Indian Railways - Part II

INDIAN RAIILWAYS

PART - II

Welcome to part 2 of the history of Indian Railways. In this post, we will discuss how the early stages of the Indian Railway developed and how new lines were uilt to connect nearly every corner of the Nation.

EARLY STAGES:

In the early years, Indian Railways was first expanded from the first routes as discussed below. Click the link below to see it. From then on, the railways was divided according to region and started to become a big organisation. At that time however, it was not a single state owned organisation. It was a set of seperate companies that worked in competition with one another to provide rail connectivity to Indian cities and villages.

Nothing changed much over many years in the railways under the british rule, but after independence, in 1951, all of the train companies that had been running trains were forced out of India and the newly formed state owned organisation was named Indian Railways.  

                              

Indian Railways Logo

Along with Indian Railways, ICF, short for Integral Coach Factory, was built in Madras to manufacture trains that would run all over India. 

Throughout the British Period, newer and longer railway lines were built all across India. The railways were first built only for cargo and ran single track steam services. Teens and youth first attempted to smuggle on to trains and get off wherever they desire. Slowly, these modes os illegal transport became essential modes of oving people and when Indian Railways was unified, those ind of routes were legalised as passenger services to small towns and became the lifeline of the Nation. 

To operate safe and frequent services across single track corridors, a British Engineer Named John Neale Invented a Token System. We will see more about this system in the next post. Untill then, stay tuned...

Indian Railways - A Brief History

INDIAN RAILWAYS - A BRIEF HISTORY

PART - I

This is perhaps the post i have been waiting for since i started posting on this blog. A quick sidenote, there won't be an MRT News Express this month because most of the construction works and operations of metro rails have been stopped due to Novel Corona Virus spread. 

At first, i thought of making a blog on the Railways alone. Then i changed my mind to do both Railways and Metros, that's why the Blog is called MRT India instead of MetroIndia. I also decided to make Railways after some posts. But today, i finally decided to make a post on Indian Railways. 

About:

This is a series in which i will cover every part of the inception, development and the future of Indian Railways and how it has changed the lives of Indian Citizens drastically. Without further ado, let's start!!

Indian Railways in the 19th Century

THE FIRST STAGES:

The first proposals to build a railway in India rose in Madras in 1932. The first railway was a cargo railway that ran from Red Hills to Chindadaripet in the city, also known as the red-hill Railway, Built by Arthur Cotton to transport granite from the Hills into the city. However, saying that now would be ridiculous as Red Hills is considered as Chennai Metropolitian Area and is less than 20km away from Chindadaripet.Also, the Godavari Dam Construction Railway and the Solani Aqueduct Railway are some examples of railways built in that time period.

Unlikeese, people think that the Dadar to Thane line of Mumbai Bombay is the first railway in India. Actually, it is the first PASSENGER RAILWAY line in India. Known as the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, Opened on 8 May 1945, which is 2 weeks from now. ADVANCE HAPPY BIRTHDAY INDIAN RAILWAYS!!! Though this line is not the first Raliway in India, it is the firt to operate under one national vernment Organisation. 

Similaly, The other two precidencies also started getting their railways within 2 decades of each other - Namely Howrah to Hooghly in Kolkata and from Royapuram to Wallajah Road in Madras. 

These were the first Railways in India. To know more, and to be rescued from getting bored, stay tuned untill next week for part 2. Thank you for Reading.

Hyderabad Metro

Hyderabad Metro

Welcome to the next post on MRT India. I hope that all of you are staying home and are safe. But, a blog can't stop getting new posts if the government makes us stay home. In this post, we will discuss the evolution of Hyderabad metro.

Inception and Evolution:

The hyderabad metro was first proposed in 2003 in the state assembly. Soon, the project to builda metro in Hyderabad as brought up. although the city had a MMTS in the form of trains, the city lacked a metro to connect the inner parts of the city. To solve this issue, the Hyderabad metro began construction in 2015 by a Public Private Partnership or PPP between the Telangana state government and Larsen and Toubro, also called L&T. 

Together, L&T and the state completed construction in November 2017 and opened a 30km section between Miyaaapur to LB Nagar and a branch to Nagole which would later become the Blue line from Raidurg to Nagole besides Myapur to LB Nagar Red line.

Hyderabad Metro Map

By inaugrating a 30km section at a time, Hyderabad Metro never faced any operational losses as the metro was mainly used not as a joy ride like in the cases of Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and even London.

Since then, the metro has expanded rapidly and recently last year, Ameerpet to Hitec City section was also inaugrated expanding the metro to be 54km big. Bright and joyful days are coming to the city with most famous Biriyani in India.

Thank you for reading this post. I will be doing something different in the next post. It is quite long, so i won't post anything next week. Guess what!!

METROS vs CORONA VIRUS

METROS vs CORONA VIRUS

By now,Quarantine is being followed to protect ourselves from CORONA Virus. I am fed up of hearing the word CORONA. Also, i get angry when i hear that word. So, in this post i will be using the term VIRUS instead of CORONA VIRUS.

As most of the country is shut down due to Virus, Metros, Trains, Buses and Trams don't really serve a purpose anymore. As to the visions of many to imagine India in 2020, it is not relevant to say that India has to be developing, as the country is mostly literally shut down. Children receive online classes, IT staff work from home, not to mention Bankers, also Railways and Airports are closed and people need to be safe in their homes. 

Similar is the condition of Mass Rapid Transit systems across India. Most of them have completely shut down or operate only during peak hours and only allow people engaged in essential services. If you see the news(which i don't as i am annoyed of hearing the same thing), you will see the talents of the police when they try to keep the people in their homes. Many metros including Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai have completely shut down. 

Currently, many metro trains and stations are being sanitized to increase hygene and stop the spread of any virus. Being bored while staying home is not the case you want to be in. You can do things that you thought of doing but didnt have time whilst staying home. Also, do not trust any forwarded messages in Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram etc. 

This post was a more of spreading awarness(which is not required anymore, you go and say that you have Virus to someone, they will try to never see you again) to people.  Comment down below if you are also annoyed of hearing the word CORONA over and over again. (I am sorry if you are one of them as i made you read it 5 times). Thank you for reading this post. 

STAY HOME, STAY SAFE!!!

Chennai Metro

CHENNAI METRO

Welcome to the next post on MRT India. In this post, we are going to finish the metro systems of the 4 Provincial cities of India. In this post, we will discuss the evolution of Chennai Metro Rail. Without further ado, let's get right into it:

Chennai Metro Rail Limited Logo

History:

Chennai originally had a Suburban Railway that stretched from Villupuram to Vellore to Sullurpetta. The first plans to build a metro in the southern Metropolis arouse in the 2000's by the then Chief Minister, M. Karunanithi. The metro slowly became essential as more and more companies and residents moved over to the area. The metro was built along the main routes of the city where Suburban Rail did not exist.

Construction of the Metro strted in June 2009 and the first stretch of the line from Alandur to Koyambedu opened on 29th July 2015. The metro initially had very low ridership, but slowly had increased as the Phase -1 of the metro was completed on 10/02/2018. Nowadays, the metro faces a ridership of 1,22,100 as of November 2019. Ridership has not been recorded in 2020 due to the Corona Virus outbreak.

Phase-II:

Chennai metro Phase-II is set to alleviate most traffic problems aound Chennai as the lines would cover many areas outside the inner Chennai region. This phase consists of Three corridors in addition to the Kilambakkam to Wimco Nagar Blue Line and St. Thomas Mount to Central Green Line.

Dark Green line of Phase-II runs from Madhavaram Milk Colony to SIPCOT.

Blue Line runs from Foreshore estate to Poonamallee Bypass, running through Vadapalani

and Arcot Road.

Red line runs from Sholinganallur to Madhavaram Milk Colony, shring tracks with blue line from Alwarthiru Nagar to Porur Junction, as it will be going through less serviced areas of Medavakkam, Kilkattalai and Perumbakkam.

In addition, the government also wants to convert the MRTS from Velachery to Chennai Beach to a Metro.

All these constructions put together, the total length of Chennai Metro will be around 200km. 

This is the end of the post. Stay tuned for Nowadays' hot topic, how do Metrorails deal with Corona Virus.....Thank You.

Gurugram Metro

Gurgaon Metro

Welcome to the next post on Evolution of Metro rails in India. Here we will see the inception and the evolution of Gurgaon Metro. Without further ado, let's get started!

Rapid Metro Gurgaon was built in 2 phases. It is a privately owned metro and connects areas like Sikanderpur and sector 54 to the DLF cyber city. The original line was proposed to run from Sikanderpur to NH 8. But since DLF hosted the action, they wanted the metro to come to DLF cyber city. The Phase 1 of the metro was built from Sikanderpur and made a loop around DLF cyber city. 

Rapid Metro Interchange with Delhi Metro Yellow Line at Sikanderpur

IL&FS was the only bidder in the construction and agreed to build it on Build-Own-Operate-Transfer basis. This means that the company will operate the metro for a period of time after which the metro was to be transferred to the government of Haryana. The metro then completed construction and was opened on 14.11.2013. The metro was running well when suddenly IL&FS went bankrupt. So the system was transferred to be operated by DMRC and had built an extension from Sikanderpur to Sector 55. It still remains the same to this day.

The trains of Rapid Metro Gurgaon have only 3 coaches and have a ridership of around 50,000 per day. It connects DLF cyber city to Delhi Metro and to the rest of Gurgaon.

Thank you for reading this post on Gurgaon Metro and stay tuned for Chennai Metro next week.

MRT Express - February 2020

MRT Express - February 2020

Welcome to the next post on MRT Express. In this series, news regarding Mass Rapid Transit Projects across in India is shown. Hope you enjoy reading it.

Express - I:

Four plots of land were allocated to NCRTC to consrtuct the Delhi-Meerut RRTS's Depot and maintanence office. Three of them were bought on Delhi Road and one of them was taken on lease.

Express - II:

CMRL receives 10 new metro rakes to maintain frequency on the Blue line and will bw used to conduct trial runs on the 9km Phase - I extension from Washermanpet to Wimco Nagar and from Airport to Urappakkam Bus Terminus.

Express - III:

Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project receives Rs.500 crore as the initial funding for the project to ease traffic congestion in the city as it would be connecting far areas such as Electronic City, Outer Ring Road etc.

Express - IV:

This is the most inportant step taken by Metro Corporations thouought India as many of them have started cleaning the Rakes more carefully due to the outbreak of Corona Virus.

They have sprayed disinfectants, more thoroughly cleaned the rakes and Metro Stations to reduce the risk of spreading the Virus.

Express - V:

It  was thought that metro and Suburban Railway is going to be the Future of Bangalore. But, Karnataka state government suddenly approved the feasibility study for two metrolite corridors by PPP model and construction will start as soon as Detailed Project Report is ready.

Express - VI:

Kolkata's East-West Metro from Salt lake stadium to Phoolbagan is structurally ready and Commercial Services can start as soon as CMRS certificate is issued in May-June. It will mostly start in August.

Thank you for reading this post on MRT Express. Will see you next week with Gourgaon Metro.

Source:

https://www.metrorailnews.in/

Noida Metro

Noida Metro

Welcome to this post on Noida Metro. This can be said as the most SCENIC metro in India, meaning, the metro crosses many areas of agricultural and under-developed land. Thus, the metro faced very low ridership from the beginning.

Noida Metro Logo

Noida metro runs from Noida Electronic City to the depot in the greater Noida region. The metro is called Aqua Line and is 29.7km long. The line also has an interchange with Delhi metro at Sector 52. The metro passes through many grasslands from Sector 83 to Sector 148. These stations have a high chance of being “unfeasible”. The entire corridor is elevated and the metro looks kind of like a Joy Ride through the countryside. Or a suburban train running through remote areas. So, the Noida Metro Rail Corporation or the NMRC that operates the metro, plans to run fast services from Sector 51 to the Depot.

Also, Noida metro tokens will not be valid on the Delhi Metro and vice-versa. The interchange with Delhi metro is not seamless and the stations are 300m apart from each other. DMRC plans to build a skywalk from Sector 51 to Sector 52.

The Metro uses chinese metro rakes made by CRRC Nanjing and imported from China. The line has 19 rakes with a frequencr of 10 to 15 minutes.

As an extension of the network, Noida is set for Phase 2 where the aqua line will be extended to Knowledge Park 5. Let Noida metro be successful and not be called, “Disneyland Monorail of India”.

Thank you for reading this post and stay tuned for MRT News Express next week.....Thank you

Mumbai Metro

Mumbai Metro

Welcome to the series on Mumbai Metro. This is said to be the LATEst metro in India, meaning, the metro was opened decades after it was needed. Mumbai metro was opened in 8 June 2014, but the city actually needed a metro in the 1990's. Despite being so late, Mumbai metro faced a gradual increase in it's ridership from day of opening. 

As of now, the metro consits of a 11km corridor between Varsobha and Ghatkopar, serving a very small area of Mumbai. Unlike other metros that have 2 to 3 phases, Mumbai metro has the longest Phase-1 network of around 200km. The masterplan for the metro is as follows:

Line-1:

Varsobha     to      Ghatkopar

Line-2:

Dahisar West    to     DN Nagar      to          Mankhurd

Line-3:

Colaba       to        Bandra       to       SEEPZ

Line-4:

Thane        to         Wadala

Line-5:

Thane        to         Bhiwandi        to        Kalyan

Line-6:

Lokhandwala       to        Kanjurmarg

Line-7:

Dahiser       to         Andheri      to      Bhayander

Line-8:

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Airport            to              Navi Mumbai International Airport

Line-9:

Dahisar       to         Mira-Bhayander

The Mumbai metro Phase-1 is expected to be completely running by 2025-2026. This big Metro will ease Traffic congestion in every area of the city and is expected to have a ridership of at least 25-30 lakhs per day when fully opened. 

Let Mumbai get the metro it deserves.....thank you for reading this post and stay tuned for Noida Metro next week.....Thank you

Why Metro?

Why Metro?

I have seen a lot of people that have asked me of why we even need metros? This post has been made specifically to answer this question. 

Need for Metros:

A metro network is a modern rapid transit system in which train rakes run on elevated or underground tracks. This system is in use when existing networks of transport are overused. It is built to ease traffic congestion off the roads and also to reduce pollution. This is mainly useful if a place can generate large amounts of people willing to go somewhere else.

In these days, we can get a cab from anywhere to anywhere in a city. But they overcrowd existing roadways even more to an extent that I saw a man who was walking to work in a hurry and refused an auto ride because he was afraid of getting stuck in traffic!! 

In these kind of situations, a metro can be a life saver. The main advantage of metros is that they can expand without taking up a lot of land, and expand as a city grows.... If you see the masterplan for metros in India, you will see that there are around 200km of metro planned in every major city. Especially in India, every other rapid transit except metro fails. This is because many cities in India are densly populated. But metro can't be the only rapid transit in India. Cities like Delhi and Chennai Have metrolites in the Making......so no need to get bored of Metro.

What is a metrolite?

A metrolite is basically the average of Tram and Metro. It is a metro like rapid transit system but runs on Road level.....that is, beside the medians of big main roads. These systems are around 40-50% cheaper than metro but have a lower capacity than metro. They are implemented in areas where the demand is not enough for a metro, but too much for a tram. Instead of building an overcrowded tram or an unprofitable metro, we can build metrolite. 

Metrolite Trains run on Standard 1435mm gauge tracks and can run trains at speeds of upto 65 km/h. Metrolites can be implemented in at least 50 Indian cities that are not big enough for a metro. These include cities like Lucknow, Chandigarh, Trivandrum, Secundrabad, Guwahati, Rajkot, Thiruchirappalli, Solapur, Raipur and Ranchi to name a few.

I'm sorry for this post being delayed.Thank You for reading and stay tuned for Mumbai Metro Next Week....