Wednesday 18 December 2013

India - Kolkata Metro Railway 18.12.2013

Kolkata Metro

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Kolkata Metro
কলকাতা মেট্রো
KMRC-KOLMETRO.png
Background
LocaleKolkata, West Bengal
Transit typeMetro
Number of lines1
5 under construction
Number of stations24
Daily ridershipover 650,000[1]
Chief executiveH. K. Sharma, Chairman
HeadquartersHRBC House, Munsi Premchand Sarani, Kolkata[2]
Website
Operation
Began operation24 October 1984; 29 years ago
Operator(s)Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.(KMRC)
Kolkata Metro zone of Indian Railways (Line 1 only)
Technical
System length28.14 km (17.5 mi)
The Kolkata Metro or Calcutta Metro (Bengali: কলকাতা মেট্রো) is a metro system serving the city of Kolkata and the districts of South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas in Indian state of West Bengal. The network consists of one operational line (Line 1) and one under construction (Line 2), with four further lines in various stages of planning. It was the first such form of transportation in India, opening commercial services in 1984. It is the 17th zone of the Indian Railways. While considered revolutionary when opened, the system has been starved of investment in the decades since and has been described by the Business Standard as "an exercise in antiquity", with no significant technology upgrades since the 1970s.[3]
India's oldest metro railway
After independence, the transport problem of Kolkata drew the attention of the city planners, the state government and also the government of India. It was soon realized that something had to be done and done fast to cope up with the situation. It was Dr. B.C. Roy, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, who for the first time conceived the idea in 1949 of building an Underground Railway for Kolkata to solve the problems to some extent. A survey was done by a team of French experts but nothing concrete came out. Efforts to solve the problem by augmenting the existing fleet of public transport vehicles barely touched the fringes as roads account for only 4.2% of the surface area in Calcutta, compared to 25% in Delhi and even 30% in other cities. With a view to finding out an alternative solution to alleviate the suffering of the Kolkatans, the Metropolitan Transport Project (Rlys) was set up in 1969. The MTP (Rlys), with help ofSoviet specialists (Lenmetroproekt), prepared a master plan of five rapid-transit lines for the city of Kolkata, totalling a route length of 97.5 km in 1971. But only 3 were selected for construction. These were:
Of these, the highest priority was given to the busy north-south axis between Dum Dumand Tollygunge over a length of 16.45 km, and the work on this project was sanctioned on 1 June 1972. The foundation stone of the project was laid by Indira Gandhi, the thenPrime Minister of India, on 29 December 1972 and the construction work started in 1973-74. Since the commencement of construction, the project had to contend with several problems such as non-availability of sufficient funds till 1977-78, shifting of underground utilities, court injunctions, irregular supply of vital materials and others. But overcoming innumerable hurdles and crossing all barriers of disbelief, Calcutta Metro, India's first and Asia's fifth, became a reality on OCTOBER 24, 1984 with the commissioning of partial commercial service covering a distance of 3.40 km with five stations betweenEsplanade and Bhowanipur. This was quickly followed by commuter services on another 2.15 km stretch in the north between Dum Dum and Belgachhia on NOVEMBER 12, 1984. The commuter service was extended up to Tollygunge on APRIL 29, 1986 covering a further distance of 4.24 km making the service available over an overall distance of 9.79 km and covering 11 stations. However, the services on the north section were suspended w.e.f. 26.10.92 as this isolated small section was not attractive to commuters. After a gap of over eight years, the 1.62 km Belgachhia-Shyambazaar section, along with Dum Dum-Belgachhia stretch, was opened on AUGUST 13,1994. Another 0.71 km stretch fromEsplanade to Chandni Chowk was commissioned shortly thereafter, on OCTOBER 2, 1994. The Shyambazaar-Shobhabazar-Girish Park (1.93 km) and Chandni Chowk-Central (0.60 km) sections were opened on FEBRUARY 19, 1995. Services on the entire stretch of Metro were introduced from September 27, 1995 by bridging the vital gap of 1.80 km in the middle. [4]
In the later stage, the extension of Line 1 to an elevated corridor from Tollygunge to New Garia was constructed & opened in 2 phases.Mahanayak Uttam Kumar to Kavi Nazrul in 2009 & Kavi Nazrul to Kavi Subhash in 2010. The latest extension constructed is the 2.59 km elevated corridor from Dum Dum to Noapara on 10 July 2013.

Construction[edit]

The North-South metro construction required several new technologies in the fields of civil, electrical, signaling and tele-communication engineering. Indian engineers backed by their own experience and supplemented by their studies abroad, adopted advanced technologies in the following fields for the first time in India.
  • Cut and cover method of construction using diaphragm walls and sheet piles.
  • Use of extensive decking to keep the traffic flowing over the cut while construction is in progress underneath.
  • Shield tunneling using compressed air and airlocks.
  • Ballast less track using elastic fastenings, rubber pads, epoxy mortar and nylon inserts.
  • Air-conditioning and ventilation system for environmental control of stations and tunnels.
  • Third Rail current collection system for traction.
  • Underground substations with dry type transformers and SF6 circuit breakers.
  • Tunnel-Train VHF-radio communication system.
  • Micro-processor-based train control and supervisory remote control system for substations.
  • Automatic ticket vending and checking system.
All the new lines are constructed by the new state-of-art technologies. While most of the new links are elevated few of them are underground. Unlike North-South Corridor which used Cut & cover method for the whole underground route, the tunnels of the new lines are constructed by TBM.

Kolkata Metro Master Plan[edit]

Kolkata Metro System Map
In 2010, the Railway Ministry announced construction for 5 new metro lines & extension of the existing North-South corridor. These new projects are:

Further Info[edit]

Major modifications[edit]

  • Construction of station at Noapara- A new hub 4 platform station has been constructed at Noapara. Commuters of Line 1 will be able to interchange trains going towards the Airport i.e. Line 4 (Noapara-Barasat). For the time being only 2 platforms are in use. Once the Line 4 gets started, all the 4 platforms will get operational.
  • Upgradation of "Central" metro station- A subway is going to be constructed in the existing Central station to provide an interchange between Line 1 and Line 2. Commuters will have to pass through the subway to go the new station that will be constructed on the west side of the existing station.

Network[edit]

LineFirst operationalLast ExtensionStationsLength
(km)		Terminals
Line 124 October 198410 July 20132428.14NoaparaKavi Subhash
Line 2September 20151214.67Howrah MaidanSalt Lake Sector 5
Line 31316.72JokaMahakaran(BBD BAG)
Line 4918.50NoaparaBarasat
Line 51110BaranagarBarrackpore
Line 61332Kavi SubhashDumDum Airport Station
Total82120.03
Kavi Subhash Metro Station (Kolkata Metro), Kolkata

Line 1 (North-South Metro)[edit]

Main article: Kolkata Metro Line 1
Kolkata metro Railway,the oldest metro inIndia
Line 1 has a total length of 28 kilometres (17 mi) with 24 stations of which 15 are underground. It has a combination of elevated, at-grade and underground lines and uses 5 feet 6 inch Broad Gauge rolling stock. It was the first underground railway to be built in India, with the first operations commencing in October 1984 and the full stretch that was initially planned being operational by February 1995. On 28 December 2010, it became the 17th zone of the Indian Railways.[5] The New Delhi Metro, which opened in 2002, is the second such urban metro rail network in India. Being the country’s first and a completely indigenous process, the construction of the Kolkata Metro was more of a trial-and-error affair, in contrast to the Delhi Metro, which has seen the involvement of numerous international consultants. As a result, it took nearly 23 years to completely construct a 17 km underground railway.[2]

Line 2 (East-West Metro)[edit]

Main article: Kolkata Metro Line 2
East-West Metro, a INR48745.8 million (US$745.8 million) project to connect Kolkata with Howrah by an underwater metro line has been cleared by the central government.[6] The length will be 14.67 km (8.9 km underground and 5.77 km elevated). This line will be constructed and maintained by a separate body named Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation(KMRC). However, in January 2011 KMRC and the entire EW metro corridor was taken over by the Ministry of Railways from the Ministry of Urban development and the state government of West Bengal. Now the EW Metro's majority stake is with the Indian Railways and the remaining part is as a loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
The West Bengal government had earlier appointed Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited to conduct a feasibility study of the project after which the government had initially put the project on hold due to funding issues. The underwater metro plan was thought of when the first metro service was inaugurated in Kolkata in 1984 by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The route is to cover 12 stations and go under the river through a tunnel. The foundation stone was laid on 22 February 2009.
Construction of line 2 started in March 2009. The East-West Metro will run from Salt Lake Sector 5 (in the east) to Howrah Maidan (in the west). Trains will be air conditioned, and underground stations will be equipped with platform screen doors. It will run on standard (4 ft 8.5 in or 1,435 mm) gauge, unlike line 1, which uses broad (5 ft 6 in or 1,676 mm) gauge.
Between Mahakaran and Howrah Station, the metro will run 1,500 ft (460 m) under the Hooghly River — the first underwater metro in India. The line will be elevated between Salt Lake Sector 5 and Yuva Bharati Krirangan, and the remaining stretch will be underground. Transfer stations will be located at Sealdah and Howrah.
The first phase will be operational in September 2015.[7]

Line 3 (Joka-B.B.D. Bagh Metro)[edit]

A 16.72 km long metro line from Joka (in extreme South Kolkata) and B B D Bagh (in central Kolkata) is under construction[citation needed]. It is being built by RVNL and the tender has gone to Simplex Infrastructures.
Proposed stations on this route:[8]
  1. Joka
  2. Thakurpukur
  3. Shilpara (Sakherbazar)
  4. Barisha (Behala Chowrasta)
  5. Behala Bazar
  6. Taratala
  7. Majerhat
  8. Mominpur
  9. Kidderpore
  10. Hastings
  11. Park Street (Intersection with Line 1)
  12. Dharamtala
  13. Mahakaran(BBD Bagh) (Intersection with Line 2)
The proposed Esplanade station will not to be the same one as that of Line 1 (North-South Metro) but completely different stations. Park Street will serve as an interchange between Line 3 and Line 1.

Line 4 (Noapara-Barasat Metro)[edit]

The project to build a 18.5 km line from Noapara to Barasat via Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport[9] is sanctioned and construction work has commenced[citation needed].
The proposed stations on this route are[10]
  1. Noapara (Intersection with Line 1)
  2. Dum Dum Cantonment
  3. Jessore Road
  4. Airport (Intersection with Line 6)
  5. Birati
  6. New Barrackpore [ Mother Teresa ]
  7. Madhyamgram
  8. Hridaypur
  9. Barasat

Line 6 (New Garia-Airport Metro)[edit]

A connection between New Garia and the Airport (32 km) via E M Bypass, Saltlake and Rajarhat has started; it will help reduce travel time between the southern fringes of Kolkata to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The work on this New Garia-Airport line was inaugurated by Mamata Banerjee on 7 February 2011 with a project deadline of six months.[11] The link between Kavi Subhas (New Garia) and the airport, to be set up at a cost of Rs4 billion, will have 24 stations with the terminal Airport station being an underground one.
The stations, as declared till now, will be named after eminent personalities.[11]
  1. New Garia (Intersection with Line 1)
  2. Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute
  3. Mukundapur
  4. Kalikapur
  5. Ruby Hospital
  6. VIP Bazar
  7. Bantala
  8. Science City
  9. Beliaghata
  10. Chingrighata
  11. Nicco Park
  12. Salt Lake Sector V (Intersection with Line 2)
  13. Technopolis
  14. Bidhan Nagar
  15. Sub CBD-1
  16. CBD-1
  17. Kalkhetra
  18. New Town
  19. Convention Center
  20. Sub CBD-2
  21. Titumir
  22. Rabindra Tirtha
  23. VIP Road
  24. Airport (Intersection with Line 4)

Infrastructure[edit]

Rolling Stock[edit]

The rolling stock of Kolkata Metro Line 1 uses Broad Gauge Track and are manufactured from ICF, Chennai and the electrical components are manufactured by NGEF, Bangalore. Initially, the rolling stock fleet composed of 4-car rakes. Over the years there has been considerable expansion to the network, both underground and on elevated sections. With the increase in traffic, 8-car rake formation has become a standard for Kolkata Metro. Presently there are 18 Non AC rakes and 13 AC rakes. Out of the 18 Non AC rakes, 11 will be phased out gradually since they have expired their normal life of 25 years, since the remaining 7 rakes are still in better condition they will be refurbished and will be pressed into service in phase manner. Till now 3 types of trains are used by Kolkata metro. They are
  • BHEL Rake(1000 Series): 9 Rakes were manufactured by ICF, Chennai and were pushed into service in the 1st phase when first metro ran from Esplanade to Bhawanipur (now Netaji Bhavan).[12] The Color of these trains were Dark Green and had a yellow Strip at the bottom. Later it was changed to White and Dark Blue Strip. Presently it is yellow with wide brown band at the bottom.The rakes are usually numbered from B1 to B9 out of which two rakes are condemned.
Operating From1984–Present
Length Per Coach19.5 m
Length Per Train156 m
Width Per Coach2.74 m
Maximum Speed55 km/h
Average Operating Speed30–31 km/h
Voltage750V DC
Electrification3rd Rail
Coaches per Train8
Capacity Per Coach300 approx.[13]
Capacity Per Train2400 approx.
Total Horse Power of Rake3036 HP
Environment controlNon AC with forced ventilation with washed and cooled air
  • NGEF Rake(2000 Series): 9 more rakes manufactured by ICF were pressed in the next phase of service when the Metro rail expanded. These rakes were tougher & had higher acceleration than the previous ones. The colors of these trains were Dark yellow with Maroon Strip at the bottom, afterwards it was repainted to White with Maroon strip. Now it its White with Blue band at the bottom. The rakes are marked with 8N symbols
Operating From1990–Present
Length Per Coach19.5 m
Length Per Train156 m
Width Per Coach2.74 m
Maximum Speed55 km/h
Average Operating Speed30–31 km/h
Voltage750V DC
Electrification3rd Rail
Coaches per Train8
Capacity Per Coach300 approx.[13]
Capacity Per Train2400 approx.
Total Horse Power of Rake5221 HP
Environment controlNon AC with forced ventilation with washed and cooled air
  • BHEL/Knorr Bremse AC(3000 Series): These are the latest trains that are pressed into the service after the elevated corridor fromMahanayak Uttam Kumar to Kavi Nazrul started in 2010. Later, as the last extension from Kavi Nazrul to Kavi Subhash finished, more 3000 Series rakes were introduced. These trains are manufactured by ICF with collaboration with BHEL & Knorr Bremse, Germany & have microprocessor controlled temperature and humidity, LCD displays inside the motorman's cabins & Multilingual Electronic LED sign boards both inside and outside the train. Presently there are 13 (3000 series) rakes, which are operating in Line 1.
Operating From2010–Present
Length Per Coach20.3 m
Length Per Train162.4 m
Width Per Coach2.74 m
Maximum Speed80 km/h
Average Operating Speed35 km/h
Voltage750V DC
Electrification3rd Rail
Coaches per Train8
Capacity Per Coach392 [13]
Capacity Per Train3136 approx.
Total Horse Power of Rake5449 HP
Environment controlAir Conditioned
  • CAF Melco: Spanish train manufacturer giant CAF will be providing 14 rakes for Line 2 at a cost of approximately INR6 billion(US$92 million). Each train will have 6 coaches with a total capacity of 2068 passengers. The rakes will run on standard gauge track & the first few trains will be manufactured in Spain & will arrive in Kolkata on November 2014. The next lot of rakes will be manufactured in India.

Stations & Electrification[edit]

Kolkata metro has 24 Stations out of which 15 are underground, 7 elevated & 2 stations are at grade. All the underground stations have island platforms except Park Street which has side platforms. While all the elevated stations have side platforms, Noapara has island platforms. Since it will be the hub station for Line 1 & Line 4 it has 4 platforms & have length of 182m. The standard length of platforms in Kolkata Metro is 170m. The metro stations of Gitanjali & Netaji have the shortest platforms having a length of 163m.[14] The average length between 2 stations is 1.14 km. The shortest distance is 0.597 km between Central and Chandni Chowk, whereas the longest distance is 2.15 km between Dum Dum and Belgachhia. Since electrification of Kolkata metro is of 3rd Rail, 750V DC, electric substations were built in Jatin Das Park, Central, Shyambazaar.[15] The type of tracks are Ballast less with M1A track fittings.

Signalling & Frequency[edit]

Kolkata Metro Trains are worked on typical Indian Railways automatic signalling technology. A Route Relay Interlocking System has been provided at Mahanayak Uttam Kumar and Noapara carshed and are in operation to facilitate prompt withdrawal and injection of rakes as well as performance of shunting operation inside Carshed required for maintenance purpose. Train Protection & Warning System(TPWS) is provided on the entire stretch of Metro Railway. This system will prevent collision caused due to human (Motorman) error.[16] Train Describer System and Auto Train Charting has been provided to help the operartion controlled centre to monitor and plan train movement on real time basis.[17] The Metro operates between 0700 and 2145 hours at a frequency of 5 minutes during peak hours and 12 minutes during non-peak hours on week days & from 1400 hours to 2145 hours on Sundays. 270 number of trains run during week days, 205 on Saturdays & 78 on Sundays.

Facilities and services[edit]

The Kolkata Metro provides special seats in every compartment which are reserved for women and senior citizens. The Kolkata Metro has also recently introduced functionality to support mobile signals in underground tunnels.[18] Metro stations are equipped with very large fans and few Metro rakes are air conditioned. The Kolkata Metro has introduced a Smart Card systems.

Fares & Ticketing[edit]

Kolkata Metro is not just the cheapest transport in Kolkata, but also in the world where the minimum fare is just INR5 and maximum fare was INR14, now is INR25 after the recent fare revision w.e.f 07.11.13. Passengers traveling with smart card gets a bonus of 10% on the overall value. The fare structure depends on zonal basis & is as below:-
ZONEDISTANCE (km)FARE (INR)
Iup to 55.00
II5.01–1010.00
III10.01–1515.00
IV15.01–2015.00
V20.01-2520.00
VI25.01 and above25.00

Tokens[edit]

After using the magnetic ticketing system for 27 years from 1984 to 2011, Kolkata Metro introduced RFID tokens from 2011. The old magnetic strip reader gates were replaced by new RFID touch

Smart Card[edit]

After introducing RFID tokens, Kolkata metro introduced Smart Card service. These smart cards are multi-programmable and commuters can opt for the various multi-ride schemes. To buy a new card a commuter have to deposit INR100, which will be refunded after the card is returned before expiry, unless the card is not physically damaged. A commuter can recharge the smart cards for INR100, 200, 300, 500 & 1000 & get 110% value on every recharge having a validity of 1 year. Kolkata metro also introduced smart card recharging machines in Park Street station on experimental basis, where money would be credited in the smart card by inserting INR100 notes in the machine & placing the card on its slot. Another type of Smart Card is the multi-ride cards. These cards are used on basis of the number of rides a commuter takes. The Multi-ride smart cards are of 3 types. This is withdrawn w.e.f 07.11.13
  • Medium Multi-ride - 12 Rides
  • Limited Multi-ride - 40 & 60 Rides
  • Extended Multi-ride - 80 Rides
The most popular among daily commuters is the general smart card.

Security[edit]

All the stations are equipped with Closed-circuit cameras, metal detectors, and X-ray baggage scanners thus making metro the safest mode of transport in Kolkata.[19] Clicking photos, eating, drinking & smoking are prohibited inside the metro premises.

Departments[edit]

[20] Accounts, Electrical, Vigilance, Traffic, Engineering, Signal & Telecom,Personnel,Medical , Stores.
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