Know all about the proposed Metro Neo Light Rail Transit System in India

MRT Online Desk Posted on: 2023-05-05 08:15:00 Viewer: 3,952 Comments: 0 Country: India City: New Delhi

The 'Metro Neo' is a trolley bus system with overhead electric traction and rubber tyres, has the capability of being upgraded to a light metro system. Metro Neo coaches are smaller and lighter than conventional Metro train. It is a state-of-art, comfortable, energy efficient, minimal noise pollution and environment friendly system.

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Govt of India on 5th November 2020 has issued Standard Specifications for MetroNeo suited for Tier-2 cities or outer areas of Tier-1/ megacities with projected Per Hour Per Direction Traffic (PHPDT) for next two decades up to 10,000 today.

Salient features

Elevated or At-grade shared Right of Way (RoW)
Rubber-tyred bi-articulated electric coaches – quality at par with Metro
Overhead traction of 750VDC
Coaches are capable of running on battery in Non-OHE zones.
Guided coaches for passenger safety and also upgradable to LRT
Small stations – Entry from footpath to platform through lift/link bridge
Higher acceleration and deceleration
Coaches can run very close to each other thus attaining lesser headway
Telecom network to connect coaches, provide ticketing and smart passenger information system.
Superior in terms of vibration, noise, acceleration and cost

Civil Parametres for Elevated MetroNeo

Width of viaduct = 8m
Shared right of way can be planned for 8m of the viaduct
Road space occupied for piers is max 2.2m
No Concourse level in elevated stations, All technical rooms and TOM planned on Platform level only.
Platform width for the elevated station is 2.25m on either side, length of the platform is minimum 30m
Foot over bridges and elevators are planned for entry/exits.
Turnarounds are provided at terminals of the corridor.
Vertical gradient for viaduct = 5%
Desirable horizontal turning radius = 90m

Civil Parametres for At Grade MetroNeo

Shared RoW for Metro Neo. If dedicated RoW is to be provided then continuous fencing/plinth is provided
Width occupied 8m (RoW) on the roads (for UP+DN line) and 12m at the stations.
If road width is not available, a Single line (4m) shall run on one road and the other line is planned on the parallel road.
Width of each platform = 2.25m, length of the platform is min 30m
Station roof shall be optimized up to the platform area, not the entire road width
Ring network to be planned to reduce the headway.
Crash barriers are provided for collision prevention

System Parameters

Rolling Stock

Rubber-tyred electric coaches with Axle load 10-12Ton
Coach width = 2.55m
2 types of coaches single articulated with 18m length and double articulated with 25m length
18m coaches have passenger capacity = 140 and 25m coaches have 250
Car structure shall be stainless steel or Aluminum
Sufficient Battery capacity up to 20-25KM at non-OHE zones
Max operating speed = 65kmph
Average speed = 30kmph
Front or Back or Side evacuation can be possible as per Metro authority
Anti-collision devices in coaches to prevent forward collision and Overspeed warnings ROLLING STOCK
Operate on 750 VDC Overhead traction (parallel overhead wires)
Dedicated HT supply (22/33 kV) will be availed from Grid substation thereby avoiding the requirement of Receiving Substation (RSS).
Ring Main Network - The power supply at 22/33 kV voltage level will be distributed along the alignment through 33kV Ring main cable network for feeding Traction Substations (TSS).
These cables will be laid in dedicated ducts along/below the viaduct.
A Traction substation (TSS) for every 2-3 km will be envisaged
The contact wire shall be hard-drawn copper or copper alloy wire, usually with a cross-section ranges from 80/100/107/120/150 mm2
Height used for standard contact lines - 5.5m and for lines under bridges or for depots - 4,5m up to 5,5m.
Catenary switches are provided on OHE wires for route diversions

Traction & Power Supply

Operate on 750 VDC Overhead traction (parallel overhead wires)
Dedicated HT supply (22/33 kV) will be availed from Grid substation thereby avoiding the requirement of Receiving Substation (RSS).
Ring Main Network - The power supply at 22/33 kV voltage level will be distributed along the alignment through 33kV Ring main cable network for feeding Traction Substations (TSS).
These cables will be laid in dedicated ducts along/below the viaduct.
A Traction substation (TSS) for every 2-3 km will be envisaged
The contact wire shall be hard-drawn copper or copper alloy wire, usually with a cross-section ranges from 80/100/107/120/150 mm2
Height used for standard contact lines - 5.5m and for lines under bridges or for depots - 4,5m up to 5,5m.
Catenary switches are provided on OHE wires for route diversions

Signal, Telecom and AFC

Line of sight Signalling dependent on the driver with anti-collision devices and speed limits
The central monitoring system of coaches in the control centre with GPS based system
Fiber optic cables, minimum CCV surveillance in stations, an intelligent display system for coach arrival departure.
Centralized storage is given and telecom racks can be placed below platforms avoiding separate telecom rooms.
Ticket validators are installed inside coaches with NCMC ticketing systems
Tickets are available at stations, TVM’s in local shops and other landmark areas in the city
No AFC gates in stations

Guidance System

Kerb guidance system can be used in Metro Neo
Small guide wheels are attached to the bus axle and are guided by vertical curves on either side of the lane.
These guide wheels push the steering mechanism of the bus to keep it on centralized path. The bus can be steered in a normal way if it is away from the guideway.
This system permits high-speed operation and precise positioning.
This type of guidance system is relatively inexpensive as compared to other systems.

Maintenance Depots

Entry/Exit shall be toll plaza type with inlet points
The maintenance and stabling or more facilities for coaches can be done in one depot
Depot to be planned without OHE except for OHE maintenance shed
Coaches are to be operated on battery at depots