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INDUSTRY NEWS:

Infrastructure projects gather speed with World Bank help

    Escalators,
    connected
    footbridges at platforms
    The World Bank plans to fund a Rs 110-crore project to prevent trespassing on Mumbai’s rail tracks and thus prevent accidents. The project entails the construction of escalators, elevators and footbridges at suburban railway stations. As many as 31 footbridges, six escalators, five elevators, one subway and a road over bridge will be built.
    The locations of the structures have been identified on the basis of accident-related mortality at 11 stations: Kandivli, Borivli, Bhayander, Vasai Road and Nalasopara on Western Railway; Kurla, Kanjurmarg, Thane, Thakurli and Kurla on Central Railway; Dadar on Western and Central Railway.
    The project also includes improving access to and decongesting platforms, interconnecting footbridges to ensure faster dispersal of commuters, and laying green patches between tracks.
    Representatives of the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) have discussed the project with officials of the World Bank, which is funding the Mumbai Urban Transport Project. An MRVC official said the corporation was confident the bank would fund the accident prevention, or trespass control, project. “We have already invited an expression of interest (EOI) to appoint a consultant to prepare the drawing and design for the project based on a report prepared by the JJ School of Architecture and RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Services).”
    A Bank official said, “We will fund the project after a formal decision is taken. We hope to complete this process in a couple of months.”
    The Bank’s country director for India Onno Ruhl told TOI, “The suburban system is no doubt impressive, but the dark spot is the huge number of deaths on tracks. It would be great if we are able to save lives.”
    The MRVC has a $430 million loan agreement with the Bank for upgrading rail infrastructure. It said that after the purchase of 72 Bombardier rakes, $110 million would remain. This unutilized fund would be used for the trespass control project.
    On an average, 3,500 people die ever year on the city’s suburban tracks either because of trespassing or over-crowing. A railway official said, “We have not been able to control trespassing even though footbridges have increased over the years. Maybe escalators will help.” 
 
Green signal for double corridor and urban centres - TNN Mumbai: In a significant boost to Mumbai’s urban infrastructure dream, the World Bank has expressed interest in partnering two mega projects—the Virar-Alibaug road-rail corridor and the development of 12 urban growth centres as satellite cities of Mumbai.
    While the growth centers, planned in distant suburbs such as Kalyan, Virar and Navi Mumbai, are aimed at decongesting Mumbai, the corridor will offer the fastest connectivity between the two extreme ends of the metro region. The corridor, proposed to be laid from the Diva-Vasai rail line intersection on NH-8 (Ahmedabad highway) up to Alibaug, would cover a distance of about 140 km.
    It may be recalled that during the prime minister’s visit to the city, the chief minister made a request for Rs 5,000 crore for the Rs 13,000-crore multimodal corridor project.
    “We have had a preliminary round of talks with central and state authorities. The details will be worked out over a period of time,” said Onno Ruhl, the World Bank’s country director for India. “The city’s resettlement project as part of MUTP has set a good trend and helped us learn a lot for future projects. The Bank will always think of supporting initiatives such as the development of intermediate cities… Of course, the final decision will be taken after studying the projects’ viability, land acquisition and other plans.”
    He said three things need to be streamlined: the process of resettling project-affected people, the capacity and planning of the implementing agency, and transparency and public communication.
    An official of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority said, “The financial and technical feasibility study of the multimodal corridor project and its implementation strategy is ready. The planning of an alternative alignment for the project is also over, along with surveys. Moreover, the designs of the alignment, toll plaza and interchanges have also been completed.”
ROAD-RAIL CORRIDOR 140-km road-rail corridor planned from Alibaug to Virar
One can drive at a speed of 120 kmph
Current travel time of 3-5 hours to reduce to under 2 hours
The alignment passes close to the 12 growth centres
The corridor will promote planned development in Virar, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai and Alibaug
It will improve the connectivity of ports
Once the Nhava-Sewri sea link is laid, the corridor will also provide fast connectivity with Mumbai
The corridor will be the fastest way to commute from around the Ahmedabad Highway (NH-8) to Goa, Nashik, Pune, Alibaug and Navi Mumbai