{"id":3382,"date":"2019-05-12T09:05:40","date_gmt":"2019-05-12T07:05:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/?p=3382"},"modified":"2019-05-14T13:52:09","modified_gmt":"2019-05-14T11:52:09","slug":"new-lines-to-generate-wealth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/new-lines-to-generate-wealth\/","title":{"rendered":"New lines to generate wealth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Its extensive experience in the planning of high-speed lines, gained over the course of many years of constructing the Spanish network, led Adif, an Ineco shareholder, and the Indian state-owned enterprise High Speed Rail Corporation of India Ltd (HSRC) to sign a collaboration agreement in 2016. Adif and Indian Railways (IR), the parent company of HSRC, began collaborating in 2012 after the signing of a tripartite memorandum of understanding between Adif, Renfe and IR, establishing a framework for collaboration between the three companies in areas of technological development. This process of cooperation has led to recognition of Adif and other companies in the Spanish rail sector by one of the world\u2019s major markets: India. The country has 64,460 kilometres of railway lines, on which more than 18,000 trains and 20 million people travel on a daily basis, an enormous and complex network that the government proposes to renew by modernising its infrastructure and improving travel times and safety.<\/p>\n

In April 2015, India\u2019s Ministry of Railways asked the Spanish Ministry of the Economy and Competitiveness to carry out a feasibility study for a high-speed line between Mumbai and Nagpur, the first phase of the Mumbai-Kolkata corridor. The study was entrusted to Ineco and Adif, with up to 80 people involved over a period of 24 months, and with the goal of providing HSRC with sufficiently detailed technical, economic and environmental data and criteria to enable it to make decisions with respect to the development of high speed in the country.<\/p>\n

The section between Mumbai and Nagpur, running through Maharashtra (India\u2019s second most populous state with more than 100 million inhabitants), will complete one of the routes of the so-called \u2018Diamond Quadrilateral\u2019,<\/i> a project to connect India\u2019s four great metropolises \u2013Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi\u2013 through a network of 11,000 kilometres of high-performance railway lines.<\/p>\n

The project carried out by Ineco and Adif included the initial step of analysing 10 alternative routes at a scale of 1:50,000 and preparing a study of the demand and of the existing transport network to enable selection of the best three routes to be studied in greater detail. These three alternative routes were then defined and analysed, including estimates of operating speed and travel times for each one. The result of this analysis, presented to and validated by HSRC, was the selection of \u2018Alternative 2\u2019 as the optimum HSR route to be developed in the feasibility study to be executed through the cities of Mumbai BKC, Thane, Nasik, Aurangabad, Akola, Badnera\/Amravati and Nagpur. Lastly, the study and technical definition of this alternative was carried out with the participation of experts in the design of high speed projects, construction, station building, signalling and communications, and specialists in track integration and deployment of gauge-changeover facilities.<\/p>\n

In summary, the study included demand studies; prior analysis of the different routing alternatives; an operational plan with calculation of travel times and traffic grids for different scenarios; a rolling stock proposal; analysis and selection of railway technology to be implemented (gauge, track superstructure, electrification, safety and communications facilities, etc.); necessary special works; redevelopment and relocation of the population from affected areas; environmental analysis; rail operation and maintenance; cost estimates; and, finally, an economic\/financial analysis that will be used to determine the viability of the new high-speed line, as well as a financing proposal for the project.<\/p>\n

To carry out the study of medium and long-term traffic demand, the mobility needs and socio-economic characteristics of the populations along the entire corridor were analysed in conjunction with local development plans and United Nations population growth projections. In addition, a temporary demand scenario was developed for several years ahead, determined by the development of the infrastructure in phases: 2025 (Thane-Nasik), 2030 (Thane-Nasik-Aurangabad), 2035 (Thane-Nasik-Aurangabad-Akola-Badnera\/Amravati-Nagpur) and finally 2050 with arrival in Kolkata.<\/p>\n