of Gandhinagar, and tourists who visit Dandi Kuteer, will be able to enjoy in the outdoor ambience from the green belt created in the circulating area of the redeveloped station.

The station aims to conserve the natural built environment, through use of sustainable materials like Portland Pozzolana Cement, fly ash bricks etc. and reducing the water, electricity requirements through energy efficient designs, rain water harvesting and recycling of water.

***

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Moving cities toward a cleaner future An IFC analysis found that cities that prioritize green transportation stand to gain from an investment opportunity of as much as $2.7 trillion. It is estimated that the green transportation sector will create some 53 million direct jobs across emerging market countries by 2030. As urbanization accelerates around the world, it is more important than ever that transit systems reduce their carbon-dependency . Well-planned urban transit is a critical component of the world-wide effort to stem climate change.

Kartik Gopal Senior Industry Specialist, IFC Infrastructure

Maria Lopez Konde Associate Operations Officer, IFC Infrastructure

R

apid movement of people and goods has always defined thriving cities. But the COVID-19 pandemic slowed much of that movement, and the way forward is uncertain. One thing is clear, efforts to restore vitality to urban areas need to be tempered with a profound willingness to rebuild in a less carbon-intensive manner.

As municipal leaders tackle the challenges of leading their cities out of crisis mode, the transportation sector will play a key role in a greener, resilient and inclusive recovery.

Smart transportation planning can create jobs and lay the groundwork for sustainable urban growth.

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The COVID-19 crisis presented significant challenges to municipal transit operators. As ridership rates fell between 50 percent and 90 percent, mass transit operators were forced to bear substantial costs for salaries and system maintenance. There is little doubt that a strong demand for mass transit will return. Mass transit is the most affordable option for the vast majority of the world’s urban residents, and it is essential that all transit services are safe, reliable and eco-friendly. Given the essential role public transport plays in emerging market economies, governmental support for both public and private operators is crucial to sustain operations in the short term and improve service levels in the long term.

The World Bank has published steps for sustainable financing strategies, including investment reviews and cash injections. The challenge for rapidly growing cities in lower-income countries is particularly severe, as scaling public transit requires keeping prices low. Subsidies are usually required to improve services and invest in

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OPINION

technology, and finding the resources to subsidies can be difficult.

One step which urban leaders can take now is to improve access to electric vehicles (EVs). For example, IFC supported Ukraine’s Galnaftogaz (GNG), the country’s leading retail distributor of transportation fuels, to help promote electric passenger vehicles uptake by investing in fast-charging stations. The project will enable the company to avoid annual greenhouse gas emissions of around 4,990 tons of carbon dioxide. Increasing the proportion of EVs on the road makes urban air cleaner for everyone. (Transport pollution is a major contributor to respiratory illness in cities around the world).

Municipalities can work with the private sector to invest in EV charging stations and other EV infrastructure. With appropriate zoning modifications, EV infrastructure can be built near bus and rail hubs, where it can serve mass transit and commercial delivery needs.

New bus rapid transit systems, also called BRTs, are another affordable and flexible way to improve urban transit while also stimulating the local economy. Carefully planned stations, digital ticketing and platform-level boarding make for easy and efficient loading and unloading of people and goods.

It is crucial to ensure that public transit remains a reliable and practical option for everyone, including those who use mobility devices and push strollers. BRTs typically replace old buses with new fleets that may feature intelligent transportation systems, which allows system operators to improve rider satisfaction and reduce traffic congestion.

Dedicated smartphone apps allow riders to plan their journeys with precision. System operators can use this data to optimize bus schedules and operations for efficiency.

many of these companies invested in smart tracking systems and upgraded their intelligent routing and fleet management software.

The surge in demand for clean, cost-effective last-mile delivery solutions has created an unprecedented opportunity for cities to forge alliances with the private sector. Cities can lead the way by designing clean transit solutions which work for businesses and local residents . In emerging markets, two and three-wheeled EV logistics, which are already becoming cost competitive with fossil fuel options, can be encouraged.

Journeys may change, but the importance of rapid movement within cities will remain. Advances in data management software and intelligent traffic systems allow municipalities to control both traffic and pollution more effectively than ever before.

IFC can help plan and finance transit projects as cities plan their emergence from unprecedented crisis. We have the tools to ensure that recovery plans continue the global effort to reduce climate change.

The silver lining of the COVID-19 crisis is a once-in-alifetime opportunity to rethink the world’s cities. New technologies enable cities to plan and rebuild greener and smarter than ever before. Deploying transport solutions driven by smart technologies and innovative tools will be key to build healthy, thriving post-pandemic cities where people and goods move with ease. ***

In 2021, IFC helped the city of Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine to develop and introduce a smart city platform, as well as modernize and upgrade its public transport system. IFC's EUR35 million investment will help the municipality rehabilitate up to 2 kilometers of roads on one of the city’s center streets, purchase modern battery-electric trolleybuses and electric buses, and upgrade the electric transport infrastructure.

The project will help reduce traffic congestion and pollution in urban areas, optimize traffic management, and provide better digital services to ensure the quality and sustainability of communal services.

Although mass transit usage declined during the pandemic, increased reliance on e-commerce resulted in a massive surge of urban delivery traffic. Last-mile delivery companies scrambled to meet an increase in demand without sacrificing their own efficiency. In the process,

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RAIL INFRA & MOBILITY BUSINESS SUMMIT & AWARDS 2021 (SECOND EDITION) OCTOBER 11, 2021 | NEW DELHI, INDIA

With the aims to provide extreme recognition to the industry and leaders for their extraordinary contribution towards infrastructure development in the world through their innovative ideas, products and services, Urban Transport News in collaboration with leading industry, is announcing the second edition of Rail Infra and Mobility Business Summit & Awards 2021 (RIMBSA 2021). The program is scheduled for October 11, 2021, in New Delhi, India.

KEY DATES  Submission of Nominations for Awards: 5 July - 30 August, 2021  Online Delegate Registration: September 1- 30, 2021  Announcement of Winners: 10 September 2021  Summit & Awards Ceremony: 11 October 2021 AWARDS CATEGORIES

CORPORATE Rail Business  Modern Mass Rapid Transit Project of the Year  Rail Solution Provider of the Year* (in 20 sub-categories)  M&P Solution Provider of the Year  Rail Business Start-up of the Year Infra/Construction Business  Modern EPC Company of the Year  Infra Solution Provider of the Year  Tunelling Solution Provider of the Year  Infra Business Start-up of the Year Mobility Business  Modern Bus Transit Project of the Year  Green Mobility Project of the Year  Logistics Solution Provider of the Year  Shared Mobility Solution Provider of the Year  Micro-Mobility Solution Provider of the Year  E-Mobility Solution Provider of the Year  Smart Mobility App of the Year  Mobility Business Start-up of the Year

Consultancy Business  DPR Consultant of the Year  Project Management Consultant of the Year  Infra Designer & Architect of the Year  Rail & Transport Training Provider of the Year  Transport Research Institute of the Year  Infra PR Solution Provider of the Year  Manpower Solution Provider of the Year Innovation  Railway Innovator of the Year  Infra Innovator of the Year  Mobility Innovator of the Year

INDIVIDUAL         

Rail Business Leader of the Year Infra Business Leader of the Year Mobility Business Leader of the Year Modern Infra-Man of the Year Modern Infra Women of the Year Infra Consultant of the Year Infra Architect of the Year Transport Researcher of the Year Inspiring Business Leader of the Year

**1. AFC & Ticketing 2. Camera & Recorder 3. Body Structure 4. Electrical & Power Supply 5. Fasteners & Fittings 6. HVAC (Air Conditioning 7. Instrumentation Equipment 8. Lift & Escalator 9. Measuring & Calibration 10. Mechanical Equipment 11. Rolling Stock 12. Signalling, 13. Telecom 14. Track & P-Way 15. Train Software 16. Sensor Technology 17. Cybersecurity 18. Steel & Metals 19. Brakes and 20. Operation & Maintenance (O&M).

Rules    

Three awards (1st, 2nd & 3rd Position) will be given in each category/sub-category.

The winners will be awarded with an artistic trophy along with 'Certificate of Appreciation'.

The winners will be selected by a team of industry experts and our editorial advisory board.

The evaluation of winners will be done based on their past, present (ongoing projects), and innovative achievements irrespective of the age of the person or business entity.  The nomination fee is non-refundable.

Eligibility & Nomination Guidelines  Nominations are open to all national/international personalities/business entities irrespective of their age and size of the business.  The nominee must have at least one representative office / person in India.  The nomination form must be filled by an authorized representative of the firm/company/individual.  Nomination can be submitted for more than one category subject to the relevancy of the business of the company/firm/individual.  The nomination received from the blacklisted company will not be entertained.

How to submit nominations

Nomination Fee

Step 1: Fill Nomination Form Online Step 2: Receive Invoice for Payment of Nominations Fee Step 3: Pay Nomination Fee and Get Confirmation E-mail

INR 25000 + GST 18% USD 500 EUR 450

Rail Infra & Mobility Business Summit Summit Theme Investment, Financing and Business Avenues in Railways, Infrastructure and Mobility Industry in India Challenges & Solutions Audience Profile    

Minsters, Secretary level Officers from Key Ministries and Govt. Departments CEO, MD and Experts from Metro, Railways, Transport, Mobility, Infrastructure, R&D and associated Industry Delegates from domestic and multinational companies engaged in Railways, Infrastructure, and Mobility Industry.

Key Opinion Leaders, Researchers, Scientists and Academicians from the relevant Institutes, and Organisations.

Host/Co-Host:

PR Partner: Scan QR code for more details

Contact for more information: Ms. Kanika Verma Event Coordinator T: +91 7982876817 E: growbiz@urbantransport.com

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Office: Urban Transport News F-35, Pankaj Plaza, Mayur Vihar Phase I, New Delhi 110091, INDIA

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An interaction with

H. K. Raghu Executive Director (Urban Transport & High Speed), RDSO

How do you take your position and responsibility at RDSO? How has been your journey so far?

We as a country are very rich in its natural resources, like unused Land, ample waste land, and the huge potential of renewable energy, which is required for setting up technologically advanced manufacturing industries, complying with Industry 4.0 standards.

In a recent interaction with Metro Rail Today, H. K. Raghu, Executive Director (Urban Transport & High Speed) at Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) - Lucknow spoke on the role of RDSO in achieving goals of various missions initiated by Ministry of Railways and Govt. of India such as ‘Make in India’, Atmnirbhar Bharat.

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I did my graduation from “University of Roorkee” (IIT ROORKEE) in Mechanical Engineering (Honors). It is the First Engineering Institute of India started as “Thomson College of Engineering” in 1848, later became “First Engineering University on India” after independence.

Thomson College of Engineering was started, with a noble cause of constructing the famous “Ganga Canal”, main canal of 272 miles and 4000 miles long distribution channels. This was to save the then “Northern Province”, now “Uttar Pradesh”, from the periodical Droughts. The Institute is also having the “History of running the first ever Steam Locomotive Hauled Train in India” on December 22, 1851, for material transportation for the construction of the Ganga Canal. The “Ganga Canal” is itself, a remarkable piece of Civil Engineering, where the canal passes over the “Sonali River” near Roorkee through an “Aqueduct (a Bridge)” of half a kilometer 25m above the Sonali River surface.

I did my “Post-graduation in Industrial Engineering (PGDIE) from “National Institute for Training In Industrial Engineering( NITIE) Mumbai”, the only Institute of its own kind in ASIA and total 6 such institutes in world , opened in collaboration with “International Labour Organization (ILO)”. NITIE is

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dedicated to help Indian businesses to make their presence felt globally. NITIE has decided to act as driving force not only in manufacturing sector but all dynamic sectors of the Indian economy. It has aligned its vision and activities in line with the current and future needs of the Indian economy and its vibrant and growing sectors.

After post-graduation most of my colleagues joined multinational private sectors, for plum salary packages, but I did choose to serve the Nation , so I Joined the prestigious Indian Railway Mechanical Engineering Services(IRSME), in Jan 1991. There after working on several locations and posts, starting from “Coach Maintenance Workshop Matunga Mumbai” as “Assistant Works Manager”, “Additional Divisional Railway Manager Dhanbad”, “Chief Workshop Engineer” at, “Modern Coach Factory(MCF) Raiebareli” , then “Chief Project Manager (MCF)” , before joining as “Executive Director Coordination” of “Urban Transport & High Speed at RDSO/ Lucknow”.

As “Executive Director Coordination” of “Urban Transport & High Speed Directorate” RDSO, our prime duty is to ensure, provision of safe and comfortable Urban Train Transportation System through Metro Rail Organizations. Our directorate is working as a regulatory body for all the Metro Rail Organizations, as per the Metro Act 2009. We are committed to our task of planning a safe/comfortable and affordable urban transport system for our citizens and the foreign tourists, by monitoring it from the very planning stage itself and up to its final execution and operation.

What are some recent developments at RDSO? What is the role of RDSO in the development of infrastructure related to Urban Transport System in India?

The main role of “Urban Transport and High Speed Directorate” at RDSO is to ensure that all the Metro Rails being planned in India, must be safe and comfortable, while following the international standards of safety in Metro train Operations and the Paramount PassengerSafety and Riding-Comfort.

As already said , RDSO is the regulatory body, to ensure the Urban Transport (Mainly the Rail Transport) is planned and designed to give long lasting safe and comfortable services to our citizens. While following various directives like “Make in India” & “Atmanirbhar Bharat” to make our country self-reliant, we need to ensure that “No compromise is done in the planning as relates to the “Safety of the Structures” and the “Operations of the Trains”.

With our sustained efforts, together with Metro rail organizations, Delhi Metro and Nagpur Metro has identified 18 Sub - Systems and 17 Unit Exchange Spares

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costing about 18.7 lakh US$, and 34 subassemblies costing about 3.83 Lakh US$ for Indigenization and “Make in India”, without a bit of compromising on the quality of system/product and the Safety of Train Operations.

“Nagpur Metro” has also identified 28 different items for indigenization costing about Rs 13.74 Crores per Trainset.

First and foremost effort towards “Make in India” is done by “Pune Metro” by giving its order of manufacturing and supply of its “102 Ultra-Modern Rolling Stock”, to a newly formed Company, “TITAGARH FIREMA” through an international bid. Its various design basis documents are under the scrutiny and approval of our Directorate at RDSO. RDSO has recently become the first Standard Developing Organization. How do you take this achievement?

History of RDSO started as early as 1903, as “Indian Railway Conference Association (IRCA)” to provide for Standardization and Coordination amongst various State Owned Railway Systems, followed by the “Central Standards Office (CSO)” established in 1930 for preparation of Designs, Standards & Specifications and then as “Railway Testing Research Centre (RTRC)” established in 1952. In 1957, the Central Standards Office and RTRC were integrated into a single unit as Research Design & Standards Organization (RDSO) at Lucknow.

Recently Government of India has notified BIS Act 2016, after which Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has become the nodal agency to give recognition to all the Standards making Organization in India and the recent development is nothing but giving formal recognition by BIS to RDSO as a Standard Making Organization for Railway Standards.

After this all RDSO Standards will be given identification as BIS-RDSO Standards. In this regards a newly developed procedure for framing Standards by RDSO following the international guidelines , aligned with “WTO-TBT”, will come into force, giving more emphasis, on the “Active participation of all the Stake Holders”, especially the Indian Industries in framing the “Standards for Railway Products and Manufacturing Processes”.

The Central Government has recently launched Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. What are the different things being done by RDSO in tune with this initiative?

Please explain.

RDSO has got a huge Vendor Base of industry partners , who actively participating in the process of Product Development.

The First and foremost Atmanirbhar Bharat Initiative is “Vande Bharat Express- Train 18” produced and launched

by Indian Railway in December 2018. This is the first Semi High speed Train of India, fully conceived and manufactured in India under the great leadership of the

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then GM/ICF, Shri Sudhanshu Mani, who acted is a father figure for the Team ICF for making it a reality of producing fully Indigenized “Semi High Speed Train” for India to world standards. RDSO remained closely associated from the concept design to the finally testing of prototype of this train. Maximum Design speed of this first Train-18 is 180 kmph and now specifications are being prepared for making it capable of achieving speed of 200 kmph.

Make in India is one of the most Important and bold initiative of Government of India , to create skills and job for our youths and providing world class products to Indian as well as International market at comparatively affordable prices.

Train 18: India’s first indigenous engineless semi high-speed train)

How does RDSO play crucial role in certification of Rails? What is the process for this?

The second big step is, in the field of Railway ATP (Automatic Train Protection) System. i.e. “Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)”. This is a notable “Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat” effort of RDSO. It has been developed successfully and presently under implementation in South Central Railway. For this effort our Industry Partners are M/s HBL, M/s MEDHA and M/s KERNEX and the academia partner is IIT KGP. RDSO and IIT KGP are working together for upgrading this ATP system to match the requirements of the High speed Operations also.

The third big step will be, starting of production of world class Metros Coaches, by Modern Coach Factory (MCF) Rae Bareli. The required infrastructure to produce Aluminum Coaches with latest state of art manufacturing facilities is available and manufacturing will be taken up with Transfer of Technology (TOT) with the world leading Rail Coach Manufactures, it will be a reality in near future i.e. with in a year or two.

RDSO is actively involved in all these efforts, giving its technological inputs and developing standards /specifications/process of manufacturing and its further proliferation in India, with export potential to ASIAN countries.

What do you think about the make in India initiative?

What has been the journey so far of RDSO when it comes to make in India initiative?

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We as a country are very rich in its natural resources, like unused Land, ample waste land, and the huge potential of renewable energy, which is required for setting up technologically advanced manufacturing industries, complying with Industry 4.0 standards. We also have a large, capable “Human Resource” to support these Industries. As regards RDSO journey, so far, it is basically little ahead of time. RDSO has already designed its Indigenized “Head Hardened Rail”, its “TCAS”, its “12000 HP Electric Locomotive”, its “Semi High Speed Coaches” and its “Passenger Traffic Locomotive” to haul the trains at 200 kmph. Though this journey is pretty long and full of challenges, but RDSO is confident to achieve the targets. For this RDSO has already entered in MOU with three international Railway Research Universities/Institutes viz: i) VNIIZHT and ii) NIIAS of Russia and KRRI/ South Korea.

Rail is the Road for Train operations; it becomes further more crucial when it comes to the High Speed Train Operations. RDSO has got a rich source of its “Testing Labs”, where Rails and other Track Components and full “Track Structures” are being tested and certified, including for the High Speed Train Operations. RDSO has already made its standards for “Semi High Speed Rails” and working in tandem with the “Indian Rail Manufacturing Firms” for developing the Rails for future “High Speed Train Operations”. Initial trials are very much encouraging and efforts made by industry partners are very promising.

In near future, RDSO will also have the Test Track, which is to be used not only for the testing of Track Components and the “Newly Designed Rails”, but also the “Newly Designed Locomotives” and “Newly Designed Coaches/Wagons”. Construction of this test track is already started and it is expected to be ready for testing by end of year 2022.

What are the major challenges which the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic has brought about? What has been your strategy in combatting these challenges?

Both the first and second wave of Covid -19 pandemic, imposed various restrictions on RDSO Normal Working, Host/Co-Host: but while dealing the first wave itself , RDSO has reformed itself and went digital. The inspection and approval processes are made online to deal with the second wave.

Though during the second wave we have lost a large

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number of our officials and staff, the jolt which cannot be forgotten, but then the moto was that “The Wheel Must Keep Rolling”.

During the first wave of pandemic, when most of the Metro Train operation and construction work came to almost stand still, RDSO has started the work of development of its “Online Portal” for “Safety Certification &Technical Clearance of Metro Systems” and by the time the wave was recessing, the portal was ready and made Go-live on 06.11.2020. This portal provides for “Online Submission of the Technical Documents by Metro Rails” to RDSO, its scrutiny by RDSO and Conveying the Technical Inputs to the Metro Rails which are required to modify its documents for making these fit for the Approval of the “Ministry Of Railways”. The entire process is made online and completely paperless.

RDSO has also modified its ISO Procedures to enable the various directorates to switch over to remote inspection procedures, using latest electronic gadgets and video conferencing methods to resolve the technical issues with the industry partners.

What is the role of RDSO in the upcoming metro projects, RRTS, High Speed Rail Projects and Semi High Speed Rail Projects across the country?

As per the Metro Act 2009 , RDSO represents the Ministry of Railways for the statutory “Technical Approval and Safety Certification” of various Metro Rail Systems, starting from its planning stage itself to its final approval for operations ,ensuring the safety of train Running as well as the safety of passenger during travel and while waiting on stations . It is mandatory on part of Metro Rail Authority, to construct and operate its Metro Train, as per the safety advises of RDSO and take the approval of its systems from the Ministry of Railways.

Certification” will be done by RDSO including for the “Private Operators”, who are willing to operate their own trains. “High Speed Train Operations” will also require the approval of the “Ministry of Railways” from the planning stage itself, for which international consultants and certifying bodies are deployed to act as a third party for certification and the approval of “Ministry of Railways” for its operation and maintenance.

What are the future plans of RDSO ?

Future plan of RDSO is to make it, as world class “Railway Research Organization”, to deal with future challenges and shifting the existing “Preventive Maintenance Regimes” to the “Predictive Maintenance Practices”. For this plan is to shift its design from existing ones to smart ones, like “Smart Coaches”, “Smart Yards” and “Smart Signaling Systems”. The project report is submitted to the “Ministry of Railways” for consideration and approval. “The New Avatar of RDSO”, will have a collaborative approach with the “Strong Industry Partners”, “Leading Academia” and the “Leading International Railway Research Units”.

Please share a message for our readers.

From my last 30 years of experience, I can firmly say that India is having all the capabilities to achieve the “Five Trillion Economy Goal”. INDIA generates the “Excellent Engineers” and the “World Class Mangers”. Our Entrepreneurs are remarkable challenge takers. Time is now to consolidate our industries and support these, by “Reforming” our rigid framework of various rules and regulations, “Transforming” the government setup, resulting into “Performance” by providing support to our industries with a mission of “Minimum Government with Maximum Governance” in our minds.

Government of India is now taking very bold steps towards relaxing its various policies, “Make in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” are the two very big initiatives in this direction. Industries have to come up to the expectations of the “NITI Aayog Policies for Industry 4.0”, so that these industries are future ready for any change in the design requirement of a product and develop capabilities for export in addition to full filling the local market requirements. ***

Host/Co-Host: As regards RRTS, which are also governed by the Metro Act, the rules are the same as stated above. For “Semi High Speed Train Operations”, the “Testing and Safety

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Meet Saurabh! A Young Entrepreneur and Nanotechnology Expert Saurabh Choudhary is a 29 years old Entrepreneur. He studied for Bachelors in Technology from India in the year 2013. Further, he pursued a master's in Micro and Nanosystems from TU Chemnitz, Germany. He was awarded an Erasmus grant during his studies. He worked as a research associate in Germany, Japan, and The Netherlands. During his research, he worked on nano-materials like Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes, Silver Nanowires, Gold NanoParticles, and Various polymers. In 2016, he co-founded his first company in Indonesia. The company used to produce safety wears. In 2017, he founded "BizSpan” a business development consulting firm in India. His company has handled sectors like Nanotechnology, Edutech, Environment, Water & Sanitization, FMCG & Fashion. BizSpan has global clients like UNDP and Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).

In a recent interaction with Urban Transport News, Saurabh talked about his mission and vision to transform Rail & Transport Industry by applying the latest and proven technology that called Nanotechnology.

At the outset, please share with our readers about your professional journey and what inspired you to establish BizSpan in India?

First of all, I would like to thank Urban Transport News for giving me an opportunity to share my journey and thought about the recent and future development of modern transport system in India.

I worked as a nanotechnologist in Germany, Japan, The Netherlands and Indonesia. Further, I realised venturing into a new geographical territory is a daunting step for any Corporate / Public Sector Organization. The nuances of the local market can make it even more difficult while there is a dramatic cultural shift. However, the long term pros of expanding a business in ever growing economy can surpass the cons easily. BizSpan word is derived from the phrase ‘Business Expansion’.

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We are a consulting firm providing India Entry Consulting and Business Development Consulting. We are committed to deliver innovative business and financial solutions for both Public and Private sector. We aim to provide support of a partnership for end to end venturing into the new market of India whether you are a known name in the market or a start-up testing new waters. We are able to achieve this through effective network among decision makers and well established relationships at Central and State level. We work with companies from Europe, USA, Canada, East and South East Asia, successfully establish their operations in India. We promise to make your part of journey of achieving this goal peaceful and growth ready.

India is a not only a young country by the statistics of youth demographics, but it is also a place of thriving budding entrepreneurs with innumerable ideas and business models.

Recently, you participated in the webinar series "Rail & Metro Infrastructure 2021" and highlighted the application of Nano – technology in the Rail & Transportation sectors. Can you please tell us more about Nano-technology and its scope in the Rail and Urban Transportation sector?

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Firstly, I would like to congratulate entire team of Urban Transport News and Metro Rail Today for organising excellent and informative webinar series on Emerging technology, Innovation, Research in Rail and Urban Transport System. I am really thankful to the team for giving me wonderful opportunity to convey my thoughts on scope of nanotechnology in the Rail and Urban Transportation sector.

like excellent stress and strain detection, high flexibility, robust and longer life and ultra-miniaturisation of space equipment and system. Combination of different nanomaterials and nano-fillers are helping us to develop more modern nano-sensors and nano-generators, which is more unique in terms of result, economical and replacing the bulky sensors. Railway has started developing few of these sensors in their modern coaches in some part of the world.

Nanotechnology is the area of science and engineering where phenomena take place at the dimension of matter with a size ranging from 0.1 to 100 nanometers. The unique physical and chemical properties of a material at nanoscale can enhance its various properties like mechanical strength, mechanical properties, energy storage, optical properties, etc. The nanotechnology revolution has had a ground-breaking impact in various fields such as biomedicine, robotics, electronics, civil engineering and automobiles because of their amazing performance.

Advance technologies in railway is changing every day.

Certainly, India is growing in terms of railway manufacturing. We are producing advance technology systems in our recently developed trains and turning out to be an exporter. But, Indian manufacturing units need to work more on research and development end. I am hoping 5 years down the line, Indian manufactures will have an advance research and development facilities .

Nanotechnology has gained increasing attention and is being applied in the Urban transportation sector. Because of its unique physical and chemical characteristics, nanotechnology can significantly enhance the safety and durability of Urban transportation systems. The recent developments and applications of nanotechnology in the modern transportation systems are nano-filters, nanocoatings, advance tires, anti-glare coatings, GMR Sensors, dirt protection, reduced fuel consumption and enhanced engine performance.

Recently, nanotechnology has been extensively applied for controlling or modifying the structures and structures and properties of the materials to achieve better performance.

Role of Nanotechnology starts with the optimised selection of nano-materials based on the applications. In the modern era of the transportation, advance nano-materials help to achieve light weigh rolling stock, scratch resistant paints.

Selection of right nano-materials can give us corrosion and fire-resistant automobile or rolling stock bodies. Some interesting development like nano-steel, low friction aggregate components, situation adaptive driving mode, switchable materials, glare & wiper free glasses, environmental multi-sensors, are in the room of research which will become realistic in very future.

How Nano-technology can help India's growing railway industry to overcome issues related to Railcyber security, Theft, Data Privacy, Contactless payments, Automation of Railway Machineries & Plants etc.?

In recent development these are one of the most challenging and complicated issues to deal. To solve these issues, technical advancement requires more real time research and development. But, these can be resolved on the priority basis. Nanotechnology is helping in resolving these issues in automobile sectors by developing new nano sensors. The advanced nano-sensors has unique properties WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

How can BizSpan help the Indian industry in the selection and adoption of modern technology in the Rail & Metro sectors?

BizSpan has a team of highly motivated, focused and experienced problem-solvers. Our consultants resolves multidimensional issues ranging from technology to market challenges. Often, these issues are consists of product, innovation, R & D, strategy, market and implementations. The value of early-stage technologies in shaping the future can never be underestimated. Market differentiation is the main motivational factor for government and corporates to continuously look for advancement in technologies and innovating new products and lead the highly competitive environment. Our consultants actively keep track on new merging technology in the market. BizSpan helps in business innovation, strategy making, business development, technical debottlenecking, engineering, infrastructure building, DPR, project management, conceptual & detailed master planning. We also focus on operational efficiency, which generate substantial time and cost savings.

Do you think that technology transfer is most important after adopting new technology from foreign resources? How can BizSpan help users in the technology transfer process?

See, there can be two approaches for the quick technical innovation and development. Either, we have expert team of research and development or we go for technology transfer. Our first suggestion for the client is to build inhouse R&D team, if not then we suggest for the technology transfer.

BizSpan helps in primary research to understand vision and mission of the project. Early discussions and analysis helps to identify the objective. Further, we identify the project and market needs. Next step, our consultants work on the intellectual property due diligence. BizSpan define stage URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE JULY 2021

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and scope of the technology with regular reviews. We work on technology evaluation and its license requirements. We also help in negotiation before the deal. Post these steps we also help in complete technology set up process on the desired location. The integrated approach of primary research, trending technology, intellectual property, and market can help in understanding the future potential of the technology to be transferred. We do regular due diligence to give the best results.

Who are your competitors in India and how your services are different in the Industry?

India is a rapidly growing market with immense opportunities and potential. I believe there is enough market share to explore for all players. Based on my analysis, There is a need for more service providers and consultants. BizSpan as a company is competing to make Indian market accessible to all organizations who show interest in setting up business here or expanding their business.

In terms of competition, we are competing with all big service providers and consulting companies- be it the MNCs or local and regional Small and Growing businesses. We differentiate from the competition by delivering expertise in niche sectors such as nanotechnology and it’s uses in tech heavy sectors like railways, transport and chemicals. Our future looking approach to solving problems is based on business innovation principles geared towards improving processes and productivity.

What are your takes on the Indian Government's metro, high-speed rail, rapid rail and urban transport revolution in India?

In India, rate of urbanisation is directly proportional to the population, country is working really hard to transform itself in five to ten years down the line. In modern era of urbanisation, for the first time private players are being invited to run their rail services.

Smart mobility technologies and advanced solutions are changing India’s Urban transport ecosystem across top tier cities.

Unfortunately, this is also creating new infrastructure challenges like high-speed trains, fully equipped railway stations and advance security systems.

The Indian Railway is undergoing a dynamic phase of growth with modern facilities and infrastructure offering.

Recent advancements include the plan of 100% railway electrification, Automatic Block Signalling with Traffic Management systems, high-density network (HDN), highly utilized network (HUN) and increasing overall safety as per National Rail.

I appreciate visionary plans by the government of India to provide world class infrastructure to the commutators by introducing new high speed and fully equipped trains. I am really optimistic towards the new development, but it is an on-going process which requires huge budget allotment and strict timeline-based development. Government should also focus on new technologies like AI & ML development with the development of physical infrastructure.

Anything else you want to share with our readers?

Maintaining quality is a prime concern in the service industry. How do you ensure quality in services being delivered by your consulting firm? What is your quality control policy? List some other business verticals where you are also providing quality services.

Quality is ensured by having well thought out human centred design approach to business problems that we solve for our clients. A systems thinking approach allows us to see the bigger picture instead of only focussing at the task at hand. Our business solutions are designed in a way to see that it makes a positive impact to the overall system and processes. Quality control is maintained by having a checklist, using project management tools and list of best practices related to services we provide. Another key to quality control is to put our own ego and prior experiences aside. Our team approaches a new issue with a fresh lens with a motto to ensure client fit and deliver results up to client’s satisfaction.

India needs adequate and timely investment in quality infrastructure and advance technology. India’s urban transport landscape faces many challenges like Safety & security, integrated multimodal network and frictionless travel being a few of them. To solve this issue, the urgency is to adapt latest technologies, more investment in research and development, better physical infrastructure and digitalization. BizSpan can work with public and private sectors with its holistic urban transport technology and management solutions. ***

We have worked with various different business verticals, like EdTech, FMCG, Chemicals, Nanotechnology, IoT, Biotechnology, Environment, Sustainability, Heavy Engineering Equipment, Safety & Security and Infrastructure.

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Hydrogen For Traveling The rise of one of the most promising candidates to lead the energy transition in the transport field

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n hypothesising sustainability scenarios for 2021, experts have often put hydrogen in transport at the top of the list of hot topics. In the European Union, the transport sector produces 27% of greenhouse gas emissions and the European Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, signed in December 2020 by the European Commission, aims to decarbonise the entire sector, which contributes 5% of Europe’s GDP and employs 10 million people. The first step in the strategy is to have 30 million zero-emissions vehicles (80,000 trucks) by 2030 and to achieve full carbon neutrality in 2050.

The path carved out by the European Commission Hydrogen will play a key role in this process, as clearly stated in a communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. The document, dated 9 December 2020, states, “Manufacturers are also investing into hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, particularly for use in commercial fleets, buses and heavy duty transport. These promising options are supported under the EU energy system integration and hydrogen strategies as well as the strategic action plan on batteries. Energy efficiency shall be a criterion for prioritising future choice of suitable technologies looking at the whole life-cycle. Transitional technological solutions

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should fully respect the CO2 and pollution standards. Rail transport will also need to be further electrified; wherever this is not viable, the use of hydrogen should be increased”.

Roberto Cingolani, Italy’s Minister for Ecological Transition, also spoke on this subject during a webinar organised by an news agency: “We need to start thinking about how to make the use of hydrogen for transport possible, but we don’t have a charging and refuelling network. If a hydrogen-powered or even electricity-powered heavy goods vehicle arrives in Italy, there are no or very few recharging facilities after Bolzano.

We don’t have the infrastructure for hydrogen, but that’s not even the biggest problem. We have the technologies.

The biggest challenge is how to speed up implementation.

How to take on regulations and procedures is what matters most now. If regulations were to stop the ecological transition, it would be a huge defeat”.

Flying with hydrogen The use of hydrogen in transport is constantly evolving in all mobility sectors. In the air travel sector, for example, at the end of September, European engineering giant Airbus announced plans to make aviation travel emissions-free by 2020 with ZEROe. As reported by the Environmental and

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Energy Study Institute, “Passenger air travel is producing the highest and fastest growth of individual emissions despite a significant improvement in efficiency of aircraft and flight operations over the last 60 years”. According to AirBus, the ZEROe concept can pave the way for greener air travel, reducing the aviation industry's carbon footprint by upwards of 50%.

Hydrogen on the tracks The rail transport sector is also heading for a major breakthrough in decarbonization. Countries seeking ways to transport people while reducing the emissions of climatechanging gasses are looking at trains powered by hydrogen fuel cells. One of the first trains of this kind is Alstom's Coradia iLint, now being tested in many countries. The trains are equipped with fuel cells to convert hydrogen and oxygen from air into electricity and have a range of approximately 1,000 km, according to the company.

In addition, the battery on the train can recover energy during braking, which can then be used to boost the train when accelerating. Trains are a particularly suitable means of developing carbon-free transport. Urban regions have been electrifying trains for some time, but this process can be costly, especially in rural areas. According to the BBC, electrifying a single kilometre of track can cost from €864,000 to €1 million. Hydrogen doesn't require adding a costly electric infrastructure, but allows trains to run on the existing rail infrastructure.

Hydrogen is clean and quiet like electricity, but it doesn't have the high cost. Consequently, any location that doesn't already have electric train infrastructure, such as many areas of the U.S. and Europe, are potential use cases for hydrogen trains. Alstom's commitment is not an isolated case. For example, the U.K. has also been testing hydrogen-powered trains, called Hydroflex, since 2019 as part of its plan to eliminate diesel trains by 2040. Similarly, Scotland's University of St. Andrews took steps in September 2020 to begin a project to convert a three-car train to hydrogen as part of its Zero Emission Train Project. The Scottish government hopes to decarbonize their passenger rail transport by 2035.

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Hydrogen sets sustainability in motion For road transport, the two most promising alternatives to petrol and diesel are electricity and hydrogen. While battery-electric vehicles dominate media attention, companies such as Van Hool, Hyundai, Siemens and Toyota are working on the production of hydrogenpowered buses, lorries, trains and cars. The International Energy Agency, the European Commission, governments and cities have long believed that hydrogen is essential to achieving zero emissions in public transport and reducing air pollution.

For example, Paris, Mexico City and Amsterdam plan to replace their current buses and lorries with hydrogen or battery-powered models as early as 2025. Similarly, DHL, Budweiser and the French postal system (La Poste) are adopting hydrogen-powered road transport solutions.

However, current hydrogen production is almost entirely powered by fossil fuels, with only 4% of energy coming from renewable sources. Decarbonization of the global transport sector requires a substantial increase in hydrogen production. One of the advantages hydrogen has over battery-powered cars is the speed of refuelling, which is the same as for petrol-powered vehicles, as is the range.

Furthermore, according to a report by the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, the amount of CO2 emitted per kilometre is lower than that emitted by electric vehicles, namely 2.7 g compared to 20.9 g.

However, substantial investment is needed to demonstrate that hydrogen can make a significant contribution to the transition to clean energy. In Europe, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the UK have announced several joint projects to produce hydrogen from renewable sources. *** (This article is written by Claudio Descalzi, CEO, Eni S.p.A.)

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Sustainable Transportation Opportunities for India

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ustainable transportation continues to remain one of the most daunting challenges faced by the the world today. Several countries have recently formulated policies and mechanisms that intend to cater to their transport demand while gradually transitioning from traditional modes to smart mobility options with special impetus on public transport. In India, with the increasing population and hence the need to travel, a comprehensive mobility strategy that can support the travel needs while balancing the associated limitations in terms of constrained road-space for infrastructure expansion, environmental impacts, safety and accessibility is indeed a subject that requires immediate attention from all concerned stakeholders. This post intends to showcase how India needs to strategize its transport policy on the macro-level, in order to better address the challenges that it faces.

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Dr. Ashish Nayan Manager (Strategy & Innovation) Deloitte India

Public transport infrastructure development, unfortunately, always lagged behind in our Indian transport policy design since independence. Much of the investment was directed towards promoting and improving private car and associated infrastructure, and this suited the choice of the common man affected by socio-economic sentiments which projected car ownership as elitist. As a result, landuse development and urban infrastructure was designed to cater to private vehicles which gradually resulted in nearly no scope for improvement or establishment of public transport facilities in several cities. The advent of the Bus Rapid Transit(BRT) system in some of the leading Indian cities provided some much needed fresh air, with cities such as Ahmedabad, Delhi and Pune leading the change.

As of now, around 24 cities in India have functional BRT systems and more cities shall embrace this project in the days to come. But the question remains whether the BRT

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could impact the passenger choice behaviour to an extent that promoted ridership shift from car/private transport to bus? Also, almost 15 cities in India presently have suburban rail systems and 35 cities have adopted metro systems. However, the concern remains that several of these systems have not been able to shift ridership which defeats the scale of effort, investment and time spent in their development.

With the Govt. of India planning 100 smart cities across the country, it should be mandatory to design such systems with this view and multimodal integration is of paramount importance in this regard. Most people, by common experience, prefer to take private transport because the first mile-last mile connectivity (eg. home to metro station/bus stop and metro station/bus stop to office) is poor in the existing infrastructure. Although para-transit facilities like improved auto-rickshaw systems, car-hailing apps have recently transformed this landscape, still, the land-use development was not designed keeping accessibility to public transport infrastructure in mind, triggering a natural preference for riding the car to office by most who can afford.

On the private transport front, India certainly needs strong policies in regulating private car ownership. While policies such as odd-even scheme are quite extreme if sufficient capacity and public transport infrastructure are not developed, licensing private vehicle ownership could be a great step in this regard. For instance, the Certificate of Entitlement has worked brilliantly for Singapore where one needs to pay a substantial amount to be permitted to buy a private vehicle. Electronic Road Pricing, another concept championed by the rich city-country has been able to discourage usage of car and increase public transport ridership to as high as almost 90% of all trips.

Restricting private car will alleviate congestion and reduce the need for infrastructure expansion which automatically opens up space for sustainable land-use development. Pollution levels, which remain high in several Indian cities, can also be controlled, improving quality of life and making cities more liveable.

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Restricting private car will alleviate congestion and reduce the need for infrastructure expansion which automatically opens up space for sustainable land-use development.

Pollution levels, which remain high in several Indian cities, can also be controlled, improving quality of life and making cities more liveable.

For cities that already have a very high car population, mechanisms using intelligent transportation systems and smart urban traffic control system could be used to improve network flow quality. Car-hailing applications such as Uber and Ola have recently brought about a paradigm shift in this sector by shifting car from a private mode to a public mode. Private cars, which almost stand stationary for 90% of the working time, are now used to serve more people, reducing the number of vehicles on the road while also catering to demand.

This post intends to provide a slight vision beyond the status-quo on how we need to address our present challenges and design our future with regard to public and private transport infrastructure in India. Providing an affordable, efficient and convenient mobility remains one of the most important concerns in India today, and technology is indeed paving the way forward. ***

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Semi High-Speed Rail: A cost-effective sustainable transportation model value-added services. Silver Line Semi High-Speed Rail Corridor, which envisages world class public transport and sustainable development is the milestone developmental project of KRDCL. Our other major projects are Thalassery-Mysore New Broad-Gauge Line and Nanjangud-Nilambur Railway Line. Apart from these, recently K-Rail has been entrusted the work of updating the detailed estimate of Angamaly- Erumeli Sabari Railway Line.

V. Ajith Kumar Managing Director Kerala Rail Development Corporation

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erala Rail Development Corporation (KRDC) or K-Rail, as it is most popularly known-is a Joint Venture Company of Government of Kerala (GoK) and Ministry of Railways for the Infrastructure Development of Railways in Kerala. K-Rail aims to be a leading organisation in the field of development, redevelopment, operation and maintenance of railway works with passenger amenities of international standards and aims to complete the projects with high standards of safety, comfort, efficiency and

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Kerala is one of the most scenic and popular tourist destinations in India and is among the prime states attracting the largest number of global and domestic tourists. Faster travel offer can attract more tourists to kerala because the current scenario in state is 'more tourist places with lesser transportation system'. The population is distributed across the state of Kerala contrasted with urban conglomerations seen in typical metro cities. The road systems in kerala, though well connected, face severe constraints due to the urban sprawl and the haphazard ribbon development along the routes. In addition to that, about 5,000 people are killed in road accidents every year.

About half a lakh people are injured in road accidents each year. The increase in private vehicles creates huge air pollution. In most of the major cities in kerala, there is no adequate space available to expand the existing highway and rail infrastructure, and there is a strong opposition against land acquisition at a wider range. As the development of Highways is very much slow and roads are not capable of bearing the influx of vehicles, most of the

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SEMI HIGH-SPEED RAIL

people prefer traveling by trains in Kerala. But due to numerous level crossings and sharp curves, Even the fastest train takes about 12 hours to cover a distance of 560 kms from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod with an average speed of 45km/hr. Because of the excessive train traffic in existing double line, some of the sections have capacity utilization of more than 115%. So one key to solve today's such transportation problems is to develop systems that meet the needs of the markets served poorly by the existing transportation infrastructure. The increasing need for movement of people and products at the local, regional, national, and international level has placed extreme demands on developing an integrated transportation system. It is in this context that a model sustainable project like the Silver Line becomes relevant.

As you know a Semi high-speed rail corridor provides a reliable, safer, faster, comfortable, energy efficient, affordable, least obstructive and sustainable transportation system to bring guaranteed improvement to the economy.

The heavy cost and the present infrastructure situation are not practically conducive to high-speed trains and hyper loop systems in the state. The construction cost and travel expenses of the high-speed rail corridor, which is urbancentric and has more tunnels and over bridges, is twice of the semi high-speed rail. Considering the short distance between the proposed 11 stations, the distance that a high speed train can cover at a speed of 350 km per hour is very limited and therefore an average passenger doesn't experiences much difference in the travel time. And hence Semi high-speed rail corridor is the best suited, less expensive and more economical rail project option for states like Kerala. That is why Kerala Government came up with this financially viable ambitious project, to make available the facilities of international standards to the common people with an affordable ticket price.

In order to meet the growing demand of Rail passenger traffic and to resolve the overall transportation problems, 'Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Semi High-Speed Rail Project (Silver Line) was introduced as a long term solution. The Silver Line, which can attain the speed up to 200 kmph, can reach north to south in just 4 hours. In the current scenario, Silverline envisions public transport at a cost of only Rs 2.75 per km. According to the detailed project report, the cost of setting up the SilverLine is Rs 63,941 Cr. and is expected to be completed in five years. Of this cost, 52% will be met by foreign loans and the remaining 48% by Central and State Governments and other financial institutions. Since connectivity has become an important issue, the project is a real necessity for fast growing Kerala and it will provide a shifting to sustainable and efficient mode of transport. All-round development will be possible with the realization of metro cities and townships in rural areas along with the completion of the SilverLine project. The semi high-speed rail corridor, which opens up huge investment opportunities in the tourism and

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industrial sectors, will give a new impetus to the economic security of post-COVID Kerala.

Silver Line is a total green project which enables 'Drives mode shift' from polluting buses and private vehicles.

SHSR will adopt latest world class technology in Rail systems. Modern railway stations, Fully Air-conditioned Rolling Stocks with modern passenger amenities & maximum regeneration capability, Power supply with the latest electric traction system, Transit oriented development, 100 % green energy from renewable energy sources and Last mile connectivity with system driven evehicle public transport system are the other salient features. Each train set to have nine cars those can carry 675 passengers. 2 plus 2 seats configuration in business class and 3 plus 2 seats configuration in standard class will be provided. It is estimated that 80,000 people will travel on the Silver Line every day in the first year of project completion. By 2052-53, the number of passengers using this public transport will exceed 1.5 Lakhs. Eventually by 2052, it is expected that the Silver Line rail system can reduce approximately 5,94,636 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Feasibility Study report and the Detailed Study Report of the Silver Line project were prepared by Paris-based consultancy M/s Systra. The alignment of the Silver Line corridor was determined by conducting an aerial survey using LiDAR remote sensing method. In addition, traffic survey, environmental and social impact assessment study and Scientific Soil test have been completed in connection with the project. The Ministry of Railways has granted Inprinciple approval for the project and K-Rail has been permitted to take up pre investment activities. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been submitted to the Ministry of Railways for final sanction and it is under consideration at Railway Board. The NITI Aayog, the Expenditure Department and Railway board have examined and extend their support to the multilateral loan mobilization plan submitted by KRDCL and made a recommendation to the Department of Economic affairs of the Union Ministry of Finance. HUDCO has already sanctioned a loan of Rs 3,000 crores for the first phase of land acquisition of Silver Line from Kochuveli to Chengannur.

The development of infrastructure and transportation facilities especially faster mode transportation, and promotion of new destinations will all go a long way in beginning a new chapter in the growth of tourism. Hence SilverLine will be a game-changer providing a modal shift to sustainable and efficient mode of transport. ***

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Electric buses could decarbonise Indian public transport  Muralidhar Swaminathan | The Third Pole

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ndia is not a country of cars. People move by rickshaw, scooter, bike, or simply walk. Cars are too expensive for most Indians, let alone electric ones, which are considered a luxury even in rich countries. For comparison, while 95% of American households own a car, India counts only 30 registered cars per 1,000 people. This means it needs a different strategy to decarbonise its mobility systems.

Public transportation, with a focus on electric buses, offers the opportunity to target a greater number of passengers cheaply.

State-owned bus corporations are taking baby steps to expand their fleets of electric buses. By the end of the 201920 fiscal year an estimated 1,100 e-buses (5,595 units sanctioned under FAME II, including mini e-buses) were on Indian roads. This number may more than quadruple by the end of 2021-22.

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Nudging demand for e-buses The right government interventions can help to quickly decarbonise public transport. India has successfully done this in the recent past. In the early 2000s in the National Capital Region (NCR) – which spans Delhi and its satellite cities – all public buses changed from diesel to the lesspolluting compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel.

The state of West Bengal demonstrates that this is still possible. The West Bengal Transport Corporation acquired, and is operating, a fleet of 80 electric buses. It is already considering doubling the number in the near future.

Other state governments, including Delhi (300), Goa (150), Chandigarh (80), Uttar Pradesh (700), Tamil Nadu (2,000) and Gujarat are also electrifying a small portion of their fleet.

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ELECTRIC MOBILITY

Rohit Srivastava, vice president for the buses product line at Tata Motors, said: “Globally, electric buses constitute the leading segment within the commercial applications, with almost 20% penetration. Driven by policy promotion and the incentives by the government, the Indian market is also going through a similar trend as the government is focussing on electrification of public transport, in which ebuses have a significant role to play.”

Even before mass EV adoption delivers measurable environmental benefits, electrifying public transport can incentivise the setting up of a charging infrastructure at a much lower cost than cars. But there are multiple complexities that need to be addressed before this can happen.

Total cost of ownership of electric buses Acquiring and operating an electric bus fleet is not cheap, particularly given the current cost of lithium-ion batteries.

Rahul Mishra, a partner at management consultancy Kearney India, said: “If the objective is to reduce carbon footprint, there are several technologies available now.” As well as electric vehicles, these include CNG, liquefied natural gas, fuel cells, hydrogen and more. “At the end of the day, the technology which will make the most economic sense to deploy in public transport will likely see traction,” Mishra said.

Multiple reports and research studies have shown that electric buses can deliver a 15-20% reduction in ownership costs compared with diesel ones. The current surge in fuel prices is only going to further the difference in favour of ebuses.

Charging infrastructure standards One inherent advantage of buses is that there is a set route.

States, therefore, only need to set up charging points at the start and end of journeys. This reduces the need for a large, widespread charging infrastructure that private vehicles would need.

In order to replace fossil fuel-powered vehicles in India, electric buses will need a charging infrastructure that enables long-distance travel. Currently, there are only about 2,000 charging stations across the country, mostly for cars, according to official estimates. They do not follow one specific charging standard.

If a standard is adopted for the charging infrastructure, the country can build a network from the ground up. This would create an economy of scale for e-buses. Otherwise, there is no hope of competing with suppliers from markets like the US, Europe and China. According to a senior source in the automotive industry, who is also advising the government on adopting charging standards, by “building locally based on a standard, we will also be improving value addition and interoperability and then a preowned market can also develop simultaneously without the worry of compatibility of charging infrastructure.”

Huge potential for e-buses Even though in a post-Covid-19 world most people prefer to travel in their own individual vehicles rather than take public transport, the appeal of sustainable mobility services is said to be at an all-time high, according to a recent survey by Lithium Urban Technologies. The company owns the largest fleet of EVs in the world outside China and is India’s first zero-emission service.

The survey highlights promising sustainable mobility experiments in the city of Bangalore, known as the Silicon Valley of India. It also captures a growing interest in sustainable mobility solutions; 88% of the respondents said they would be more likely to opt for office transportation if it were an EV. Planning for the long term Decarbonising India’s polluted cities remains a decadeslong prospect. By going electric, Indian transport operators, both state-run and privately owned, can leapfrog internal combustion engine development. This is urgently needed to meet stricter emissions norms.

Due to the country’s transportation landscape, it makes sense to target buses first. They constitute a lifeline for the poor, and are the public transport of choice to reach remote corners of India’s metropolises. Intra-city buses still play an important role in the daily commute for millions of people across Indian cities. A reliable and widespread charging infrastructure will be key in promoting electrification of public transport. This would begin a grassroots movement towards an EV ecosystem. ***

A charging point is not as simple as a domestic socket which powers home appliances. Charging stations are very diverse, serving vehicles whose charging needs vary from 7 kilowatts (kW) to 350 kW. They are also expensive: a good-quality charging station can cost about USD 350,000.

This means that the more buses using a charging point, the cheaper it is per bus.

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Smart Cities Mission

India’s cities need to be sustainable, not smart Jasmine Singh

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n June 25, the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) completed six years of its launch. Positioned as a game-changer by the government, the mission promised lighting development of cities and the scheme caught the public’s attention as a novel idea. Recently, on the anniversary of the mission, awards were announced and Indore and Surat were declared best smart cities, and Uttar Pradesh won in the states’ category. This is the first time that states have also been awarded for the overall performance of Smart Cities, in which Uttar Pradesh secured the first position, followed

by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The ministry also announced joint winners under the “Covid innovation” category - Kalyan - Dombivali and Varanasi.

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Arvind Unni

T. S. Panwar

Unfortunately, these cities are glaring examples of how city governments ought not to handle a crisis. Surat experienced widespread labour unrest, where the workers were abandoned by the administration during the lockdown. Indore saw absolute chaos during the second wave, with the highest number of Covid deaths in the state.

While Varanasi, located in eastern Uttar Pradesh, witnessed the gruesome spectacle of corpses floating in the Ganga. None of these Smart City Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCC) proved to be effective and contribute meaningfully. We draw the following lessons from these schemes before arriving at suggestions to move ahead.

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SMART CITIES

First, SCM selected about 100 cities in batches, covering almost 21 per cent of India’s urban population and major emerging cities. The programme aimed to execute more than 5,924 projects bringing in investments of more than Rs 2,00,000 crore within five years from the date of selection. These projects were meant to improve core infrastructure and services to make cities more liveable, economically vibrant, and environmentally sustainable.

However, the latest government data reveals that 49 per cent of 5,196 projects for which work orders were issued remain unfinished. Among 33 cities that completed their five-year duration this year, 42 per cent of the projects are incomplete. As of June 23, 2021, Rs 40,622 crore has been released of which Rs 27,862 crore (69 per cent) was utilised, according to utilisation certificates.

The biggest challenge with Smart Cities is the notion of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), which have been created in every city to implement the mission on a PPP model.

Operating as limited companies under the Companies Act, 2013, these were meant to corporatise the process of setting up a smart city and cut through the political clutter. But they ended up bypassing the democratic process.

This goes against the 74th Amendment Act, 1992, which gives autonomy to local bodies and encourages decentralisation. Many cities and states opted out of the mission as they disagreed with limiting the powers of the local governments and states, thus trouncing federalism.

Now, SPVs have become the modus operandi, thereby delivering a terrible blow and destroying the governance framework of ULBs. Remember, only strong local bodies were able to respond to a crisis like the pandemic.

Second, while there has been a stress on capturing data and meticulous follow up on the implementation of schemes, there seems to be a complete lack of transparency in sharing information and relevant details of the proposals, projects and so on. Aside from the grand figures which announce the success of the projects, there is hardly any granular data in the public domain.

Thirdly, with respect to the financial support required by ULBs, these schemes come with riders and a “reform” agenda that incentivise ULB’s to focus more on competition, rating them on scheme implementation points, leading to local governments executing them under pressure to get additional resources. This pushes the ULBs to invest in projects that are the lowest priority in their cities and do not suit their context. Multiple cases can be cited where local governments are inviting investments through offering motivators for PPPs and financial institutions. There are also instances where assets of the ULBs are being sold off at market rates to raise investments for the SCM scheme and to invite other investments.

developments with cases like Pune where only 0.8 per cent of the population will see results. Only if we had focused more on basic services like healthcare, education, housing, and transportation – the Smart Cities would have been better equipped to deal with a pandemic-like crisis.

This leads us to the fourth point on the capacities and roles of local agencies. After over 25 years, ULBs remain illequipped to govern in most urban areas. Most of the functions remain under the control of the state governments and at best, sanitation and basic service provisions are under local bodies’ control, Mumbai and some other cities being an exception. It is in this context that the overwhelming burden of centrally-sponsored schemes is imposed on the cities, who due to the lack of human resources and skills hire consultants disconnected from the people.

Fifth, the push for this new “urban space at a rapid pace with the increasing use of technology” (‘The New Urban’

by Hardeep S Puri, IE, June 25) is leading to a different kind of concern — of not being participative and democratic. Organic local engagements that facilitated a semblance of democracy at the grassroots are being replaced with engagements and consultations with a select “smart” few. Twitter impressions and Facebooks likes are also being projected as public participation. While recognising the spur technology provides to reach out to more netizens, our urban centres cannot do away with physical infrastructure and public outreach programmes.

Lastly, as ideas for the future, the schemes lacked an understanding of significant issues of sustainability, disasters, and resilience building. The biggest challenge facing Indian cities is not of “smart” development, but the need for a “sustainable development”, where ecological concerns are addressed, where pollution is controlled, and resources used efficiently. Speed and scale may not be the best suited for this. As an afterthought, the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework was introduced, but a little too late.

It is only with the principles of decentralisation, empowerment of urban local bodies through financial support and autonomy, coupled with participation of its citizenry that a new urban environment can emerge. *** (Arvind Unni is associated with NCU (National Coalition for Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation); Jasmine Singh is DGM Planning & Development at a planning firm in Hyderabad and T.S. Panwar is former deputy mayor of Shimla)

The Mission has provided limited benefits to city dwellers, with 80 per cent of the funds dedicated to area - based WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

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Hydrogen as a transportation fuel in India

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he vexed climate change distress has posed the need to opt for cleaner fuels as the transport sector accounts for a large share of greenhouse gas emissions. Around 185 countries, which are party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), have ratified the Paris Agreement 2015 through which they aim at keeping the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Concomitant with this goal, countries would be required to make efforts to decarbonise and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

In these circumstances, alternate fuels such as hydrogen are being considered as a viable option to cut down emissions and reduce the dependency on fossil fuels.

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Jatinder Cheema Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Faiza Khan Associate, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

Hydrogen is one of the cleanest fuels, which on being burnt in air produces only water as a by-product and no carbonbased emissions are released, thereby leading to zero vehicular emissions. Hydrogen can be produced from fossil fuels like natural gas, or from renewable resources such as water. Hydrogen production technologies in commercial use today are catalytic steam reforming of natural gas, naphtha and other hydrocarbons, partial oxidation of hydrocarbons, gasification of coal and electrolysis of water.

However, experts say that the production of hydrogen from fossil fuel does lead to emissions and thus sets off the benefits of it being a clean fuel.

Hydrogen can be used as an automotive fuel through both fuel cells and internal combustion engines. Although, the fuel cell systems are proven to be more efficient than internal combustion engines, they require more development in terms of infrastructure. Hydrogen has a high energy density as compared to other fuels, thus it produces more energy in lesser weight due to which it can prove to be a viable option for heavy vehicles covering long WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

HYDROGEN IN TRANSPORT

routes in the future. The refuelling time required for hydrogen is also lesser when compared to electric vehicles and vehicles running on conventional fuels.

Standards (BIS), and clearance for H-CNG storage cylinders on vehicles be issued by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).

Hydrogen can be transported through compressed gas tanks, pipelines, and cryogenic liquid hydrogen trucks. The transportation of compressed hydrogen through tube trailers requires high operation and maintenance costs.

Liquefying hydrogen is costlier than compressing hydrogen, however, cryogenic liquid trucks can deliver more volume of hydrogen than compressed trailers thus reducing the costs. Supplying hydrogen through pipelines has been found to be cheaper than the other available modes of delivery. It is essential to exercise caution during the storage, transport, and delivery of hydrogen as it is flammable in nature and has low ignition trigger. Hydrogen is also light in weight which increases the chances of its leakage. The compliance of safety standards and guidelines, thus, is imperative while dealing with hydrogen.

Challenges and Conclusion

Hydrogen as a transportation fuel in other countries The development of hydrogen as an automotive fuel has gained momentum worldwide. Hydrogen-fuelled cars and buses are already in use in the United States, Japan, South Korea, China, and Germany. Japan has announced to run fuel cell buses and cars for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to promote the use of hydrogen. These countries are making investments towards cleaner production technology and expanding the network of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

A hydrogen fuel cell bus has been launched in India by Tata Motors in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Indian Oil (IOCL).

Further, Hyundai also seeks to launch its first fuel cell SUV in India by 2021 and plans on building the required infrastructure for it in and around Delhi-NCR area. It has further shown interest in introducing hydrogen powered trucks in India if the Government demonstrates a positive stance in the promotion of hydrogen .

Hydrogen enriched CNG (H-CNG) IOCL has initiated a pilot project for using hydrogen enriched compressed natural gas (H-CNG) in vehicles. HCNG has been found to be more efficient than CNG in terms of reducing emissions. IOCL has developed a singlestep procedure for blending hydrogen with CNG and the resultant blend is expected to lower down the emissions and be cost effective. The Supreme Court has directed IOCL to finish this pilot project soon and H-CNG is expected to be introduced in buses by February, 2020.

India’s nodal policy making think-tank, NITI Aayog has also recommended the use of H-CNG by utilisation of the existing piped-gas infrastructure in Delhi. It has further recommended that H-CNG be notified as an automotive fuel, standards for its use be issued by the Bureau of Indian WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

The production of hydrogen and dispensing it through a compatible storage and transport network is a capital intensive affair. Although research and development for hydrogen in India is underway, importance should also be given towards making hydrogen economically viable in order to compete with the conventional fuels and electric vehicles, which have attained more market maturity than hydrogen. Hydrogen is largely produced from fossil fuels, and hence it is essential that producing hydrogen from renewable resources is prioritised by the government. At present, the use of hydrogen in vehicles in India has been limited to research, demonstrations, and test runs. The fuel cell technology is still expensive in India and the government, therefore, must come up with a cost-effective plan to develop the same on a large scale. It will also need to invest heavily towards establishing the required infrastructure consisting of hydrogen delivery network, storage and transport systems, and refueling stations. An active and time-bound policy is thus required in order to make hydrogen commercially available as a transportation fuel in India.

Further, India will have to make adequate changes to its existing regulatory framework in order to accommodate hydrogen as an automotive fuel. As per the recommendations of the Steering Committee on Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cells constituted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, will have to be amended to include hydrogen as an automotive fuel. The Gas Cylinder Rules, 2004, will also require amendments to incorporate standards and regulations pertaining to hydrogen storage cylinders. It is also essential that certification guidelines and regulations are issued by PESO with regard to hydrogen storage equipment and refueling systems in order to ensure safety.

The BIS will also be required to issue standards for quality of hydrogen as per standards notified by International Organization of Standards. Further, as India is developing fuel cell buses, the Ministry of Road, Transport, and Highways will also be required to devise a licensing and permit framework for such buses.

While pacing towards adopting H-CNG is an incontrovertible step towards adopting hydrogen as a fuel, India still has a long road ahead to achieve satiety in both regulations, efficacious technological and delivery cost. ***

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iBus: The Unsung Success Story in Urban Bus Transport

Yet, neither the successes achieved nor the lessons learned have found a place in the urban transport discussions in the country.

Prashanth Bachu Urban Planning Specialist Gear Change

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Notable Outcomes: • 700% increase in passenger ridership - from 7,800 pax/day before BRT to 56k pax/day.

• Highest earning per kilometer in the entire country @ Rs.104/km - that is 70% higher than the 2nd highestearning city bus transport in India.

• Almost breaking-even operationally - “other” expenses such as traffic management at intersections assigned to iBus resulting in viability gap.

ndore city’s 11.5 km long Bus Rapid Transit corridor was launched in the middle of 2013, after 7 long years of ordeal and opposition from the public. The perceived failure of BRTs in Delhi and Pune, and the media backlash that unfolded in 2011-13 formed the backdrop. The positive stories from Ahmedabad’s Janmarg BRT either never made it to Indore or severely subdued.

Post the launch, the project that barely cost Rs.198 crore, not only withstood the test of time but also delivered phenomenal outcomes, surpassing most of the performance benchmarks that exist in urban public transport in India.

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BRTS

country – minimum fare of Rs.5 for first 2 km – for air-conditioned bus travel. Interestingly, that is lower than the minimum fare charged by the non-AC city buses in Indore itself.

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Communication Strategy & Outreach

Overcoming the negativity for the project required a carefully crafted communication strategy that combined project branding, citizen sensitization campaign, free trial runs, passenger feedback based continuous improvement, etc. However, completing the project swiftly could have avoided most of the misconceptions.

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Quality

Cheaper fares should not mean poor quality.

With iBus, it is quite the opposite. With a wellmaintained AC bus fleet and a dedicated corridor that lets the bus travel faster than other motorized modes, iBus creates a sense of pride for the passengers.

Knowledge Partnerships

Making it Happen Interestingly, with these outstanding performance indicators, iBus in fact is far ahead of Janmarg (Ahmedabad), which is hailed as the only success story among BRT’s in India. It is hence important to see what exactly made this happen and lessons for other cities hoping to transform the mobility scenario.

Indore’s transit agency – AICTSL – formed partnerships with World Resources Institute from the very initial stage, to seek expert advice for making decisions during the planning and execution.

Close association with CEPT University also helped to learn from the Janmarg experience. This helped fill the knowledge gaps and help build internal capacity among their staff.

Indore’s BRT corridor was built along the busiest road that cuts across the city, unlike in many other cities where BRT’s were planned along roads where it is easy to build (ample right of way and low traffic roads).

Conclusion A well-planned and well-executed Bus Rapid Transit System can be a game-changer in improving public transport, and also its financial viability. iBus stands as a shining example in this regard. Yet, the achievements at Indore's BRT are far lower than what is indeed possible.

With adequate political will and leadership, the iBus network can be quickly expanded to a 30 km network with 200 buses, to cater to 400k passenger trips daily (16% travel mode share).

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***

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Corridor Plan

Reliability:

Even at a time when the bus transport mode share in Indore was barely 4%, iBus was planned to operate at high frequency – 30 buses/hour – all across the day. A bus was almost always in sight when you reached the corridor, providing a high degree of confidence in the service.

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Affordability:

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Building upon the success of UITP India bus seminar 2021

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eld between 15-18 June, over 600 participants, over 300 companies from 44 countries tuned in to listen and learn from key national and international speakers at the UITP India Bus Seminar. These experts shared their knowledge and experiences, focusing on the public transport needs in India and South Asian countries.

The seminar explored topics from national programmes in advancing bus services, technological transformations in bus operations, transitioning to electric buses and innovations in the sector.

The event was hosted alongside the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) with session sponsors Optibus, Siemens and Uber, silver sponsor Olectra Greentech Ltd, and media partners MOTORINDIA and Urban Transport News.

An exemplary beginning to the seminar came from the keynote address, delivered by Mr Amitabh Kant, IAS, CEO at Niti Aayog. He gave an insightful speech highlighting the government’s initiatives and policies towards public transport focusing on the need of sustainability.

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The future lies in shared mobility and mass transportation. The future lies in ensuring that we move people and not vehicles, and therefore instead of personal transportation, focus on efficient public transportation. That is the strategy of urbanisation: Build urban cities upon the backbone of public transportation.

Amitabh Kant IAS & CEO, NITI Aayog

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EVENT REPORT

Public transport is the backbone of society, helping cities move towards a sustainable future. In India, it provides affordable access to mobility for nearly two-thirds of the households not owning a personal vehicle. It also contributes towards 8% of India’s GDP – it is one of the biggest contributors.

The majority of Indian cities rely on buses for their transport needs, as an affordable and safe mode aiding commuters to access economic opportunities, education, health and services. With this in mind, it is imperative to mobilise investments for the sector to build back better.

India has also been focusing on the electrification of its bus fleet since 2015, with the National subsidy scheme of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) India to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicles and to ensure sustainable growth. The scheme works under the framework of demand incentive disbursement mechanism and has helped procure 390 e-buses in its first phase while more 3,500 buses are under different stages of procurement across the country under the second phase.

Yet, with the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the bus transport is one of the largest hit sectors in India. Public bus operators faced a severe financial crisis due to service disruptions as approximately 90% of their funding is sourced through fare revenues.

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