Challenge 1
Q1) Why is a metro rail needed in countries with developing economy? What is your basic understanding on the differences between a conventional rail system and a metro rail system?
--> i) Metro rail enhances mobility which improves economic growth development in countries.
ii) It consumes low energy and it is cheap to travel long distances in metro rail either than roadways.
iii) Following are the differences between Conventional Rail System And Metro Rail System:
| Metro Rail System | Conventional Rail System |
| This type of rails are powered by electricity which makes them ecofriendly. | This type of rails are normally powered by steam or diesel which makes environment polluted. |
| The speed of metro rail is much higher. | This rail system have relatively lower speed. |
| Metro trains have low passenger capacity. | This rail system have higher passenger capacity. |
| Metro trains are used for short travelling distances. | Normal trains are used for long travelling route. |
Q2) The course depicts the data regarding the operational and upcoming metro rail projects of India with reference to the statistics of latest by August 2019. Research and provide the current statistics of metro rail operations in India. At the end you can identify the necessary of metro rail transit system followed by you will be able to resonate/analyze the feasibility of metro rail to one’s own city.
--->i) There are currently 15 operational rapid transit systems in Fifteen cities across India.
ii) As of October 2022 India has 810 km of operational metro lines and 631 15 systems and a further of 568.15km of lines are under construction.
Q3)Why DMRC is the busiest metro in India. Apart from the points mentioned in the course video. You can find several interesting facts on the internet. Please research and provide your learnings.
---> The Delhi Metro is being built in phases. Phase I consisted of 59 stations and 64.75 km of route length, of which 13.0 km is underground and 52.0 km surface or elevated.
Phase II of the network consists of 123.3 kmof route length and 86 stations, and is fully completed, with the first section opened in June 2008 and the last line opened in August 2011.
Phase-III consists of 109 stations, 3 new lines and 7 route extensions, totaling 160.07 km , with a cost of ₹410.79 billion and was mostly completed on 5 April 2019.
Delhi has the highest population in India and thats why the construction of DMRC was built in phases.
Q4)What are the components of a Metro rail? Explain briefly about the concepts of the components?
---> There are 3 components of Metro Rail:
i) ELEVATED:An Elevated Metro Rail is a rapid transit railway with the tracks above street level on a vaiduct or other elevated structure. It is usually constructed from steel, cast iron, concrete, or bricks.
The railway may be broad-guage, standard-guage or narrow-guage railway. Elevated railways are normally found in urban areas where there would otherwise be multiple level crossing or obstacles.
Usually, the tracks of elevated railways that run on steel viaducts can be seen from street level.
ii) STATION: A Station Metro Rail is provided in Elevated Metro Rail or Underground Metro Rail.
This station forms important hub of metro station because it operates various operations of the Metro Rail like Ticketing, Maintenance of the Metro corridor or providing access to the people into the Metro system.
This station is a Frame kind of struture.
iii) UNDERGROUND: The metro rail which is constructed under the ground surface is known as underground metro rail.
While construction of this metro rail we face many construction challenges as we have pipelines, telephone wires, Naala , electricity wires etc so we cant just move them from their source as it connects the whole city .
Q5)Elevated metro or Underground metro which metro rail system shall be preferred? Justify your choice of the system.
--> Elevated Metro is my choice of system because in constructing this metro rail we will face less construction challenges as compare to Underground Metro Rail.
Secondly the cost of Elevated Metro Rail is less compared to Underground rail.
Q6)What is a Design Basis Report (DBR)? In which phase of a project a DBR is prepared?
-->i) Design Basis Report (DBR) is a very first report that the Design Engineer for Elevated Metro Viaducts Project needs to prepare.
ii) This report is basically the document to standardize the design procedure of the elevated metro viaducts.
iii) The making of this report is the first phase of a project in Elevated Metro Viaducts . After creating this report it is published in tender for contractors to study and take part in the construction project.
Q7)What is significance of a DBR of an elevated metro?
--> The significance of a DBR is that it shows us standardized design procedure of Elevated Metro Viaducts. It shows us what materials we should use, what will be reinforcement details as per the clauses given in Indian Standard Codes or Railway Codes.
Q8)In the planning of metro project, what are the chronology of activities before the construction?
--> i) Topographical Survey
ii) Possibles changes in the alignment.
iii) Other challenges like if there is any houses, religious places, existing flyover then there will be some chnages.
Q9)What is topographical survey? Why it is necessary for the metro rail project?
--> i) A topographical survey is first and foremost and important part while locating the position of the building.
ii) It is necessary for all the projects because whenever we are constructing a new project there will be some challenges we are going to face.
iii) There will be some houses, religious places, existing flyovers, existing railway lines by looking all this challenges we have to change our alignment of our foundation or alignment of piers.
iv) It is also necessary because at the time of constructing foundation there will be many underground wire connections, water or gutter pipelines placed underground.
Q10) What are the hindrances that could be there whilst planning to connect any to two stations in a city during metro construction?
--> While connecting any two stations there will be many hindraces that could be there whilst planning :
i) In topographical survey we plan to build an Elevated Metro Viaduct between two straight points in a city which is 9-10kms straight point which will be the shortest route.
ii) There will be some shops or offices but we cannot relocate the shops or residents as it is commercial and economical hub for the people. So we realign our corridor.
iii) There will be more houses.
iv) There will be some trees or farms or river.
v) There will be school and universities so that we have to realign our corridor.
Q11)What are underground utilities which would be there existing under the ground level. Also mention some other utilities apart from the ones mentioned in the course.
--> Following are the underground utilities:
i) Telephone Lines
ii) Water Lines
iii) Power Cables
iv) Internet Cables
v) Underground Naala
vi) Gas,Oil and Petroleum material
vii) Reclaimed Water, Irrigation and Slurry lines.
viii) Temporary Survey Markings
ix) Portable water
Q12)Mention in detail about the solutions a designer would be suggesting as the challenges of underground utilities.
--> When we encounter to this underground utilities a designer should think about relocating the foundation. He should also realign the points which he marked before taking underground utilities into consideration. This utilities are everywhere to be found so we cant just relocate their place so designer have to make 2-3 sets of realignment routes from which the sector can choose the proper set for construction of the project. He sould change the Pile Arrangement. In existing traffic he should see the alternate roadways.
Q13)What is known as feeding of U-girders and how it is launched during construction?
--> Feeding of U-girder is placing or launching the U-girders on the columns without disturbing any traffic in the particular area. Somehow we do not have to stop this traffic because if we stop this traffic and telling them to change the route there would be some major complications. For not disturbing the traffic and doing our work side by side we use launching ganetry. It It is Steel Frame Structure which is used to do some arrangements or placing the U-girders without disturbing traffic.
Q14)What are advantages of precast girders in an elevated metro? Explain in detail about the how it is efficient over the cast in-situ girders?
--> Advantages of Precast Girders:
i) The precast girders are casted off-site and brought to the site and it is launched by Launching Ganetry.
ii) We can make any arrangements in precast girders as it can be moved from one place to another.
iii) Precast construction also reduces pollution and hence no plastering is required.
iv) This type of construction is low cost compared to cast in-situ construction.
---> i) The precast girders can save time of curing or casting it in on site.
ii) It is efficient over the cast in-situ girders because the cost of precast girders are economical wherein the cost of cast-in situ girders are much higher.
iii) The work is done faster in precast girders.