Deutsche Bahn wins Big Rail Contract in United Arab Emirates

Should Pakistan Railway ever be able to make a quarter of a Contract like this ................. I wish

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Germany's national rail operator Deutsche Bahn has signed an agreement in Abu Dhabi that could lead to a deal worth billions of euros to build a rail system in the United Arab Emirates.

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Deutsche Bahn, Germany's state-run rail operator, has won a contract to plan a rail system in the United Arab Emirates. The announcement for the contract came on Sunday from the Deutsche Bahn headquarters in Berlin.

German transport minister Peter Ramsauer, head of the Deutsche Bahn Ruediger Grube and representatives of the industrial conglomerate Al Masaood Group signed a declaration of intent Sunday in Abu Dhabi.

In a statement, Ramsauer said Germany would do whatever it could to assist the United Arab Emirates in creating a modern rail infrastructure.

Billion euro potentialBildunterschrift: Negotiations are still underway to award Deutsche Bahn the contract for constructing the rail system in the United Arab Emirates as well. Should that become part of the deal, Ramsauer said the entire contract would be worth billions of euros "in double-digits."

No financial details were released for the planning portion of the contract.

Deutsche Bahn, which operates Germany's network of high-speed ICE trains, has obtained a number of contracts in the Middle East in recent years. Just four months ago, the company landed a 17 billion euro ($23 billion) contract for high-speed rail lines and underground transport systems in Qatar and Bahrain.

Tunnel Boring Machine - Neelum Jehlum Project

The idea of using Tunnel Boring Machine in Neelum Jehlum Project reminds me of the use of the similar technology in Lahore Mass Transit undergroung phase.

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Saturday, March 27, 2010By Mansoor AhmadLAHORE: To complete the Neelum-Jhelum Hydroelectric Project before Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project being built by India, the Water and Power Development Authority has decided use tunnel boring machine that will reduce the construction time by two years, official sources said.“It is vital for Pakistan to complete the 969 MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydroelectric Project before India completes a similar project on the same rivers, so that Pakistan can claim its right to water use,” sources in WAPDA informed The News.

They said though India has usurped the right of Pakistan on Neelum water by planning to divert it for the run of river 348 MW Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project, its completion before the Neelum-Jhelum project would give India the right to use the water for electricity generation.WAPDA officials said that the Kishanganaga project would reduce the hydroelectric potential of the Neelum Jhelum Hydro Project. Originally Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project located in the Indian Held Kashmir and Neelum-Jehlum Hydroelectric Project being built in Azad Jammu and Kashmir were to be completed in 2016, the issue of right to use water has pitched both the countries in a race for the river.Excavation of tunnelling network through tunnel boring machine (TBM) will reduce implementation period of the Neelum-Jehlum Hydroelectric Project (NJHEP) by about two years, which would establish Pakistan’s right over Neelum water and India would not be able to divert it for use in Kishanganga project.WAPDA sources said the completion of NJHEP earlier than the schedule is very vital for Pakistan not only to cope with the increasing demand of electricity in the country but also to establish priority rights of water uses over the river Neelum against India.The use of TBM has remained limited in the past due fear of impact of drilling on weak geological formations. However, in the past decade tremendous improvements in tunnelling technology have been achieved, removing the fears associated with use of TBMs.

In the recent past the use of TBM has taken over the charge from the conventional method of tunnelling by drill and blast (D&B) method, NJHEP requires over 55 kilometre of tunnelling network.In the engineering design made by the Norwegian Consultants in 1996, the excavation of tunnels was proposed through conventional drill and blast method, to be spread over a period of 90 months.However, the use of TBM will significantly reduce this period by 24-28 months. Moreover, the use of TBM technology will also pave the way for execution of the upcoming hydropower projects in a lesser span of time, including the 1100-MW Kohala and 7100-MWBunji hydropower projects.Sources said acquiring the TBM technology and equipment is in final stage as a technical delegation led by WAPDA Member (Water) Syed Raghib Abbas Shah, has already visited the manufacturing facilities and project in Germany and Switzerland.

The team, comprising WAPDA experts, the project consultants and a panel of independent experts unanimously concluded that the use of TBM would be beneficial for hydropower projects in Pakistan with special reference to NJHEP.On commissioning, NJHEP will generate 5.15 billion units of electricity annually, while benefits of the project have been estimated at Rs30 billion per annum.

CM Punjab shows interests in Lahore Mass Transit Project

PUNJAB Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that special attention is being paid on development of infrastructure for progress of the province.The CM was speaking at a meeting to review development projects. The CM said that a comprehensive strategy has been adopted for elimination of corruption from development projects while in addition to effective monitoring of mega projects, third-party audit system has been made compulsory for maintaining a high standard of construction work.

The CM ordered formulation of a comprehensive plan to streamline traffic flow at Kalma Chowk and Bhatta Chowk and initiating work on these projects. He said that Kalma Chowk was an important place of the city from where hundreds of thousands of vehicles passed daily but due to traffic jams general public and students faced problems. He said that a project for the improvement of Kalma Chowk was evolved in the last tenure of the PML-N government but due to the toppling of the democratic government, the project was abandoned, resulting in tremendous increase in construction cost. He said that before taking this project in hand, work should be initiated on alternate routes for saving the people from inconvenience. He said that the plan for the improvement of Kalma Chowk should be finalized after considering all proposals and the project should be started as early as possible.

He directed that departments concerned should hold meetings with Lahore Rail Mass Transit System authorities for consultation regarding the project. He also directed to initiate work for the improvement of Bhatta Chowk during the current year for providing relief to the people of the area.The CM said that besides widening of roads and construction of flyovers and underpasses, proper traffic management was equally important for ensuring smooth flow of traffic. He directed Adviser Jehaneb Burki to chalk out a plan with the consultation of the departments concerned regarding traffic management and ensure its strict implementation.

Arriva Takeover Bid Confirmed by Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn, the German national rail company, has confirmed that it has tabled a bid for Arriva, the UK transport group. On Wednesday Arriva's shares rose 17% after it said it received a takeover approach, but did not name the bidder. But on Thursday Deutsche Bahn said it had made a cash offer for the group, but did not disclose its value. Deutsche Bahn already operates the Chiltern Railways route between London and Birmingham in the UK.
It also runs the UK's biggest rail freight operator, English Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS).
Arriva's shares rose another 4.6% on Thursday following the news. The Sunderland-based group is one of the largest transport groups in Europe, with operations in 12 countries. In the UK it runs several train and bus networks, including the majority of passenger rail services in Wales.
Earlier this year, Arriva confirmed it was in talks with French state railway group SNCF about a possible merger, but they later ended without agreement.

Karachi Circular Railway Project Hits Snags

This project will keep on delaying and delaying ......... as the project for the benefit of general public doesn't have much interests of our rich government.

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ISLAMABAD: The $1.5 billion Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project, approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council, has hit snags because of the land transfer issue between federal and Sindh provincial governments.
Informed sources told Dawn that project donor Japan International Cooperation Agency had made it mandatory to complete the resettlement action plan, including identification and finalisation of the land needed to settle people to be affected by the project, before the agreement was sealed.
The transfer of the land title by Pakistan Railways to the Karachi Urban Transport Corporation is required to complete the resettlement action plan study.
It will include allocation and transfer of 357.5 acres of land at Jumma Goth for resettlement of the affected people, transfer of the land along the loop and the land along the main line from the Karachi City railway station to Drigh Road station.
The work on the project was expected to start during the current year and complete in three years, but differences over the transfer of railways’ land have delayed it.
The sources said that the Sindh government had ‘occupied’ several hundred acres of the railways department’s land, but it needs more to launch the project. The PR authorities are working on the issue and the federal minister for railways has held a meeting with the chief minister of Sindh recently to sort out the matter.
The sources said that work on the circular railway project could not be started until the land transfer issue was resolved.

S.Korea unveils 'recharging road' for eco-friendly buses

SEOUL: South Korean researchers Tuesday launched an environmentally friendly public transport system using a “recharging road” - with a vehicle sucking power magnetically from buried electric strips.

The Online Electric Vehicle (OLEV), towing three buses, went into service at an amusement park in southern Seoul. If the prototype proves successful, there are plans to try it out on a bus route in the capital.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), which developed the system, says OLEV needs a battery only one-fifth the size of conventional electric vehicles and eliminates the need for major recharging.

It also avoids the need for overhead wires used to power conventional trams or trolley buses.
Guests including Seoul mayor Oh Se-Hoon and KAIST president Suh Nam-Pyo were given a 2.2-kilometre (1.4-mile) ride Tuesday around the zoo at Seoul Grand Park.Recharging strips have been installed in four segments totalling some 400 metres along the route.

Pick-up equipment underneath OLEV collects power through non-contact magnetic charging from strips buried under the road surface. It then distributes the power either to drive the vehicle or for battery storage.

If the system is used on Seoul bus routes, underground power lines would have to be installed on only 20 percent of the route at places like bus stops, parking places and intersections, KAIST said in a statement.

The technology was first developed in a project involving the University of California (Berkeley) but KAIST said that produced no tangible results.

The state-funded institute says it has applied for more than 120 patents in connection with OLEV, which it describes as safe, clean and economical.

“Of all the world's electric vehicles, this is the most economical system,”Suh told reporters, adding the operating cost is only about one-third ofordinary electric vehicles.

“The potential for application (of this technology to public transport systems) is limitless. I dare say this is one of the most significant technical gains in the 21st century,” Suh said.

Suh said KAIST plans to use OLEVs to shuttle delegates at the G20 summit which Seoul will host in November.

Project director Cho Song-Ho said technical breakthroughs included an improved way of transmitting power to the pick-up device on the vehicle chassis.

Cho said a gap of at least 11 centimetres (4.4 inches) was needed to take account of bumpy roads, while OLEV can suck power across a gap of up to 25 cm.

Given a normal gap, the vehicle can turn more than 70 per cent of the charge into energy for the vehicle, he said.

Investors Opportunity: SBP advises banks to avail grant for CNG Bus Project

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan has advised commercial banks that are willing to advance loans under Shaheed Benazir Bhutto CNG Bus Project, to approach SBP Banking Services Corporation for upfront payment of Rs 300,000 grant per bus.According to a Circular (BPRD Circular No. 3) issued by the SBP today, banks are advised to complete their due diligence based on the Concession Agreement signed by Operators/ Investors with the City District Government, Karachi before approaching the SBP-BSC Karachi office for down payment. The Federal Cabinet recently approved a scheme for launching dedicated CNG buses in the major urban cities of Pakistan for efficient environment friendly and as an affordable public transport. The Pilot phase of the scheme would start in Karachi during the current year in collaboration with the Government of Sindh and the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) followed by the other major cities. The Government of Pakistan will contribute a total of Rs 677,181/- as subsidy over 5 years towards the cost of one bus, which comprises Rs 300,000/- as upfront grant as part of down payment, and Rs 377,181/- as mark-up subsidy payable in 5 years (on monthly basis). It has been made mandatory for the operators/investors to ply at least 25 buses for a single route. The total amount, initially subscribed by the Federal Government for this pilot project is Rs 300 million. According to the Circular, banks are advised to immediately inform the SBP-BSC Karachi about the financial closure/deal with the operators/investors enabling them to provide with the requisite amount from the pool of Rs 300 million. This provision of amount once pledged would remain valid for 7 working days only, as this scheme would run till the exhaustion of Rs 300 million, it added.Moreover, banks are advised to approach the SBP-BSC, Karachi office for reimbursement of mark-up subsidy on monthly basis, which is 30 days from the date of the first disbursement. In this regard, the SBP BSC Karachi office, 30 days after the placement of order with the supplier for procurement of buses, will disburse the first monthly installment of mark-up subsidy, says the Circular. Banks are also required to immediately inform the SBPBSC, Karachi office to enable them to stop payment of mark-up subsidy in case where mark-up or principal is overdue by 90 days or more from the due date by the operators/investors. State Bank has also informed banks that the period required to procure buses will be 45 days from the date of the financial closure.It may be pointed out that any operator/investor ready to ply buses on different routes has to sign a concession agreement with the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) through the Karachi Mass Transit Cell (KMTC). The operators/investors may file more than one application (in multiple of 25 buses) in order to operate buses on different routes. staff report