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Land Acquisition for Metro UG Stretch - expect more delays?

ಮೇಲೆ
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Metro RailPublic Transport

Just noticed the numbers for land acquisition in the Feb Newsletter

UG NS Stretch - Proposed: 14, Possession Taken: 8, Demolished: 7

UG EW Stretch - Proposed: 129, Possession Taken:0 (!), Demolished: 0 (!).

Read in DH today that the UG-EW Stretch is awarded.

If the acquisition numbers are correct, brace yourself. Contractors will have a perfect excuse for all further delays - The stretch took an additional year and a half.... because.... we couldn't get our TBM underground!

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Ravi_D's picture

Who is building the TBM?

ಮೇಲೆ
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UG Section pre-qualification tender document is silent about TBM. This 2007 July DH Article implies BMRCL may itself be importing TBMs. Latest BMRC Contractor's List does not specify who is building them. Any ideas?

Have they already been ordered and sitting ready for use? These monsters could have significant lead time, especially if custom built and shipped ocean freight from Europe.

srinidhi's picture

built to specifications?

ಮೇಲೆ
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As I could understand, these TBM's are built for specific needs...for example Delhi had mostly alluvial soil and it was relatively easy drilling there..

"Since the bored tunnel construction for Delhi Metro involves tunnelling through both hard quartzite and soft ground, two types of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are being used. Rock TBM is being used for quartzite while Earth Pressure Balance Machine(EPBM's) is being used for soft soil. "

In case of Delhi Metro two EPBMs obtained are second hand i.e. they had worked on metros of Bangkok and Taiwan. Before being put into use at Delhi these machines were completely refurbished or overhauled.

The dual mode machine for rocks is brand new specially manufactured by Herrencht of Germany and costs about Rs 30 crore. The main difference between the two type of machines is Cutter Head design."

However as Metro ppl are saying..they are getting rock structures all thru their path in blr..hence I think the consortium which has been selected should decide and lay the specifications for the TBM's needed!

This may be a looong prozess!!!

Naveen's picture

Delay announcement expected

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Judging by the silence about TBMs & also news reports about whole roads being taken up for construction (eg. Vidhana Veedhi), I'm beginning to suspect that the UG sections are planned to be done by cut & cover method, which will create havoc for the public.

Why is it that there have been no press announcements about TBM machine imports ? They should have been here by now. And a delay has been announced - is this coincidence ?

Ravi_D's picture

Tunneling method

ಮೇಲೆ
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 ...I'm beginning to suspect that the UG sections are planned to be done by cut & cover method, which will create havoc for the public

@Naveen: Interesting Observation there.

The pre-tender qualification document says NATM method would be used. But the interesting part is in Section 4.3 of the document.

"Anticipated construction method ... is twin bored tunnels...while stations utilize "cut & cover". However, it may be necessary that some sections of bored tunnel construction be changed to "cut & cover" or other tunneling methods utilized due to site conditions..."

Further section 4.3.1 talks of use of EPBMs for strata of soil/weathered rock.

"Cutter wheels shall be capable of cutting thru' stiff to hard rocky soils but not necessarily thru' hard sound rock. .... In areas where hard rock is encountered.. Either an appropriate Shield TBM.... or a mining method such as NATM may be required. At some locations, cut & cover method may be adopted."

I read the above as TBMs for most of the length, and cut & cover for the hard rocky areas. Doubt they'll take the trouble of changing machines every few hundred meters, depending on the strata they encounter. Certainly like to see a plan of the tunnels showing where specific methods are expected to be adopted. If they have awarded the tender (for E-W section at least), bidders should have had this information to be able to Quote! 

 

SB_YPR's picture

Some Inconsistencies

ಮೇಲೆ
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UG EW Stretch - Proposed: 129, Possession Taken:0 (!), Demolished: 0 (!).

This is strange. Two of the properties that were to be acquired were the BRV Police Grounds and a corner of the Chinnaswamy stadium. The first has been fenced off and some excavation is on, while the second has also been taken possession of and demolition work looks to be about halfway through. Evidently, BMRC hasn't been updating its newsletters properly - the same figure seems to have been displayed for months now.

~~~~

Manish.

Naveen's picture

View from BMRC

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After many failed attempts at trying to arrange a meeting, I personally went to the BMRC office today, waited & got to speak to Yashavanth Chavan, CPRO. He stated that BMRC staff have all been very busy since the beginning of last month as they have now entered a critical phase in the project, & hence, he could not receive /respond to calls (he has been entrusted with other responsibilities as well).

 

A few things we discussed :

1) Reach-1 does not have any hurdles, except for the cricket stadium corner, which is also getting cleared. So, it should be on schedule (Dec-10 or Jan-11).

2) Work on other reaches (elevated portions) are also progressing well, & will be completed on schedule (end-2012).

3) Tender for E-W UG section has already been awarded & work will commence soon.

4) Tender for N-S UG section is facing issues - rehabilitation of people belonging to the slum south of Shantala silks (Akkipet /Balepet areas), arranging traffic diversions & KSRTC /BMTC bus stands.

5) All UG sections (except stations) will be done mostly by TBMs & TBMs used for Delhi Metro are being re-used by BMRC - they will arrive in bangalore as & when needed. In addition, contractors will be bringing in their own TBMs (he did not say who the contractors were or where they will source TBMs from).

6) There may be about 8-10 TBMs in operation when tunnel works are fully underway & they would cut about 10m /day each. Thus, they will bore about 70-80mtrs /day & the total 12km length (including rake interchanges at majestic) should take about 6-8 months.

7) With delays due to re-tendering for UG sections, completion date for Phase-1 will be about mid-2013.

8) They do not anticipate any issues whilst boring tunnels since all lengths of tunnels will be well below utility pipes, sewers, etc.

9) DPRs were being prepared for Phase-2 along several (3-4) alignments which will take another two months or so to be submitted to govt for scrutiny. Once they approve routes & costs, final ph-2 routes will be frozen.

 

As I had mentioned previously, they seem to have left the UG sections to the end & this is now the cause for delays. This was the most critical part of the project since they are the conduits between reaches & also involve many other agencies such as BMTC /KSRTC /Railways. UG work should have been pursued from the very beginning instead of just concentrating only on the much easier elevated viaducts.

n's picture

Excellent progress report. It

ಮೇಲೆ
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Excellent progress report. It is a pity that organizations still don't leverage websites to disseminate regular updates. A majority of the common and some serious queries can easily be addressed by a single source - a regularly updated site. That gives time for the staff to do their regular duties than answering questions.
Hopefully, lesson learnt on UG section for future phases. Did he talk about (potentially) slow progress at stations? How about seamless, painless connectivity to other modes, especially buses? Will transfers happen under the same roof?


Naveen's picture

N - Clarifications

ಮೇಲೆ
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Did he talk about (potentially) slow progress at stations?

I don't think construction of overhead stations will lag behind since the job is pretty straight forward & does not involve disruptions such as traffic diversion. So, it should move along fast once the piers have been positioned & decks have been cast /laid out. Completion time table set out by them include stations, in fact all works.

How about seamless, painless connectivity to other modes, especially buses? Will transfers happen under the same roof ?

This was not discussed today. However, in an earlier meeting, Sivasailam (MD) had stated that bus bays would be provided adjacent or near all stations & parking at some key stations where land permits it (such as Byappanahalli, RV rd terminal, Mysore rd terminal, etc).

I think interchange to feeder buses will not be "under the same roof" in most intermediate stations since stations will stand isolated overhead. They will be just below the station, which should be convenient & acceptable.

Ravi_D's picture

Great Effort Naveen

ಮೇಲೆ
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Hats off to you Naveen, for the time and trouble you took to get an update!. Good update too. Answers some Qs but throws up some more, as usual.

So, what was all this talk (see DH report stated earlier) of TBMs being imported? Just to say we are spending this money, and it is a part of escalation?

Quote: "...Tailor-made for digging underground tunnels in busy metros like Bangalore, the TBMs' metallurgy and fabrication are being done in Germany, Spain and Japan. Designed and worked on especially for Namma Metro, the fully computerised machines are believed to cause minimum damage..."

From my understanding, TBMs (at least the cutter part) are custom built to suite local geology. Wonder what it takes to make Delhi TBMs work here in Bangalore. 

Ravi_D's picture

DPR for Phase II

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"DPRs were being prepared for Phase-2 along several (3-4) alignments which will take another two months or so to be submitted to govt for scrutiny. Once they approve routes & costs, final ph-2 routes will be frozen."

Where and when do citizens (the biggest stake holder, sufferer and beneficiary) come in to picture? Democracy at its best.

Naveen's picture

Tunnel Boring for Metro, Greatest Metros

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Some information about TBM from an old artcile :

Tunnel Boring Machine

Excavation of tunnels for various projects (such as roads or rail tracks cut through mountains, underground Metros, etc.) is usually done with Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). Unlike the conventional method of excavation by drilling & blasting (D & B method), TBM technology for boring tunnels is more scientific, efficient & far more advanced.

TBMs can bore through hard rock, sand & almost any variety of soil or rock structure beneath the earth’s crust. The diameters of tunnels excavated through TBMs range from a mere 1 meter to 16 meters. Boring tunnels using TBM will also reduce the levels of disturbance to the adjacent /surrounding earth & ensures smooth tunnel walls. As a result, TBMs are much preferred & widely used in high density urban areas.

The front end of a TBM consists of a rotating cutter wheel. Behind the cutting wheel is a chamber where excavated soil is either mixed with slurry or discharged as it is. Akin to the movement of an earthworm, the TBM will brace against the tunnel walls and push itself forward. Tunneling in urban areas comes with the challenge of ensuring minimal disturbance to ground surface. However, techniques like Earth pressure balance and Bentonite slurry are preferred over conventional open face method due to much superior ground control.

Experts opine that the tunnel boring machine would do multiple tasks like drilling the tunnel, thrusting out muck & sealing inner walls of the tunnel with pre-cast concrete elements. The mud will be slightly slushy since the tunnel boring machine uses water while drilling. One machine can drill an average of 20 metres a day through normal soil & about 12 metres through rocky soil.

IMPACT FROM BANGALORE METRO :

1.
Depth of borewell at Vidhana Soudha - 180 ft to 200 ft (Removal of casing and backfilling)

2. Depth of Borewell at GPO - 180ft to 200ft (OK for use)

3. Depth of the Borewell at Rajbhavan (Lawn) - 150 ft to 200 ft (Removal of casing and backfilling)

4. Excavated muck deposited inside will be transported to the outskirts of the city during night

5. Depth of the Borewell near K R Circle at the ACCE building 180 ft to 200 ft (Requires backfilling)

6. Depth of the Rainwater Harvesting Tank at Vidhana Soudha - 10 to 15 ft (Filled and replaced)

Water Consumption Pattern (Sampangi Ramanagar)

7. BWSSB Water Supply 64.03  (Million Litres per month)

8. Per capita water available 65.77 (Litres per day)

9. Ground water pumping 0.200 (MLD per Km2)

Rainwater Harvesting at Vidhana Soudha

10. Harvestable Surface Area - 5,800 square meters

11. Annual availability of Rainwater - 57,40,000  litres

12. Capacity of Underground Tank - 4,00,000 litres (Underground tank will be replaced with new tank on the same premises).

13. Total Number of Wells monitored - 472

14. Public Borewells - 183

15. Private Borewells - 152

16. Private Openwell - 98

17. Pumbing Affected - 110

Rajbhavan Gardens

Raj Bhavan garden, which once measured 92 acres has shrunk to a mere 16 acres and 4 guntas. The garden has rare plant species from various parts of the world besides a glass house and an artificial waterfall. Everyday, the staff use several litres of water to maintain the garden.

WORLD'S GREATEST SUBWAYS:

Moscow Metro
The 12 lines of the Moscow Metro clock in at 292.2 km of track, with 177 stations, serving around 7 million passengers per day.

Hong Kong's MTR

Hong Kong's MTR
Hong Kong's MTR runs on 211 km of rail with 150 stations, including 82 underground stations and 68 light rail stops. 3.76 million people use it on an average weekday

Madrid Subway Station
The Madrid Metro comprises 12 lines extending to 283 stations across 284 km of track, with a ridership of 3.4 million per day

Beijing Subway Station
Begun in the 1960s, the eight-line Beijing Subway comprises 200 km of track and 123 stations, with daily ridership averaging 3.565 million in 2009.

Paris Metro Station

Paris Metro Station
The second oldest subway system in the world (initally completed in 1900), the Paris Metro consists of 16 lines spreading over 214 km of track and 380 stations, with an average daily ridership of 4.5 million people.

New York Subway
The only subway open 24 hours a day, the New York City Subway is also one of the world's largest, with 468 stations extending across 1,056 km of revenue track. In 2008, the subway delivered over 6,432,700 rides per day.

Tokyo Metro
With 282 stations stretching across 14 lines and 204 km of track, the Tokyo Metro and Toei network together carry an average of nearly eight million passengers per day.

n's picture

Metro integration

ಮೇಲೆ
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At Naveen: Meant an extended sentence - "under the same roof, so to speak". If bus stops are directly under or at metro stations, that serves the purpose. See sustainable transportation and other related areas of conflict.
However, in an earlier meeting, Sivasailam (MD) had stated that bus bays would be provided adjacent or near all stations & parking at some key stations where land permits it (such as Byappanahalli, RV rd terminal, Mysore rd terminal, etc).
Not quite - refer earlier discussion and also the (older) BMLTA map. Near is relative - could be a few hundred meters. Metro will be very convenient for older, disabled, women with kids, people with heavy luggages etc. but the all-important feeder won't. Neither will it seamlessly, reliably and frequently connect. There was another link showing the distances at Yeshwantpur also (not this one but similar) - cannot find it.
Want to bet that seamless, painless connectivity will be an afterthought? Witness shortsightedness on underground stretch even while Delhi metro's precedent / experience was available. Ditto with respect to feeders. Now BMTC is grappling with last mile connectivity; metro will grapple with last quite-a-few-miles connectivity ;-)


Naveen's picture

How much democracy ?

ಮೇಲೆ
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Ravi,

I'm not sure Metro routes can be done with public consultation since there are bound to be a lot of conflicting ideas, opinions & criticism, not to mention dozens of RWAs & other groups that will lobby for Metro within their own areas.

"How much democracy ?" would be an apt question her.

Routes based on studies would be much more reliable & will better justify them from the point of view of both, need as well as business.

Further, there is the question of feasibility, finances & minimizing disruption. For ph-1, only 12% of the total land requirement had been acquired from private parties & govt land had mostly been used along the routes & for depots. But, public's initial reaction had been un-cooperative. When handsome compensations were actually paid out in time, opposition began to simmer, though CMH traders are still to move out & accept compensations.

To plan routes similarly for ph-2, the authorities would have to review demands based on factors such as cost & land availability as well.

Thus, I believe that inviting public consultation for route finalization would open up a pandora's box since much of the public may be ignorant about these points, but might have very strong voices. Routes might then be based on the strongest voices & not based on actual needs, cost efficiencies, feasibility, etc.

Naveen's picture

N - Quite true

ಮೇಲೆ
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I see your point. BMTC is building TTMCs wherever they seem to have land since they need to utilize Jnnurm funds. BMRC is building stations as per approved DPR, which they state cannot be changed. Similarly, SWR will carry out extensions of railway tracks & build /extend stations wherever they have their own land. If a Monorail comes up, they will be told to build on certain given routes with specifics that similarly might not connect with other modes.

This was why a land transport authority along the lines of MTA in New York was necessary a long time ago to prevent such goof ups. Now, they may appoint BMLTA as the authority when all important decisions & construction is either well underway or has already been completed. They will then try to modify things as & when complaints arise - & they sure will come up. This is assuming of course that BMLTA makes recommendations based on user needs, which seems doubtful going by present day responses to congestion.

Who bears costs for all this, not to mention hardships & inconveniences to public ?

However, such situations with isolated bus /metro stations are prevalent in quite a few cities that do not have extensive metro networks - like KL, Bangkok, Manila  & even Singapore.

Bangalore had a great chance to bridge all these gaps, but they seem to have thrown it all away now. The only saving grace is that all Metro stations, following wide road routes, are easily accessible by buses (except Chikpet). Thus, the option to install new bus stops for feeders at Metro stations can be worked upon easily in the future, provided they sit together & make up their minds - & people need to push for this.

Ravi_D's picture

Re: How much democracy?

ಮೇಲೆ
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I was not suggesting that metro routes be drawn based on public opinion. Yes, such an opinion can be counter productive. But effectively working to hide such plans from the public is no solution either. After the project team has enough data to back its plans, it should fear no reason to be bullied by general public. General public needs to be Informed and consulted. I was just wondering when would such a thing happen (if ever)?

I think Namma Metro (and similar projects) would have faced lesser resistance in its path if they were more transparent. Recently, even this late in the game, BMRC refused to show some interested public detailed station layout drawings (they were trying to analyze traffic patters to suggest possible interconnects).

Constructive and self minded opinions will be a part of any transparent public utility project set-up. It is true that in a not-so-mature society, selfish ideas may come with a lot of backing. But that needs to be managed by those well honed (and possibly well paid) PR guys. But not talking to stake holders? Is that the right way?

Ravi_D's picture

@Naveen - Again...

ಮೇಲೆ
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- & people need to push for this. 

We can only push for things when we know what is happening, right?

So how do we make these guys talk to us? What makes them talk in the first place?

If transparency is ensured, at least a few citizens, such as yourself, may be able to ask the right Qs. And Bangalore might not have missed all of those opportunities. Dreaming as usual. It could have gone quite the opposite direction too, I guess.

Naveen's picture

Democracy - We are yet to mature

ಮೇಲೆ
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Ravi,

It is true that in a not-so-mature society, selfish ideas may come with a lot of backing. But that needs to be managed by those well honed (and possibly well paid) PR guys. But not talking to stake holders? Is that the right way?

This question is understandable - very valid, desirable & logical too, since we are a democracy. In reality though, the report card for many such efforts is that they end up causing more delays, nothing more as we have been seeing time & again: eg. NICE is still locked up in court battles by just a single group of farmers, headed by Devegowda who has been successful in erecting obstacle after obstacle.

As regards Metro, it has had many "narrow escapes" so far because high compensations were doled out in time, though there is still the issue of CMH traders & agitation by the greens who had tried to thwart even the small land parcel at Lalbagh from being used, ignoring the many benefits that Metro can usher in.

Take BMLTA - isn't this an urgent need ? NUTP had recommended unified transport authority way back in 2006, following which the state govt had formally created the BMLTA. Now it's 2010, & public consultations are delaying the decision to accord the necessary powers to this authority - & I'm quite sure the debate will go on & on everywhere & without any end, if there are no interventions. I now feel that the govt should have just gone ahead & done what it wanted to in the first place.

If transparency is ensured, at least a few citizens, such as yourself, may be able to ask the right Qs

I'm certain that if I raise questions, people will brand me with "ulterior motives", "hidden agenda", etc. Who is the referee to decide which questions are right ? The referee himself, if there is one, might be questioned about his "agenda" ! Prof.Ashwin Mahesh (ABIDe), though not elected, has made contributions - Big10, for example, which has been succesful. However, as we have seen, frequent questions about his "legality" & "relevance" keep surfacing, time & again.

In short, people are short-sighted & do not wish to see more than necessary. They only look at it from where they stand & how it might disturb their own interests. Such focus will always be in conflict with most others' views. Whoever has the louder voice might prevail in the end, though this might not be the right result.

Since I understand the importance of studies for routes (loads, traffic, etc), I'm willing to give up my right to place any questions - there is hope that solutions will be in place much more speedily. If I claim my right to raise questions, I must also accept that there might be thousands, if not millions more who might wish to raise their own questions too.

We can only push for things when we know what is happening

What I meant was that if there are no bus halts at Metro stations, we will need to push for them.

sanjayv's picture

Public Opinion

ಮೇಲೆ
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 I think there is a case to at least educating the public on the rationale behind the choices made.  If sincerely done, I think many times it should be possible to avoid some of the issues like the opposition of the CMH road traders.  Surely, they could have worked out a work plan and schedule that would have helped avoid the huge losses that their businesses are enduring now?  With a suitably planned, accelerated schedule, and careful management of the work area and some provision for improved pedestrianization of the road, some losses could have been mitigated.  Alternatively, with sufficient notice and an understanding of the business impact, businesses could have moved to alternate locations in a planned fashion.

Decisions like Metro routing are a combination of technical as well as political.  Don;t the sufferers at least deserve an explanation of why certain decisions were made.  Once that is done sincerely, while they may not be happy, it will be somewhat easier to accept the situation.

 

n's picture

More on integration

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BMTC is building TTMCs wherever they seem to have land since they need to utilize Jnnurm funds. BMRC is building stations as per approved DPR, which they state cannot be changed. Similarly, SWR will carry out extensions of railway tracks & build /extend stations wherever they have their own land. If a Monorail comes up, they will be told to build on certain given routes with specifics that similarly might not connect with other modes.

True. The SWR and BMTC using their respective lands is somewhat understandable (though definitely not justified) as they are different govt. agencies. BUT, what prevents the metro stations being integral to TTMCs (if that land is already available) or bus stops (not necessarily stations) within the footprint of metro stations? Both are run by the same state govt.

See earlier comment (summary below):
"
2) More important, do the mono (or maybe metro) routes compete with existing high-frequency BMTC bus routes and TTMCs? The metro/mono authorities need to be pressed to coordinate with using and maybe augmenting BMTC facilities unlike the first phase.

This is the important stage for prajagalu to participate - discuss it to death (with authorities and experts) for maybe a month, have another month for pre-resolving property/right-of-way/environment issues, set it in stone and finish the project on-time.

As an aside: Alignment should not be based on soil conditions alone (unless soils are poor for long stretches). It should primarily be based on traffic patterns and potential growth; of course needs to avoid politicians' lands and temples ;-)
"
and here:
"
2) was with respect to earlier discussions regarding lack of coordination. BMRC should be forced to interact with on-ground (read BMTC) reality - DMRC (from Delhi) couldn't be expected to nor did any local interaction (AFAIK) for Phase I. As mentioned above, it is much cheaper and very much flexible to augment feeder buses if roads permit than do a mono or metro. Once built, mono or metro cannot be withdrawn or the cost recovered due to dip or cycles in demand.
I reiterate - soil should not be the important factor in governing an alignment.
"

That is the reason for praja/public to vigorously participate in Phase 2. Without getting into technical details the govt. should look at the big picture and mandate (to DMRC or any other entity) that integration is one of the top priorities. Then cost, soil etc. If govt. won't /can't then praja/public should.

Now, they may appoint BMLTA as the authority when all important decisions & construction is either well underway or has already been completed. They will then try to modify things as & when complaints arise - & they sure will come up. This is assuming of course that BMLTA makes recommendations based on user needs, which seems doubtful going by present day responses to congestion.
Again, isn't praja going to nudge BMLTA? That seems be the whole philosophy of this platform, correct? ;-)
 


Naveen's picture

CMH traders - Very selfish

ಮೇಲೆ
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If sincerely done, I think many times it should be possible to avoid some of the issues like the opposition of the CMH road traders.  Surely, they could have worked out a work plan and schedule that would have helped avoid the huge losses that their businesses are enduring now?  With a suitably planned, accelerated schedule, and careful management of the work area and some provision for improved pedestrianization of the road, some losses could have been mitigated.  Alternatively, with sufficient notice and an understanding of the business impact, businesses could have moved to alternate locations in a planned fashion.

Decisions like Metro routing are a combination of technical as well as political. Don;t the sufferers at least deserve an explanation of why certain decisions were made.  Once that is done sincerely, while they may not be happy, it will be somewhat easier to accept the situation.

 

Sanjay - could you please elaborate ?

CMH rd traders tried their best to throw the Metro out of their (own?) rd to OMR even after detailed studies indicated a dip in commuter levels by nearly 20% if the route was changed. Efforts to get them to take alternate shops at BDA complex in Indiranagar failed. TDR was offered, but was thrown out. A committe was appointed to look into their grievences & instead of two stations, the committe recommended only one station - this was promptly complied with. How much more sincerity are you looking for ?

Even now, it looks like as if the lone Indiranagar stn will have access from only one side since shops on the other side are not surrendering their properties, even with offers of heavy compensations. In sharp contrast, shop owners on kuvempu rd in Rajajinagar have all co-operated, handed over their properties & shifted out.

CMH rd is only about 60 to 80 ft wide & we know that very large pits have to be dug up at frequent intervals to compact the soil below as also to lay the bed for piers. When a house is built, there are substantial inconveniences to adjacent houses, which is unavoidable. Heavy earth machinery has to operate - it's for the long-term safety of all metro commuters. Given all this, how can you avoid disruptions during construction of viaducts along whole lengths on a narrow road ? How much of the disruption & business losses could have been mitigated ? And in what manner ? By slip-shod construction in narrow spaces to allow pedestrian access ?

Several choices were made available to CMH traders to move out, but they wished to oppose & maintain status-quo, knowing fully well that piers cannot be erected by leaving good road & pedestrian access. It was entirely their choice, & if they lost business heavily, again, it was because of their own actions. Public infrastructure works cannot obviously be halted because businesses might suffer. It was for businesses themselves to decide what they wanted - BMRC & the state did all that could be done. I think it is very wrong for us to expect them to bend over excessively to please one group - this will only lead to misuse & even more such demands. I actually think the public must also protest against their obstinate ways, not sympathize because they lost business.

This aside, the residents organizations in Indiranagar had carried out a signature campaign endorsing the Metro route, even when it had effected many homes adjacent 100-ft & CMH roads.

The only alternative available to BMRC was to go underground, but that would have made the Metro hugely expensive & less viable - even now, costs of construction have almost doubled & eyebrows are being raised. Thus, UG does not seem to have been a viable option since it is not possible to have patchy UG sections here & there - it has to be for much longer lengths. Up & down train ramps themselves take away nearly 500m each end.

Naveen's picture

Not sure BMLTA will come up

ಮೇಲೆ
224 users have liked.

Again, isn't praja going to nudge BMLTA? That seems be the whole philosophy of this platform, correct? ;-)

N: You are right. Praja is possibly the best platform for ideas & information. However, Praja alone cannot nudge BMLTA since there are so many other platforms that have views that are diametrically opposite. Whilst we see the logic for a BMLTA, there are so many others that oppose it.

Earlier, I had a conversation with the head of one such citizen groups & his /their take on BMLTA was entirely contradictory. They questioned the very need for it when we already had a BMRDA. His opinion was that the BMRDA, being responsible for the whole metropolitan area, should have been mandated with this task instead of creation of a new BMLTA that will do nothing other than bleed tax payers further.

Public consultation for BMLTA is still on & no one knows how it will end, but I am of the opinion that not much good will come out of it - in the end, the govt will have the perfect excuse not to have accorded it with the necessary mandate due to "opposition by public". In some ways, public participation thus seems like shooting at one's own foot since we have not matured enough to accept certain newage realities & philosophies, but cling to our age-old ways.

sanjayv's picture

@ Naveen on CMH

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 Naveen,

  I am not privy to the sequence of events and what exactly was said in those meetings between the CMH road traders and the Metro and the timeline of the events.  However, I am a firm believer in the fact that it is possible to negotiate and work out a solution.  Yes CMH road is a narrow road and yes, a lot of pain is unavoidable. Seeing how the Metro guys have operated so far (only 23 trees will be cut in Lalbagh... oh sorry it is 123), my opinion of their sincerity negotiating skills is not very high.  However, this is just pure OPINION.  I could be grossly wrong.

Naveen's picture

@Sanjay - About BMRC

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Sanjay,

BMRC had initially been very open & engaging with the public - there wasn't any need for one to be present at each meeting since the press had been allowed to cover & report all happenings & developments very well. When requested, they had gladly entertained a meeting with praja members - MD & others had been present at the meeting (Click here for the meeting summary). What I have mentioned is a chronology of what transpired based on press reports at the time since I had been following them closely. They are also available on praja, but are probably not collated together.

After altercations such as the one with CMH traders, Hasiru-Usiru /ESG & many court cases including one questioning the need for Metro itself (despite the long history of so many study reports endorsing the need for some form of mass transit), they have now become very cautious in their dealings with the public & have chosen not to engage more than necessary, like most other govt bodies.

What brought about this change in the attitude of BMRC ? This is because the Indian public consists of a vast number of groups that are very selfish & refuse to see any sort of reason. Nothing can be negotiated with some groups, & they will persistently refuse to accept any solution other than the one that places their own interests highest - in short, no "give & take".

Just as you say, I had also been a firm believer in negotiations for solutions, but unfortunately, it needs two reasonable parties to negotiate & arrive at a solution - not just one. In BMRC's case, I have seen how a well meaning institution was forced to adopt tactics that wrapped a veil around itself to ensure secrecy.

This is why I said that public engagement might not necesserily bring about the best for the city. Some hard, unpopular measures are also necessary, as the CMH rd example has shown.

sanjayv's picture

Thanks Naveen

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 Thanks for the input Naveen.  I am not yet fully convinced that Indian people are by themselves flawed.  Majority of us negotiate all the time. We bargain in shops, negotiate with neighbours and manage quite well.  Actually, a frustrating part is that the negotiation sometimes is never over, especially with service providers and commercial establishments.  Many do not deliver what they promise.

An important element in negotiation is trust.  I think that is where anything involved with the government struggles, when interacting with the public.  Many times, the public also has unreasonable expectations.  I personally felt that this demand for Metro to go underground everytime a tree was threatened was just amazing.  For a project which is well underway and budgeted to a certain amount, expecting a change of plans to go underground at that stage is remote to impossible.

 

Naveen's picture

We are a disparate people

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I am not yet fully convinced that Indian people are by themselves flawed

I don't think all people can be 'flawed' in an entire nation. The struggle for survival with scarce resources is what is driving many groups of people to act as selfishly as they do without rising above & trying to see the overall benefits to society as a whole. Whilst we boast about our democracy in principle, the actual result is that we have produced some of the most inefficient systems, especially in vital infrastructure such as power, water or transport.

An important element in negotiation is trust. I think that is where anything involved with the government struggles

This is not confined to govt alone - crime is rampant, bribes are routine (who is paying bribes & encouraging it to flourish ?), as is the total disregard (in fact disrespect) for laws. How many pay income taxes ? People are quick to complain about the state of roads & repeatedly use this as an excuse not to pay. Such examples are also used to justify their contempt against govt. After all, govt is just a representation of what people are, nothing more, nothing less. If the govt is so bad, it's only a reflection of what we are ourselves. Wasn't the Carlton towers incident also about greed ?

Ravi_D's picture

BMRC March '10 Newsletter

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March '10 Newsletter is out on BMRC website.  

Highlights related to this thread:

> There is no mention of UG Segment and related works!

> No change in the land acquisition numbers on UG segment. Strangely, compared to last news letter there are some new entries:

Possession taken of all 72 Reach 3A properties in one month.

Reach 4A count proposed has come down from 68 to 64 properties.

Possession taken of all 64 Reach 4A properties in one month.

> Milestones achieved hasn't changed (stayed at 91 as before), while to be achieved to date number went up from 105 to 111.

pravn1984's picture

Soil testing still going on for reach 4-A - Metro Phase 1

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 For the last two weeks, I have noticed that soil testing is still going on from banashankari to Konankunte cross. This is is very strange because  atleast the strech from banashankari to Jarganahalli was part of Metro reach 4-A.

I also remember this activity was done quite some back.I wonder if there is some reason why they are doing this. I would really like to know what is happening here.

Also, as per the the latest newsletter of BMRC , a lot of properties needs to be acquired in this stretch. Also, as far as i know no work has started on this stretch or infact has been awarded. Like underground stretch, I hope they don't keep this for too late.

 

Ravi_D's picture

Metro UG N-S Tender & TBM

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BMRCL tenders page now has notice for UG N-S corridor excl majestic station tender (23/Mar/10).

Some interesting snippets from the ITT document.

 

A 1.3....The total length of this Underground Section is approximately 3.944 Km and includes approximately 2.353 km of twin tunnels, 519 m of ramps, 1080 m of Cut and Cover Tunnel and three underground stations.

1080m of Cut and Cover Tunnel. Almost a third of the length is cut and cover. Cost reduction exercise? Thought the idea of going underground was to avoid disruption in already busy areas. How can one manage cut & cover tunnels anywhere on this stretch? BTW, somehow, the document colors 1080m number in Red.


C28.1 The Tenderer shall submit full details of his proposed Tunnel Boring Machines to enable the Employer to review and give consent to the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) design during the Tender Evaluation period. It is expected that the Contractor shall place the order for manufacture of the TBM immediately after receipt of the Notice to Proceed with the Work

 

So, the TBM has finally showed up in the document now. To be manufactured after award! When they might arrive in BLR is anyone's guess.

 

(Scope) shall comprice of...

A 1.4.1 (38) Arrangements for study tour/instructions to the Engineers of client and General Consultant, to the countries from where the TBM is imported by the Contractor. Each team upto 5 members and atleast 2 trips per each TBM and 2 trips for the countries wherein the similar project which is under construction using TBM is in progress. International air travel cost shall be borne by BMRC

 

A-ha. How much additional time do you think this exercise might take?

 

D1.2 (b) Tender Reference No BMR/UG/NS/STN-TNL - Package-1 - Containing Eligibility Criteria (Qualification Requirement) Documents Package and submissions along with related information-Not to be opened before 3=30 PM (IST) on 07-06-2010.

We are talking June here, just to open the tender.

 

A 1.4.1 (11) The contractor shall be responsible for the control of worksite from completion of the civil works (week 125) to handover to the Employer BMRCL.

Should we read this to mean 125 wks from start to completion of civil works? 

SB_YPR's picture

1080m of Cut and Cover

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1080m of Cut and Cover Tunnel. Almost a third of the length is cut and cover. Cost reduction exercise? Thought the idea of going underground was to avoid disruption in already busy areas. How can one manage cut & cover tunnels anywhere on this stretch?

C&C must be for the Swastik-Majestic stretch, where most of the alignment runs along Platform Road on vacant railway land. Also, C&C should be possible in the KBS area once BMRC takes it over from KSRTC. The TBMs will be for the congested Majestic - Chikpet - KR Market stretch.

Each team upto 5 members and atleast 2 trips per each TBM and 2 trips for the countries wherein the similar project which is under construction using TBM is in progress. International air travel cost shall be borne by BMRC

Classic case of wasteful expenditure. When similar projects using TBMs are under construction in India itself (Delhi/Kolkata metros and J&K railway project), why is there a necessity to go abroad and waste money? That too a minumum of 5 members per trip and 2 trips for each TBM!!!

~~~~

Manish.

Ravi_D's picture

BMRC Apr '10 Newsletter

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April Newsletter is out. See here. 

Milestones:

Project Total:151

Scheduled Till Feb 2010: 111, Achieved: 91 

Scheduled Till March 2010: 115, Achieved: 92

Progress!

Land Acquisition:

Someone is playing with these numbers. Compare the tables in Feb, March and April Newsletters. How can someone be so careless in representing their numbers?

                       

 

Ravi_D's picture

Here is the Comparision...

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  Proposed for Possession   Possession Taken   Demolished
  Feb Mar Apr   Feb Mar Apr   Feb Mar Apr
 Reach-1  163 163 160   162 162 160   160 160 160
 Reach-2  200 200 192   196 196 192   183 183 192
 Reach-3  216 216 218   187 187 218   187 187 218
 Reach-3A 72 72 72     72 1       1
 Reach-3B 179 179 59       0       0
 Reach-4  41 41 41   35 35 35   15 15 22
 Reach–4A 68 64 64     64 0       0
 UGNS  14 14     8 8     7 7  
 UGEW  129 129                  
 Yesh.Stn  7 7     7 7     2 2  
 Chik,CityMkt&K.R.Road  18 18     9 9     2 2  
 AdditionalProp-erties      11       0       0
 Total   1107 1103 817   604 740 606   556 556 593

Ravi_D's picture

Preparatory work starts but no TBM till Dec!

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From 31/May edition of DH: Preparatory work on Metro UG corridor begins 

Highlight: Actual excavation will only begin by the year end (December), after tunnel boring machines (TBM) arrive from Japan.

So, TBMs are bing imported.... Didn't Naveen mention sometime earlier that BMRCL will borrow them from Delhi Metro?

And they won't even be here till December. Bottom line, expect more.... delays!

I'd really love to see the full project schedule for our dear Metro.

Ravi

Ravi_D's picture

July Highlights...

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July newsletter is out. See here.

Highlights:

Majestic Station: Still waiting on Board Approval for LOA. Same status as last month.

Reach 3B: Financial evaluation completed during the month. Waiting on board approval now. 

NS UG Tunnel / Stations (Excl Majestic Station): Tender opened on 28/06.

Total Milestones: 151, To be achieved by July: 119, Actual Achieved: 94 

Compare that against June: 151/116/94.

Going further behind - March: 151/115/92, Feb: 151/111/91.

May 

srinidhi's picture

Reward fast implementations..

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I was using the Chord road today all the way from YPR to Mysore rd..it was intersting to see the work progressing on Metro..both the EW and NS lines touch the Chord road at various points..

There are atleast 5 contractors who are working in this stretch..and there were stark differences in the way the implementation was being done...for example the Iskon station work was on even today(sunday) and the pace was brisk..however there were stretches mostly on the Vijaynagar side which was almost stalled...

like the section around the Magadi Rd jn, the new underpass there is only open one way since many months because of the metro work..and looking at the site there..it almost feels that everything has stopped..

Accepted the UG sections work will take a long time to finish..but that aint no reason to delay on the work on other sections!

To encourage fast implementaitons, Mumbai munsipality started rewarding contractors who implemented projects fast..this was in the form of cash rewards or in terms of more contracts..

Since metro is expanding..BMRCL should also resort to something similar, where they can start rewarding fast implementations..encouraging contractors and causing less stress on general public!

 

Sanjeev's picture

Wait for another 3 years for phase-1 completion

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With UG streatch yet  to get the green signal and High Court has stayed UG at Vidhansoudh,  we can expect the UG to be ready with current speed only after 3 years.

In over all Phase-1 of METRO  will be  complet operational after May'2014, as Citizens we will undergo the traffic curbs during this period,.

small  segments will be opened in next three years, but these will be use as joy ride by citizens and not as mass transport for next 3 years, hope authorities should realize how important is for completing Phase-1 and not just opening of  BYP-MG road streatch of METRO

sanjeev

Ravi_D's picture

UG2 - Finally some info on TBMs

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Source: TunnelTalk 

Two TBMs (and slurry separation plants) are being imported from Japan. 

After confirmed award of its Rs. 995.2 crores (US $210.2 million) UG2 contract in March 2010, CEC-Soma JV ordered two new slurry TBM systems from Hitachi Zosen of Japan. The machines will work through weathered rock and residual soils under a high watertable. The order includes delivery of the slurry separation plants. These are the first Hitachi Zosen TBMs and the first slurry TBM systems to be used in India.

BTW, UG2 segment awarded above is for:

3.4km of twin tube running tunnels and four cut-and-cover underground stations. 

The consortium has experience with such things in India:

The CEC-Soma JV is continuing its association in Bangalore after successfully completing contracts for the Metro system in Delhi. It used four EPBMs, two from Robbins and two from Herrenknecht, to complete running tunnels for the metro as well as the airport link. 

 

srinidhi's picture

Pics from Reach 3 National College stn

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National college station

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L&T is implementing this station..and the pace of work is fast..only wish all tenders were with them..maybe by now we would have the Byp-MG road train running!!

Envy Hyd, as their metro is completely being done by L&T and will be ready by 2014..sure they will beat Blr again as they did with the airport!

Vasanth's picture

Connect the disconnects of Metro till U/G section functions.

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It is a good news atleast if we have the Metro from Cricket Stadium to Byappanahalli since this is the most traffic prone and long journey route. It will reduce the pressure on HAL Airport Road, OMR and to some extent ORR.

Atleast if we have all the disconnected elevated Metros operational ASAP, the ends of the elevated section before starting of U/G stretch can be connected by Buses probably with dedicated lanes and single fare system.

Example is connect Market with Magadi Road Leprosy Hospital, Market with Swastik  Station and Market with Cricket Stadium. Similarly Cricket Stadium with Leprosy Hospital, Swastik and so on.

This should be of the lines of HOHO probably with cheaper Marcopolo buses at say around 10 rupees.

 

idontspam's picture

Connecting buses

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 the ends of the elevated section before starting of U/G stretch can be connected by Buses probably with dedicated lanes and single fare system.

Wonderful suggestion. 

Ravi_D's picture

Connecting Buses

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Agree. 

But wonder what it would take to get this going. Something tells me we might have a better chance of seeing the Sun rise in the west.

idontspam's picture

BMRC Contract carriage

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 But wonder what it would take to get this going

This is a call that BMRC should take. Of course it will not be as fast as the train but  will make people get used to the route & stops along the way if it ran on almost same alignment. Not sure what other benefits beyond this you can think of. If BMTC is not interested BMRC can apply for a contract carriage license & run the services themselves. 

Naveen's picture

Dedicated lanes as stop gap ?

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Let's be realistic - BRT /dedicated lanes has not be implemented even on ORR or other wider roads & we are expecting them to be implemented as temporary connectors between various reaches in way of UG sections.

Till UG sections have been completed, it will only be possible to run Metro trains on two reaches:

Byp to Cricket stadium ; &

Hessarghatta cross to Swastik.

Trains cannot be run on the other reaches due to non-availability of depot infrastructure.

idontspam's picture

Bus possible

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dedicated lanes has not be implemented even on ORR or other wider roads & we are expecting them to be implemented as temporary connectors

You addressed the only thing not possible, single ticket & bus are possible. But need to quantify benefits of doing this.

SB_YPR's picture

BMTC as connector between isolated Metro stretches

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Naveen,

Till UG sections have been completed, it will only be possible to run Metro trains on two reaches:

Byp to Cricket stadium ; &

Hessarghatta cross to Swastik.

Trains cannot be run on the other reaches due to non-availability of depot infrastructure.

Agreed. In this situation, would it not be possible to run BMTC shuttle feeder services between MG Road and Sampige Road (Swastik/Mantri Mall) stations? Perhaps a circular route beginning at Mantri Mall - 8th Cross - Link Road - Seshadripuram - BDA Jn. - Vasanthanagar - Cantonment station - Indian Express - Cauvery Jn. - Rajbhavan Road - Chalukya Hotel - Race Course - Shivananda Circle - Central and ending at Mantri Mall. A similar experiment is underway in Delhi, as part of a coordinated effort between DMRC and DTC:

"To facilitate easy movement of passengers from Qutub Minar to Central Delhi, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) will run connecting bus services from Qutub Minar Metro station to Central Secretariat Metro station from 6.15 am to 11.45 pm.

Officials said the details and the frequency are being worked out and it is likely that the buses will run at a frequency of 10 minutes."

Read more at ibnlive.in.com/news/delhi-metro-reaches-gurgaon/124916-3.html

 

If Delhi can do it, why can't we?

~~~~

Manish.

Naveen's picture

Buses as connectors

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Manish & others,

Of course they will have to run connecting buses like what Delhi is planning to do, especially since the UG work hasn't even commenced & is likely to take 2-3 years.

Vasanth's picture

David Cameron in Delhi Metro

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Ravi_D's picture

Tunneling to begin in November

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Per this Aug/17 Deccan Chronicle Article:

Work has begun on the Metro Rail’s underground section (UG-2) in the East-West corridor and construction of stations too could get underway soon. Tunnelling could begin in November.

 

“The machines will work through weathered rock and residual soils under a high water table. These are the first Hitachi Zosen TBMs and first slurry TBM systems to be used in India. They will be shipped to Bengaluru in November,” reveals a BMRC official.

srinidhi's picture

Tunneling might start later..

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 The TBM's are expected in Nov..but it will take time to set it up..probably even assemble it completely..since its almost like a train..where the 'engine' part is what drills and it drags along the containers to remove the slurry..and even on ground preps are needed!

So it might actually start in 2011 after all!

Ravi_D's picture

TBM delivery in March/Apr 2011

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Source: Hitachizosen news release.

1. Bangalore Metro project

Destination: City of Bangalore, India

Owner: Bangalore Metro Rail Co. (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.)

Project name: Bangalore Metro UG-2 Project

Contractor: Continental Engineering Co. (India)

TBM type: two 6.44m diameter Slurry TBMs

Delivery time: March and April, 2011

So all this BMRC talk of November shipment is just that. Talk. Why release misleading (or overly optimistic) info?

Ravi_D's picture

Majestic Station - Pre-qualification

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From BMRC Tenders page

Notice Inviting Tender & Details for Pre-qualification of contractors for "Construction of Underground Majestic Station (Interchange
Station) and associated works for Bangalore Metro Rail Project - Phase - I.
Posted on 10/11/2010 

Pre-qualification. Wonder when the award would be!

Anyone has the original schedule? Would be interesting to compare the dates and progress.

srinidhi's picture

Phase I by March 2013 !?

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This has been the claim by BMRCL and the politicos (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Bangalore/article397838.ece

There have been lapses and delays..partly due to inexperience and inadequate monitoring..started off with Navyuga languishing on MG road and other delays in tendering..surprisingly what was on time was the slum rehabilitation program though it was not directly related to metro at all!

Its high time they buckle up and start with full steam..also govt being a major contributor for the funds has to get more stringent in monitoring!

Ravi_D's picture

BMRC news

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UG-EW section gets covered in the Dec newsletter:

Contract has been awarded to M/s CEC– Soma JV for tunnels and four stations with Ramps.

• East Ramp :- Construction under progress likely to be completed by Feb 2011.

• Cubbon Park Station ( Minsk Square) :- Work on steel decking for road traffic started.

• Vidhana Soudha :- Solider pile works started on North side as the diversion Road is completed . Diversion Road works on the High Court side is under progress.

• Sir M. Vishveswaraya Station ( Central College) :- 222 soldier piles are completed out of 354. Excavation for underground station started and 11,000 cubic mtr of soil is excavated.

• Bangalore City Station :- 237 soldier piles are completed out of 268 and works are under progress.

• Launching Shaft for Tunnel Boring Machine on the east side at Majestic for boring from Majestic to Sir.M.Vishvesvarrya Station is under progress

Ravi_D's picture

Tunneling to begin in Feb!

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Per this DH Report today, TBMs should be in any time, and 20/Feb is its deployment. Wonder why Hitachi reported March / April delivery. BMRCL might be right in their assertion and delivery might have improved, but if they are not, wonder why this spread of optimistic mis-information. 

(Mr. Sivasailam, BMRCL) also asserted that the Metro project would be completed by 2013 and the work was well on schedule. The tunnel digging and concreting machine, he said, will be deployed on the Metro project from February 20 with the first machine arriving in the City shortly, and the second one will go into operation by March 20. 

Ravi_D's picture

TBM Delivery

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Source: TunnelTalk

CEC-SOMA took delivery of two slurry TBMs recently per the report. 

Meanwhile in Bangalore, the CEC-Soma JV is advancing its Rs. 995.2 crores (US $210.2 million) UG2 contract for 3.4km of twin tube running tunnels and four cut-and-cover underground stations for the city's new East West Line and recently took delivery of the two Hitachi Zozen slurry TBMs that it has procured for the job.

Report also states that Costal Projects Ltd may be the front runner for UG1 segment. Not awarded yet. 

Give it about a month to reach BLR?

Ravi_D's picture

Finally N-S UG section is awarded

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From Y'day's Hindu

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) has awarded the contract for design and construction of two underground stations and tunnels on the North-South corridor to Coastal-TTS joint venture consortium.

So, finally... No news of start/end of the actual digging. Going by E-W example, few months before we even see anything happen on ground. Shall we start the 24 month count down to March 2013 as so frequently clained for Phase 1 completion? 

srinidhi's picture

new set of tbm's?

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 If they are goin to hitachi again for the tbm's then delays are for sure...i guess..

Btw cant the not reuse the soma ordered ones? maybe it just needs some tight planning..

idontspam's picture

Metro is in deep doo

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Metro is in deep doo doo 

Deccan Chronicle has learnt that unless Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), changes the track structure and dimension with immediate effect, the relevant certification authority will withhold a clearance certificate and throw a spanner in the works.

“We are facing a big question: Can we afford to change the entire structure after spending thousands of crores? We followed the Delhi Metro structure since the latter was our consultant. The Railway Board has given clearance to Delhi Metro but now objecting to Bangalore Metro's structure itself. This is really intriguing,” sources said.

source

Fact of the day: With 16 local servces, that are already running, rolled into the Comuter Rail umbrella, commuter rail service can get rolling even before the TBM's can get on the ground.

Vasanth's picture

Ugadi Gift

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This is a new gift for Ugadi. 

sanjayv's picture

Horrible reporting

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This is the sort of reporting I hate.  What is this mysterious track change and dimension change?  Is this some kind of meter gauge versus broad gauge question?  Did the reporter try to get a quote from the Railway board or RDSO? Was this issue raised earlier - why or why not?

Very, very irritating reporting.

idontspam's picture

curvature of the track

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Union Urban Development ministry, which has a 50 per cent stake in BMRCL, concurred with the Railway Board and queried the BMRCL on the curvature of the track —180 mm instead of the required 200-210 mm curvature — at NGEF and Ulsoor.

Source

“Better to satisfy the safety concerns of Railway Board and get certification from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation which certified the Delhi Metro. It may take another 2-3 weeks. After which, we will fix a date,” 

How will they straighten the bends in 2-3 weeks?

rs's picture

How can they build the track

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How can they build the track without the correct curvature in the first place ! Its quite shocking - though this being Karnataka, anything can happen.  They will `swalpa adjust' them, perhaps.

Ramesh

 

 

idontspam's picture

"Cant is the name used to

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"Cant is the name used to describe the tilt angle of track on a curve which is used to compensate for lateral (sideways) forces generated by the train as it passes through the curve. In effect, the sleepers are laid at an angle so that the outer rail on the curve is at a higher level than the inner rail. On standard gauge track, 150 mm is the normal maximum in the UK, the actual amount present will be a compromise based on the actual train speeds on the line. Higher maximum speeds and tighter curves demand higher levels of cant. However, consideration must be given to slower running passenger trains - overdoing the cant will result in drinks sliding off the tables when running over the curve at slow speed!"

sanjayv's picture

This is standard engineering wrangling

ಮೇಲೆ
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From all this discussion and IDS post, this seems to be an issue of the right "banking" of the rails, so to speak. 210 mm is certainly not the radious of the curve. The number should depend on the design speed and the turning radius of the track.

I think this sort of discussion and back and forth is expected in a safety inspection.  If an engineering and safety review goes by without some questions being raised, then we have an  issue of people not doing their jobs.  Worst case, the speed limits will be lower at the turns, or they have to raise the track.

Seriously, they should take their time and sort out all these concerns and only launch the Metro when all the systems and stations are in place.  Else it becomes like the various soft launches we see.  The Whitefiled TTMC was inaugurated months ago, but  even few weeks back, the entrance was taped off.   It is not like a connection from Benninganahalli to Cricket Stadium is a pressing need.,

idontspam's picture

Cant vs Curve Radii

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210 mm is certainly not the radious of the curve

For those technicaly inclined, here is a nice table illustrating the cant vs curve radii for various speeds.

idontspam's picture

Rly Board wants details on Metro design

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No metro rail project in the country has done what Namma Metro officials are attempting to do. In the telephone conversation with us, they said that the SOD has been designed in such a way because the rolling stock (coaches) is of high standard. They maintain that there won't be trouble if the coaches run as per the present SOD. We have been struggling to get certain information from BMRCL. Now, a clarification on the SOD from BMRCL is awaited

Source

Ravi_D's picture

Nothing unusual here....

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...except that our friends at BMRC didn't account for time needed for such back and forth between themselves and regulators when deciding on start date for commercial operations. It is not as if they didn't have time. The project is already behind schedule by a good margin. Just poor planning, ably aided by bad execution & management.

Oh, why did I say 'except' to begin with. That we don't manage well is no surprise either.   

Ravi_D's picture

Apr Newsletter

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....is out. See here.

 

25th March , 2011 : A contract has been awarded to M/s Coastal – TTS a Joint Venture Consortium at a cost of Rs 707.9 Crores. The work is for design and construction of two stations, tunnels and ramps for a length of 3.76 Kms of the North - South under Ground Corridor. The Period of Contract is for three years. 

Note the last sentence. Three years. That means mid-2014, even before work starts. 

OTOH, there is no mention of Reach-1 delay. Wonder why they call it the newsletter. 

 

srinidhi's picture

goin UG cheaper now?

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They gave the first UG contract to Soma-CEC at 995 crores for 3.4 Kms..which works out to 292 crores per Km

and now for Coastal its 707.9 cr for 3.76 Kms which is 188 crores per Km!

Is it because the TBM's will be shared?

If going UG is so cheap now..why are we not planning going UG everywhere?

sumi71's picture

UG Costing

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Hi Srinidhi,

The cost of construction is not based on kms, it is based on the tender.  Whoever quotes less, after scrutinizing the approximate cost for each kms, the tender will be awarded by the BMRC.  In the first case (UG2- EW) the strech most of the properties comes under the government control, GPO, Vidhana Soudha, Civil Court, Majestic etc, so compensation cost would be less.  But whereas in UG1-NS) is all private properties, so the compensation itself costs more. 

Further the contractors' who quotes for the tender, depends on the equipments and other infrastructure they alerady own or items to be procured.

In UG-EW the contractors' would have quoted including the costing for TBM's, whereas the UG- NS, I understand that the contractors already owns TBMs.   Further to clarify you that, UG-EW is not 3.92 kms, it is 4.5 kms, the stretch starts from Anil Kumble Circle to Magadi Road and comprises of 4 stations.  In UG-NS section it is only 2 stations.  So comparitively the UG1-NS is costlier than UG2-EW.

Another news is the first TBM in UG2-EW will starts its operation most probably from the 3rd week of May 2011.

Regards,

 

Umesh.S


srinidhi's picture

..its still confusing!

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@Umesh

So according to what you mention above the EW line should be cheaper but that is not so..but even if 4.5 Kms is considered..its  995 crores for the whole thing which is 222 cr per Km!

SO if the Coastal ppl quoted the tender having the TBM's with them..then that could have been the pre-clause for the earlier tender too!

Actually slurry TBM's are not there in India with anyone..its unique for Blr and Hitachi has now delivered for Soma..

All this costing looks like any other communication from BMRCL..all convoluted without clarity!

Ravi_D's picture

First TBM Starts Work

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Source: http://expressbuzz.com/cities/bangalore/st-helen-gets-into-action-at-majestic/276469.html

Deccan Herald

The first TBM (Helen) finally started its journey on 21/May. Second one (Margarita) is expected to be ready by next month.

At 18 to 20m per day, and a total tunnel length of 4.8 km, expect it to take 240 working days of pure drilling the hole. Note that it needs to be disassembled at each station, and needs downtime for overhaul and change of cutters depending on the terrain every so often. 

 

Ravi_D's picture

NS UG Stretch Update

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Source: Today's DH

NS UG has been ordered finally (Tanstonnelboy-Coastal JV). 

Three TBMs have also been ordered. One from Seli, Italy and 2 from Herenknecht, China. Expected arrival - mid 2012. 

 

The underground section of Phase-I of Namma Metro is unlikely to begin its commercial operations by December 2014, the latest deadline, thanks mainly to delay in arrival of earth pressure balanced (EPB) machines.

The starting of commercial operations, which was originally scheduled for June 2012 was later revised to December 2013. However, the deadline was extended to March 2014 and finally the latest deadline is now fixed at December 2014

 

sanjayv's picture

So what now?

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Metro UG section will only be ready in 4 years. Estimated losses are 65 lakhs a day which is about a 1000 crores in 4 years.  The currrent operating segment is a toy train.

It is clear what the focus of BMRCL should be.  Try and figure out ways to extend the range of the metro to get more ridership and increase revenue What could it be?

Option 1: Speed up phase II work and extend this line to ITPL.

Option 2: Use buses to bridge the segment between the elevated sections

Option 3: Look at partial commissioning of the underground segments.  For example, if the current metro line could even go up to Majestic and then turn around, that is a plus.

The N-S segment could probavly have another set of toy trains running?

Ideally BMRCL should identify options and work towards that plan.

srinidhi's picture

Connect ITPL - option 1 works best..

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About option 3, BMRCL is thinking to open the reach 3 (peenya-swastik/mantri mall) section in 2013..but was passing thru the metro route yest..there is way too much work left..so thats gonna get delayed too..

Option 1 works in the best interest of everyone..it can be worked out well if it gets the right impetus from all ends and is prioritized well..

Ravi_D's picture

Fast Track

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Given the right incentives, planning & coordination, UG segment can probably be operational sooner. Why only UG, the entire network follows suit. Declare a 10% a year early completion bonus (and 10% a year penalty for delays) - next day you will wonder where all those workers were hiding!

That could cost you more money, of course. We seem to be more inclined to incur escalation costs instead (for which there is an implied commitment). Though, if you run the numbers right, the former approach might turn out to be cheaper overall.

sanjayv's picture

Incentives

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Agree that incentives will generally work in speeding up things.  The question is by how much. Somebody has to do a detailed analysis, identify the risks and rewards and take some calls.  We (Praja) are necessarily not best placed to do that.

The bottom line however remains the same.... get the reach of this thing extended ASAP so that people find value to board the Metro.  One thing I am confident of is that with proper management, it should be possible to make good progress before the 2015 deadline.

srinidhi's picture

curious

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The delay is not really by the contractors now..its more to do with approvals from railways and other orgs..moreover they have not yet awarded the tender for the station at majestic yet..

Btw there was news recently that the all UG tunnel tenders have now been awarded..

Curious to know what did BMRCL gain by splitting up the tenders..an exercise they did when they found that the costs were way too high when they came out with one tender for entire UG work..

Did they at all save anything? The delay in the tender process itself might have eaten away the expected savings..

 

Sanjeev's picture

Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA)

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Expert committee views on gauge selectio for METRO. 

Will Sridharan contradicts of these findings ???

http://www.gujaratmetrora...

Already Delhi METRO is over crowded and has no future expansion option with standard gauge technology.

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