WHAT HAPPENED IN 2019?

The Maharashtra government is set to review the bullet train corridor in 2020. The corridor will operate between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The National High-speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has acquired land for the project in Gujarat.

Railways are working on introducing an integrated ticketing system on the suburban local trains. The system will also be applicable to other modes of public transport. The project will be carried out in phases. The first phase includes the national mobility card that is likely to be introduced in 2020.

India's second private train, Tejas Express, is likely to be introduced between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in early 2020. Along with luxuries, the train will reduce the travel time between the two cities.

The Western Railway will introduce its semi-ac local train next year. Trials of the train will commence after the Research Design & Standard Organisation (RDSO) trials.

The fifth and sixth railway lines between Thane and Diva stations are likely to be ready for traffic by mid-2020. MUTP-2 will allow segregation of suburban and outstation trains between Kurla and Kalyan.

in south Mumbai.

The country’s second private train, Tejas Express, is expected to start between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in early 2020. The premium service will reduce the time taken for the journey between the two cities to six hours, five minutes, from six hours, thirty minutes.

A national mobility card for public transport is also expected to be introduced by the end of 2020. The proposal of the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation

The Neral-matheran toy train services are likely to commence from early 2020. The services are shut since this monsoon.

The Central Railway (CR) will introduce its first AC local train in January 2020. The zonal railway received the train in the first week of December and is currently conducting trials. The train is likely to be introduced on the trans-harbour route. (MRVC), a body that executes major rail projects in the city, is in its final stage of approval. It will be introduced on a publicprivate-partnership (PPP) model.

The on-ground work of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3 is expected to begin from March 2020. MRVC will also issue tenders for projects under MUTP-3A in 2020. Bids for major projects in MUTP-3 were invited in 2019.

One of the other crucial railway

BEST will get new BEST buses on wet lease in 2020. The organisation has received approval for getting 1,000 buses on wet lease.

The Central Railway started its first Rajdhani Express between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in New Delhi. While the outstation train was introduced only for two days initially, in 2019, the railways increased the frequency and is now operated four days a week. projects, decongestion of railway lines and reducing crowding in trains towards the north of Mumbai by building the fifth and sixth railway lines between Thane and Diva railway stations, is also in its final stages. In 2019, decongestion of railway stations, foot overbridges and entry and exit points were planned. Decongestion of Ghatkopar and Andheri, which are linked with Mumbai Metro, was planned in 2019 and is expected to be completed in 2020.

In a first, BEST reduced fares for its AC and non-ac buses to get back lost passengers. Within the first week after the fare reduction, the organisation saw a 50% rise in the number of passengers.

Fares for regular buses were reduced to and

Fares for AC buses were between

and

In 2019, BEST witnessed the longest strike in its history. Employees of the organisation went on a nine-day strike resulting in a complete shutdown of bus services. Employees went on a strike over wage agreement with the BEST management.

“MRVC will continue to work to execute projects, including MUTP 3 and 3A, in 2020, overcoming constraints of approach, time and space while ensuring minimum disruption to the existing super dense suburban rail system. Efforts on works such as integrated ticketing system, station improvement, additional corridors and procurement of AC trains will be visible in 2020,” said RS Khurana, chairman and managing director, MRVC.

The Central Railway started its Parel mini terminus for local trains in February 2019. In all, 38 train services operate from and till Parel railway station.

Cost:

The Central and Western Railway constructed and shut many foot overbridges (Fobs) throughout 2019. Fobs were built at Kurla, Andheri, Ghatkopar, Vidyavihar. The railways also removed utilities from many bridges acting on the directions of IIT Bombay.

High-security number plate for new cars became compulsory in 2019. The Regional Transport Offices (RTO) in the city need to ensure that new cars are fitted with plates made with chromium-based holograms.

BEST introduced five mini buses on wet lease in the city. The buses are being operated in south Mumbai. In all, 1,000 more mini AC buses will be introduced by the organisation.

While the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) successfully managed to procure land for construction of a bullet train corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in Gujarat and few parts of Maharashtra, no concrete ground work was carried out in 2019.

The Maharashtra government has ordered a review of the project and the corridor in December, after which the fate of the project will be known in 2020.

The Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3A received a nod from the Union cabinet in March 2019. The projects include procurement of air-conditioned local trains for suburban railway network, communication-based train control (CBTC) on the Central, Harbour and Western Railway, fifth and sixth railway line between Borivli and Virar, third and fourth lines between Kalyan and Badlapur, extension of harbour railway line from Goregaon to Borivli, laying of the fourth line between Kalyan and Asangaon railway stations, station improvement, Kalyan yard remodelling and technical assistance. Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has sought for financial funding for the project.

Construction cost: Deadline:

NHSRCL is likely to issue tenders for construction of railway stations for bullet train, along with crucial railway lines in Gujarat in 2020.

Citizens can also expect relief from surge pricing in app-based cabs and other taxi aggregators in 2020.

This will be possible as the state government is likely to come up with the city taxi scheme, through which it will have control over surge pricing, along with operations.