Challenge 1

Ans 1.

With the improvement of the country's economy and the expansion of working population, metro rails offer a safe mode for urban transit. Growing urbanisation, demand for faster and interconnected travel are the drivers of a progressive economy.

The metro rail encourages the walkable developmental pattern, which is also beneficial for society. The other merit of Metro rail is that it reduces cost and travelling time, which lowers the cost of production of goods and services, which significantly improves the city's competitiveness.

Metro rails are needed because of the following reasons:

1. The most efficient transportation system is space occupancy, energy consumption, and numbers transported.
2. They are very high-capacity carriers, transporting many people during peak hours.
3. Unlike buses and other modes of public transportation, metro rails are eco-friendly, cause much less sound pollution, and have no air pollution.
4. They possess greater traffic capacity. It carries as much traffic as seven lanes of bus traffic and 24 lanes of car traffic.
5. It reduces the journey time from 50% to 75%.
6. The usage of metros should be promoted more and more as it helps in reducing the levels of greenhouse gases.
7. The number of road accidents has also gone down drastically as the people have chosen the Metro. Speeding usually happens when people are late for their work.
8. Metro provides air-conditioned travelling with the best comfort at relatively cheap rates.

Metro Rail System	Conventional Rail System
High speed	Relatively low
All coaches are air conditioned	Selective coaches are air conditioned
Less noise pollution	More noise pollution
Less air pollution	More air pollution
Environment friendly	Less friendly
Travel within short distance	Long distance journey
Don’t disturb other mode of traffic	Disturbs road traffic at level crossing, where ROB’s are not provided
Travels obstacle (Traffic) free	Sometime have to face obstacle
Having less coaches (5 car)	26 and more coaches
No pantry car or good’s compartment	Having pantry car and good’s compartment
Better for short distance travel	Better for long jouney

Ans 2

Key Figures

• Operational Routes: 832.51 km
• Under Construction Routes: 475.44 km
• Approved Routes: 372.77 km
• Proposed Routes: 1056.35 km

Fun Facts

• Oldest (First) Metro Rail System: Kolkata Metro
• Newest Metro Rail System: Pune Metro
• Largest Metro System: Delhi Metro(347 km)
• Smallest Metro System: Kanpur Metro(8.73 km)
• Busiest (Highest Ridership) Metro System: Delhi Metro

List of Operational & Under Construction Metro Projects in India

CITY & STATE	OPERATIONAL NETWORK	UNDER CONSTRUCTION NEW ROUTES	APPROVED NEW ROUTES	PROPOSED NEW ROUTES	OPERATOR	START DATE
Agra Metro, Uttar Pradesh	0 km	11.90 km	17.50	0 km	UPMRCL	N/A
Ahmedabad Metro, Gujarat	37.9 km	29.65 km	0 km	5 km	GMRC	6 March, 2019
Bangalore Metro, Karnataka	68.6 km	102.86 km	0 km	105.55 km	BMRCL	20 October, 2011
Bhopal Metro, Madhya Pradesh	0 km	6.22 km	21.65 km	77.13 km	MPMRCL	N/A
Chennai Metro, Tamil Nadu	54.1 km	102.93 km	15.93 km	15.30 km	CMRL	29 June, 2015
Delhi Metro, Delhi-NCR	349 km	66.98 km	0 km	57.3 km	DMRC	24 December, 2002
Gurgaon Rapid Metro, Haryana	12.1 km	0 km	0 km	200 km	RMRG (now DMRC)	14 November, 2013
Hyderabad Metro, Telangana	67 km	0 km	0 km	63 km	HMRL	29 November, 2017
Indore Metro, Madhya Pradesh	0	16.23 km	15.31 km	57.18	MPMRCL	N/A
Jaipur Metro, Rajasthan	11.98 km	0 km	0 km	27.71 km	JMRC	3 June, 2015
Kanpur Metro, Uttar Pradesh	8.73 km	22.58 km	0 km	8.6 km	UPMRCL	29 December, 2021
Kochi Metro, Kerala	26.8 km	1.1 km	12.36 km	0 km	KMRL	19 June, 2017
Kolkata Metro, West Bengal	47.85 km	47.72 km	28.2 km	15.7 km	Metro Railway & KMRC	24 October, 1984
Lucknow Metro, Uttar Pradesh	22.90 km	0 km	0 km	85 km	UPMRCL	6 September, 2016
Meerut Metro, Uttar Pradesh	0 km	20 km	0 km	15 km	NCRTC, UPMRC	N/A
Mumbai Metro, Maharashtra	46.50 km	133.9 km	21.29 km	136.40 km	MMOPL, MMRC & MMMOCL	8 June, 2014
Nagpur Metro, Maharashtra	38.22 km	0 km	48.30 km	0 km	Maha-Metro	8 March, 2019
Navi Mumbai Metro, Maharashtra	0 km	11.10 km	0 km	95.30 km	CIDCO	N/A
Noida Metro, Uttar Pradesh	29.70 km	0 km	14.95 km	70 km	NMRC	25 January, 2019
Patna Metro, Bihar	0 km	22.1 km	8.8 km	0 km	PMRC	N/A
Pune Metro, Maharashtra	10.35 km	58.23 km	4.41 km	26.46 km	Maha-Metro & Pune IT City Metro Rail Ltd.	6 March, 2022
Surat Metro, Gujarat	0 km	41.93 km	0 km	0 km	GMRC	N/A

List of Approved Metro, Metrolite& Metro Neo Projects in India

CITY & STATE	NETWORK LENGTH	APPROVAL DATE	TOTAL COST	OPERATOR
Gorakhpur Metrolite Uttar Pradesh	27.41 km	October 2020	Rs. 4,672 crore	UPMRC
Kozhikode Metrolite, Kerala	13.13 km	February 2021	Rs. 4,673 crore	KRTL
Nashik Metro Neo, Maharashtra	32 km	August 2019	Rs. 2100	Maha-Metro
Trivandrum Metro, Kerala	21.82 km	February 2021	Rs. 2,773 crore	KRTL

List of Proposed Metro / Metrolite / Metro Neo Projects in India

Each Indian city and town has a large number of proposed new lines, most of which will never see the light of the day. The following table lists out cities / towns with with serious proposals that could possibly materialize as light rail (Metrolite) and be built in the next 10 years.

CITY & STATE	PROPOSED NETWORK LENGTH
Aurangabad Metrolite, Maharashtra	TBD
Bangalore Metrolite, Karnataka	60 km
Bhavnagar Metrolite / Metro Neo, Gujarat	TBD
Chennai Metrolite, Tamil Nadu	15.50 km
Coimbatore Metro, Tamil Nadu	136 km
Delhi Metrolite, Delhi	40.88 km
Guwahati Metro, Assam	61.40 km
Jamnagar Metrolite / MetroNeo, Gujarat	TBD
Jammu Metro, J&K UT	43.50 km
Madurai Metro, Tamil Nadu	31 km
Mathura Metrolite, Uttar Pradesh	12 km
Prayagraj Metro, Uttar Pradesh	42 km
Raipur Metro, Chhattisgarh	TBD
Rajkot Metrolite / Metro Neo, Gujarat	TBD
Srinagar Metro, J&K UT	25 km
Uttarakhand Metro, Uttarakhand	58 km
Vadodara Metrolite / Metro Neo, Gujarat	TBD
Varanasi Metro, Uttar Pradesh	29.235 km
Vijayawada Metro, Andhra Pradesh	66.2 km
Visakhapatnam Metro, Andhra Pradesh	79.91 km
Warangal Metro Neo, Telangana	17 km

Besides the above cities, metro projects are proposed in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Jabalpur, Ranchi, Hubli, Mathura, Dholera, Thane, Gwalior, Bareilly, Dehradun, Bhubaneswar, Mysore, and Mangalore.

Ans 3

Total Network Length – 391km

Total No of lines – 12

Total No of Stations – 287

The Delhi metro is an underground / Elevated railway that serves Delhi in northern India – a city of almost 19 million people. The railway also serves the nearby cities of Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad.

The railway is the world’s 12th longest metro system. It’s the 16th largest in terms of daily passengers. The metro is the second oldest in India after the Kolkata metro.

The Delhi network is made up of 7 colour-coded lines and a faster Airport Express line. It has 185 stations and a total length of 252km.

With both underground and overground lines and stations, the network sees 2.5 million passengers in 3,000 train trips every day.

Although plans for a mass transit system in the city had been under discussion since the 1960s, construction work on the scheme was prompted by a population boom – the number of people living in Delhi doubled between 1981 and 1998.

The growth spurt brought an increase in private vehicles and pollution on Delhi’s streets as well as bad overcrowding on the city’s bus services and existing railways.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) started work on the metro’s first section – the Red line – in 1998. It opened in 2002.

Further sections of the system started running trains in 2006 and 2011. The final section of the metro is set to open in 2018.

The Delhi metro carries 2.5 million people around the city every day. It’s reduced the numbers of private vehicles on the road and cut traffic pollution by an estimated 630,000 tonnes a year.

A study by India’s Central Road Research Institute found that the network saves commuters 66 minutes a day in travelling time.

The metro is also credited with reducing the number of road accidents on Delhi’s streets.

The Delhi metro was constructed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Construction work started in October 1998.

The DMRC was a purpose-built organisation, created in response to problems with the Kolkata metro. The Kolkata scheme was badly delayed and went 12 times over budget.

The Delhi project team consulted engineers who’d worked on the successful Hong Kong mass transit system before starting work – swapping notes on construction techniques, as well as how to run a metro.

Line 2 of the metro – the Yellow line – presented major challenges for engineers as it had to run underground for its entire 11km length.

The project team built the line’s stations below ground using the cut and cover method. This saw workers digging a U-shaped trench for the railway line and covering it over with a roof of earth.

Only one station – Chawri Bazar – needed tunnelling, as it was deeper than the rest.

Mandi House station on Line 3 – the Blue line – presented another challenge for engineers. As the site was under busy roads, the structure had to be built from ground level down.

Engineers equipped many of the network’s stations with rainwater collection equipment as part of the DMRC’s environmental policy.

Ans 4

Three main components are

1. Elevated

Elevated metro consists of frame structure, which is constructed above ground with as much vertical clearance to cross other traffic unobstructed.

2. Underground

Underground metro constructed in tunnel below ground, which doesn’t disturb other activity on ground surface.

3. Stations
4. lifts,are provided to go above or below ground level where the metro rests.
5. escalators, are also provided to go above or below ground level smoothly and continuously.
6. tunnel ventilation systems (TVS),is necessary for underground metro, provided properly and maintained regularly.
7. environment control systems (ECS),is necessary for metro, provided properly and maintained regularly.
8. traction,Traction systems generally are of two types viz – Overhead catenary system (OCS) and Third rail system
9. Overhead Catenary System (OCS) - It consists of a 25 kV conductor running along the entire route of the metro.
10. Third rail system – A third rail runs along the tracks for supply of DC power.

& f. power supply Uninterrupted power supply is life line of Metro rail.

Ans 5

UG metro is a better system for heavily urbanized area and elevated may be a justifiable option for city outskirts where roads are wider. New townships or cities should be planned with spaces to accommodate metro alignment whether elevated or UG metro.

ITEM	UG METRO	ELEVATED METRO
Alignment	Railway alignment for UG metro, on the other hand, doesn’t have above restraints and can be planned for the best performance. The horizontal curves and vertical gradients can be better, distance between two points can be shorter as the line doesn’t necessarily need to follow the road above, land requirements are less, only entry/exit, ancillary buildings and some utility shafts come above the ground. There are obvious engineering challenges during construction like safety of the buildings within the tunnel influence zones and station area, crossing under a water body, negotiating existing deep foundations and unforeseen geology. But these are known unknowns and have been well managed by the engineering expertise available within the UG fraternity.	Railway alignment has certain restrictions in vertical gradient (about 3.5% maximum) and horizontal radius (about 150m). Elevated metro follows the existing roads as it is very difficult to get land beyond the road ROW i.e. right of way. Land is precious if not rare and acquisition or demolition of buildings can stall a project. The elevated alignment also negotiates existing obstacles like road crossings, road flyovers, railway bridges and even sometimes another elevated metro. More sharp turns mean more noise, more maintenance of rails and perhaps compromised safety norms; frequent vertical and horizontal gradient/radius change means passenger discomfort. Thus, elevated alignment planning is governed by the city road network and very often the shortest and best alignment design are heavily compromised which increases capital and operational cost.
Environmental Impact:	While UG stations consume a bit more material than elevated stations, overall consumption of materials are very less for UG metro as elevated metro viaduct consumes huge concrete and steel per km comparing to tunnel lining. However, the power consumption is about ten times more for UG metro system mainly due to Environmental Control System (ECS) and Tunnel Ventilation System (TVS). Hundreds, if not thousands, of trees are cut for making the way for elevated metro corridor destroying the already decaying green cover of the city. We need to add the social cost of traffic disruption, traffic jam, additional fuel burn, noise and dust during construction of elevated metro. UG metro construction scores better on all these aspects. The impact of noise pollution during operation for elevated metro is far reaching due to proximity of buildings around.
Economic Impact:	Elevated metro is popular as the upfront cost, which is mostly funded by borrowed money, is about three times less than UG metro system. Also, the power consumption is about ten times less for elevated metro. However, this comes with a price the city is paying i.e. cost of land acquisition, cost of relocating surface and underground utilities like power, gas, sewer lines etc., cost of land lost for the above ground pier, portal pier along the corridor, stations, entry exit and narrowing of road. Viaduct deck is closer even sometimes within two meters of the roadside property reducing the frontage value of shops, hotels and commercial establishments and a permanent shaded unused area under the viaduct mostly not maintained.
Social impact:	Elevated metro changes the overall aesthetics of a prime road. It increases the traffic congestion due to reduced carriageway to accommodate the large piers (about 2.5m width in the median is occupied), huge station building supports on roads and its entry/exit structures on footpath/service roads. It reduces the green covers and roadside open spaces. Space below viaduct and part of stations are generally not used, not maintained, dimly lit at night, and creates a unsafe environment for people around. Construction activity of elevated metro has huge adverse impact due to traffic congestion, traffic diversion, unsafe road condition, heavy construction vehicle/crane movement, utility disruption, noise, dust and nighttime working. Whereas, UG metro has minimal visual impact and encroachment of the already congested city space. Cityscape is maintained, further beautification is possible, green cover can be increased, reduces the traffic congestion and overall quality of life is improved.

Ans 6

Design Basis Report is the first document that is prepared for the design of metro by Research Designs & Standards Organisation Lucknow in the year 2015 and revised in the year 2017.

Ans 7

DBR of an elevated metro is a very significant document, as the codes for all the required components, design, traffic guidelines etc are discussed and finalized. DBR is made perfect to follow for constructing a elevated metro. Following are the articles.

1. Proposed structural system of viaduct.
2. Clearence for structures.
3. Structural materials and properties.
5. Load combinations.
6. Design parameters,
7. Design methodology.
8. Project specific additional information/details if any.
9. Design codes and standard.
10. Design software.

Ans 8

First we have to conduct a topographical survey; Utility survey also be conducted for surface and underground. Planning of the metro maps, phase-wise construction planning, collection of city data like wind speed of that city, suppose river running in that city so data of that river width, the velocity of river water current, we have to mention the location of that structure, pier location and station location, the structural arrangement of components of metro.

Ans 9

A topographical survey shows the nature of ground i.e. height, depth, size and location of any man made or natural features on a given piece of land, as well as the changes or contours in elevation throughout the parcel. While boundary surveys focus on horizontal measurements, topographic surveys are about elevation. It has very important role in fixing alignment of metro.

Ans 10

During planning to connect any to the station in the city have to face many challenges like Land and property acquisition and resettlement issues, changing of the location of metro stations or change in direction or route, if metro is a crossing river or big highway we have to change dimensions or the rout of the metro, that effect on the economy of the project many time we have to realign the route of the metro according to the problem.

Ans 11

Following are the underground utility which would be existed under the ground. Underground utilities are any public service infrastructures installed beneath the ground surface-

Electric power lines, cables, conduit, and lighting cables.

Telecommunication, alarm or signal lines, cables, or conduit.

Natural gas, oil, steam, petroleum, or other gaseous or flammable material.

Sewers and drain lines.

Drinking water.

Domestic water, irrigation, and slurry lines.

Temporary survey markings, unknown/unidentified facilities.

Ans 12

During construction if we face any challenges with underground utilities then there are many solutions to tackle that problem. like if we find any pipe which are running below to pier so in that case, we have to change the location of the pier either we have to take forward or backward, we can also change the location of the foundation or pile location and one other solution is before the design we have to do utility survey of that city, If this solution didn't work the we have to change the alignment of project, are also to provide any cantilever solution or portal frame etc.

Ans 13

Feeding of the u girder means launching of the girder from the ground and placed it on pier cap without disturbing the traffic we can parallel run the construction without disturbing the traffic. during construction launching gantry or crane s use to launch the girder, launching gantry is made up of steel assembly which run on pier it have lifting are which take girder up and place it on pier, it have three legs which is placed on two piers and next pier is use for launching or working purpose, It also ensure the fast construction in that project.

Ans 14

Metro project is constructed inside the city so why is a precast girder is the most preferable option in an elevated metro, cast in-situ girders is not efficient in heavily populated are because traffic is running below the project that is the reason we have to prefer for precast girder and another major advantage is we can make precast girder in other location and take back to site launching location. That can reduce the time and cost of construction.