Metro rail is emerging as a key component of India’s urban mobility landscape. Over the past few years, project management has changed significantly. Digital platforms are now being used for project monitoring, designing, communication, inventory management and preventive maintenance. However, there has been no major difference in the civil engineering aspects of metro rail projects.
Key initiatives
Metro systems are large capital-intensive projects. Both central and local governments are reluctant to invest in such projects as they deliver limited returns. About 60 per cent of the project is being funded by external agencies. Since operational losses on these projects are incurred by the state government, they are cautious about sanctioning new projects. Various initiatives are being taken to address this issue. For instance, in order to provide services on a no-profit no-loss basis, a target has been set to generate 60 per cent revenue from non-fare box sources.
The Maharashtra government approved the Transit Oriented Development [TOD]s Policy in 2019 to encourage more people to settle near metro stations. Accordingly, a 500 metre radius around metro stations was fixed as the TOD zone and floor space indices were relaxed. TOD encourages the development of residential, commercial and recreational spaces near transit hubs, reducing the need for long commutes and promoting sustainable urban planning. Later, in 2022, the state government levied an extra 1 per cent charge as metro cess charge when purchasing property in Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nagpur to fund the growth of transport and infrastructure projects.
First-and last-mile connectivity is important to enhance mobility and increase metro rail ridership. To this end, the Metro Rail Policy, 2017, mandated that first-and last-mile connectivity should be an integral part of the detailed project report (DPR). E-bus services are being promoted in cities for better last-mile connectivity from metro rails and other connected transit points/interchange stations. In addition, the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme was launched in August 2023 to augment city bus operations and EV charging infrastructure. Multimodal interchange facilities are also being enhanced with the National Common Mobility Card-based automatic fare collection system.
Now, upgraded software and digital tools such as building information modelling (BIM), digital twins, project management software and data analytics are being used for project planning, design and monitoring. The single source of truth provided by the BIM platform has enabled metro rail projects to get the right data at the right time for productive decision-making.
Update on key projects
Pune Metro
The Pune metro rail project (Phase I) comprises two corridors, totalling a length of 33 km. In February 2024, MAHA-Metro carried out a successful trial run on the Civil Court Swargate stretch, with a ridership of 75,000-80,000 passengers per day on the 24 km operational network. However, it was expected at 0.15 million passengers per day. With the extension of the network, the ridership per day is expected to increase. As part of sustainability initiatives, tree plantation was done at the Pune metro project. Of the total trees that were planted, more than 80 per cent survived.
Currently, MAHA-Metro is in consultation with the Pune Municipal Corporation and the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation for the Pune metro project Phase II. Meanwhile, the DPR for an 80 km line under Phase II has been submitted to the Government of Maharashtra and is at advanced stages of approval.
In addition, a digital project management platform, based on 5D-BIM, has been integrated with integrated enterprise resource planning, enhancing international best practices by integrating multiple software on a single platform.
One of the major challenges faced during Phase I of the Pune metro was related to changes in alignment because it was difficult to anticipate certain factors in advance. Further, clients have become increasingly demanding regarding project execution, with stringent timelines for construction works.
Mumbai metro Line 3
The Mumbai metro Line 3, Colaba–Bandra–Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone, with an extensive 33.5 km network, is currently under construction. The line consists of 26 underground stations and one at-grade station. In March 2024, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) commenced trial runs on the Aarey-Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) stretch. During the trail runs, various systems including signal telecommunication, rolling stock, track and traction are validated. With an estimated cost of Rs 370 billion, nearly 88 per cent of the work has been completed.
Phase I, covering approximately 12 km, will connect Aarey to BKC, and is expected to be commissioned in the next few months. Meanwhile, Phase II (BKC to Cuffe Parade), spanning 22 km, will be commissioned by the end of 2024. Although civil construction contracts were awarded around the same time for both these phases, commissioning will be done at different stages.
There were challenges related to logistics, geology and topography. Excavation and tunnelling works posed significant difficulties during project execution. Earlier, tunnelling was done using tunnelling boring machine techniques, but later the tunnels were widened and a large cavity was created using the new Austrian tunnelling method. Many permutations and combinations of tunnelling methods were used for the underground section of the metro rail project. Also, it was a challenge to transport heavy machinery and materials to the site. There were several old buildings in delicate condition, including several heritage structures. In addition, the water table is almost at the ground level in Mumbai, which is a coastal city.
Key concerns
There are several concerns for different stakeholders in metro rail projects. It is difficult to predict the cost of commodities. For instance, the price of aluminium first declined from $3,500 per tonne to $2,200 per tonne, reflecting its volatility. Meanwhile, the price of copper is now fluctuating between $8,000 and $9,000 per tonne. The price variation formula, which is given in the tender document, does not fully insulate contractors from actual price fluctuations during the execution of these projects. Moreover, once the priority section is completed, the pace of progress will not be the same, necessitating the demobilisation of additional resources that were initially deployed.
The third rail system in India is limited. This system provides electric power to trains. It uses an additional rail, known as conductor rail, placed on the sleeper ends outside the running rails. A central conductor rail is also used in some cases. Another major concern is the skill gap as few experienced engineers are available, leading to delays in project execution.
The way ahead
Going forward, it is important to leverage technology and avoid unlimited margins for future expansion. The projects should be designed as per current requirements with a margin of about 20-25 per cent for increases in traffic. This will make the system much smaller, bringing down the unit cost. Lower unit costs that align with local requirements lead to reduced execution and operation costs, and less pressure on revenues. Further, data can be analysed to gain insights, which will assist in the designing and construction phase. Meanwhile, for asset management, there is a need to create a digital twin to enable predictive and preventive maintenance during the operational phase of the project.
Based on a panel discussion among Atul Gadgil, Director, Works, Maharashtra Metro; S.K. Gupta, Director, Projects, MMRCL; Aniruddha Kumar, Senior Vice President, Business Development and Tender, Railways and Metro, KPIL; and Kalyan Vaidyanathan, Director, Business Development, APAC, Bentley Systems, at a recent India Infrastructure conference
