Mumbai Monorail

The Mumbai Monorail is a monorail system currently under construction for the city of Mumbai, India. Once completed it will be world’s second longest Monorail corridor. It is being contracted by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and will be the first monorail in India. Construction began in January 2009, and the first portion of the first line is scheduled to be operational by mid 2012.

Before further talking about the details of this project, let us know what exactly is monorail and how it is different from a metro.

A monorail is an elevated electric bus that runs on a single beam. The beam that serves as the track is known as "rail" and since there is only one of it, the term "monorail" is used. A monorail therefore refers to the track that supports the transport system or the transport system itself. The vehicle (or the electric bus) runs on the track can be a wheeled-vehicle or a magnetically levitating (maglev) vehicle. In a wheeled-vehicle monorail system, the vehicle is supported by multiple wheels that grip the track from all sides. The word "rail" in "monorail" is a misnomer. A monorail system has nothing to do with the conventional railway system.

A monorail system is faster and cheaper to construct than conventional railways (at-grade or elevated) and is used in congested areas having limited land availability. The monorail is more efficient at negotiating curves and gradients than conventional railways or light transport systems (e.g. trams). The ability of the monorail to handle curves varies inversely with the length of the vehicle.

Typically, a four-coach monorail can carry around 1,000 passengers. The monorail system has a simplistic structure with (elevated) piers at regular intervals that support the (horizontal) beams. Electric power for traction is drawn from the beam with no overhead cabling involved.

On the other hand, the capacity of a Metro system, which can accommodate up to nine cars, is about three to four times more. Thus, the capacity-to-cost ratio is better for a Metro system, even though the per kilometre construction cost is more.

The track on which the rail runs is narrower than the train itself and this is the major point of differentiation with the metro rail.

Read more: http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-monorail-and-vs-metro-rail/#ixzz1nDRTdEmR

Considering the increase in population, increased travel demand and narrow road networks running through congested structures, there is a need of a system which will occupy less space as well as reduce travel time. With the objective, to support public rapid transit system such as suburban rail system and metro rail system and where public rapid transit system is not available or impossible to provide such system and where widening of roads is not possible due to structures on either sides.

Coming onto our subject, there are 8 lines proposed at a cost of Rs 20,296 crore  (US$4.47 billion). The Chembur - Jacob Circle line is the one which is completed and expected to be operational in mid 2012. The second portion, from Jacob Circle to Wadala, is expected to be ready by June 2013. The construction is to be taken in two phase. The first phase which covers Chembur – Wadala - Jacob circle, Mulund – Goregaon – Borivali, Virar – chikhaldongri, Lokhandwala – Kanjurmarg, Thane – Dahisar is expected to be completed by 2015. The second phase which covers Kalyan – Dombivli, Chembur – Kopar Khairane, Mahape – Kalyan, Thane – Kalyan is expected to be completed by 2021.

Line 1 of the Mumbai Monorail will be integrated with all 3 lines of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. The monorail stations will be connected with local railway stations at Mahalaxmi on Western Line, Currey Road and Parel on Central Line, and Wadala Road and GTB Nagar on Harbour Line.

The monorail will have a top speed of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph), an average speed of 65 kilometres per hour (40 mph) and the overall speed including dwell time at stations would be around 31 kilometres per hour (19 mph).

“While Mumbai’s local train is the backbone of the city’s transport system and buses cater to areas where the local train is not available, Monorail and Metro (which is also under construction) will further strengthened the city’s public transport system," a senior MMRDA official said.

With the objective, to support public rapid transit system such as suburban rail system and metro rail system and where public rapid transit system is not available or impossible to provide such system and where widening of roads is not possible due to structures on either sides, Mono Rail system is proposed to be implemented by MMRDA/GOM.

Let us have a look on recent monorail systems :

1.     

              Chongqing, China

Chongqing Monorail

•  Length : 17.4 km
• operation since : 2005
• current PPHPD : 17,000 

   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur Monorail

• Length : 9 km
• operation since : 2003
• current PPHPD : 5,000

How Mumbai Monorail may look like :

For more information regarding Mumbai Monorail visit http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=608834

Advantages of Monorail over Metro :

1. It is of low cost.
2. It occupies low space.
3. It is a bit quicker to build compared to metro.

 So, in places where it is extremely congested and where Metro cannot penetrate (considering the cost involved) and not a viable solution, monorail can help soothing things.. Say in a very congested residential area where no main roads are there, Monorail is a good option.

                                                                                                           

Upcoming Metro Rail Projects in India

Talking about urban infrastructure, the chief minister of Bihar has sprung up another surprise for the residents of the state by proposing a Metro rail plan for the city worth Rs 8000 crore which is recently been given a go-ahead by the Planning Commission. According to the former CM, he has no difficulty in executing the proposed Patna metro rail project as the population of city is more than 15 lakh now and by the time the construction begins after the preparation of detailed project report, the number of people will go upto more than 20 lakh.

The project is planned in the public-private partnership. It will be carried out in 2 phases. The first phase will be providing metro rail from Danapur to Patna city and the other one will be from Saguna Mode to Fraser Road via Bailey road both covering a distance of 20 km. The two routes have an almost straight alignment and it would require minimum structural reorientation during the infrastructure development for the metro corridors.

According to sources the urban development department has already been approached by several leading metro infrastructure development firms like Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Delhi metro rail corporation for carrying out the feasibility report and construction work on metro rail in Patna. The urban development department has already received consent from the central planning commission for providing its technical support for the metro rail project.

Apart from Patna, other upcoming metro rail projects are Kolkata metro rail (KMRC), Mumbai metro, Hyderabad metro, Chennai metro, Jaipur metro, Lucknow metro rail and the Bhopal Indore metro project has just been given a green signal by DMRC.

Kolkata metro rail which is being executed in two phases is expected to be completed by October 2014. The first phase of the project, which includes the elevated portion, is expected to start operations by March 2012. As part of the project 12 new stations will be constructed. Six of the stations will be underground while the others will be elevated. Construction of the underground sections will be carried out using a state-of-the-art tunnel boring method which will lead to minimal disruptions on the surface. The elevated viaduct will consist of a prestressed concrete U-shaped or box girder on a single pier with pile or open foundations.


The work on the first phase of the Jaipur Metro Rail Project (JMRC), which is estimated to cost Rs.12.50 billion (Rs.1,250 crore) will be completed by 2013. The first phase of the project, between Mansarovar and Chandpole, will be at a length of 9.2 km. The proposed second phase of the project, between Ambawadi and Sitapura at a length of nearly 27 km, will be constructed at a cost of Rs.78.50 billion (Rs.7,850 crore) and is likely to be operational from 2014.

According to the Mumbai Metro Master Plan - to be implemented in three phases and involving nine lines over 146.5 km, including 32.50 km underground - is estimated to cost nearly Rs.20,000 crore.

Besides the Versova-Ghatkopar section, Phase-I includes the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd (31.80 km) and Colaba-Bandra (20 km) sections. The work of first phase which costed 1,694 crore is already completed and expected to be operational in sometime this year.

Phase-II includes the following sections: Charkop-Dahisar (7.50 km), Ghatkopar-Mulund (12.50 km) and BKC-Kanjurmarg via Mumbai Airport (19.50 km).

Phase-III will connect Andheri east with Dahisar east (18 km), Ghatkopar with Flora Fountain (21.80 km) and Sewri with Prabhadevi -- an underground stretch the details of which are being finalised.

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City

Gujarat International Finance tec-city is one of the biggest megaproject India had ever which is a 50:50 joint venture of Government of Gujarat(GOG) and International Leasing & Financial Servuces Ltd (IL&FS) making it a public-private partnership. The megaproject covers a total area of 500 acres (2 km²) of land, 50% of which will be used for the construction thus making it a green city.

OBJECTIVE : The Project aims at becoming the main hub of financial markets thus competing with other booming markets like Mumbai, Bangalore, Guragaon by providing companies while others are still developing. The project is being planned to be at or above par with presently acknowledged globally benchmarked financial centers such as Shinjuku (Tokyo), Lujiazui (Shanghai), La Defense (Paris) and Dockyards (London). Size-wise too, at over 7.5 million sq. feet of built up space in Phase 1 of the project alone, it is almost twice as massive as in Shinjuku, Luijiazui, La Defense and Dockyards combined. The Projects has invited companies of Singapore who wishes to expand but cannot do so because of the lack of land. Companies like Kotak Mahindra, ICICI has already booked space in it. Following with the five banks, two foreign banks have also shown interests in it.

CONCEPT: The 500 acres project is divided into two parts- 250 acres SEZ i.e. Special economic zone and a 250 acre domestic tarrif area. The SEZ is a physical infrastructure having facilities likes district cooling, electricity, water, gas, roads, telecoms and broadband. The project is slated to provide 400,000 employment opportunities and house 50,000 residents. The project is located next to Sabarmati River which covers 550 acres. The area along the River Bank will be converted into a riverfront recreational area or promenade.  The project is providing India’s largest commercial skyscraper which is 400 m long having 80 storeys.  Let us focus light on some of the features of this project:

·         Electricity: A 1000 MW power grid is designed by ABB group of Switzerland. The electric cables will be underground. The advantage of such type of system is that it will have lower per capita energy consumption than any other metro city.

·         Piped Gas: Natural Gas will be distributed via pipes through network of GSPL (which is a state own company for transmission of pipelines), hence it is cheaper and safer than cylinders. This type of system is already used in nearby areas of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

·         Communication & Telecom: Internet gateway, Next generation IP-Based network, International fibre landing system will be provided.

·         District cooling: A centralized AC system which is called district cooling. The advantage of using this system is it is cheaper, it reduces energy costs, maintenance costs, improves air quality and temperature control, reduces noise and vibration.

                                

District cooling

·         Wastage: It is an automated waste collection system (AWS) that works through chute system. The waste is sucked through pipes at 90 km/hr which is then collected and treated through plasma technology. It requires minimum human intervention. It minimizes space requirement and impact on health.

                             

·         Transportation: As to achieve the transport vision & objectives, set forth, Public system as Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) and Metro rail system connecting the capital city and Ahmedabad has been planned by Government of Gujarat with strong network of roads.

For more information on above visit  http://giftgujarat.in/faq.aspx

LANDMARKS

1.       DIAMOND TOWER: The largest galss and steel faceted commercial skyscraper in India which is 400 m long 80 storeyhaving museum, large conference centre, garden on manmade fortune island. It is designed by a 65 year old company of shanghai East China Architectural Design & Research Intitute which also made world famous Pearl Tower.

In order to provide a fast access to GIFT, GOG has decided to invest 400 crore in building three dedicated approaches across the Sabarmati river- an underground tunnel flanked by two four-lane bridges-connecting GIFT to Ahmedabad.

While the underground tunnel will lead directly to the 400 m tall massive tower, the two bridges will directly lead to the right and left handside main entrances of GIFT campus.

2.       GIFT GATEWAY TOWER: Its built up area is 7,300,000 sqr feet which is located in a main avenue of city. It is 362 m high having terrace gardens, rooftop restaurant etc. This tower drew inspiration from Buland Darwaza. It is located in right and left of Diamond tower and is also called TWIN TOWER.

3.       GIFT CRYSTAL TOWER: Its built-up area is 7,90,000 srq metre( 8,500,000 sqr feet), overlooked by Sabarmati River.

4.       CONVENTION TOWER: Its structure is inspired by structure of saltcrystal and Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March, have opera having seating capacity of 10,000. Its built up area is 6,500,000 sqr feet.

The construction has to take place in 3 phases :

·         1^st Phase: Land leveling work is to be done which is finshed. Temporary houses were built for over 11,00,000 + members.

·         2^nd Phase: Construction of roads and building bases is to be done which will tale place from 2011-2013.

·         3^rd Phase: It is the planned period for construction and commencement which has to take place from 2013-2017.

For more information on GIFT visit  http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=552518