Metro Rail Project Research Articles

Make in India Initiatives in Metro Rails

In line with the Government of India’s focus on Make in India, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) became the first ministry to issue Phased Manufacturing Plan (PMP) for indigenous procurement of metro rail components. Accordingly, the specification of various components has been standardised to engage and encourage long-term investment in the fast-growing metro-rail sector, which already has 657 km of operational lines in eighteen cities along with more than 800 km of metro rail projects under construction in twenty-seven cities. India is now almost self-sufficient for power supply traction and track material. Further, MoHUA has successful negations with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and ADB (Asian Development Bank) to encourage indigenous production and assembling for the upcoming Chennai Metro and Mumbai Metro. MoHUA has also issued Metro Rail Policy 2017 to focus on systematic planning and imple-mentation and guide state governments with emphasis on standardisation and indigenisation of metro technologies keeping in view import substitution, export promotion, sustainability and cost-reduction (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 2017).

Methodology for Estimating the Cost of Delay in Architectural Engineering Projects: Case of Metro Rails in India

Development of a nation is directly related to the accomplishment of public infrastructure projects. They cater to the objectives of sector-specific demand and accrue benefits in other related fields. These architectural engineering projects contribute to the overall development, which is complex to measure in tangible terms alone, but call for establishing indicators for measuring intangible benefits as well. Delay in projects is considered to affect the tangible cost benefits. It is, however, a limited perception of delay consequences. The cost of delay (CoD), therefore, can be determined by considering the overall impact of tangible and intangible benefits of such projects. This paper brings out the framework for determining the CoD for the selected case study of a metro rail project. It reflects the consequences of delay in overall development prospects and high-level infrastructure objectives by establishing the CoD. The cost thus established can serve as the basis for mobilizing additional resources and strategic decision making in the best interest of overall benefits. The outcome of the study creates an opportunity to manage metro rail projects by mitigating the negative consequences of time overruns.

Optimization of facilities and efficient site management:Pune Metro Rail Project

An effective site layout and construction planning for a large-scale and complicated construction project not only affects its productivity and cost, it also controls whether a project can be operated and completed in an efficient manner. In most of the sites, site layout planning is mostly a neglected aspect. For a large-scale project like metros it is difficult to sustain same layout throughout the project duration as the requirement for different attributes changes often. Most construction sites that run into trouble because of reasons related to managerial factors rather than technical problems. The site-based management can result in significant improvements in the time and cost savings during the construction process without involving excessive work. Now a days due to site scarcity i.e. limited site space, high cost of purchasing and site selection is considered as essential as other resources. In this paper, we study the current site layout of Pune metro rail project and identify various problems practically faced on construction site. For systematic approach of planning we determine operational problem and relative positions of different departments as a solution for faced problems. Thus, an optimized layout is prepared to minimize travelling distances, to minimize repeated handling of materials, to increase productivity and to create a safe working environment as it also affects the productivity.

Development of risk index for mass rapid transit system project in Western India through application of fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP)

Mass rapid transit system projects like elevated corridor metro rail construction involves activities like segment casting, segment transportation and segment erection that are extremely risky in nature and need to be implemented very carefully. This article is an attempt to develop risk index for the elevated corridor metro rail construction project in Western India. The risk index is created by application of fuzzy analytical hierarchy process to the quality parameters associated with the segment casting, piling work, pier construction, segment transportation, segment erection with launching girder, jointing of segments and pre-stressing operations. This risk index would help the project authorities associated with ongoing and upcoming metro rail projects to identify and categorize the most risky activities and plan suitable risk mitigation measures accordingly. This would help the metro rail project to be completed successfully within stipulated time and cost frame.

Foundation evaluation of underground metro rail station using geophysical and geotechnical investigations

Excavations for underground space developments in a thickly populated urban area are sometimes hindered by unexpected formidable consequences like formation of sinkholes or uneven settlement of foundations. Such troublesome incidences occasionally damage structures in the vicinity of excavations. Although adequate design guidelines and codes of practices are adopted, the disturbance of subsurface regime due to excavation or construction activities often leads to undesired stability issues with resultant appearance of weak zones. The reinforcement of weak zones by grouting is one of the common remedies, without demarcating the weak or the affected zones becomes counter-productive. Excavation at a location in Chennai mega-city for metro rail was severely affected by soil piping with development of sinkholes and weakening of the surrounding strata. Subsequently development of cracks in the adjacent buildings, and caused tilting of the nearby taller structures. The mandated the geophysical and geotechnical investigations were carried out to demarcate the affected area to avoid further deterioration of the site. Cross-hole seismic P- and S-wave velocities were estimated between10-pairs of boreholes up to 20 m depth on both the sides of the excavation. Two electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) profiles (each of 141 m in length) were carried out in the same location. Cross-hole S-wave velocity profiles and resistivity tomograms clearly indicate the presence of weak zones, and possible sinkhole locations. Site specific empirical relationship was established between S-wave velocity and standard penetration test (SPT) N-value. This relationship was further used for determination of SPT N-values from the measured VS values to compare the subsurface conditions identified under pre- and post-excavations. The results confirmed the presence of weak zones, which are responsible for the weakening of the surrounding strata in the foundation. Geophysical and geotechnical investigations, similar to present investigation, can be useful for designing metro rail projects in a subsurface environment comprising alluvium, sand, clay mixed with silt, pebbles and boulders, lying near a region of ground water pocket in a thickly populated urban area.

Gender Issues in Project Design: A Case of Metro Rail in India

Gender equality is an important indicator of a country’s progress towards sustainable development and is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Yet the government and international financial institutions often find gender equality a difficult concept to include in projects. A prob able solution for the same is to conduct social impact assessment (SIA) with a gender focus, which can help ensure that a project design addresses gender concerns and maximizes women’s access to project benefits.Such an impact assessment was conducted in 2014 for metro rail project in Ahmedabad, India. In this article, an attempt has been made to assess the socio-economic condition of women in the project area, examine the potential gender issues, and develop measures to address gender issues in different stages of the project. Baseline sex-disaggregated data and gender analytical information were collected through socio-economic survey, public consultation, and focus group discussion with women in the project area. The SIA results revealed that amongst the affected persons, nearly half were female members. It is expected that in the metro rail project, due to certain adverse impacts, such as relocation, loss of livelihood, and so on, women would experience socio-economic problems. Therefore, provisions, in the resettlement action plan, were made keeping in mind the well-being of affected women along with women of host communities. It argues that identifying and addressing gender issues at an early stage and managing them actively throughout the life of a project can increase the possibility of success of the project.

IDENTIFICATION OF CRITICAL FACTORS FOR DELAY IN METRO RAIL PROJECTS IN INDIA

Purpose of the study:World over, transportation infrastructure projects face delays in commissioning and India is no exception. This study is carried out with an objective to specifically identify the critical delay factors in the commissioning of metro rail projects in India.
 Methodology: A questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the major causes of delay from the opinion of clients, contractors and consultants. Calculation of Relative Importance Index (RII) for the shortlisted factors yielded the ranking. The ranking by various categories of respondents was analysed using Spearman’s rank coefficient.
 Main Findings:The study concluded in identification of 10 most critical delay-factors from a list of 49 shortlisted factors spread across 7 categories. The identified factors included: (1) Delay in land acquisition and site handover to contractor, (2) Shifting of utilities and contingency works, (3) Scope change, (4)Delay in payments, (5) Effects of unforeseen subsurface and changing ground condition, (6) Shortage of construction materials in the market, (7) Delays in design approvals and decision making, (8) Shortage of labour, (9) Lack of data collection and survey before design, and (10) Delay in obtaining permits from local body.
 Implications: Project management interventions based on the identified critical factors of delay can improve the delivery of upcoming metro rail projects in terms of schedule compliance.
 Applications of this study:The Application of suitable course correction measures targeting the critical factors can result in mitigation of delays.
 Novelty/Originality of this study:The study is one of its kind attempt to investigate all the commissioned metro rail projects in India for analyzing delays in the Indian urban rail sector.

All Aboard the Metro Rail? LTMRHL’s Campaign for Stakeholder Support

On March 6, 2015 the Brand Ambassador campaign by L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Ltd. (LTMRHL) had taken place for a little over two years. Launched in 2013 to bring about awareness and dispel negativity about the Metro Rail project, this campaign had succeeded in securing visibility and garnering support. The corporate communication team was now debating the feasibility of the ongoing campaign and exploring various options. Based on the current review, a decision had to be taken to continue or abandon the campaign post commercial operations scheduled in July 2017. The campaign was launched in Hyderabad on January 8, 2013 through a press conference. Designed with the purpose of selecting brand ambassadors for the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) project, it targeted the ‘common man’ rather than a celebrity. The choice of a common man was deliberate as the project required support from stakeholders who had become hostile due to varied political and economic reasons. Reaching out to and engaging with these stakeholders in an effort to garner support were the focal points of the campaign. The launch generated excitement and in the first week itself, there was a surge to register for the campaign. However, the intensity staggered post the felicitation ceremony on November 23, 2013. Queries related to the success and sustainability of the campaign were raised by multiple stakeholders. A two-year review in 2015 revealed that although many of the initial problems had been overcome, and negativity considerably reduced, the campaign had only achieved partial success. Will the current strategy be the gateway to success once commercial operations began, mulled Mr. Sanjay Kapoor, General Manager & Head of Corporate Communications, PR & Advertising Business, LTMRHL.

Inclusion of Health in Environmental Impact Assessment of Major Transport Infrastructure Projects in Vietnam.

Background: Infrastructure spending, especially in the transport sector, is expected to increase rapidly in Vietnam. This boost in transportation investment impacts health. Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are essential tools for decision-making to reduce and mitigate anticipated impacts of development projects, and integration of health assessment as an essential part of the EIA process has been regulated in many high-income countries. There is, however, limited knowledge about how health is evaluated in these environmental assessments in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Vietnam. Methods: We did an analysis of EIAs of four major transport projects in Vietnam, applying a six-step coding framework previously used to investigate EIAs in the Australian context. Results: We found that health was inadequately considered in all four EIAs. There was no direct health assessment within the four EIAs due to the lack of formal requirements from either Government or the financing agency, the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Health issues were often identified as risks posed by the projects within the assessment of impacts on environmental conditions. A broader consideration of health was limited. When social outcomes of the projects were present in EIAs, they were often mentioned once without any detailed assessment or linking to health. There was no evidence linking health benefits and shifts towards active travel with the construction of two metro rail projects. Mitigation measures offered in all four EIAs were found to be generic and insubstantial. Conclusion: The health assessments in the EIAs of four transport projects in Vietnam were significantly less detailed than those in Australia, mainly due to the lack of legislative requirements. The lack of health content indicates the need for involvement of health experts in the environmental assessment process, as well as requirements for the health assessment to be integrated in EIA. Our findings suggest there is the need to build capacity both within and outside of government to fully consider the health impacts of infrastructure in EIA practice.

Transit Oriented Development and Environmental Impact of Nagpur Metro Rail Project: A Case Study of Nagpur Metro Alignment-2

Transit Oriented Development and Environmental Impact of Nagpur Metro Rail Project: A Case Study of Nagpur Metro Alignment-2

Application of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process for development of risk index for elevated corridor metro rail project in Western India

Construction of elevated corridor metro rail projects involves activities like piling works, pier construction, segment casting, segment transportation, segment erection with launching girder and pre-stressing operations for joining the segments which are risky in nature and need to be implemented very carefully. This paper is an attempt to develop a risk index for the elevated corridor for metro rail construction project in western India. The risk index is developed by application of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) to the quality parameters associated with the piling works, pier construction, segment casting, transportation and erection. This risk index would help the project authorities to identify the most risky activities and plan accordingly the suitable risk mitigation measures. This would help the project to be completed successfully within stipulated time and cost frame. The risk index developed would act as a guide for developing risk management strategies for the future metro rail construction projects.

Critical Success Factors in Implementation of Urban Metro System on PPP: A Case Study of Hyderabad Metro

Rail-based metro system is crucial for supporting a city’s expansion and growth. However, urban metro projects being capital intensive with long gestation and pay back periods may not be financially viable but socially desirable. More and more cities in India are announcing metro projects committing huge budgetary resources to these projects at the cost of sectors such as health and education. Given the huge requirement of capital and possibility of attracting willing as well as capable private investors to undertake urban transport projects, promoting public–private partnerships (PPPs) could be a key priority. However, none of the metro projects launched during past 7 years in India have been planned on PPP framework. International experience in PPP metro and our own Delhi airport metro experience have demonstrated that many issues can influence the successful implementation of PPPs in such projects. In this context, outcome of Hyderabad metro is keenly watched as it is one of the largest metro rail projects built under a PPP framework anywhere in the world. The paper reviews the research conducted on critical success factors (CSFs) that are necessary for adopting PPP models in urban metros in Indian context. Eighteen CSFs identified through literature survey have been validated in a pilot study through structured questionnaire and grouped in seven macro-factors through hierarchical cluster analysis. A case study has been attempted using SAP–LAP framework to analyse the identified CSFs in real-life settings of the first two stages of Hyderabad metro project. Key players working on the project were interviewed during a field study to gather feedback on actions they took on factors critical to success. Observations and findings have been synthesised as learnings for future such projects.

Assessment of spatio-temporal changes in terrestrial carbon sequestration due to Kochi metro rail project in India

Major infrastructure projects can cause sizeable reduction in the urban tree cover thereby affecting terrestrial carbon sequestration potential of cities. This study investigated the spatio-temporal changes occurred in terrestrial carbon sequestration due to the metro rail project at Kochi city in India during the years 2013 to 2015. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) estimated from IRS-P6 LISS IV satellite sensor data was used to detect the tree cover change and for the quantification of carbon stock. An urban carbon storage equation was used to estimate the carbon content from NDVI values. Stock difference approach was used to estimate the change in carbon sequestration due to the construction of metro rail. Results indicated reduction of 14.51ha of tree cover area within a distance of 60m from the center-line of metro rail during the study period. Study found that 2316 tCO2e was emitted as a result of cutting urban trees for the metro rail. Such an emission was overlooked while estimating the emission reduction due to the promotion of public transport. This study points to the need for estimating the impacts of major urban infrastructure projects to the global climate in addition to assessing their mostly localized environmental impacts.

Unbuilding the City: Writing Demolition

Unbuilding the City: Writing Demolition

English

English

“Transit Oriented Development and Its Impact on Level of Service of Roads & METRO: A Case Study of Mumbai Metro Line-I”

Abstract The study proposes a methodology to evaluate the impact of planned Transit Oriented Development (TOD) along new METRO rail project. Using this methodology, the applicability of TOD principles using vertical development in rapidly developing metropolitan city, Mumbai, in India is explored. The methodology focuses on prediction of mode choice behaviour of people before implementation of planned TOD. Moreover, indirect impacts of TOD like, financial feasibility, decrease in fuel consumption and travel time for planned year, 2036, are evaluated. Findings of this study show that TOD can be an effective tool for achieving the sustainable development in highly congested metropolitan cities of developing country as even though density is increased within Transit Influence Area (TIA), the congestion on roads will not be increased.

Application of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process for development of risk index for elevated corridor metro rail project in Western India

Construction of elevated corridor metro rail projects involves activities like piling works, pier construction, segment casting, segment transportation, segment erection with launching girder and pre-stressing operations for joining the segments which are risky in nature and need to be implemented very carefully. This paper is an attempt to develop a risk index for the elevated corridor for metro rail construction project in western India. The risk index is developed by application of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) to the quality parameters associated with the piling works, pier construction, segment casting, transportation and erection. This risk index would help the project authorities to identify the most risky activities and plan accordingly the suitable risk mitigation measures. This would help the project to be completed successfully within stipulated time and cost frame. The risk index developed would act as a guide for developing risk management strategies for the future metro rail construction projects.

A System Identification Methodology to monitor construction activities using structural responses

Abstract This paper presents a methodology to use structural responses to monitor the progress of construction processes. The methodology was implemented on a launching girder used for viaduct construction of a metro rail project. A strain-based wireless sensor network was used for data acquisition. Structural responses from the launching girder were used to identify the state of construction. A conventional System Identification Methodology was tested for this application but was not accurate in inferring the stage of construction. Therefore a modified system identification strategy using derived features and heuristics was used to infer the state of construction. The modified methodology was found to be significantly more accurate than the conventional methodology and is well suited for applications in unstructured construction environments. Results from the case study confirm that the use of structural responses is feasible for measuring the progress of construction activities.

Challenges of Chennai Central Metro Rail station

Chennai is the fourth largest city in India with a population of about 8 million. Phase 1 of the Chennai Metro Rail project, currently in progress, comprises two corridors of about 47 km long and 32 stations. Chennai Central Metro station, located in the middle of the city, is an underground-interchange station between the two corridors and also a terminal station for one of the corridors. Due to its unique crossover arrangement, the platforms of the two corridors will be staggered, and the station is about 300 m long and constrained between a canal (c.1882) on one side and a busy road junction on the other side. Strategically located on one of the busy arterial roads – EVR Periyar Salai – and in front of the Chennai Central long-route railway station, the upcoming metro station will provide traffic integration with existing transport modes. Diversion of dense pedestrian and vehicular traffic continuously flowing through this location during construction plays a major role in the design and construction sequencing. The proposed metro station is also surrounded by at least four declared heritage buildings. The architectural and structural design of the above-ground metro structures will strike a commonality among the adjoining heritage buildings of different architectural styles, as well as exhibit a contemporary look.

Pragmatic Study of Government Policies for Metro Rail Project in India

Pragmatic Study of Government Policies for Metro Rail Project in India