I used to believe that the important infra projects might face hickups, but wouldn't be stalled the way they are now. It's disappointing.
High speed / Semi-High speed rail projects of Indian Railways
- Thread starter Ashwin
- Start date
I am in Maharashtra and said the same things few months back, you replied to my posts then, nice to see you accepting the facts and reality on the ground, linking those two posts here :
Indian Railways Junction
Indian Railways Junction
Do you know that Pune Metro plan was passed in 2007 and R sreedharan was called upon to make it and do feasibility studies?
R. Sreedharan then presented the entire phase 1 plan for Pune Metro with total expenses of RS 2500 crores, to be completed within 3 years the same time as Delhi metro.
The Teda Mooh chacha Bhatija gang from Baramati agreed with one condition that expenses be shown RS 3000 Crores of which they demanded siphoning of RS 500 crores. Since R. Sreedharan was/is Honest person he left Pune immediately without negotiating anything.
Now that same phase 1 plan for Pune Metro is being executed at a cost of RS 9500 crores. And it will be completed by 2022 if we are lucky enough. Here one thing should be noted Pune is the 8th largest city in India and much smaller cities like lucknow, Kochi have got their metro railway before Pune. Maharashtra sucks as a state whoever comes to power. Maharashtra Politicians are very greedy and parasitic creatures....
Centre objects to Metro-3 shed at Kanjurmarg, calls Maharashtra government decision as unilateral
In what is turning out to be another political tussle between the Central government and state, the former has objected to the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s
Vande Bharat Express Program
1. The tender which was scrapped this year was not scrapped due to presence of Chinese firms. It was scrapped because out of 6 firms, few had released some financial information too, which was not required and gave advantage to certain players. That tender was of 2019 December.
2. A new tender was called. Bid have been opened. 3 parties are found compatible this time. They are BHEL led consortium, Medha led consortium and CRRC (China) led consortium.
PS: Tender is for 44 sets with 16 coaches each. 75% local content from start necessary.
1. The tender which was scrapped this year was not scrapped due to presence of Chinese firms. It was scrapped because out of 6 firms, few had released some financial information too, which was not required and gave advantage to certain players. That tender was of 2019 December.
2. A new tender was called. Bid have been opened. 3 parties are found compatible this time. They are BHEL led consortium, Medha led consortium and CRRC (China) led consortium.
PS: Tender is for 44 sets with 16 coaches each. 75% local content from start necessary.
If the tender was scrapped as reported in the media due to the presence of a Chinese firm, why are they back in contention? If not, as per your post, what's the idea behind including them where we are curtailing our involvement with China.
Another interesting but little known theory I've come across is China initiated what they did this summer as soon India pulled out of the RCEP last fall. The theory goes that our skewed trade with China was an extension of the tributary system that vassal states used to enjoy with the ancient Chinese empires & the trade imbalance in favour of the Chinese was how we paid our tribute.
Of course, none of this was officially or even unofficially acknowledged by our MEA in formal meetings with the Chinese or even the media ( for obvious reasons) but this was the unwritten code of conduct prevalent. The Chinese wouldn't humiliate the then GoI beyond occasional probes on the LAC & we wouldn't hinder or try to remedy the growing trade & consequently the trade imbalance.
The dominant school in our IFS led by SS Menon, Shyam Saran, Nirupama Rao etc reflected this outlook which is why when we walked out of the RCEP these were the ones who made / are making the biggest noise.
With India out of the RCEP, the Chinese probably concluded that it was a matter of time before India would curtail access to the Chinese in other sectors of the economy too.
As it is , ever since Doklam, they've been suspicious of Modi. Withdrawal from the RCEP & vociferously protesting the BRI along with the scrapping of Art 370 all tilted the decision making mechanism towards teaching India or Modi specifically a lesson . Guess which group is now gloating & smirking - we told you so.
A wasted opportunity, By this time they should have manufactured at least 100 train sets of Train 18 and the same should be plying between major Indian Cities. This would have probably enhanced the reputation of the Govt and Indian Railways. Still the tendering process is not completed and I don't know how many years it will take to manufacture these 44 train sets.
Train-20 project is no where. It has gone off the shelf. How the Central Govt and Indian Railways handled this Train - 18 project alone shows why our system sucks.
The intersting thing to note is that ICF which manufactured the 1st two train sets , doesn't seem to be a part this time.
So whichever trainset comes under this tender, will not be the same as first 2.
So whichever trainset comes under this tender, will not be the same as first 2.
Excerpts from the article quoted:
"Besides, the railways would also decide on the eligibility of the Chinese joint venture company to bid for the project.
According to railways, this is an indigenous tender with stipulation of minimum local content of 75 per cent. The eligibility for a bidder from a country which shares a land border with India to participate in the tender shall be as per public procurement orders of the Ministry of Finance."
Chinese JV Among Three Players Enter Race For Making 44 Vande Bharat Trains; Tender Stipulates Minimum Local Content Of 75 Per Cent
While the BHEL is a PSU and Medha is a domestic player, the third company CRRC is a Chinese entity, which has tied up with an Indian unit to bid for making 44 rakes of Vande Bharat indigenously.
swarajyamag.com
Frankly, this proves that the IR are chutiyas of the 1st order & that even under a minister as dynamic as Piyush Goel, the bureaucrats rule the roost. Isn't pre qualification of bidders done before distribution of tenders? Why go thru all the charade & risk a court case after accepting a bid & then rejecting the bidder on prevailing rules? The kind of professionalism displayed by the IR is unbelievable .Excerpts from the article quoted:
"Besides, the railways would also decide on the eligibility of the Chinese joint venture company to bid for the project.
According to railways, this is an indigenous tender with stipulation of minimum local content of 75 per cent. The eligibility for a bidder from a country which shares a land border with India to participate in the tender shall be as per public procurement orders of the Ministry of Finance."
Chinese JV Among Three Players Enter Race For Making 44 Vande Bharat Trains; Tender Stipulates Minimum Local Content Of 75 Per Cent
While the BHEL is a PSU and Medha is a domestic player, the third company CRRC is a Chinese entity, which has tied up with an Indian unit to bid for making 44 rakes of Vande Bharat indigenously.swarajyamag.com
If opposition rises some matters on the workings of IR like it did rukus on Rafale deal, it may force some bad elements out of IR decision making process.
In the latest one I can tell you that a certain Diesel Locomotive Shed has put up 20-30 Alco locomotives for sale. The market value of these locomotives According to their age is atleast 3-4 crores each. But the thing is that if they aren't able to find a buyer, they will end up in scrap. And there are 2000 such locomotives. Who will be responsible for wastage of 2-3 crore rupees worth wastage on every locomotive pre maturely retired ?
PS: I am not against Electrification or reduction of Diesel Locomotives, what I have problem with is that people who over produced diesel locomotives in thousands for 10 years are still in the system and no one will question them. That's huge wastage.
Better to refurbish & donate them free to underprivileged countries & make money out of AMC.
That is the problem, the market for broad guage diesel locomotives is very very limited. Mainly Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
One option is Argentina, we can sell huge numbers of Alcos with 20+ years of service left (they will be any day better than the Chinese diesels they have now). But then again looking for opportunities is not something we do.
Bullet train to Jammu, Guwahati? Indian Railways proposes to connect these major cities with high-speed rail - Times of India
India Business News: New bullet train corridors! The draft NRP proposes to extend the bullet train corridors and introduce new ones to bring major cities
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
National Rail Plan Drafted for India's High Speed Rail Projects
India's Ministry of Railways on Friday published a draft of the National Rail Plan (NRP) policy document with a primary aim to create capacity, increase the Indian Railways' modal share from 26% of all transport to 45% by 2030, which in turn would cater to growth in demand right up to 2050. The 1
themetrorailguy.com
National Rail Plan Drafted for India's High Speed Rail Projects
India's Ministry of Railways on Friday published a draft of the National Rail Plan (NRP) policy document with a primary aim to create capacity, increase the Indian Railways' modal share from 26% of all transport to 45% by 2030, which in turn would cater to growth in demand right up to 2050. The 1
Sorry for the pessimistic comment
But No such thing will happen
Even the first Mumbai Ahmedabad HSR will be badly delayed and will be financially unviable