Urban Transport Infrastructure November 2021

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ISSN 2581-8023 COVER INR 300 VOLUME III ISSUE 18 NOVEMBER 2021

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infrastructure

Green Railways Indian Railways – Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030

European Urban Mobility Framework European Commission unveils new Urban Mobility Framework

Multi-modal Logistics Park Foundation stone laid for India’s first multi-modal logistics park in Assam

Urban Mobility India Awards 2021 India concludes 14th Urban Mobility India Conference & Awards 2021

Anniversary Special Namma Metro turns 10, promises 175-km network by 2024

India targets 2070 for net-zero emissions

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URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE | NOVEMBER 2021 | ISSUE 18

REGULAR COLUMNS

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Editorial Advisory Board

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Subscription Form

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Editor’s Note

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Round Up

58

Editorial Calendar and Rate Card

26 INTERVIEW M. C. Chauhan

26 40

14

Vinita Srivastava

Executive Director (Heritage), Railway Board, Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE 14

Cover Story: India Targets 2070 For NetZero Emissions

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Indian Railways To Become Net Zero Carbon Emitter By 2030

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Former General Manager, Metro Railway Kolkata and North Central Railway, Indian Railways

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

By Urban Transport News

By Jitendra Bisht & Soumya Singhal, SRPF India

By Urban Transport News

URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE NOVEMBER 2021

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38 48 GREEN PUBLIC TRANSPORT

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Bio-fuels usage in Public Transport leads to Reverse Climate Change

Are we creating outcomes similar to Power Sector by proliferating Metro Rail across cities in India

By Kumar V Pratap, Joint Secretary (UT), Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India

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By Dr. Amudhan Valavan, MTC Chennai

ARTICLES/OPINION

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ENERGY-EFFICIENT TRANSPORT

Five innovations that could shape the future of rail travel

Need of Energy-efficient transport for healthy and sustainable cities

By Urban Transport News

EU URBAN MOBILITY FRAMEWORK

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European Commission unveils new European Urban Mobility Framework

By Urban Transport News

MULTI-MODAL LOGISTIC PARK Gadkari lays foundation stone of India’s first Multi-modal Logistic Park in Assam

By Saikat Dutta, Research Fellow, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

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How can we explain the rise in transport emissions… and what can we do about it?

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

By Vivien Foster, Jennifer Uju Dim, Fan Zhang (World Bank) and Prof. Sebastian Vollmer, Centre for Modern Indian Studies at the University of Göttingen

Hanoi Metro: Vietnam launches Country’s first Metro Rail System in Hanoi

By Urban Transport News

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By Urban Transport News

Namma Metro turns 10, promises 175 kilometres network by 2024

By Urban Transport News

EVENT REPORT 56

14th Urban Mobility India Conference & Awards 2021

URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE NOVEMBER 2021

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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 (RS), Railway Board

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

Keshav Mishra Rail & Transit Infra Expert, Gurugram

Dr. Valavan Amudhan Public Transport Expert Executive Director-TECHSACS

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VOL. III / ISSUE 18

NOVEMBER 2021

Mamta Shah Managing Editor Vinod Shah Head - Marketing Anushka Khare Associate Editor Naomi Pandya Associate Editor Surya Prakash Head of Design Sangeeta Singh Media Coordinator Khushboo Parveen Marketing Officer Urban Transport Infrastructure is being published monthly by:

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Transport is among the biggest contributors to global warming, presently accounting for around 13 percent of total carbon emissions in India. Going forward, vehicle activity is expected to grow rapidly, increasing 3-3.5 times between 2020 and 2050.

Without significant policy interventions, this would translate into transport-related emissions increasing faster than emissions from other carbon-intensive sectors. Thus, decarbonising the transport sector is crucial for India to move towards net-zero emissions by 2050.

In India, around 65 percent of freight and 90 percent of passenger traffic takes place by road. Thus, decarbonisation efforts have focused on reducing emissions from road transport through technological improvements such as enhanced fuel efficiency and promotion of alternative fuels. Increased fuel efficiency driven by stiff regulatory policies, particularly in passenger cars, have already had positive impacts.

Deep decarbonisation rests on identifying cost-effective solutions for the harder-to-abate road segments. One way to do this is to shift long distance passenger and freight movement to railways. Rail movement is associated with around five and two-fold lower CO2 emissions for passenger and freight transport, respectively, in comparison to trucks.

The target to ‘Net Zero Carbon Emission’ in transportation sectors can be achieved by reducing the demand for private vehicles through enhancement in public transport. It would require improvement in the financial positions of our State Transport Undertakings (STUs) for better quality and quantity of on-road buses.

If you have more suggestions, please share with us so that we can spread your voice through our publications. Also, share your feedback on contents of this journal. It will help us to improve and provide more useful information to our readers in future editions.

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Mamta Shah Managing Editor editor@urbantransportnews.com

URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE NOVEMBER 2021

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ROUND UP

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH Railway Minister flags off equipment to speed up the construction of India's first Bullet Train Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had flagged off an indigenously designed and manufactured equipment on September 9, 2021 to speed up the construction of viaducts for Mumbai - Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor. He addressed the gathering through video conferencing from New Delhi. This will expedite construction of high speed railway (HSR). Work has already begun on 325 km (in Gujarat) out of 508 km corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

AIIB approves $356 million loan for Chennai Metro Phase 2 Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved UD$356.67 million loan to the Government of India to support the expansion of new corridors under Chennai Metro Rail Project Phase 2. The project is being implemented by Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) which will include the construction of a new line from Lighthouse to Poonamalee Bypass.

Anil Ambani's Reliance Infrastructure wins arbitration case in Supreme Court against DMRC Major victory of Reliance Infrastructure as they won a four year battle for control of money from an arbitration award.

Supreme Court upheld an arbitral award which went in its favour. A division bench of Supreme Court upheld the May 11, 2017, award to Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt.Ltd and set aside the January 15, 2019, order of the Delhi High Court division bench which partly set aside the arbitral award. The award is worth Rs 4,600 crore.

Mumbai joins Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative E-Bus Mission Mumbai has become the first Indian city to join the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) E-Bus Mission, which will develop a tailored implementation work planfor deploying electric buses in Mumbai. The TUMI E-Bus Mission will comprise a technical assistance plan and a plan to create a long-term adoption roadmapfor Mumbai. A letter of intent to join the TUMI E-Bus Mission was signed by BEST on Monday in the presence of Aaditya Thackeray, Minister for Environment, Tourism and Protocol, Government of Maharashtra.

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ROUND UP

Minister directs officials to expedite MumbaiAhmedabad Bullet Train project on time Raosaheb Danve, Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways, had a meeting on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) and Mumbai - Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project at the headquarters of Western Railway in Mumbai. The officials have briefed the minister about various stages of progress of these vital projects, including the land acquisition process and reestablishment of Project Affected People (PAP). The Minister told the authorities and state government officials to expedite the work for completion of projects within the set target period to avoid cost and time overruns.

DMRC gets confirmation to conduct studies for High Speed Metro link from Noida to Delhi The Board of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) gave its go ahead to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on September 14, 2021 for conducting studies for high-speed metro rail links.

This study will be from Noida International Airport to Delhi. The project will be in two parts. One will be between the Airport in Jewar and Greater Noida and the other will be from Greater Noida to Delhi.

Kochi Metro revives its Thripunithura extension line

proposal

to

build

Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) revived its proposal to build a road beneath the Kochi Metro’s S.N. Junction to Thripunithura extension. This was after office-barriers of Thripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents Associations (TRURA) met KMRL Managing Director Loknath Behera. They submitted a reminder looking for a 22-meterwide street connecting S.N. Intersection and Hill Palace Road on the proposed Metro extension.

Telangana Govt forms a high level panel to rescue the Hyderabad Metro losses The Telangana Government has formed a high-level committee of Ministers and senior officials. The committee will look into the pros and cons of supporting the lossmaking Hyderabad Metro Rail. The Government took this decision after the L&T made several requests to it, seeking support as the elevated rail corridor had incurred heavy losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.

According to the L&T Metro Rail’s latest annual report, the operator’s revenues from operations and other income in the last financial year stood at Rs 228 crore.

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ROUND UP

Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts.

DTC Board approves induction of 1,245 buses in Delhi, run by private operators The Board of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has approved induction of 1,245 buses (1,015 E-Buses and 130 CNG Buses) into the ageing fleet of the city’s public carrier.

DTC has a fleet of 3,762 buses, out of which 2,644 were procured between 2007 - 2010 and are nearing ’end of life’.

The e-buses will be inducted under the operating expenditure model, under which the operator is paid operating cost per kilometre, of FAME-II scheme issued by Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises. The DTC board also decided to appoint DIMTS for piloting the tendering process for induction of buses.

Kerala Govt. starts action to acquire land for Silver Line Semi High Speed Rail Project The Kerala State cabinet decided to declare the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K Rail) as a special purpose vehicle for land acquisition for the Silver Line Semi High Speed Rail Project . The decision was taken on September 22, 2021. This project needs to get a loan of Rs 2,100 crores from Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). 955.13 hectares of land will be acquired for the project in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur,

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PMC approves Pune Metro's Swargate to Katraj corridor The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) general body approved the proposed extension of the NigdiSwargate corridor of Pune Metro on September 22, 2021 .The 5.4-km-long stretch will be completely underground and will have three stations at Gultekdi Market, Padmavati Chowk and Katraj Junction. The project will require a total cost of Rs 4,020 crore of which Rs 323 crore (10%) will come from the Union Government, Rs 485 crore (15%) from the State Government and Rs 485 crore (15%) from the PMC.

Chennai Metro to launch the National Common Mobility Card by 2022 Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is likely to launch the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) by January 2022. The NCMC will provide facility of shopping, grabing a bite, parking a vehicle and boarding metro at the tap of single card. The idea of the mobility card was conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and launched in 2019. The card was demonstrated in Chennai two months ago with the automated fare collection feature.

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ROUND UP

Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts.

Delhi Metro earns Rs 19.5 crores from the Sale of Carbon Credits The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has earned Rs 19.5 crores from sale of 3.55 million carbon credits collected over a period of six years from 2012 to 2018. The projects are: Regenerative Braking, Modal Shift, MRTS Program of activities and Solar Project.

The DMRC earned Rs 9.55 crores from the sale of carbon credits it generated from the Regenerative Braking Project (RBP) DMRC’s first CDM project.

In the RBP, whenever trains on the Metro network apply brakes, three phase traction motors installed on these trains act as generators to produce electrical energy which goes back into the Over Head Electricity (OHE) lines.

PMC approves Pune Metro's Swargate to Katraj corridor The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) general body approved the proposed extension of the NigdiSwargate corridor of Pune Metro on September 22, 2021 .The 5.4-km-long stretch will be completely underground and will have three stations at Gultekdi Market, Padmavati Chowk and Katraj Junction. The project will require a total cost of Rs 4,020 crore of which Rs 323 crore (10%) will come from the Union Government, Rs 485 crore (15%) from the State Government and Rs 485 crore (15%) from the PMC.

Chennai Metro to launch the National Common Mobility Card by 2022 UPMRC begins trial run of Kanpur Metro train on priority corridor The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (UPMRC) has commenced trial run of first metro trainset supplied by Alstom Transport on 9-km priority corridor (IIT Kanpur – Motijhil). The train was flagged of by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on November 10, 2021.

Commercial run is likely to begin on December 28.

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Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is likely to launch the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) by January 2022. The NCMC will provide facility of shopping, grabing a bite, parking a vehicle and boarding metro at the tap of single card. The idea of the mobility card was conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and launched in 2019. The card was demonstrated in Chennai two months ago with the automated fare collection feature.

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Net Zero Emissions

India targets 2070 for net-zero emissions

A

t the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26), Prime Minister Narendra Modi committed India to a net-zero carbon emissions target by 2070. In essence, net-zero implies the employment of mechanisms that would offset the amount of carbon emitted by a country into the atmosphere by absorbing an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

The net-zero commitment is part of a strategy of Panchamrit or “five elixirs.” Four out of five of these socalled elixirs are short-term goals that would pave the way for achieving a net-zero emissions target by 2070. The immediate goals are: • Reaching a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030; • Fulfilling 50 percent energy requirements via renewable energy by 2030; • Reducing CO2 emissions by 1 million tons by 2030; and • Reducing carbon intensity below 45 percent by 2030.

In contrast to this net-zero commitment, in the final days of COP26, India objected to the provision referring to a phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies and coal in the final draft of what is now the Glasgow Climate Pact. Supported by a few other developing countries, including China, Iran, and Cuba, India floated an amendment to use the phrase “phase down” instead of “phase out” coal power.

Emphasizing the argument that each country will reach net-zero as per its particular context, India’s Environment Minister stated: “Developing countries have a right to their fair share of the global carbon budget and are entitled to the

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responsible use of fossil fuels within this scope…

Developing countries still have to deal with their development agendas and poverty eradication. Towards this end, subsidies provide much needed social security and support.”

The commitment to net-zero and the last-minute objection to phasing out of coal reflects India’s mixed strategy at international climate policy negotiations. The strategy is grounded in the country’s traditional support for differentiated responsibilities, but outlined by a more flexible approach to emissions reduction. In this context, this article analyses how India’s commitment to reaching net-zero emissions by 2070 fits within the country’s current climate action policies.

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NET ZERO EMISSIONS

Achieving Nationally Determined (NDCs): Strengths and Weaknesses

Jitendra Bisht Senior Analyst at SPRF India

Soumya Singhal Research Assistant at SPRF India

Contributions

As per the Global Carbon Project, India’s total emissions were 2,442 million tons of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e), making it the third-largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter in the world after China (10,668 MtCO2e) and the United States (4,713 MtCO2e). While India’s total emissions are nowhere near that of the top two countries, emissions have increased steadily over the last decade as seen in Figure 1.

The slight dip in 2020 could arguably be due to the pandemic and a prolonged economic slowdown.

Behind the steady rise of India’s total emissions is a big focus on developmental priorities over the last two decades. India seeks rapid growth through 2030 for a projected population of about 1.5 billion, with 40 percent

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NET ZERO EMISSIONS

living in urban areas. This approach incorporates priorities such as poverty eradication, education, Make in India, infrastructure development and electricity, housing, and health for all, to name a few. However, developmental aspirations inevitably result in a net increase in emissions.

These emissions are supposed to be offset by the following key comprehensive and balanced NDCs: • To reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33-35 percent by 2030 from the 2005 level; • To achieve 40 percent of electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel by 2030; • To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030

A flipside to India’s achievement so far is that the NDCs themselves are not ambitious enough. The global Climate Action Tracker (CAT) rates India’s 40 percent non-fossil fuel electricity capacity target as “critically insufficient” and its emissions intensity target as “highly insufficient.”

This review leaves much scope for improvement if it is to be consistent with the 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming limit under the Paris Agreement.

Nevertheless, the updated targets post COP26 will revise the current timeline and require bold measures if India seeks to maintain the momentum it has had.

Simultaneously, the government might need to reconsider

(Figure 1 | Source: Global Carbon Projects)

As of 2020, India was well on its way towards meeting its NDCs. According to India’s 3rd Biennial Update to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it was able to reduce its GDP emissions intensity by 24 percent during 2005-16. The country’s per capita emissions also remain low at 1.94 tCO2 per capita, less than half the global average of 4.2 tCO2 per capita. Renewable energy — solar, wind, and biomass power — accounted for over 24 percent of India’s total installed electricity capacity as of July 2020. Factoring in large hydropower projects and nuclear, India’s non-fossil fuels totaled 38 percent of the country’s installed capacity, which is almost as much as its NDC under the Paris Agreement. However, the country’s forest and tree cover has increased by only 5,188 km2, yielding a 42.6 million ton (Mt) carbon sink increase against a commitment of 680-817 Mt increase.

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some recent policy measures that are counterintuitive to its renewed commitments. Much ambiguity still exists around various aspects of the targets Modi announced at COP26.

Moreover, the path toward achieving these targets is yet to be revealed. Nevertheless, there are some identifiable strengths and weaknesses.

Let’s look at the twin commitments of reaching non-fossil energy capacity of 500 GW and fulfilling 50 percent energy requirements via renewable energy by 2030. In July 2021, the installed capacity of renewables in India was 98.8 GW. While this is a significant increase from a lowly 39 GW in 2015, it is still a long way from the commitment of 175 GW by 2022 under the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Even so, CAT projections show that India will most likely reach its targeted non-fossil fuel capacity. If the WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

NET ZERO EMISSIONS

projections are true, they would most likely come on the back of cheap solar and wind power since the two have the lowest cost among electricity sources in India, increasing investment in solar photovoltaics, incentive-driven manufacturing hubs for renewables, and a new policy push towards Biofuels.

However, the commitment toward renewables has been juxtaposed with increased investment in the extraction of fossil fuels, mining infrastructure, and transportation to increase coal production to 1 billion tons by 2023-24. Coalpowered electricity generation has increased at an annual rate of 6 percent since 2015, with the coal capacity expected to grow from 202 GW in 2021 to 266 GW in 2030. This is evident from the recent opening up of 40 new coal mines for auction. This renewed push toward coal explains India’s last-minute objection to the “phasing out” of coal at COP26.

Other recent decisions of concern that could weaken the updated commitments include the government’s investment in palm oil. The National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm proposed to cover an additional area of 6.5 lakh hectares (lha) under oil palm cultivation by 2025-26 and another 6.7 lha by 2029-30. Production of crude palm oil is expected to go up to 1.12 million tons (mt) by FY2026 and up to 2.8 mt by FY2030. Notably, edible oil plantations tend to replace natural tropical forests, thereby depleting biodiversity and affecting natural carbon sinks.

Additionally, they may deplete groundwater levels, increase deforestation, and lead to habitat loss for native creatures.

Glasgow and Beyond: Negotiating an Uncertain future There is an identifiable discrepancy between India’s renewed climate commitments and its domestic policies toward climate action. This discrepancy mirrors the state of affairs at the global level: While the Paris Agreement seeks to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, an ambitious target that the G-20 countries agreed on in their October 2021 summit in Rome, current NDCs and net-zero targets set by countries would fail to achieve it. CAT projections show that current policies would be able to limit warming to 2.7 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Even in the most optimistic — albeit highly unlikely — scenario, the world would be 1.8 degrees Celsius warmer by the end of the century.

towards their achievement, thereby allowing governments to hide behind aspirational net-zero targets. This is evident in the fact that the 10 hottest years on record have all come in the last 25 years, during a time when global consensus on climate action has seen its most important milestones in the form of the Kyoto protocol, Bali Action Plan, Copenhagen Accord, and the Paris Agreement.

The above discussion becomes even more critical as the global economy recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As per projections by the International Energy Agency (IEA), post-pandemic recovery could cause a 4.8 percent growth in carbon emissions in 2021, leading to the single-largest increase in emissions since the economic recovery from the global financial crisis of 2008-09.

For India, the projections show that economic recovery would increase emissions by 1.4 percent compared to prepandemic levels, driven by higher coal demand. This would make short-term deeper emissions cuts even more justifiably unfair and impractical for India. It is so because deeper cuts rely on costly and energy-intensive direct carbon capture technologies. Deployment of such technologies by developing countries requires fulfilment of climate finance and technology transfer obligations on part of the developed world. The latter, however, appears largely unwilling to fulfil these obligations. For instance, while developed countries had pledged to raise $100 billion every year by 2020 to aid mitigation and adaptation efforts in developing countries, this 12-year-old goal has not been achieved yet, something that the Glasgow Pact “notes with deep regret.”

To conclude, India’s net-zero target and updated NDCs are certainly aspirational, keeping in mind its development needs during the post-COVID recovery. However, they fit a general pattern of incremental progress on climate action at the global level that lacks the collective sense of urgency required to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius below pre-industrial levels. How far India and the world can go with limited short-term emissions reduction and ambitious long-term climate action plans is something that remains to be seen.

***

While most countries are willing to set ambitious targets at multilateral fora such as the COP, real-world action is a far cry from what it needs to be. Some experts have even criticized the concept of net-zero as a “recklessly cavalier burn now, pay later approach,” which is over-reliant on incremental cuts to fossil fuel consumption and carbon dioxide removal techniques. Net-zero can indeed distract from the urgent need for deep emissions reductions if 2030 targets and short-term action are inconsistent with steps WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

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INDIAN RAILWAYS TO BECOME NET ZERO CARBON EMITTER BY 2030

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s a first step on the pathway towards lowcarbon economic growth, India has set ambitious targets for both reducing carbon emissions and deploying more clean energy. As per the Paris Agreement (2015) on climate change, India has pledged to reduce the intensity of emissions by 33-35% by 2030 from 2005-levels. In addition, India has set a target to transition to non-fossil fuel-based energy for 40% of its cumulative electricity generation capacity by 2030. One of the key sectors of the Indian economy that can provide a great impetus in achieving India’s 2030 targets is the Indian Railways.

Indian Railways is currently the world's second-largest railway network (under single management), with a network length of >67,000 route kilometres (RKM). It is the single largest consumer of electricity in India, and the energy consumption of railways is divided into two segments traction and non-traction. The traction segment consumes energy for running the network of trains and uses both electricity and diesel, while the non-traction

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segment’s energy consumption includes energy consumption at stations, factories/workshops, street lighting, staff housing and others.

Indian Railways – Energy Consumption Indian Railways consume ~18 TWh per year, or ~2% of the country's total power generation, with a peak demand of ~4,000 MW. Of the total electricity consumption, at present, traction accounts for 85%, while non-traction accounts for the remaining share (15%).

In 2017, the rail sector consumed ~4.1 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) of energy to meet its traction requirements. At 0.04 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (mb/d), diesel was the primary fuel, accounting for >50% of the total. As per the NITI Aayog data, CO2 emissions from Indian Railway was ~6.84 million tons in 2014.

To reduce the dependency on fossil fuels, the government

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NET ZERO EMISSIONS

is focusing on electrification, as an electrified railway system can more easily transition to clean energy alternatives such as solar and wind power.

speed and safety of trains and reducing infrastructure costs due to direct injection of solar power into the traction network.

Electrification of Indian Railways

In the wind energy space, the Railways has already installed 103.4 MW of the targeted capacity of 200 MW. This includes windmill plants of 21 MW (for non-traction) capacity in Tamil Nadu, 26 MW (for traction) capacity in Rajasthan, 6 MW (for non-traction) and 50.4 MW (for traction) capacity in Maharashtra.

A prerequisite step to achieve ‘net-zero’ emissions is to transition towards an electrified railway system and reduce the use of diesel-powered trains to the maximum extent possible. As of March 2019, electrification on Indian Railways has been extended to 34,319 RKMs, out of the total rail network of 67,415 RKMs - this constitutes ~50% of the total railway network.

On this electrified route, 65.4% of freight traffic and 56.2% of passenger traffic is hauled with fuel cost on electric traction being ~33.2% of the total traction fuel cost on Indian Railways. In addition, Indian Railways has planned to electrify the remaining broad-gauge rail routes by 2023 to achieve 100% electrification on those routes.

From the electrification of 610 RKM in 2013–14, the railways have completed electrification of 5,276 RKM in 2018–19; this is the highest ever electrification in a single year and 29% higher than the previous year.

With this ambitious plan of achieving 100% electrification for railways by the year 2023, Indian Railways' energy consumption is set to reach >33 billion units by 2030 from its current annual requirement of ~21 billion units.

Shift to Renewables The clean electricity alternatives that Indian Railways could transition to include solar power, wind power, nuclear power, hydropower, biomass energy, and geothermal energy. Of these, the most feasible is solar power and wind power.

Indian Railways is committed to employ solar energy for meeting its traction power demand and become a complete ‘green mode of transportation’. As part of this target, a mega plan has been developed to install solar plants of 20 GW capacity by utilising vacant lands by 2030. This development is in line with a recent directive by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to solarise railway stations and utilise vacant railway land for renewable energy projects.

Railway Energy Management Company Ltd. is working to proliferate the use of solar energy on a large scale by floating tenders for 2 GW solar projects for Indian Railways to be installed on unutilised railway lands.

According to a press release by the Ministry of Railways, these solar projects, besides supplying power to the railways at a reduced tariff, will also protect the land by constructing a boundary wall along the track. As a result, this will help in preventing encroachment, enhancing the

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The use of solar power and wind power will fast-track the Railways' mission to achieve the goal of becoming a 'Net Zero Carbon Emission Railway' and becoming 100% selfsustainable for all its power needs and contribute to the national solar power goals.

Technological Improvements Apart from efforts for the electrification of railway system, Indian Railways is also making operational and technological improvements to its diesel train fleet. For passenger trains on short routes, the first set of measures includes replacing diesel locomotives by diesel-electric multiple units (DEMU), providing fuel savings of ~10%.

Forthcoming plans include installing auxiliary power units (APU) on all new diesel locomotives, introducing common rail electronic direct injection on the fleet of diesel locomotives and applying other fuel efficiency measures.

In addition, in 2015, Indian Railways started blending biodiesel at a 5% share; since then, such blending has been introduced across several locations. Indian Railways also plans to change the system used to provide power to coaches from the ‘End-on-Generation’ to ‘Head-onGeneration’ scheme, this conversion will allow power—for air conditioning and lighting in the coaches—to be drawn from the locomotive, instead of from diesel generators (that are installed at both ends of the train). Such technological improvements help in reducing diesel consumption and lowering carbon emissions.

Indian Railways aims to become a 'net zero' carbon emitter by 2030 through various initiatives such as electrification of railway network, increasing use of renewable energy, and other measures. As part of this target, the other measures include reducing usage of diesel, improving energy efficiency of locomotives and trains and fixed installations, green certification for installations/stations, and fitting biotoilets in coaches.

With these initiatives, Indian Railways is leading India’s fight against climate challenge and taking major initiatives towards meeting its ambitious goal of being a net zero carbon emissions establishment and meeting India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) targets.

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Bio-fuels usage in Public Transport leads to Reverse Climate Change

Dr. Amudhan Valavan Independent Director MTC Chennai

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ransport is one of the most significant contributors to climate change, accounting for 27% of global CO2 emissions, and is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) are vital for addressing climate change and improving the efficiency of vehicle fleets as they produce lower GHG emissions than conventional fossil fuel vehicles. Each electric vehicle that displaces a conventional car saves approximately 1.5 tons of CO2 per year. This represents a 62% reduction compared to a petrol-powered car and a 53% reduction compared to a diesel-powered car.

With the increasing pressure on city authorities to work towards the Paris Agreement goals and tackle air pollution, India has vowed to reduce carbon emission by 33-35% by 2030 from its 2005 levels. We cannot stop climate change

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overnight, or even over the next several decades, we can slow the rate and limit the amount of global warming by reducing human emissions of heat-trapping gases and soot (“black carbon”). If all human emissions of heat-trapping gases were to stop today, Earth’s temperature would continue to rise for a few decades as ocean currents bring excess heat stored in the deep ocean back to the surface.

Once this excess heat radiated out to space, Earth’s temperature would stabilize. Experts think the additional warming from this “hidden” heat is unlikely to exceed 0.9° Fahrenheit (0.5°Celsius). With no further human influence, natural processes would begin to slowly remove the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and global temperatures would gradually begin to decline.

Cities need to generate clean, resource-efficient energy and move away from fossil fuels – they can also build energy efficient infrastructure designed for local conditions.

Transport via road, rail, air and water generates approximately 15 % of a all global greenhouse gas emissions with road transport accounting for three-quarters of these emissions. Transportation is the fastest growing consumer of fossil fuels and the fastest growing source of carbon dioxide emissions. There is an urgent need for a shift to sustainable, inclusive transport focused on electrification in the context of more compact urban planning and a greater reliance on safe, accessible, affordable and low carbon public transport, integrated with better facilities for walking and cycling. Bicycles are carbon neutral while walking and cycling also improve public health and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. COVID-

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19 may result in a 6% drop in greenhouse gas emissions for 2020. Still short of 7.6% annual reduction required to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Investment in fossil fuels continues to be higher than investment in climate activities, i.e. Fossil Fuel -$781 Billion, Climate Finance - $681 Billion. Climate change continues to exacerbate the frequency and severity of natural disasters.

engine running on a conventional or on an alternative fuel or most likely on both.

The alternatives to petroleum-based fuels must meet the following criteria, if they are going to be used widely for transportation.

Picture 1: Climate Change

The weather affects our work and play; climate change can affect our survival our lives are linked to weather and climate, and to energy use. Our search for and use of fossil fuels—primarily coal and oil—could warm the atmosphere enough to contribute to ever more destructive floods, serious and sustained droughts, and relentless snowfalls.

One way to slow these trends is to increase energy efficiency and develop and use clean, sustainable energy sources. Political and business leaders throughout the world recognize that global climate change is real, and are taking steps to reduce fossil fuel emissions.

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Technical acceptability Economically competitive Environmentally acceptable Safety & availability

Based on the above criteria, several alternate fuels have been considered from time to time all over the world as low cost substitutes for gasoline and diesel. Lately they have gained importance as clean fuels. The prominent among these are Biodiesel, Electric fuel, ethanol, hydrogen, methanol, natural gas (CNG/LNG), propane (LPG), DME, P-series and solar fuels.

Need of Alternate Fuels With increasing oil import bills and diminishing stock of fossil petroleum fuels, search for renewable and domestic alternative propellants is now the prime challenge being faced by scientists and decision makers in India. Moreover, introduction of increasingly stringent vehicle emission legislation and severe air quality targets seem to question our reliance on the age-old conventional fuels. The future of mineral oils like gasoline and diesel and the prospect of clean alternative fuels, both depends on the limit of emissions allowed, legislative requirements, technical acceptability and the cost of the concept developed.

Today's engine development is heavily controlled by increasingly stringent emission legislation, leading to rapid developments. The EEV (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicles)-standards is coming into force for polluted cities, creating an extra incentive for the development of extra clean vehicle technology. The future of gaseous/alternative fuels depends on the maximum of polluting emission allowed, the technology available and the cost of concepts developed. Promising developments are taking place in the area of the conventional prime mover, the diesel engine. At the end of the day the concept that fulfils all legislative requirements and can be sold at the lowest price will be the winner. And that may be an

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The solution for Reverse Climate Change: Alternate fuels than fossil fuels With the stock of fossil fuels diminishing throughout the world and demand for energy based comforts and mobility ever increasing, time is ripe that we strike a balance between energy security and energy usage. Moreover having uplifted to such a sphere of engineering excellence, reverting back to the ages of the bull carts will prove next to impossible thereby compelling us to search for a basket of alternative fuels to derive energy to cater to our needs.

Several sources of energy, especially for driving the automotive are being developed and tested. Judicious utilization of this basket of energy is the call of the hour for a nation to see itself through the tough days ahead.

Fuel Life Cycle and GHG emissions The carbon cycle and biofuels CO2 is part of the Earth’s natural carbon cycle, which circulates carbon through the atmosphere, plants, animals, oceans, soil, and rocks. This cycle maintains a life-sustaining and delicate natural balance between storing, releasing, and recycling carbon.

By using biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel for transportation, we can help restore the natural balance of CO2 in the atmosphere. Besides displacing fossil fuels, the

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feedstock’s used to make biofuels require CO2 to grow, and they absorb what they need from the atmosphere. Thus, much or all of the CO2 released when biomass is converted into a biofuel and burned in automobile engines is recaptured when new biomass is grown to produce more biofuels. From the feedstock extraction or production to the final use in an engine, the fuel goes through multiple steps constituting its life cycle. At each of these steps, GHG emissions are likely to be produced. The total carbon foot print of the fuel is obtained by adding all these emissions together in a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. For fossil fuels, in addition to combustion, emissions are associated with crude oil extraction and refining, as well as final fuel transport and distribution. In the case of biofuels, combustion emissions can be considered as neutral, but there are emissions associated to the cultivation, harvesting, transport and conversion of the feedstock. In particular, depending on the feedstock and agricultural practices, the cultivation of the feedstock can represent a significant part of the emissions.

Picture 2: Carbon Cycle as a closed loop

Picture 3: Fuel Life Cycle Emissions

Thus, to assess the emissions reductions from using alternative fuels, a comprehensive accounting process must be completed for all emissions across all steps of the fuel’s life cycle, from the field to the tank of the aircraft. If there are lower emissions from the full life cycle of the alternative

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fuel, in comparison to the full life cycle of fossil fuels, then there is an environmental benefit for climate change.

Bio Fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions Bio fuels such as bioethanol, Biodiesel, contribute little or no CO2 to the build-up of greenhouse gas emissions.

Converting biomass feed stocks to biofuels is an environmentally friendly process. So is using biofuels for transportation. When we use bioethanol instead of gasoline, we help reduce atmospheric CO2 in three ways: 1) We avoid the emissions associated with gasoline; 2) We allow the CO2 content of the fossil fuels to remain in storage; and 3) We provide a mechanism for CO2 absorption by growing new biomass for fuels.

Because of their compatibility with the natural carbon cycle, biofuels offer the most beneficial alternative for reducing greenhouse gases from the transportation sector.

Increasing biomass use would accelerate the displacement of fossil fuels and the reduction of transportation greenhouse gas emissions. India has less than 0.4 % of the world's crude oil deposits and rising oil imports are a major drain on the country's foreign exchange reserves. Expecting a steep rise in annual energy demand for power and transportation in the coming years, development of renewable energy technology options especially for the transportation sector has become a major thrust area now.

The Government has been funding renewable energy programmes since the early 1980s. Parallel research and projects are being undertaken aiming at exploring alternative road transportation fuels but commercialization of various alternative fuels still remains a dream though introduction of CNG happens to mark a step in the right direction.

The merits of alternate fuels are well recognized but fuel cost is very often perceived as the bottleneck for promotion of the fuel. Like any other new technology, cost of new fuel may be higher at the inception stage but as economies of scale exists for a product like auto-fuel, which caters to mass consumption, the cost factor smoothens with time making these fuels competitive with the existing one. Moreover, when the feedstock is domestic and renewable, it gives dividends by making the local market economy more vibrant. Therefore, any alternative fuels programme deserves greater Government support and will to succeed.

The main KPI’s for selection of alternate fuels are listed in

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the Table :2 , the Cost, Driving Range, Fuel Availability, Pay Load, Reliability Service Life, Climate Protection and Pollution Control.

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greater variety of fuels for sale. Modest state financial incentives can potentially be justified by the energy security, risk reduction, trade balance, economic

Table 1: EMISSIONS INDICATORS COMPARISON FROM VARIOUS ALTERNATIVE FUELS

‘*’ Indicates BSIV Vehicles only available now, BSV&VI yet to come in the market Table 2

Conclusion & recommendations Taking into account the feasibility, emission benefits and other logistics, the following issues may be considered for exploring any new alternative fuels in the country:  The need for creation of a National Alternative Fuels Coalition (NAFC) is increasingly felt now. The coalition should have participation from all concerned agencies and ministries including Vehicle manufacturers, OEM’s, refiners, NGOs, Public Transport Operators and Stake holders of Transport etc.  The long-term policy goals should be neutral to all types of vehicle fuels, both conventional fuels and alternative fuels. Fuel options may be many but choice of use should always be the users' preference.  Availability of surplus conventional fuels outstripping the demand should not become a market barrier for introduction of alternative fuels.  Pre-requisites like proper retail-fuelling infrastructure, toxicological study of the fuels, demand supply logistics; legislative and regulatory formalities should be accomplished well in advance prior to lunching a new fuel.  Temporary financial incentives for both the public and private sectors can help push the marketplace to develop an alternative fuelling infrastructure and offer a WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

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development, and environmental benefits that are possible from a greater use of alternate fuelled vehicles (AFVs). Various incentive approaches should be considered including incentives for alternative fuelled vehicle purchases, retail fuelling infrastructure and instate production of alternative fuels. Should one or more incentive approach appear warranted, it should be justified by an analysis of estimated benefits and costs.

Incentives should be temporary and discontinued after AFVs comprise a significant portion of the motor vehicle population.

Considering the recent developments in technologies, it is recommended to carry out comprehensive field trials with new technology vehicles in Indian conditions by Vehicle Manufacturers and OEM’s. And also Institutes like IIP, IOC (R&D), etc. are capable of doing such studies and Government may avail funds to the concerned sectors for enhanced R&D in this field.

Information dissemination with regard to the merits and demerits of alternative fuels play an important role in promotion of the fuel. Intensive public awareness campaigns need to be initiated by the responsible institutions to educate the common public regarding the facts and myths of alternative fuels.

A united memorandum of understanding (MoU), with the aim of starting a wide-ranging collaboration to promote and accelerate the introduction of hydrogenbased mobility e.g. On October 20th, 2021 - SNAM, URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE NOVEMBER 2021

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TOYOTA and CAETONO Bus Signed MoU with the aim of starting a wide-ranging collaboration to promote and accelerate the introduction of hydrogen-based mobility.

A Stringent action of promotion required for the energy transition by supporting the use of compressed natural gas (CNG), liquid natural gas (LNG), Bio-methane, Bio-Diesel, Bio-ethanol and hydrogen in the public transport sector.

Precise Takeaway The recommended guidelines as per UITP says “if the any of the Single Variable Cost exceeds more than 40% of the total earning cost then the transport operation is not viable or profitable unless there is a government subsidy for it. At present the fuel costs go beyond 48-56% and this calls for immediate action to be taken. The rising cost of fuel not only eats in the profits but also the fossil fuels lay stress on the climate. The abrupt climate change that is caused by fossil fuels can only be slowed down if we shift sooner to alternate fuels. Public transport alone is a sole contributor to about 24% of the climate change pollutants that is added. This is high-time that we shift to alternate fuel methods that can help in reverse climate change action.

Currently the only place that has achieved a reverse climate change is Bhutan. Taking it as an example, we should soon make a sensible call towards alternate fuel options that are

available and the same should be implemented on a larger scale to save our planet as well as save more bucks running public transportation. *** About Author Dr. Amudhan Valavan possesses over 28 years of experience in Public Transport and Urban Mobility related fields since 1993. He is an Independent Director of Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Chennai.

He is also a senior member of editorial advisory board of Urban Transport News and its publications.

India’s International Magazines for Rail, Metro and Transportation Industry

In order to reduce logistic costs to the customers and capturing market share, Indian Railways have taken a lot of initiatives for tariff reforms as well as non-tariff measures and development of goods shed through private investment.

Mr. M. C. Chauhan is a retired (but not tired) Railwayman who served Indian Railways more than 38 years on various senior positions.

In a recent interaction with Urban Transport News, he frankly talked on various initiatives and actions being undertaken by the Government of India towards making New India with five trillion economy.

Tell us about your professional journey in Railway and Metro sectors.

I joined Indian Railways in January, 1981 and served for thirty seven and half years in various capacities. Indian Railways is a vast organization and each job assigned has provided me a unique experience and opportunity. The major responsibilities handled by me were as Director Electrical Engineering, Railway Board, Divisional Railway Manager, Mumbai Division in Central Railway, Executive Director, Railway Electrification and Adviser, Railway Electrification, Railway Board, General Manager, Metro Railway, Kolkata and General Manager, North Central Railway.

Tell us your achievements in Railway and Metro industry during your tenure.

Railway provides you ample opportunities for improvement in the system. I would like to mention to you some of my initiatives and major achievements. During my tenure of Director Electrical Engineering in Railway Board, major strategic policy decisions that I facilitated

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include the change over of silico-manganese steel strips by metallized carbon strips for pantographs, which doubled the life of overhead line contact wire of OHE and generated recurring savings of more than INR 1000 million per annum. For this strategic decision, I studied the material of this component used on other railways in the world and made the comparative analysis of benefits accrued after the changing of material of pantograph strips on these railways. As a result of this analysis, decision was made to replace silico-manganese steel strips with metallized carbon strips for pantographs of locomotives and motor coaches of EMUs/MEMU on Indian Railways.

As a member of the committee drafting the Electricity Act, 2003, I proposed modifications that enabled the Railways to get the deemed licensee status, which facilitated railways obtaining power at competitive tariff from any source and setting up its’ own captive power plants. This has generated recurring savings in railways’ traction energy bill to the tune of more than Rs.2000 crore per annum. To meet the ever growing suburban traffic requirements in Mumbai, I was successful in getting sanction of the work of conversion of 1500 Volt D.C to 25000 Volt A.C traction system in Mumbai area. This has resulted in augmentation of suburban services to meet the burgeoning commuter traffic and enable recurring savings of INR 3000 million per annum due to improvements in energy efficiency.

During my tenure as Divisional Railway Manager, Mumbai Division of Central Railway, ZERO DISRUPTION IN SUBURBAN SERVICES was achieved (for the first time in the history of Mumbai division) during monsoon in 2010, owing to timely pre-emptive steps taken i.e; raising of tracks and installation of digital axle counters (for maintaining the signal aspects even with tracks under

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INTERVIEW

water) in flood prone areas. Implemented a first-of-its-kind initiative to bring down deaths from trespassing on railway tracks. This involved neuroscience and behavioral economics based solution, to intervene with non-conscious part of human brain (by real-life warning sign boards at entry points, whistle boards, staccato honking and speed reference points on the tracks). This reduced death rates by 60% at the Wadala suburban station of Mumbai.

infrastructural projects i.e; new lines, doubling / tripling / quadrupling of existing lines, railway electrification and signalling works. Work on New Delhi – Mumbai and New Delhi – Howrah high density corridors is already undertaken to increase the speed potential of 160 km/h over these routes. Similarly, other sections of golden quadrilateral routes are also being augmented for higher speed potential.

Designing of architectural theme lighting of the UNESCO World Heritage site Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai (CSTM) and arranging funds of about Rs.5 crore from the Ministry of Culture for the same was another initiative taken by me. This architectural theme lighting based on festivals and national days has become a major attraction for thousands of people who cross this World Heritage Site every day.

To provide better services to the commuters, Bangalore Suburban System is being developed with ongoing works amounting to more than Rs.15,700 cr. Similarly, Mumbai Suburban System is also being modernised with ongoing projects worth more than Rs.70,000 cr, which will benefit about 75 lakh commuters.

163 new daily suburban services were added during my tenure of two years.

India's first high-tech, energy-efficient, self-propelled train set Vande Bharat Express introduced a new era of mobility with modern passenger amenities. This is a prime example of the success of Make in India movement.

As General Manager, Metro Railway Kolkata and Chairman Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation, acquired the required land successfully for pending metro projects with continuous follow up with the West Bengal State Government, Defence Authorities and Ministry of Railways and expedited the progress of these projects.

With a view to reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and to enhance Nation’s energy security, Indian Railways have accelerated the pace of electrification during last 5 years. 100% Electrification of Broad Gauge Routes of Indian Railways is targeted to be completed by December, 2023.

Tunneling below Hooghly river by state-of-the-art EPBM Tunnel Boring Machines started in April, 2017 and has been completed in 66 days, as planned. This is the first transportation tunnel (520 meter long and about 30 meter deep) of the country under any large river.

Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) are gateways to Nation’s growth of economy and development. Eastern DFC and Western DFC, covering 2483 km, are targeted for commissioning by June, 2022. The DFCs will be a game changer in the freight scenario and will substantially lower the logistics cost in the country. In order to further proliferate the DFCs across the country, especially on the Golden Quadrilateral, three more corridors (North-South, East West & East Cost) have been identified, and DPRs for these are being made.

When I was General Manager, North Central Railway, through innovative solutions, strategic planning, and better coordination with all stake holders; the performance of the North Central Railway improved significantly, and the zone was awarded Railway Minister’s Cup for Best AllRound Improvement, amongst 17 Railway Zones, in the financial year 2017-18.

What are your thoughts on the development in Metro and railway sector in last five years.

There has been a tremendous development in both Rail and Metro sectors. In the past five years, the Government has made safety the foremost priority of Indian Railways.

All Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLCs) on Broad Gauge network have been eliminated. Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) fund of Rs.1 lakh crore for 5 years (2017-22) has been created for safety works. Focus on safety related works led to quantum improvement in the safety performance of Indian Railways.

With a view to decongest the highly saturated routes of Indian Railways and to enhance capacity, a lot of emphasis has been made for the sanction and faster execution of WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

Railways is improving passenger services by a complete makeover of Stations by installing modern facilities including escalators, lifts, free wi-fi, etc. Habibganj and Gandhinagar stations have been developed with world class facilities. Redevelopment of about 400 major stations is being planned.

Contributing to Hon’ble PM’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Railways have paid attention to hygiene with efforts such as record installation of Bio-toilets in all coaches, third party independent surveys, integrated mechanized cleaning and On Board Housekeeping Services (OBHS).

India’s first National Rail & Transportation Institute has been launched with 1st academic session started with two undergraduate programmes - B.Sc. in Transportation Technology & BBA in Transportation Management.

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In order to reduce logistic costs to the customers and capturing market share, Indian Railways have taken a lot of initiatives for tariff reforms as well as non-tariff measures and development of goods shed through private investment. Efforts in this direction are well appreciated by Industry. To move perishables including fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fishery and dairy products from production or surplus regions to consumption or deficient regions, and speedy movement to ensure minimum damage during transit, Kisan rail services are provided.

Considering the rapid urbanization and the imminent need for enhancing mobility & to reduce air pollution in cities through metro rail, a new Metro Policy 2017 was made by the Government of India.

In order to promote indigenization and reduction in cost, the specifications of various metro rail components like rolling stock, signalling & telecom systems, electrical & electromechanical systems and civil engineering structures have been standardized. These standards will ensure that metro rail sub-systems for all new metro projects conform to the prescribed standards and thus encouraging manufacturers to set up their units in India, keeping in view the economies of scale provided by the large scale production. Specific steps for promoting 'Make in India' have been stipulated in these standards.

With a view, to ensure uniformity in cost estimation of metro projects, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has also firmed up the Cost Estimates of Metro Rail Projects and circulated the "Report on Benchmarking for Cost Estimation of Metro Rail Projects" to all metro rail companies for compliance. Standards for Light Urban Rail Transit system called "Metrolite" has been issued. Metrolite is suitable for cities with lower ridership and can be constructed at lesser cost than that of high capacity metro system. This can also be used as feeder to high capacity metro system.

Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has also issued the specifications for Metro Neo for smaller cities, cost of which will be even much lower than Metrolite.

'Metro Neo' would also act as feeder system to high capacity Metro.

What do you think about Government of India’s revolution for the development of metro rail, bullet train and RRTS system in India?

With a view to reduce journey time for commuters, improvement in safety, reliability, energy efficiency & sustainability and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, Government of India have taken major initiatives to sanction of new/expansion of metro rail in million plus cities (Kanpur, Agra, Patna, Surat, Meerut, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai & Kochi, etc.), sanction of Delhi - Ahmedabad high speed rail project and

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Delhi - Meerut RRTS. Development of these capital intensive projects would create jobs and help revive the economy and tackle unemployment. In addition, it would help in to improve the air pollution by reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and road accidents in cities. As per the statistics published by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (2019), 17,798 deaths were recorded in 2019 from road accidents in million-plus cities. Development of Regional Rapid Systems (RRTS) connecting regional centres will help in decongestion of overcrowded cities and improved mobility of commuters.

With an aim to meet the growing passenger demand and to optimize the high-speed rail connectivity between major cities/ commercial/economic centres, the DPRs for following High Speed Railway corridors, are being made by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL): 1. Delhi – Lucknow – Varanasi via Ayodhya: 865 km 2. Varanasi – Patna – Howrah: 760 km 3. Delhi- Jaipur – Udaipur – Ahmedabad : 886 km 4. Delhi – Chandigarh – Ludhiana – Amritsar: 459 km 5. Mumbai – Nasik – Nagpur: 753 km 6. Mumbai – Pune – Ahmedabad: 711 km 7. Chennai – Bengaluru – Mysuru: 435 km However, there is a concern for financial viability and funding of future HSR projects. Measures are to be taken to reduce the capital cost, indigenous manufacture of equipment and to develop competent manpower resources for HSR. Do you think that there should be an unified authority or system to be developed for urban rail projects in the country.

As per National Urban Transport Policy of MoHUA, there is a need for setting up of Unified Metropolitan Transport Authorities (UMTAs) in all million plus cities, to facilitate more co-ordinated planning and implementation of urban transport programs and projects and an integrated management of urban transport systems. UMTA to take integrated project approach for public transit projects, taking into account feeder networks, transit oriented development plans, integrated fare systems, pedestrian access, and parking facilities, etc. Since urban rail projects are extending at a faster space, each urban rail project has unique features, for which knowledge data base to be created for pooling of information on complex activities.

Some institution like The Institution of Urban Transport (India), existing under MoHUA may be strengthened to provide the advice on state-of-the-art new technologies to various implementing agencies. The Institute would collect the information on various suburban transport technologies being used over various parts of the world and would maintain the latest literature on such technologies, so that the best practices can be adopted. The Institute may also WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

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play a role to provide advice and guidance on good urban transport planning.

Are you satisfied with the Government efforts taken during the Covid-19 pandemic to minimize the risk in rail & transportation sectors.

Yes, Government of India have taken adequate measures to minimize the risk in rail and transport sector in Covid-19 pandemic. Necessary protocols such as equipping of passengers/staff with face mask, use of hand sanitizer, maintaining social distancing, thermal scanning, availability of hand sanitizers at entry/exit points, frequent sanitization of common facilities, training of staff for proper disinfecting procedures, monitoring the hygiene of public transport stations and vehicles by routine inspections, reducing human contact through digital ticketing and verification procedures, increasing distance between passengers by reducing the occupancy of public transport vehicles, etc. and all the detailed guidelines issued

by Ministry of Home Affairs were followed.

It is worthwhile to mention that the public transport sector has chipped in to help combat the Covid-19 crisis in commendable ways. In addition to ramping up parcel trains for movement of essential commodities, the Indian Railways (IR) have provided isolation beds in 5601 train coaches to serve as COVID care centres. Indian Railways earmarked 5,000 beds in 17 dedicated hospitals and 33 isolated hospital blocks were also reserved for COVID care.

63.1 lakhs migrant workers were ferried by running of 4621 Shramik special trains. Indian Railways have also delivered more than 32000 metric tonne of liquid medical oxyzen to various states during second wave of Covid for saving precious human lives. Most of the Indian airlines also helped with logistics operation and offered to increase their cargo movements during the pandemic. Air India, Indigo, Spice jet and Blue Dart have contributed to supply essential medical goods to places in need.

What is your takes on Government’s “Make in India” and “Atma Nirbhar Bharat” Mission?

Atma Nirbhar Bharat Mission or Self-reliant India is the vision of New India envisaged by Hon’ble Prime Minister.

On May 12, Hon’ble Prime Minister announced in his address to the nation an economic package of Rs 20 trillion to tide over the coronavirus crisis under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

India’s self-reliance will be based on five pillars: 1. Economy 2. Infrastructure 3. Technology driven system 4. Vibrant demography 5. Demand This mission will really make the country and its citizens WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

self-reliant, will reduce import and open the economy for export to the rest of world. Indian Railways also under this Abhiyan have changed the procurement policy and more than 95% of electric locomotive components to be sourced indigenously. To reduce dependence on import, Rail Wheel Factory has enhanced the capacity for axles manufacturing and Banras Locomotive Works, Varanasi has exported 7 Diesel locomotives to Sri Lankan Railways.

Other key initiatives include initiation of process for procurement for 44 rakes of Vande Bharat Trains and production of powerful 12000 HP engines at Madhepura.

We have developed the manufacturing capacity of 5 lakhs PPE per day and now we are also exporting these kits.

Indian Railway has set target to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2030. What is your opinion on this? Do you have any suggestion?

Indian Railways have set the target of becoming Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030. This has also been announced by Hon’ble Prime Minister during his 75th Independence address to the Nation. Indian Railways (IR) have taken major initiatives to achieve this, such as 100% electrification of broad gauge rail network, as well as the sourcing of about 9 GW estimated traction & non-traction power from renewable energy sources by multipronged approach (installation of its’ own solar power plants & wind mills as well as bulk procurement of solar power and round the clock renewable power procurement).

I have some suggestions for other measures, which may be taken by IR, to become totally net zero carbon emitter.

1000 high horse power Diesel Locomotives are being supplied by GE as per the contract awarded in 2015. In addition, about 800 other Diesel locomotives & few DEMUs with balance useful life of more than 12 years would be available on Indian Railways beyond 2030 and will be a source of carbon emission. Narrow gauge trains will also be continually hauled by diesel locomotives, as there is not yet any plan for electrification of these lines.

Self-propelled OHE inspection cars, and Stationery Diesel Generating sets are also source of carbon emission.

Therefore, to become fully Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030, action plan for conversion of above Diesel locos to electric locomotives, conversion of DEMUs, including shunting locomotives & OHE inspection cars either by battery powered propulsion system or by hydrogen fuel cell based propulsion system along with battery bank, may be drawn. Possibility of conversion of some diesel locomotives by hydrogen fuel cell based propulsion system may also be explored, keeping in view the fast evolving technology of hydrogen powered trains on foreign railways and estimated reduction in cost of hydrogen up to 1$ per kg by 2030. DG sets may also be replaced by hydrogen fuel cells/battery banks.

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RAIL INFRA & MOBILITY BUSINESS SUMMIT & AWARDS 2021 (SECOND EDITION) DECEMBER 21, 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 December 21, 2021, in New Delhi, India.

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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

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INDIVIDUAL         

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**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).

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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.

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Are we creating outcomes similar to Power Sector by proliferating Metro Rail across cities in India?

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M

etro rails mitigate problems of pollution and congestion in crowded Indian cities and are therefore a priority of the government. However, they are also very expensive to build and operate, making their operations loss-making. With increasing proliferation of metro rails and their continuous losses, there would be a need for repeated bailout packages for the metro rail sector in India, similar to the case of the power sector. There are a number of measures that can be taken to mitigate this outcome as apparent from the example of Hong Kong Metro.

The Government of India has declared its intention to have metro rail in 50 cities by 2025 (Halder, 2018). Metro rails reduce pollution and congestion by substituting hundreds of thousands of personal vehicles for commuting in cities, but for metro rail operations to be financially sustainable, there is a requirement of huge footfalls, substantial non-fare revenue, and capturing value associated with appreciating WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

OPINION

As metro rails spread across more cities in India, the financial distress of the JVCs running these metros will become more acute (Table 2). The estimated financial internal rate of return (FIRR) is projected as positive for these projects in their detailed project reports. However, the record of negative profit after tax (PAT) in operational metros of India (Table 1) implies that there is optimism bias in the estimates, and actually, the FIRR would turn out to be much lower.

Financial Analysis of some major Metro Rails

Kumar V Pratap Joint Secretary (UT) Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is the oldest, longest, and most developed metro in the country. Another major metro rail is the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC).

The financial performance trends of both these metro rails are examined in this time-series analysis to understand the financial sustainability of metro rails in India. Figure 1 shows the trends of PAT in these two metro rails.

Figure 1: Profit After Tax (Rs. Billion) Trends in DMRC and BMRC.

property prices because of the metro rail investment.

The huge upfront capital costs of metro rail (estimated at about `3 billion per km) combined with low passenger footfalls in some cities and the desire to keep fares even lower than the operation and maintenance costs of metro rail operations mean that they are perpetually loss-making entities. The losses of metro rail companies will erode the equity of the joint venture companies (JVCs) (most metro rails are 50:50 JVCs between the central and the state governments) and make them bankrupt in the near future. This will call for repeated bailouts for these JVCs similar to the power distribution companies in India.

With sustained operational losses and overall losses in metros across cities in India (Table 1), including Delhi, where footfalls are about 3 million per day, it is clear from this cross-sectional analysis that the metro rail sector in India faces substantial financial distress.

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The PAT trends in DMRC and BMRC confirm our findings that metro rails are loss-making ventures in India. The negative slope of the trendline in both the metros points towards increasing financial unsustainability in the future.

Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Metro Rail Financial year 2020–2021 is likely to be disastrous for the financials of metro rail JVCs as metros were locked down for more than 6 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though the metro services had been resumed in October 2020, the ridership had been adversely affected by social distancing requirements. Estimates suggest that instead of 1,800–2,000 passengers, a typical metro train in Delhi is carrying 350–400 passengers to ensure social distancing, implying a carrying capacity of metros of about a fifth of the business-as-usual levels. McKinsey and Company (2020) reports that Transport for London, the government body responsible for the public transportation system in Greater London, estimates that with

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OPINION

₹333.65 billion losses in 2017–2018 (GOI, 2020).

These losses have increased to ₹496.23 billion in 2018–2019 (PFC, 2020).

The government has been regularly bailing out the sector, the last one being Ujjwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY).

UDAY was launched in 2015 for operational and financial turnaround of distribution utilities through targeted interventions to lower the interest costs, reduce the cost of power, increase revenues, and improve operational efficiencies. A total of 27 states and 5 union territories joined the scheme. Total liability of ₹2,690 billion was to be restructured under two meters of physical distancing, the London Underground, or Tube, will be able to carry 13%–15% of the passengers that it usually does, even at full service.

Ways to augment ridership, given the constraint of social distancing, would be to stagger office and school hours so that the ridership is more even throughout the day, compulsory use of thermal scanners at stations with normal temperature as a requirement to avail the services of the metro rail, and compulsory use of face masks, which can possibly increase the ridership to the range of about 40% of the peak capacity. This supply destruction caused by the pandemic is adversely affecting the already stretched financials of the metro rails. It has been estimated that the loss of daily revenue due to COVID-19 compared to business-as-usual is ₹100 million per day for DMRC, ₹16 million per day for Hyderabad Metro Rail, and ₹9 million per day for Mumbai Metro One (Roy, 2020).

Financial distress of the Power Sector and need for repeated bailouts As mentioned earlier, it is likely that the financial distress faced by the power distribution companies in India will be replicated in the metro rail sector. The power sector faces inter-related problems of stressed assets, low capacity utilization (low plant load factor), bankrupt power distribution segment, etc. The total financial losses of power distribution companies (DISCOMs) in the 5 years from 2013 – 2014 to 2017–2018 was ₹2,456.40 billion, with

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UDAY through issuance of bonds. So far, bonds worth ₹2,320 billion have been issued, consisting of state bonds of ₹2,090 billion and distribution company (DISCOM) bonds of ₹230 billion (GOI, 2019).

The power sector woes are likely to increase in the future.

In the recently concluded solar auctions, solar tariffs have reached a low of ₹2 per unit of power (compared to ₹6 per unit average cost of electricity supply for distribution utilities). The low cost of solar power means that it has reached grid parity and more, which is the primary driver for its rapid growth. Currently, India has an installed capacity of 35 GW of solar capacity, which is about a tenth of the country’s total installed power generation capacity, and there are ambitious plans to increase renewable (and solar) capacity as per India’s nationally determined contributions as part of the Paris Accord. India has pledged a reduction in the emission intensity of its GDP by 33%– 35% by 2030 from 2005 levels and 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030. This would obviously mean more renewables in the energy mix, pursuant to which the government had targeted a renewable capacity of 175 GW by 2022 (and 450 GW by 2030), of which 100 GW would be solar power.

The falling solar prices benefit the cause of open access in the power distribution sector (with consumers having a choice of electricity supplier just as in the telecom sector).

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OPINION

Using open access, DMRC, for example, is sourcing 32% of its power requirements from the Rewa solar project in Madhya Pradesh. Open access in the power distribution sector is one of the neglected provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003, and operationalizing it would make the power sector competitive, which, in turn, would improve the cost competitiveness of the Indian economy.

However, the coming of age of solar power and open access in India would increase the power distribution sector’s challenges, dominated by the public sector power distribution companies (DISCOMs). These DISCOMs have existing long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with mainly coal-based thermal power generating projects.

Any decrease in thermal power demand due to cheaper solar power and operationalization of open access would mean more financial stress for the DISCOMs. They would be required to pay the fixed costs of power. This may necessitate another DISCOM bailout soon, for which the government is ill-equipped in the current COVID pandemic times, with stressed fiscal deficit and growth rate (Pratap, 2020).

The Atma Nirbhar Bharat package refers to about ₹900 billion loan from Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrical Corporation (REC) to DISCOMs for payments to the power generation companies. However, without tackling the issue of low-cost recovery (there is a revenue gap of 72 paise per unit of electricity sold in the country [PFC, 2020]), there is little likelihood of the power sector becoming financially sustainable. Therefore, there would be a repeated need for bailouts in times to come.

The path that the metro rail sector is following is alarmingly similar to the power sector.

The case of Hong Kong Metro However, there is nothing in theory that precludes financially sustainable operations of metro rails. We find that Hong Kong Metro is generating huge profits year after year. Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Rail (MTR) system operates across 263 km, carrying 5.2 million passengers a day. The MTR Corporation (MTRC), which built and operates the system, reported a whopping HK$12.09 billion (US$1.56 billion) net profit in 2019. In fact, in the last 10 years (2010–2019), the net profits of Hong Kong Metro have been over US$18 billion, or an average of US$1.8 billion per year (MTRC, n.d).

MTRC follows the Rail plus Property (R + P) model. This model is based on the concept of value capture finance (VCF, which internalizes the externalities generated from large public investments). It is well accepted that the creation of infrastructure like roads or metro networks increases property values in and around the area of development. VCF aims to capture this positive externality generated through public funding to improve the financials of the project.

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In Hong Kong, the government owns the land whose value is very high due to limited space. To develop the MTR system, the government entered into an agreement with MTRC, which has 70% government shareholding. The government then transferred the land and development rights to MTRC at a pre-rail price. MTRC, in turn, transferred the developmental rights to private developers at an after-rail price.

After metro rail development, the land value adjacent to the metro rail skyrocketed, and the difference between prerail and after-rail prices was substantial. The profit margin from this VCF mechanism was sufficient to meet the further development requirements of MTR. Also, the developer returned the land with premium value as a lease charge to the government, as well as shared a part of profit with MTRC, making MTRC highly profitable. Changes were made in the local land-use law to drive property development around stations. In some districts, a floor area ratio (FAR) of 10 was allowed to encourage dense development with a mix of residential and transport facilities.

MTRC is one of the largest property managers in Hong Kong. As of 31 December 2019, MTR managed more than 104,000 residential units and more than 772,000 m2 of office and commercial space in Hong Kong (MTRC, 2019).

Profits from property development and related business of MTRC, including Hong Kong station commercial business and Hong Kong property rental and management business, have accounted for more than 50% of MTRC’s total profit between 2000 and 2015. The R+P program enabled MTRC to capture real estate income to finance a part of the capital and running costs of new railway lines and increase transit patronage by facilitating high-quality, dense, and walkable catchment areas around stations (PPIAF, 2015).

A more sustainable way for promoting urban transport in India Cities are engines of growth for countries because of agglomeration economies. It has been estimated that while about a third of the Indian population lives in urban areas, URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE NOVEMBER 2021

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it contributes two-thirds to the GDP (Sankhe et al., 2010).

However, due to urbanization, there are pollution and congestion problems in Indian cities (6 of the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in India, as per the World Economic Forum, 2020). Urban transport is a major contributor to this pollution and congestion. Therefore, there is a need for more efficient urban transportation.

mix of services that customers want. The result is developments that feed the metro in exchange for a metro that maximizes the value of developments (World Bank and RTSC, 2017). While Hong Kong is land-constrained and can generate substantial resources from VCF, the land constraint is quite pronounced in Indian cities too, making it possible to make efficient use of VCF tools.

However, the proliferation of metro rails across cities in India with little non-fare and property revenue, as is being done now, is not financially sustainable. The ameliorative measures that can be taken to improve the outcomes are suggested below.

VCF, as known widely in the world, is based on the principle that private land and buildings benefit from public investments in infrastructure and policy decisions of governments (e.g., change of land use or floor space index).

These benefits are externalities generated from public investment and, hence, should not be included in user charges. Therefore, there is a need to deploy appropriate VCF tools to capture a part of the unearned increment in land and buildings value. These can be used to fund projects being set up for the public by the central/state governments and urban local bodies. This generates a virtuous cycle in which value is created, realized and captured, and used again for project investment. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has already developed a VCF policy that needs to be operationalized for metro rail development to be financially sustainable (GOI, n.d.).

First, it must be realized that metro rails are the most expensive form of public transport. Cheaper options like Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System, light metro rail, etc. may be used to achieve the objective of efficient urban transportation while managing the adverse financial fallout of a full-fledged metro system.

Second, if it is decided that metro rail is the preferred option, then user charges should cover at least the operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of the metros.

Low user charges and consequent inadequate cost recovery are widespread across infrastructure sectors such as metro rail, power, water, transport, and social sectors like health and education. In public utility services, full cost recovery, including both capital and O&M charges, may not always be desirable. However, reasonable user charges covering at least the O&M costs of assets would improve overall efficiency, help demand management, prevent waste, and would promote ownership and accountability. This is a measure that has been repeatedly emphasized by Finance Commissions, Expenditure Management Commission, etc.

Third, it is important that the operator generate non-fare revenue, including income generated through commercial, retail, advertising, consultancy, and other sector activities.

Depending solely on user charges for the financial sustainability of metro projects is problematic because of the high capital costs of such projects.

Fourth, as apparent from the financial success of Hong Kong’s MTRC, there is a need for liberal use of VCF. The Hong Kong model has catalysed Transit Oriented Development (TOD), given the scarcity of land and the inherent need for high-density development above and near stations and depots where accessibility is highest.

Achieving this density has been part of a deliberate longterm strategy for maximizing scarce land use and driving viability for the metro. The rail and property funding and delivery model for public transport projects is powerful— both for achieving financial sustainability and achieving development aims associated with transport. A key to making this work involves siting stations at the right location and providing foundations for future development.

Developments are also carefully managed to ensure the

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Finally, if we need to expand metro rail, monetizing existing networks can provide capital expenditure (capex) funding for future expansions—an idea that can be implemented for Delhi Metro. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is the fourth largest metro system in the world with a network length of 389 km and daily usage by about 3 million passengers. Currently, Delhi Metro Phase IV, which is 62 km long, is being built at a total completion cost of ₹249.48 billion, with external loan component of ₹129.31 billion. It would make more financial sense for DMRC to fund Phase IV’s construction by monetizing (though toll-operate-transfer model or infrastructure investment trusts [InvIT] model) one of the three completed phases of the Delhi Metro network. This will be another application of the Brownfield Asset Monetization initiative for more Greenfield investments, which is being pursued very vigorously in India’s road and power transmission sectors. *** (Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal. The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.)

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Need of Energy-efficient transport for healthy and sustainable cities Diesel vehicles are the heaviest source of particulate (PM) emissions, including black carbon climate pollutants (a short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) that is a component of particulate pollution).

A

ction to mitigate urban health risks can have important co-benefits for multiple policy objectives. Well - planned cities can offer unique opportunities to create urban patterns that minimize health risks from air pollution, traffic injury, and physical inactivity, while also mitigating climate change. While smaller-scale plans may not have the energy conservation or emissions reduction benefits of larger-scale developments, urban areas are products of thousands of individual site-level development and design decisions.

Safe, equitable, and energy-efficient urban transport can help achieve multiple health and sustainability goals.

Shifting urban design and infrastructure investments into public transport networks that prioritize rapid bus transit or light rail over private vehicles can reduce the long-term trajectory of both air pollution and climate emissions generated by private transport – and improve health equity by providing those lacking cars with better mobility.

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Low-sulphur diesel fuels and low-emissions vehicles, as well as a modal shift to public transport and non-motorized modes, both are essential in order to immediately reduce pollution and SLCP climate emissions. In developing cities, in particular, the absence of strong urban rapid transit and non- motorized transit systems, means that improvements in vehicle technologies are typically overtaken by increasing vehicle traffic – driving up pollution to previous levels and perpetuating a trajectory of higher short-lived (black carbon) and long-lived (CO2) climate emissions.

This is a common cycle in many rapidly-growing low and middle income cities of Africa and Asia today, which face strong pressures for more travel – and weak public transport systems.

Complementary walking and cycling infrastructures are comparatively easy and inexpensive for local authorities to develop – when the political will exists. These can immediately reduce injury risks for a very large proportion of urban dwellers. For instance, in Nairobi it is estimated that some 40% of daily trips are on foot and another 40% of WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

ENERGY EFFICIENT TRANSPORT

travel is via informal and poorly organized “matatus,” or shared taxi systems – while only about 9% of travel is by private vehicles. As in most of Africa, no formal air quality monitoring system exists in Nairobi, however, research studies have attributed much of the city’s air pollution to traffic, with reported PM2.5 air pollution levels several times over WHO guideline limits.

This illustrates how, over time, investments in rapid transit and non-motorized travel systems can help support healthy physical activity and further reduce air pollution and climate emissions with zero- emissions transport modes, as urban populations become more mobile.

Compact cities served by transit and dedicated walking and cycling networks are more energy- efficient and safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Long-term studies in cities as diverse as Shanghai and Copenhagen, studies have found a 30% lower annual mortality risk among cycle commuters – the gains in life expectancy from improved physical activity in these cities also outweighed increased exposures to injury and pollution. Cities built around transit and active transport also offer efficient and equitable access to jobs, health facilities, and other urban services; such transportation infrastructure is particularly important to youth, elderly, disabled, and low-income groups.

Traditional vehicle-based strategies foster sprawl due to the needs for larger roads and expanses of parking between buildings. As cities expand horizontally, to accommodate road and parking infrastructure needs, public transport becomes increasingly inefficient as does non-motorized transport, due to longer urban trips. New roads induce more vehicle travel, and progressively longer urban trips, in a vicious cycle. Sustainable transport solutions are therefore crucial for urban planning and design in order to increase accessibility without increasing travel times, pollution, and environmental risks. See the Transport section of this website for further discussion of strategies for healthy, sustainable urban transport.

Healthy Urban Planning Urban planning offers the opportunity to envision and implement sustainable settlement patterns. In North America, strict zoning regulations has caused physical separation of residential neighbourhoods and virtually all other functions – reinforcing dependence on private vehicle travel between homes and daily destinations, such as schools, shops, and health services. The result is that in many North American cities, 90% or more of daily trips may be by private vehicle.

one-third of trips may be by private vehicles.

Developing Asian, Latin American and African cities are characterized with a mix of approaches – with some land use veering towards the North American models of suburban malls and gated communities accessible only by private vehicles; Asian cities often develop with very highrise skylines. Still other cities are attempting a mid-rise, mixed-use, approach. Notable examples include Curitiba, Brazil and Bogota, Colombia.

Mid-rise urban areas are often favoured more by pedestrians who prefer to walk in areas graced by buildings of “human proportions.” Also, urban concentrations of high-rise buildings can exacerbate heat-island impacts by creating large expanses of concrete, which absorb heat, and blocking natural breezes, or conversely, creating “windtunnels” and blocking sunlight – all of which discourage urban street life.

Proven methods for cooling the urban environment include: open skyline design to allow cooling winds; green design of buildings and of building rooftops; other “vertical” urban garden strategies; green, porous parking surfaces, and even more preferably, parks built above underground parking lots; fountains and urban pocket parks or urban arterial parks laced by walking and bikeways (see photo of Guarulhos, Brazil). Reducing urban heat-island impacts also reduces energy requirements for air conditioning, smog levels, and health risks due to heat stress and poor air quality.

Careful planning can, however, overcome these obstacles, e.g. careful spatial planning of high-rises and the lining of key pedestrian corridors with street-level windows and businesses, trees and greenery, and amenities such as street furniture. Whetherthe approach is mid-rise or very highdensity cities, development of space-efficient rapid transit infrastructures and green spaces is critical to support physically active lifestyles. For instance, clustering homes around green areas, well planned pedestrian and cycle paths, and efficient public transport promote air quality, children’s mobility and reduced traffic injuries. ***

Conversely, in European cities such as Copenhagen or Zurich, which have a more “integrated” approach to zoning, whereby new housing is developed alongside schools, clinics and small businesses, up to two-thirds of trips are by public or non-motorized transport and only WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

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When we start dealing with the intangible assets – the heritage of the skills and techniques and the popular memory transmitted from generation to generation, providing people with a sense of identity. This is why the Indian Railways, in addition to being a transportation mode, occupy a special place within the national heritage of India.

Vinita Srivastava ED (Heritage), Indian Railways

Smt. Vinita Srivastava is the Executive Director (Heritage) at Railway Board, Ministry of Railway and an alum of the Chevening Research, Science and Innovation Leadership (CRISP) Programme, 2017.

In a recent interaction with Metro Rail Today, she frankly talked on importance of preserving heritage stations of Indian Railways.

Tell us about your professional journey in Railway industry.

I have had an interesting career that spans mechanical engineering, the transportation sector, and cultural preservation - an unusual mix. I’ve always had a love for the Indian railroads. You see, a railway isn’t just tracks and trains. It’s the backbone of the country, connecting and linking the carriage of people and goods to the various remote parts of our country. The Indian rail system has a rich cultural, economic, and historical significance to it. As such, it’s been a great field to work in.

I started out with a degree in mechanical engineering from the Special Class Apprentice scheme in Jamalpur, a prestigious input to the gazette cadre of Indian Railways in their Mechanical Engineering Services. My first job was as a vendor development engineer in Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala (Punjab) working on Indo-German transfer of technology with ALSTOM-LHB. Over time, I worked in various mechanical and operational positions for the Northern and Southern railways, and in other sectors like steel, and manufacturing.

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In 2011, I earned an executive masters degree in management from IIM Ahmedabad. That gave me a chance to expand my interest and reach beyond the mechanical engineering side of things. I worked on deputation in the Ministry of Culture in the areas of heritage studies, cultural mapping, museology, and conservation architecture. In 2018, I was instrumental in developing a bilateral memorandum of understanding for cultural and conservation information for the UNESCO World Heritage Site temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

I’m currently the Executive Director (Heritage) at the Railway Board, which combines all that I love about the railways and culture of India.

What is the meaning of heritage in the railway context?

Please highlight some heritage railway stations in India.

Indian Railways has more than 160 years of rich history and a wide spectrum of both tangible and intangible heritage. It’s the proud owner of four UNESCO accorded World Heritage Sites namely Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (1999), Nilgiri Mountain Railway (2005), Kalka Shimla Railway (2008) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai (2004). There are two more in waiting or on the tentative list namely Matheran Light Railway and Kangra Valley Railway. So for me, it’s an interesting cusp to be at right now professionally – railway technology and industrial heritage! Today, Indian Railways maintains 34 museums, heritage parks and heritage galleries, spread all over India, designed to preserve the railway heritage of India. The National Rail Museum in New Delhi and

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INTERVIEW

regional rail museums at Chennai, Mysore, Howrah and Nagpur are iconic tourist destinations in their regions.

Heritage comes from the Hindi word “Dharohar” a conjoint expression of “Dhara” and “Ohar”. The intent is to preserve and reclaim what is of value, a sort of trusteeship of fond positive memories. Now with Railway Heritage, the engineering and industrial associations are vital, but not the only connect. For India, railway technology has bittersweet associations tracing memories to colonial rule, the independence struggle, partition & then the journey from Heritage to Modernity. We must emphasize the dynamism of this transport mode, and its pivotal role in propelling the nation forward in history and in the future. Perhaps a deeper look at the story of significant railway stations like CSTM (erstwhile Mumbai VT) and the newest, Rani Kamlapati (erstwhile Habibganj, near Bhopal) best demonstrate the trajectory of our railway’s heritage – from old to new.

independence India, it is the railways, shipping, gunpowder and other products of the industrial revolution that are part of the answer.

An independent India embraced the railways and put it to good use in various ways. Railway bridges span mighty rivers, its public sectors employ thousands, and the recent pandemic demonstrated its response through services like the oxygen express and kisan and shramik specials.

Preserving railway heritage sites and intangible stories helps us remember the importance of “Being connected and moving forward” – maybe that’s the “purpose” captured in a tiny phrase!

What are the linkages of heritage with railway infrastructure?

To answer this, I have to explore the academics of Heritage studies – Built Heritage & Intangible Heritage. The term “Infrastructure” is not limited to the built structure itself but extends to the stories connected to it, which lives on for generations. Let me explain with an example.

Some say that the story of America is of its road network – which expanded in post-war times and helped connect and combine its aspirations & culture. I believe that for the nation-state of India, its story can be told beautifully by its railways! So the “Railway Infrastructure” (the built) and “Railway Heritage” of railway investment and development, which mirror the economic growth and aspirations of a country on the move (the intangible), tell a powerful story when woven together in a narrative.

It is up to us to remember and retell these stories, in a way that reinforces the Indian Railways’ Heritage as an undeniably powerful and service-oriented force-multiplier, which is pivotal to the nation’s aspirations and its economic growth.

What is the purpose for preserving railway heritage sites?

Why does one preserve the past? There are many reasons – to remember, to draw inspiration, to avoid repeat mistakes, and to strengthen identity. Purpose is what drives us to achieve what may seem impossible at first.

Railways in India began as a colonial expression of supremacy over a subcontinent. The fact that British Railway mail parcels could navigate from Punjab to Burma within days made their regime seem omnipresent, communicated and coherent. And when students of history ask “How could so few rule so many?” in preWWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

As for the purpose of preserving assets, some examples of tangible assets in this case are steam locomotives, meter gauge rolling stock, wooden body coaches, wagons, equipment, and artifacts that are no longer in operation now. With their phasing out, lots of maintenance practices have also been gradually forgotten. At times, it becomes impossible to locate an artisan who can do the valve setting of a steam locomotive or a carpenter who can precisely fix the door of a wooden body saloon. Preserving those helps us trace the history of technology more than a hundred years old.

That’s when we start dealing with the intangible assets – the heritage of the skills and techniques and the popular memory transmitted from generation to generation, providing people with a sense of identity. This is why the Indian Railways, in addition to being a transportation mode, occupy a special place within the national heritage of India.

When the tangible and intangible assets of the Indian Railways are appropriately preserved and open for public display, they create memories of the past in the hearts of the future generation and thus help maintain a continuity of human experience. It is the Railway’s prime duty to safeguard this living heritage and to transmit it intact to future generations.

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INTERVIEW

Please highlight some international heritage stations.

There are many international railway stations that preserve and transmit national heritage in unique ways. I will describe two I have visited myself: Anhalter Bahnhoff in Berlin, which was bombed in the war (November 1943), then redeveloped as a heritage station complex, a technology museum and heritage precinct postwar. The station itself is now a modern relocated one and some older buildings taken over by Siemens, a railway technology company. A part of the red brick old bombed structure is preserved onsite. The entire bombed area was converted to a heritage area including a massive synthetic surface football field which is another German obsession.

A concert venue called the Tempodrom opened in 2001.

Indeed a heritage railway station site that tells a national story of reconstruction, industrial development and national rejuvenation.

London’s St Pancras retains its heritage 1860’s façade but has modernized large parts of its operational areas. It now has 15 platforms, a shopping centre, a security sealed area for international Channel tunnel trains, public art displays and a St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel with rich history & heritage.

These and other heritage railway creatively tell the story of the old continue to be areas that serve transportation needs of citizens connected way.

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precincts world over with the new. They the modern public in a beautiful and

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Anything you want to share with our viewers. Please tell.

One of my work areas was to establish and run the National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM), It was a small but significant project, with a purpose to address the necessity of preserving the threads of rich Indian art and cultural heritage, and to convert the vast and widespread cultural canvas of India into an objective cultural map while helping create a strong “cultural vibrancy” throughout the nation. Actually when you think of Indian Railways, very often you think of crowded trains and all that goes into the huge network of rail lines and rail cars.

But you don’t think much about the cultural heritage of the rail system. Can you then, see beyond the tracks and the trains, into the richness of the history and heritage of the rail systems in India?

Our ‘heritage charter’ is to preserve and make available the tangible and intangible heritage and history of the Indian railways, the industrial revolution, and the different modes of transport and their socio-cultural impact on Indian society. It is vital to realize how industrial components of a society have much more than just an economic and environmental effect on a country. ***

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European Commission unveils new European Urban Mobility Framework

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he European Commission has released a new Urban Mobility Framework, which delivers on the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy Action Plan it released in December 2020. The Framework is comprised of four proposals, which collectively will modernise the EU's transport system.

Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans, echoed this intention: "Today’s proposals set European mobility on track for a sustainable future: faster European rail connections with easy-to-find tickets and improved passenger rights support for cities to increase and improve public transport and infrastructure for walking and cycling, and making the best possible use of solutions for smart and efficient driving.”

The new Urban Mobility Framework focuses, indeed, on a smart and sustainable TEN-T network; increasing longdistance and cross-border rail traffic; intelligent transport services for drivers; and clean, greener and easier urban mobility.

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Today’s proposals set European mobility on track for a sustainable future: faster European rail connections with easy-to-find tickets and improved passenger rights support for cities to increase and improve public transport and infrastructure for walking and cycling, and making the best possible use of solutions for smart and efficient driving.

FRANS TIMMERMANS Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal

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NEW EU URBAN MOBILITY FRAMEWORK

Aims of New European Urban Mobility Framework • Over 70% of EU citizens live in cities which generate 23% of all transport greenhouse gas emissions. The Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy stresses the need for interurban and urban mobility to become more sustainable, smart and healthy. To this end, the Commission is proposing a new urban mobility initiative.

The new urban mobility initiative complements the proposal for revised guidelines for the Trans-European >Transport Network (TEN-T revision). That proposal foresees that all major cities (‘urban nodes') on that network must develop by 2025 a sustainable urban mobility plan. The new European Urban Mobility Framework outlines a common a list of measures and initiatives for these cities, as well as the remaining cities in the EU, to meet the challenge of making their mobility more sustainable.

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Its objectives include: • contributing to EU Green House Gas reduction targets as set in the Climate Law (including -55% by 2030) • improving transport and mobility to, in and around cities as well as improving the efficiency of goods and home deliveries.

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This is done by: • setting a common European framework with measures including guidance how to address air pollution, congestion, accessibility, urban road safety, growth of ecommerce, and other urban mobility challenges.

• increasing the support for, and share of, sustainable transport modes (in particular public transport and active mobility such as walking and cycling) as well as zero-emission urban logistics; • promoting a coherent and integrated approach to ensure high-quality sustainable urban mobility plans; • better monitoring progress in implementing urban mobility policies and measures with a coherent approach to sustainable urban mobility data collection; • fostering the integration of innovative mobility services into urban transport systems and increased digitalisation for sustainable urban mobility • maintaining long-term competitiveness and technology leadership in the urban transport sector; • strengthening involvement of all Member States and building continuous dialogue with cities, regions and other stakeholders on all major urban mobility issues.

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Key Elements The new framework announces: • A more ambitious approach to sustainable urban mobility planning and related indicators. This links with new requirements put forward in the revised TEN-T Regulation for the largest 424 EU cities on the TEN-T network to adopt a sustainable urban mobility

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plan (SUMP) and collect relevant data.

This links also with a planned Commission Recommendation in 2022 to Member States on a national support programme for rolling out SUMPs with public transport and active mobility (walking, cycling) at its heart. This will bring urban transport one step closer to climate-neutral mobility. Many towns, cities and regions throughout the EU had previously taken action, with over 1,000 SUMPs (or similar plans) currently in place.

Stronger action to create climate-neutral cities. Action points cover making urban transport resilient, environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient and identifying zero-emission solutions for urban logistics. This will be achieved, inter alia, by obligations on putting in place of recharging and refuelling infrastructure for electric and hydrogen vehicles in cities as well as improved coordination and dedicated funding for cities under the Climate-neutral and Smart Cities mission.

More targeted EU funding and better synergies between different programmes to support these action points. For example, under the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, we recently kicked-off a ‘Mission' to create 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030, turning these cities into living labs that inspire all other cities.

New measures to promote active mobility and protect vulnerable road users in the form of a greater focus on walking and cycling in revised SUMP guidance documents, guidance on the safe use of micromobility devices, and guidance on quality infrastructure for vulnerable road users.

More effective zero-emission city freight logistics and last-mile deliveries thanks to the integration of sustainable urban logistics plans (SULPs) within the SUMP framework, and voluntary data sharing between all types of stakeholder; Guidance (in Q1 2022) on passenger transport-ondemand (taxis and Private Hire Vehicles with drivers (PHV) so it can become more sustainable and deliver efficient services to citizens while maintaining helping the single market to function smoothly and addressing social and safety concerns.

Accelerate digitalisation and innovation by incorporating urban mobility in the work on the provision and processing of commerciallysensitive data for multimodal digital mobility services such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS) applications, and on a common European mobility data space to facilitate access to and sharing of mobility data, and by further developing the CIVITAS Initiative in coherence with other urban initiatives.

Moreover, a detailed study will be undertaken in 2022 to map and clarify which digital solutions would be available to enable more effective and userfriendly low-emission zones and other types of urban vehicle access regulation.

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NEW EU URBAN MOBILITY FRAMEWORK

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Efforts to increase awareness and reinforce citizen engagement within and beyond the EU, through e.g. the European Mobility Week campaign and the EU urban mobility awards and events.

A reformed EU-level group that involves cities, regions Member States and urban mobility stakeholders more closely.

What is a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP)?

Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, as defined by the Urban Mobility Package of 2013, are a cornerstone of mobility within the EU's towns and cities. These strategic plans are designed to ensure that the mobility needs of people and businesses in cities and their surroundings are met, and that quality of life improves. It should include targets towards making local transport more sustainable, safe and inclusive and be adopted by relevant political authority. They build on existing planning practices and take due consideration of involvement and participation of all relevant stakeholders and the general public, and proper monitoring and evaluation principles. ELTIS, the EU urban mobility observatory, provides a wealth of information, including on SUMPs: guidance documents, city database, selfassessment tool, best practice examples, and more.

Link between EU Urban Mobility framework and the TEN-T revision The revised TEN-T Regulation proposes to strengthen the role of cities on the Trans-European Transport (TEN-T) Network as vital enablers of sustainable, efficient and multimodal transport. In particular, more than 424 large and medium-sized cities should develop their own SUMP by 2025 and collect relevant urban mobility data. Under the current TEN-T regulation, having a SUMP is a voluntary engagement.

Moreover, by 2025 these 424 cities should also have multimodal passenger hubs, including park and ride facilities, to improve first and last mile connections and to enhance the necessary capacities for long-distance connectivity via rail and other transport modes in and between cities. They also need to have multimodal freight terminals in place to ensure sustainable urban logistics.

deliveries, taking into account the needs of people and businesses who need to access the city for work, leisure, shopping or tourism. In particular, more ambitious EU action is necessary to meet the increasingly ambitious global commitments, such as the Paris Agreement on climate. As provided in the Union's 2030 Climate Target Plan, transition to zero-emission mobility in urban context is indispensable to meet EU goals and therefore a strengthened EU urban mobility framework is needed.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated trends favouring micro-mobility and digital mobility services as well as home deliveries.

Role of European Commission The Commission's 2013 Urban Mobility Package made recommendations for coordinated action between all levels of government and between the public and the private sectors. Taking this into account, the Commission is supporting cities through: • Targeted funding: €18.5 billion was awarded to urban projects in 2014-2020, including via CEF, H2020, ESIF, ELENA. • Technical assistance: for example via the European Investment Bank joint support programme JASPERS. • Sustainable urban mobility plan (SUMP) guidelines and accompanying guidance documents for cities to help promote multimodality, active mobility and shared mobility. The development of SUMPs will be a focal point within the new framework.

• Information and awareness raising via a variety of tools and channels: EU urban mobility observatory ELTIS; European Mobility Week; the CIVITAS initiative, and annual awards and events.

Other related transport policies and legislation also support the transition to more sustainable urban mobility, in particular in the field of intelligent transport systems, alternative fuels and clean transport, and road safety.

New mobility services are part of a multimodal, integrated approach to sustainable urban mobility. They can reinforce public transport and substitute car use.

Need for a new EU Urban Mobility Framework Since the first Urban Mobility Package of 2013, a lot has changed. In particular, the EU's increasingly ambitious climate, environmental, digital, health and societal objectives ask for more decisive action on urban mobility; for a shift away from the current approach based on traffic flow to an approach based on moving people and goods more sustainably. This means cities need to improve collective and public transport, provide better active mobility (walking, cycling) options, and implement efficient zero – emission urban logistics and last mile WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

The ‘micro-mobility revolution' requires more effort in terms of sharing best practice and providing guidance, especially as these vehicles pose significant safety challenges. ***

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Five innovations that could shape the future of rail travel

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hat will the future of public transport look like? The major projects being planned today, such as the UK’s HS2 high - speed rail network, aren’t fundamentally different to what’s been built over the last 30 years. Maglev trains are largely confined to niche projects in China. Hyperloop remains an unproven glimmer in Elon Musk and Richard Branson’s eyes.

The likes of HS2 can deliver considerable improvements in network capacity but through incremental changes in conventional designs, from tracks to train bogies. Yet while the rail sector is warily slow at introducing new technologies due to the long time it takes to plan and build new lines and vehicles, there are a number of technical innovations in development that, if adopted, could make the trains of tomorrow both faster and safer.

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Saikat Dutta Research Fellow in Railway Mechatronics Systems, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

Mechatronic Switches Switch or points failure is responsible for nearly 20% of the total delay experienced by passengers on UK railways. This occurs when there’s a problem with the mechanism that enables trains to move from one track to another at a junction. Despite the frequency of the problem, the technology used in these mechanisms has hardly changed WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

INNOVATION

since the first design nearly 200 years ago.

But a collaborative research project has explored radical alternative technologies. For example, one innovative design called Repoint has three independent motors that can lift and shift the rails, relying on gravity to lock them back into place and providing redundancy in case one or two of the motors fail.

rotating wheels to include a separate actuation mechanism that can help steer the wheelsets on the curved route.

Active Pantograph High-speed electric trains need to maintain good contact with the overhead powerlines via the pantograph that sits on top of the vehicle. On the UK mainline, pantograph height usually varies by about 2m to secure the connection in different areas such as in tunnels, level crossings and bridges.

This contrasts with existing switches that slide the rails sideways and can get stuck midway, so have costly additional layers of sensors and protocols to mitigate the risk. The next-generation “mechatronic” switches aim to work faster, improve ease of maintenance and reduce the risk of failure through their backup motors.

Researchers are starting to develop active pantographs that have their height and the induced vibration involved in power transfer controlled by an actuator. These active pantographs can improve the contact force and eliminate contact loss problems due to rapid changes in the overhead line height and other environmental disturbances (such as wind).

Active Suspension

Virtual Coupling

Conventional suspension systems restrict a train’s speed as it travels on curved track, limiting how many trains you can run on a route. These suspension systems essentially work like large springs, automatically changing the distance between the wheels and the carriage as the train travels over uneven ground to make the ride feel smoother.

The number of trains that can run on a route (and so the capacity of the line) depends in part on the signalling system. Most railways use a fixed-block system, which divides the tracks into sections. Only one train at a time can be in each section so there has to be a significant gap between the trains.

But some railways are now starting to use a moving-block signalling system, which determines the necessary gap between trains based on the distance it takes for them to come to a stop in an emergency. But this gap could be reduced further if it’s based on real time information about what the train in front is doing and where it will stop if it hits the brakes.

Active suspension systems are now being developed which introduce new sensors, actuators and controllers to more precisely alter the distance between wheels and carriage.

This offers improved ride comfort and enables the train to travel round curves with greater speed and stability. This can be combined with systems to actively tilt the train as it rounds the corner, offering increased benefits.

Actively Steering In a conventional wheelset, both wheels are interlocked and connected with a fixed axle, preventing any relative rotation between them. When a train enters a curve or a divergent route at a junction, it must slow down to ensure the wheels are guided over the track and to prevent unwanted vibration of the wheels.

This is known as “virtual coupling” and involves the two trains communicating information about their changing speed and brake activity so that they can decrease or increase the gap between them to the minimum necessary.

With shorter gaps between them, more trains could run safely on a route, increasing overall network capacity.

With such innovations, we could introduce trains that are able to adapt to the changing characteristics of the line in order to maintain high speeds throughout most of the journey and avoid those annoying stop-start periods of travel. Widening and disrupting the boundaries of current railway designs in this way would enable us to create a next-generation network with a step-change in performance that is fit for the 21st century – without any need for expensive levitating trains or vaccum tubes. ***

Railway researchers are now developing independently WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

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Namma Metro turns 10, promises 175 kilometres network by 2024

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angalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) completed 10 years on October 20, 2021. The first train of Namma Metro was commenced its commercial service on October 20, 2011 on 6.7-km stretch between MG Road station and Byappanahalli of Corridor 1 (Purple Line). Presently, the metro traverses 42 kilometres network and all trains have been converted from three to six coaches.

This year, in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the officers have not arranged any celebrations. Though the 7.5 km extension of the purple line on the south west opened on 30 August 2021 under its phase-2 project.

The wok progress of Bangalore Metro is not much fast. It is also considered as one of the slowest project among other metro rail projects being implemented in India. Though Metro rail systems in Hyderabad and Chennai started much later, they have now overtaken Bengaluru. While Hyderabad Metro, which started in 2017, operates over 69km, Chennai Metro that began in June 2015 has 45-km

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We are at present operating on 56 km, thanks to cooperation from people and employees. We are putting our best efforts to complete Phases 2, 2A and 2B by December 2024, which will deliver a 175-km metro network to Bengaluru.

Anjum Parwez Managing Director Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd

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ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

network. Delhi Metro, which started in 2002, now has 348km network, with an average of 21-km added every year.

Mumbai Metro started in 2014 and is also expanding at a faster pace than Namma Metro.

At present Namma Metro’s 72-km Phase 2 corridors are under construction, a majority of which is promised to be operational by 2022.

middle of the cross was to be at the Central Railway Station in Bangalore, completely underground. The economic rate-of-return was forecast at 22.3%. The financial forecast assumes a government subsidy for interest payments and some depreciation, i.e. fare revenue will cover somewhat more than direct operating costs. The Government accepted this option. BMRTL ceased to exist and was replaced by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL).

History of the project The journey so far Back in 1977, the State Town Planning Department had recommended looking into a mass rapid transit project i.e. a metro for Bangalore city. A high-level Committee had also agreed that a metro study was warranted and a team from Southern Railway (SR) was commissioned to do this in 1981. The Southern Railway team recommended a 2corridor metro, 24 km in length in addition to commuter rail lines and a ring railway.

In 1993, the State Government established another committee to look into mass rapid transit. This committee had again recommended the same metro project put forward by SR in 1983 and the same circular railway.

The state created Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit Ltd (BMRTL) in 1994, with terms of reference to seek a public/private partnership for a mass rapid transit project.

The government immediately introduced a special city cess dedicated to the anticipated mass rapid transit project.

BMRTL prepared a feasibility study which came up with an elevated, LRT-based, 96-km long network on 6 routes.

A consortium led by United Breweries Group undertook further development of the project on BOT basis. However, the project hadn't taken off.

In 2003, the Government of Karnataka has appointed Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRCL) to carry out a detailed preparation study for a metro rail system in Bangalore in line with the technical and financial aspects of the approach used in Delhi. The study recommended a 2line metro, 18 km and 15 km in length, cross shaped. The

1994: Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit Ltd (BMRTL) was formed under PPP for a mass rapid transit project. An elevated urban light rail transit system (LRTS) planned at the cost of Rs 2,800 crores.

1999: The proposal of LRTS was dropped and pushed for implementation of Metro Rail in the city. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was given the responsibility to prepare feasibility study report for the same.

2003: DMRC submitted the feasibility study report of the project and recommended a 33-km metro rail network for the City.

2005: BMRTL renamed as Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL).

2006: Union cabinet approved the 33-km metro rail network and foundation stone was laid down by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

2007: Civil construction of MG Road – Byappanahalli started with the completion deadline of 2010.

2011: Commercial run on 6.7 km stretch between MG Road – Byappanahalli opened for public.

2014: Sampige Road – Peenaya Industry section of Green Line was opened. Union cabinet approved 72-km Phase 2 of Bangalore Metro project.

2015: Mysuru Road – Magadi Road section of Purple Line and Peenaya Industry – Nagasandra section of Green Line were opened.

2016: Underground stretch from Cubbon Park – Bengaluru City Railway station opened.

2017: Sampige Road – RV Road section of Green Line opened. Phase 1 work completed. Phase 2 work started.

2021: Yelachenahalli – Silk Institute section of Green Line and Mysuru Road – Kengeri section of Purple line opened.

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ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Key information • • • • • • •

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Transit Type: MRTS Total Operational Network: 56.1 km Total Operational Lines: 2 (Purple, Green) Track: Standard Gauge (1435 mm) Power Supply: 750 VDC Third Rail Rolling Stock: 6-coach train, design speed-80 kmph Signalling: Urbalis 200

URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE NOVEMBER 2021

• Project Cost: Rs16,900 crs (Ph-1), Rs27,000 crs (Ph-2) • Funding Agency: JICA, ADB, AfD, EIB and HUDCO Kochi Metro Rail Network • • • •

Purple Line 1: 25.7 km (22 stations) Green Line 2: 30.4 km (30 stations) Yellow Line 3: 18.82 km Blue Line 4: 21.25 km

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Gadkari lays foundation stone of India’s first Multi-modal Logistic Park in Assam

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nion Minister for Road Transport, Highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for country’s first Multimodal Logistic Park at Jogighopa in Assam on October 20, 2021. The Rs 693.97 crore park will provide direct air, road, rail and waterways connectivity to the people. It will be developed under the ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojana of the Government of India. Chief Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal presided over the virtual function, which was attended by Union Ministers of State Dr. Jitendra Singh, Gen (Retd) Dr. V K Singh and Rameshwar Teli; Ministers from the Assam State, Members of Parliaments, MLAs and senior officers from the Centre and the State were also present on the occasion.

An MoU was signed between NHIDCL and Ashoka paper mills, Govt of Assam on the occasion for sharing of land and logistics in Jogighopa.

Speaking on the occasion, Nitin Gadkari said that his Ministry envisages developing 35 Multi-modal Logistic Parks (MMLPs) in the country, of which work on preparing DPR and feasibility report is underway. He said, SPVs will be formed for all these MMLPs, and professionally qualified CEOs will be appointed for each separately. The first such MMLP is being made by

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NHIDCL in Jogighopa of Assam, which will be connected to road, rail, air and waterways. This is being developed in 317-acre land along the Brahmaputra. Gadkari said, the first phase of construction is scheduled to be completed by 2023. He informed that works worth Rs 280 crore have already been awarded, including Rs 171 crore for road construction, Rs 87 crore for erecting the structure, and Rs 23 crore for rail lines. The work will begin next month, he said. The Minister expressed hope that this project will provide direct or indirect employment to nearly 20 lakh youth in the State.

The Minister added that the distance of 154 km between Jogighopa and Guwahati will be covered by making a 4lane road on this stretch, a 3-km rail line will connect Jogighopa station to the MMLP, another 3-km rail link will connect it to the IWT, and the road to newly developed Rupsi airport will be upgraded to 4-lanes for easier connectivity. He said, the MMLP will have all the facilities like, warehouse, railway siding, cold storage, custom clearance house, yard facility, workshops, petrol pumps, truck parking, administrative building, boarding lodging, eating joints, water treatment plant, etc.

Gadkari informed that the initial report and master plan is ready for the 346 acre MMLP with JNPT in Wardha Dry port area of Nagpur. Feasibility reports are being prepared for the Bangalore MMLP, Sangrur warehouse complex in Punjab, Surat, Mumbai, Indore, Patna, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, and Coimbatore. DPR is being made for MMLP near Chennai port, and studies have begun for MMLP in Pune and Ludhiana. Other 22 MMLPs are URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE NOVEMBER 2021

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MULTI-MODAL LOGISTICS PARK

proposed in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Kandla, Vadodara, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jullundur, Bhatinda, Hissar, Ambala, Kota, Jaipur, Jagatsinghpur, Sundarnagar. Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Nashik, Panaji, Bhopal, Raipur, and Jammu.

The Minister further informed that his Ministry has plans for National Highway works worth Rs 80,000 crore in Assam. He said, NH works for 575 km worth Rs. 3,545 crore are going to be completed within this financial year.

NH works of nearly Rs 15,000 crore will be awarded by next year, while DPRs will be completed for works of Rs 21,000 crore for the State. He said, under the CRIF scheme, 203 km NH length at a cost of Rs 610 crore has been approved for 2020-21. The Minister also announced clearing of a number of Road proposals from different MPs and MLAs for the State.

Gadkari also informed that a total of 12 accident black spots have been identified on National Highways in Assam, of which three have been temporarily improved.

He said, all the black spots will be eradicated by the year 2023.

Union Minister of State (I/c) for Development of North Eastern (NE) Region and Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office; Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space Dr. Jitendra Singh outlined the efforts of Nitin Gadkari in clearing the developmental projects in the NE. He said, it was due to the herculean efforts of Shri Gadkari that today, we have a wide network of roads in the region.

He introduced inland waterways to us, now more than 10 waterways are being developed, which will bring down the logistic cost by one fourth. Dr. Jitendra Singh said Shri Gadkari has also addressed the problems of dilapidated and orphaned roads through Special Road Development Schemes. He said, this cost effective mode of transport will be cheaper option for trade, business and transportation and will boost the trade across the borders especially with our eastern neighbours by leaps and bounds. He said, MMLP is a novel idea, and will be replicated by other states soon. The minister said, due to several unique and innovative mega projects, NE has emerged as a model of development in the country, similarly, roads have improved in the region.

MoU signed with NHAI & TIDCO for Development of Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) in Chennai Port's land Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbanand Sonowal has announced forming of a Special Purpose vehicle (SPV) for development of a Multimodal Logistics Park (MMLP) at VOC Port in Chennai. The MMLP to be developed through Public Private Partnership with the SPV providing land and connectivity and the

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actual MMLP infrastructure to be developed by a private developer. He said, all the three stake holders viz, Chennai Port Authority, TIDCO and NHAI will be equity partners in the proposed SVP. The Minister informed that equity contribution/investment of the Chennai Port is the cost of the land amounting to Rs 167 crore, NHAI/NHIDCL contribution is Rs l30 crore and that of State govt. through TIDCO is Rs 50 crore.

Speaking at the virtual MoU signing in New Delhi today, Shri Sonowal said, V.O. Chidambaranar Port, the economic engine of South Tamilnadu, has proposed for setting up of Multimodal Logistics Park due to its advantages such as excellent Rail-road connectivity, proximity to Main Sea Route, all weather operational conditions, and geographic position to link Eastern coast with the Western coast. The Multimodal Logistics Park would facilitate infrastructure for enabling seamless multimodal freight transfer, and specialized storage solutions, such as cold storage, warehouses equipped with mechanized material handling and intermodal transfer terminals for containers, bulk and break-bulk cargo.

Further, the MMLP would be offering value-added services such as Customs clearance, bonded storage yards, quarantine zones, testing facilities, warehousing management services, post-manufacturing activities such as kitting and final assembly, grading, sorting, labelling, packaging etc.

The Chennai Port authority has acquired a land parcel of 121.74 acres on a 99-year lease basis from SIPCOT for the purpose of developing a Dry Port. This land located in Mappedu Village near Sriperumbudur is strategically located near the major automobile industrial clusters. Also, on its own is developing as a warehousing hub of Chennai.

The Government of India has taken a novel initiative to develop 35 Multi-Modal Logistic Parks (MMLP) under Bhartmala Pariyojana across the country to enhance the efficiency of Indian logistics and reduce the logistics costs. In this network of MMLPs, Chennai is among the first to be chosen for implementation. NHAI/ NHIDCL under Ministry of Road Transport and Highways have been assigned the task of developing MMLPs. It is proposed to develop MMLP in the land parcel of 121.74 now in the possession of Chennai Port. In addition to Chennai Port's land, the Government of Tamil Nadu through TIDCO will be acquiring another 36.23 acres of land and the investment for this will be made available by the state government. The required road connectivity infrastructure will be done by NHAI, and later a railway line is proposed from the nearest rail head near Kadambattur for a length of about 12 kms.

The MoU was signed on October 12, 2021. ***

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How can we explain the rise in transport emissions… and what can we do about it?

Vivien Foster Chief Economist, Infrastructure, World Bank

Jennifer Uju Dim Economist at the World Bank’s Environment Global Platform Unit

G

reenhouse gas emissions from transport have more than doubled since 1970, and are now the second largest contributor to climate change. This trend shows no sign of abating: according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), without aggressive and sustained mitigation policies, transport emissions could increase at a faster rate than any other sector between now and 2050.

Taking on transport-related carbon emissions has become an urgent priority in the race against climate change.

To improve our understanding of this issue, a new research paper from the Infrastructure Chief Economist’s Office – Understanding Drivers of Decoupling of Global Transport CO2 Emissions from Economic Growth: Evidence from 145 Countries – addresses three important related policy questions.

Have any countries succeeded in growing their economy while stabilizing transport emissions?

Fan Zhang Lead Economist, Global Lead for Water Economy and Climate Change, World Bank

Sebastian Vollmer Professor of Development Economics and Director of the Centre for Modern Indian Studies at the University of Göttingen

at the same time stabilizing and ultimately reducing transport CO2 emissions. This scenario is known as “decoupling”. Of the 145 countries we studied, only 78 have successfully decoupled emissions and growth, and only 12 of them have seen a decrease in transport emissions.

The vast majority of countries that have achieved decoupling are in the high-income group. In fact, around 70% of high-income countries have achieved decoupling, whereas more than 70% of low- and middle-income countries have not yet done so. Among the countries that have been most successful in reducing transport-related carbon emissions are Finland, Germany, Japan, and Sweden.

Taking on transport-related carbon emissions has become an urgent priority in the race against climate change.

Ideally, countries should be able to continue to grow while WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE NOVEMBER 2021

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TRANSPORT EMISSIONS

In many developing countries, transport emissions are increasing at a much faster rate than GDP growth.

Between 1990-2018, transport emissions grew six times as fast as GDP in Nepal, and twice as fast in Nigeria, Iran, Croatia, Guatemala, Iran, and Nigeria. and decoupling has only taken place as an unfortunate consequence of dire conflict situations. A few developing countries have observed a reduction in transport emissions, but that decline is typically the result of a conflict situation or other major shocks.

Is technology evolving fast enough to the soaring demand for transport?

Transport demand in developing countries is growing rapidly due to a combination of economic and demographic growth. In India, for instance, passenger traffic grew by 25% between 1990-2017, while freight volumes grew by 16%. The demand for transport is likely to keep rising as long as populations and economies continue to grow. Without taking into account any potential demand management policy, the main avenue for reducing emissions is innovation, which can help significantly reduce the climate impact of each passenger or ton of freight transported. But overall carbon emissions will only come down to the extent that technological change outpaces the growth in traffic flows.

Two types of technological change are relevant here. The first is that vehicles are switching from carbon-intensive fuels, like gasoline and diesel, to lower carbon forms of energy, like biofuels and electricity. The scale of this transition is still too modest to have any discernible impact in almost any country we studied. A notable exception is Sweden, where the share of non-fossil fuel in transport increased from 3% in 1990 to 24% in 2018. Albania, Finland, and Norway have also made significant strides in increasing the share of non-fossil fuels, going from less than 1% in 1990 to about 10% in 2018. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that gasoline and diesel are still the dominant fuels for transport, with renewable fuels and electricity accounting for no more than 10% of the global transport fuel mix as of 2018.

The second major development is that vehicle engines are becoming more fuel-efficient – thanks to governments tightening regulations and manufacturers improving engine design. This is having a more discernible impact, with the energy intensity of transport falling at an average of 1.4% per annum between 2000 and 2018 worldwide. Yet, despite this encouraging progress, innovation just cannot seem to keep up: improvements in the energy efficiency of vehicles at the global level have done no more than offset demographic growth, but has not been fast enough to offset the expansion in GDP per capita (see chart).

Statistical analysis can shed some light on which factors have the largest impact on emissions. Two types of drivers seem to be at play: • Structural factors such as the degree of urbanization and the stage of economic development can significantly affect transport emissions. Curiously, as urbanization increases transport emissions intensity initially increases – perhaps due to rising motorization and congestion – but that beyond urbanization rates of around 60% carbon emissions intensity starts to fall – perhaps due to higher urban density and more efficient management of urban traffic systems. Transport emissions will also vary based on the nature of economic production. Transport emissions are also closely related to a country’s economic vocation. In general, emissions are higher in countries that are focused on agriculture. Given that these structural factors are not under the immediate control of policy makers, they cannot be used as a lever to influence the trajectory of transport emissions.

• Transport policy is a significant driver, especially the price of transport fuels. As an example, a one-standarddeviation increase in diesel price is on average associated with a 3.8% reduction in per capita transport CO2 emissions. There is also evidence that efficient public transport systems and stricter regulations on fuel economy or tailpipe emissions can substantially reduce the climate footprint of transport.

In conclusion, while transport emission intensity has declined in most countries over the past three decades, economic and demographic growth have more than offset these reductions. If these patterns continue, technology alone will not be enough to address the steady rise in transport emissions and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. ***

Why are some countries more successful than others at curbing transport emissions?

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HANOI METRO

Vietnam launches Country’s first Metro Rail System in Hanoi

T

he Vietnam Railway has launched country's first metro rail service in Hanoi on November 6, 2021. The 13.1 km Line 2A (Cát Linh Line) of Hanoi Metro will connect Cat Linh to Yen Nghia with 12 stations. The stations are Cat Linh, La Thanh, Thai Ha, Lang, Thoung Dinh, Vanh Dai 3, Phung Khoang, Van Quan, Ha Dong, La Khe, Van Khe and Yen Nghia.

A total of 13 (4-cars) Rolling Stock (Metro Trains) for this line is supplied by Chinese firm CRRC. First train was delivered in March 2017. The train is using Third Rail DC to ensure safety, stability and urban landscape.

There are more than 5 million motorbikes on the roads in Hanoi, but with the construction of nine more lines by 2030, local authorities aim to reduce the traffic and pollution for which the city is notorious.

After years of delays and almost a doubling of production costs, the first train left Cat Linh station, near the centre, to begin a 13km journey to Ha Dong in the east of the country.

"I decided to give it a try because I was curious. I am very happy to be able to take a ride after all the delays," said Nguyen Thi Thu, Vietnam's Transport Minister. The line 2A has taken a decade to complete, with interruptions

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due to security concerns and rising costs to blame, driving up spending from 476 million to nearly 780 million euros.

Hanoi, which has a population of 9 million, is known worldwide for the density of motorbikes that fill the streets and run amok, endangering the lives of pedestrians.

In 2008, there were about 2 million motorbikes on the roads, a figure that will rise to 5.7 million in 2020. The number of cars has also grown dramatically over the same period: from 185,000 to 700,000.

“I hope the project will create the dominations to promote the acceleration of an urban railway projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Firmly, I will experience the train because we have been waited for so long. Moreover, this is also the railway project whereas Vinh Hung provides many product categories such as Anchors System, Bridge Bearings, Expansion Joints, Pre-stressed cables and other structural steel products,” commented Mr. Vo Ta Luong, General Director of Vinh Hung Trading, Consulting and Construction Joint Stock Company.

Buses are the only other form of available transport and are used by only one in five Vietnamese. Traffic, however, is considered one of the main sources of air pollution in the capital by Hanoi's environmental protection department.

Transport ministry official Vu Hong Son says the new urban metro will address many of these problems, but it is unclear whether residents will easily part with their motorbikes, because 'it takes a long time to change people's habits'. *** URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE NOVEMBER 2021

55

Event Report: 14th Urban

Mobility India Conference & Awards 2021

U

nion Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs & Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep S. Puri inaugurated the 14th edition of Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference 2021 on October 29, 2021. The day-long Conference was held on-line. The main theme of this year’s conference is “Mobility for All” which focuses on providing equitable access and promote inclusive urban transportation which aims to provide affordable, clean, safe, informative, efficient and accessible transport systems, with special attention to the diverse needs from all factions of the society, especially the specially-abled, elderly, women and children.

In his inaugural address, Puri said that the urban population in 2020 accounted for 56% of the total global population, up from 30% in 1950, and is expected to increase to 60% by 2030. Of this, almost 90% is anticipated to be in Asia and Africa. This accelerated urbanization is the driving force behind the need for increased transportation of people and goods which is responsible for more than 30% of the world's energy consumption. He reiterated that sustainable mobility and universal access is crucial for achieving the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Minister said that with the Government’s focus towards the world’s largest vaccination drive, which has now crossed one billion mark, India has taken a lead in this direction. He said that efforts should be concentrated towards continued reduction in transmission of the virus and this is why the 14th UMI is being conducted virtually.

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The Minister said that the National Urban Transport Policy of 2006 highlights “Moving people rather than vehicles”, following which most vision documents and policy statements related to urban transportation are formulated. India’s prominent role in the formulation of the SDGs, asserts her prominence in bringing these goals to WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

EVENT REPORT

fruition. The national development goals of “Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas” policy initiatives for inclusive development converge well with the SDGs, and India will play a leading role in determining the success of the SDGs globally.

Puri said that technology has enabled real-time analysis of transport and traffic and public sector agencies have now begun to encourage the use of public transportation through new mobility business models such as on-demand and multimodal trip-planning applications. “Moving people” has translated to “Moving people from all sections of the society” while maintaining that private vehicles on the street should be restricted, he added.

On the Metro Rail Policy, the Minister said that in order to achieve “mobility for all”, promotion of seamlessly integrated urban transport, and universal accessibility, the Ministry had disseminated the Metro Rail Policy, 2017. The policy stresses on induction of mass transit mediums, which has not only provided a truly reliable and accessible transit medium for the vulnerable sections of the society, but also mandates ensuring a more compact & walkable development patterns for the users.

On the changing mode of transport system he said, different Indian cities are either implementing or looking at new public transport systems, be it a metro, Metrolite, MetroNeo, High-capacity buses, in addition to uplifting infrastructure for Non-Motorised Transport by coming up with dedicated cycle lanes, improved footpaths and other street side infrastructure.

In his welcome address, Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, said the focus of this conference is to bring ease of living with suitable urban mobility policies. This would be achieved by concentrating on innovation and technology in the sector. He said that urban transportation means urban transformation, with emphasis on affordable, sustainable and green urban transport. He said that during the Covid-19, three different challenges were introduced in the country- Cycle4change, Strret4people, and Transport for all.

The keynote address was delivered by Mr. Daniel Ernesto Moser, Head of the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) Germany, while special address was given by Prof Dr. Claudia Warning, Director General, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

A film titled “India at 75-Mobility for All” and five publications, namely ‘Toolkit on Mobility as a Service (MaaS)’, ‘Source Book on PPP Arrangements for Urban Bus Operations in India’, ‘A compendium of ‘SMARTSustainable Urban Transport’, ‘Compendium of ‘SMARTMOVE - Innovative Urban Mobility Challenge 2021’ and ‘Service and Business Plan for City Bus Operations for two ESCBS Cities Chandigarh and Mira - Bhayandar under the WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM

World Bank—GEF assisted Efficient and Sustainable City Bus Services (ESCBS) Project’ werealso released.

Hardeep S. Puri also chaired the valedictory session of the 14th edition of Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference 2021. He presented awards to the state / city winners for “Excellence in Urban Transport” in different categories and distributed certificates under the Executive Programme in Sustainable Transport and trophies for SMART-MOVE (Innovative Urban Mobility Challenge 2021).

HardeepPuri while addressing the session said that Cities are the Engines of Economic Growth and if India is to become a $5Trillion economy by 2025 and a $10 Trillion economy by 2030, urban areas will have to both accommodate and enable such growth. Transport systems will be fundamental to such growth.

Puri congratulated award winners for their continued effort in their respective cities. He said that UMI, since its inception in 2008, has been envisioned as a platform for focusing attention on critical challenges and key opportunities in the urban sector in India, and to disseminate best practices from around the country and the world. He added that such events are unique forums for networking and exchanging ideas and experiences between policy makers, city managers, researchers, planners, and urban transport technologists.

Launching the 15th UMI conference, which will house the theme of “Azadi@75: Sustainable AtmaNirbhar Urban Mobility” in Kochi, Kerala from 4th to 6th November 2022 , he expressed hope that the urban transport community will assemble again in large numbers next UMI conference.

The day-long Conference discussed the theme “Mobility for All” focusing on providing equitable access and promote inclusive urban transportation aimed to provide affordable, clean, safe, informative, efficient and accessible transport systems, with special attention to the diverse needs from all factions of the society, especially the specially-abled, elderly, women and children.

The conference brought together national and international experts, technology and service providers, policy makers, practitioners and officials from the urban transport sector under one roof. ***

URBAN TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE NOVEMBER 2021

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