Skybus Metro Rail

2010-02-09T02:58:00.000-08:00

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Sky Bus, not Metro, tailor-made for Indian cities: Inventor
9 Feb 2010, 1319 hrs IST, IANS

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NEW DELHI: The Sky Bus is tailor-made for congested Indian cities and is a safer and better option than Metro Rail, according to B Rajaram,

inventor of the Sky Bus and former managing director of Konkan Railway.

Significantly, Rajaram, who developed the Sky Bus — a twin-coach module that combines the strength of a steel coach with the flexibility of a bus — said he did it "at a tiny fraction of what it would have cost the government to develop it, which is anywhere between Rs 500 crore and Rs 800 crore".

The biggest advantage of a patented technology like the Sky Bus is that it remains the most cost-effective alternative at Rs 60-75 crore per route km as compared to Rs 215 crore for the Metro and Rs 400 crore for the underground Metro, at current costs, according to available data.

The Sky Bus can potentially carry six million passengers daily, or 80,000 hourly, in any direction.

"The Sky Bus pre-fabricated structure, unlike Metro Rail, which requires heavy infrastructure and huge capital, can be superimposed on existing roads, without altering their set-up or dislocating traffic, anchored by pillars raised on dividers," Rajaram told IANS in an interview.

It also frees authorities of the necessity of land acquisition, excavations and construction that clog and choke city arteries. What's more, said Rajaram, the project barely takes 24 months to commission against the five to seven years required by Metro systems.

"Integrating 15 rail technologies, Sky Bus turns the conventional approach on its head by reversing the position of the carriage and the wheels. The upside down configuration actually leverages gravity to bind the carriage wheels and the tracks inseparably in an enclosed concrete box, eliminating the possibility of either derailment or capsizing," he said.

"The system has already been granted worldwide patents and approved for mass implementation by German Tuv Rheinland, internationally renowned for technical-viability testing for aviation and transportation projects like magnetic levitated railways."

Handling passenger volumes is only one aspect of the Sky Bus. Another variant, the Sky Con, can be integrated with ports, railways and roadways, to accelerate loading and unloading of containers on ships 10 times faster than existing systems worldwide, he added.

A technical panel constituted by the central government and headed by Indiresen, former director of IIT, Madras, had concluded that the technology was "not tested" — which has become a major hurdle in its implementation.

Ironically, Indiresen also observed: "If very strict standards that some want to apply in this case (Sky Bus) had been applied in the case of Stephenson's Rocket Engine, the world would never have seen railways at all. We cannot live on borrowed technology for ever and should learn to develop our own inventions and, for that reason, learn to place confidence in Indian technology."

"Why single out the Sky Bus as 'untested'," asked Rajaram, "when a 'tested technology' like Metro Rail has been involved in a spate of accidents, injuring more than 200 people. Derailments and collisions over the past decade have also claimed 1,300 lives. Does it follow that train travel be outlawed as unsafe though the technology is proven?

"Similarly, were 'high-tech' Germany coaches disowned after uncoupling four or five times at low speeds within 20 days of their being introduced on the Lucknow-New Delhi Shatabdi Express in the late 1990s?" Rajaram asked.

Another panel headed by former president APJ. Abdul Kalam — as then prime minister's principal scientific advisor — had certified the technology as being safer than railways.

Sky Bus can be designated under the Tramway Act instead of the Indian Railway Act, since it moves along existing roads. Sky Bus is also included in the draft Metro Rail Act by the urban development ministry.

2008-12-01T06:17:00.000-08:00

Gravity Powered Urban High Speed Mass Rail Transportation system.

Need: Cities have limited transport zones historically fixed and do not expand or cannot be expanded because of built up habitats and businesses, to meet fast growing needs of urban population. Road based systems have low lineal density and quickly get saturated. The rail based system with high lineal density in capacity, and being rail guided can provide for automated fast transportation, but needs to be flexible to follow existing roads both in line and level to be economical and non-invasive to cause little damage to existing businesses and habitats.
Ideal requirements: We desire for a system capable of the meeting following requirements.
1.Follow the same right of way as existing roads either elevated or sub-way- and not requiring tunneling.
2.No large stations, but easy access from existing foot paths- rate of inflow to be matched by rate of servicing
3.No noise pollution nor any chance of collateral damage if failure occurs on the system while the system should satisfy the prescribed safety norms under UIC/ Indian Rly codes and regulations.
4.The rolling units and rail guidance such that no separation can take place, and there should be no capsizing of the module carrying passengers.
5.There should be no chance of getting stranded of a coach in between stations, no sudden power failures.
6.There shall be no possibility of collision between the units to endanger lives.
7.The entire existing road traffic should remain unhindered
8.Not a single habitat or business should need relocation.
9.Environmental friendly energy consumption thus reducing global warming
10.Level of service:
1.Air-condition and high speed 100 kmph max speed
2.Access should be within 250m from any point on the road and in any case nor more than 500m within the city.
Current rail based solutions do not satisfy all these requirements.

Gravity Power Towers:

Gravity Powered Urban Mass Rail transportation system meets all these requirements with scalable capacity and can take grades too, because it does not depend on rail/wheel adhesion for traction. The details are described in another technical paper with drawings. The estimates covering the cost of a typical project for a city of route length of 100km , operation, maintenance, interest and depreciation amounts, the expected revenues at 50ps per km and the expected profits are worked out.
Energy saving compared to current mode is 94% which is because we are tapping the alternate source of gravity power and the profits for a commercial venture can be of the order of 50% as ROC, after debt servicing and meeting all expenses including provision for depreciation.

Notes:
1.A rolling module is 3.5mwide x 20m long and at 7m/sq.m can carry 400 persons standing.
2.Headway of 20 sec is such that when one unit gets serviced at a station, the service time being 20 sec, another would be arriving to take its place. The access from vertical lifts of high capacity also driven by gravity power tower, can feed/evacuate at 400 persons per 15 seconds.
3.The revenues worked out assuming 70% of utilisation of capacity in terms of passenger.km , even if it falls by 50%, then also 25% profit is assured.
4.The costing is based on 50% being a sub-way ( cut-cover close to road surface) and rest elevated system- there is no tunneling.

2007-10-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

Letter to Smt Sonia Gandhi : India can have most modern metro rail transport without destroying property and NIL viability gap funding in 100 cities-performing better than Delhi metro!

B. RAJARAM BE., M.Tech., IRSE (Retd.) FIE., FNAE
DIRECTOR, Atri Knowledge Embedded Infrastructure Lab.P.Ltd.
Inventor & Mentor Anti-collision/Skybus Technolgies ( Fmr. MD/ Konkan Rly)
Flat 205, 2-2-15, B9, Bindu Prestige, DD Colony, Hyderabad 500007
Tel:+91 40 6454 5659 Tel.fax:+91 40 2740 0365 www.atrilab.com

To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of principle.
Confucius
Chinese philosopher & reformer (551 BC - 479 BC)
Dear Madam,

Sub: Why not 100 metro rails in 100 cities of India at no cost to State? That is what India can have with Skybus Metro Rail!

As an engineer of the country and inventor having assigned my patents to people of my country, I am unable to stop writing to you, even though there has been no response to my earlier letters. It is because I know what is right for urban transport, it is matter of principle that our country’s technology is not sabotaged by the petty procurement specialists, however much highly placed they are in the government.

To remove the confusion that the so called technical experts chosen by our smart bureaucrats, to put down Skybus, the safety tests I already conducted and proven- I would like a simple proposal of mine to be considered.

Officially allow a Sate government to call for tenders to put up a metro rail with no viability gap funding from the state, but with the same performance and safety requirements applicable to standard metro rail in the world, but with additional requirement that the railway shall be derailment proof and coach shall never escape railway track and capsize, ( better than any world class metro rail) , which could be similar to Konkan Skybus metro, (as an example.) The bidder shall first construct one kilometer model section, prove that the international safety standards and safety requirements for train control as applicable to metro rail in India, are met with, providing an independent Safety certificate from an organization of impeccable reputation in the world, say similar to TUV Rheinland or Lloyds UK rail, based on which the Commissioner appointed by the State will issue the certificate for operating under the Indian state law,( either metro rail rules or Tramway Act). If successful, the bidder will have right to construct and operate the metro rail system for a period of 30 years. No viability gap funding will be provided by the state, but right of way all along existing routes and other facilitation in terms of permissions, taxes, notifications and enabling rules for operation will be made.

If the bidder fails to get the certification, then the structure so constructed shall be useful to the state as a flyover, providing at least 3 lanes fit for cars, autos, two wheelers. When successful, the stretch forms part of the total route length.

By encouraging the Indian technology, like Skybus, India will gain:
1. Save government funds from urban transport- provide the same for water supply and sanitation of the cities
2. Provide in 100 cities metro rail transport- not just one or two
3. Indian industry will get fillip and will compete in international market as leaders of advanced technology in metros
4. Base will be laid then to change the way we construct sea ports and airports
5. Almost Rs 100,000 cr infrastructure can be developed, without government loans or funding in urban transport.
6. As no urban property will get dislocated, the government will not incur the wrath and tears of those who lose habitats and businesses as it is happening now in the name of metro rail.
7. Be Indian and be proud as the leader of technology, NOT a mere procurer!

What are the risks?
1. Untested technology and not proven- public safety state has to assure, is the refrain of the bureaucracy and their chosen consultants- refusing to understand the oscillation test results, demonstrated at Goa. Be as it may, the risk to state is now removed, because only if the model stretch satisfies the safety standards, and gets certified under law, public transport will be allowed.
2. If it is so good some advanced country like USA. Germany should have done this system, earlier- and attempts are made to compare with rubber tyred system- while Skybus is rail based system. This also makes no more sense now that risk is transferred to the bidder.
3. Capacities and performance concerns are raised- but again these are commercial risks for the operator- any way the model stretch will demonstrate these requirements. There is no risk for the state.
4. The right of way given over the kilometer will be wasted, when the technology fails, and so state will have an unwanted ugly civil structure- but now that it can be still used as a flyover, this objection has no basis now.

I am deeply concerned that Government of India has spent Rs 50 cr and tested the Skybus on test track and proved the only point to be confirmed- the dynamic behaviour of suspended coach successfully- but the country is denied the benefit of the technology. It is a mere design case of using the same railway technology, but procurement specialists are making it look like a complex research project.

The benefit of patents I got for the country are being denied to the people and you will agree, it is reprehensive. My prayer is that if in spite of this proposal of mine, Government is unable to use and wants to just delay use of technology for people, then, it is better the patents may be returned back to me- I will use the rights in setting up the new Skybus technology based metro rails outside India, so that others may benefit.

With best wishes and regards,

Yours truly,

B.Rajaram
7th Oct. 2007

To

Smt. Sonia Gandhi
President Indian National Congress
New Delhi

2007-09-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hon'ble Prime Minister of Malaysia addresses Hon'ble Prime Minister of India

2007-06-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

2007-05-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Letter addressed to Smt. Gandhi
Dear Madam,

Sub: Mindless wastage of public resources by our engineers and administration in urban transport schemes at the cost to public health, sanitation & drinking water

It is painful for any honest engineer or a bureaucrat to observe the copy cat behaviour adopted to think that there is only one solution to solve urban transport- that is by adopting the economically outdated metro rail as done by Delhi. Time to pause and learn the lessons others learnt long time back. Delhi Metro is proving to be a financial millstone, as admitted by the earlier Secretary in Urban Ministry. It is the most inefficient financially un-sustainable solution.

I had been writing earlier also the same and now I would like to throw a challenge:

Skybus standard gauge metro rail will provide the same rail capacity because after all it is also the same railway, but much improved as it is safer from being capsize-free and an Indian design.

The standard argument of metro rail “experts” that there is no safety certification is a bogey to protect self-interest of the high cost metro rail lobby. Please do not fall into this trap. I offer a risk-free solution:

Authorise the inventor, ( it will not help if you authorize Konkan Railway Corporation, who has the physical asset of Skybus created by me, and also patent rights given by me, but not the full knowledge to deliver the Skybus as yet, because I could not transfer technology to them) to find a BOT partner and construct just one or two kilometers of commercial Skybus- entirely at their expense, with an agreement that if the inventor gets the safety certificate as per international norms as applicable for metro rail, then the BOT operator automatically is entitled to complete the Skybus route of not less than 15 km, with the same concession agreement that you are executing for the metro rail parties- with the exception that NO VIABILITY GAP funding is provided for Skybus metro.

Suppose the inventor fails as suspected by the bureaucrats and their “technical consultants”, then still the state gains, because the Skybus civil structure can be used as a ready fly-over having three lanes, to divert all taxis, cars autos, and decongest the road. The BOT operator also will be allowed in such a case to collect limited toll fees to recover his investment. I can assure you this will be nominal amount.

Of course, having constructed and run the first Skybus experimental system, I am confident of delivering the commercial series produced Skybus- if I have a guarantee of at least a 15 km route for the industry to get involved. Certification starts from the very beginning of construction, manufacturing and gets completed at the time of commissioning- that is how Konkan Railway also was got certified by me.

If you listen to me, you will save thousands of crores of public funds which can be more effectively used for sanitation, public health and drinking water with shelters for less privileged persons.

It will look really preposterous, still if states want to stick to the path of wasting thousands of crores, when I am offering you a financially and administratively risk free solution- which you can even inaugurate by March-April 2009 – when the time comes for public to judge your government. History will judge harshly unwise actions of those trusted with power to serve people but who do disservice.

It is time to stop the madness prevailing to suck away precious public funds for such an un remunerative urban transport solution like metro rail of Delhi type, when we have superior technology metro rail in Skybus, which India can proudly show case!

May wisdom prevail to take such a simple honest decision which puts no risk on any one in the state, but benefits all concerned! Courage and honesty provide the key to success!

Yours sincerely,

B. Rajaram FNAE
Dt. 2nd May 2007

Smt. Sonia Gandhi
President
Indian National Congress
10 Janpath
New Delhi. 110001
INDIA

PS: If you please visit http://www.atrilab.com/ my URL on the internet, you can actually see the real Skybus running. It is the one I constructed at Margao, Goa with funds from Konkan Railway, and is running now for nearly three years, though an experimental set up.

2007-03-31T01:16:00.000-07:00

ODA of Japan with their soft loans causing unintended harm to India and technology development!

I am aggrieved that Japan with soft loan support some times can be doing un-intended damage to my country in particular and to technology in general.

The loan assistance to India in particular for urban transport sector, helping the financially unviable metro rail is doing double damage: the administrators of my country are using this soft option to deny implementation of my innovation Skybus Standard gauge metro rail, which is financially viable and will not need the government assistance at all nor any dislocation of built up habitat in a city. ( For more details please visit ( http://skybus.metro.googlepages.com/ http://www.atrilab.com/ www.youtube.com/atrilab )

I have donated all my patent rights to Government of India too!

Urban transport can be redefined and cause paradigm shift by converting the unremunerative urban transport project into remunerative one using this technology of mine. ODA is unintentionally hurting this implementation. The same funds could as well be given to the more urgent sanitation and water supply projects in about 200 cities- this will help our social upliftment and health care costs will reduce if we make our cities more hygienic.

So the sector where ODA can have much superior impact on peoples lives is being denied funds whenever you give funds for urban transport- where today we have the viable solution.

Secondly ODA is ending up doing the greatest disservice by propping up the financial black holes, as well as relatively unsafe metro rail as compared to the new Skybus standard gauge metro rail I constructed and demonstrated already. Unwittingly ODA is falling prey to the lobby adopting corrupt practices within the country which is suppressing our technology innovation which benefits humanity, using ODA money to back up!!

Like World Bank, ODA also should refuse any more assistance to urban transport - if you want to really help then use your influence to promote actively one project of Skybus- I promise you 15% return on the investment!!!! After that you do not have to support any more urban transport projects-- those funds can be used much better to provide urgently needed sanitation and drinking water projects in our cities! -- B. Rajaram M.Tech., FIE.,FNAEInventor Anti-collision/ Skybus TechnologiesIndian Railway Service of Engineers (1970-2005)CE(Goa),Dir(Projects)&MD Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd.,(1990-2005)My Hand Phone:+91 9346 555550 Land Line: +91 40 27400365 INDIAIn USA 1 703 835 9025 (roaming)URL: http://www.atrilab.com/Einstein said, "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." DIRECTOR Atri Knowledge Embedded Infrastructure Lab.(P) Ltd., United House, Public Garden Rd.,Hyderabad 500001 http://rajaram.bojji.googlepages.com/bojjirajaram

2007-03-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Hon’ble Chief Minister,

Sub: Gift of superior Skybus standard gauge metro rail – no viability gap funding from the state needed. Free Metro Rail by 2009- act now! Decision delayed is glory denied!

I find it amusing that you have been advised and led into starting long winding processes of taking up the unenviable task of filling up the bottomless pit, a financial black-hole, the metro rail line similar to Delhi one.

Even the World Bank, whom all over the planet the Governments seek, to sponsor un-remunerative projects, declares on website- they will not support such metro lines!

The transport experts, including those from railway expertise, on whom you are depending, are such that they enjoy mere expenditure, more of it the merrier - not known for producing returns!!! So long as government has easy funds, there is no problem. But health care, drinking water and drainage, roads are more urgent needs which will need government support and if you can get a solution saving Government funds for transport solutions- you should be happy.

It is truly amazing to expect a private party to stick its neck out, for the sake of viability gap fund from the Government. Experience of M/S UB Group, who are not small business people, in Bangalore, who suffered over 10 years, wasted money but finally got out cutting losses, should open eyes of the wise.

Why should you not take my offer: will deliver the standard gauge metro rail in the form of Skybus- a technically superior system with my design and value engineering- which makes the cost per kilometer drop to Rs 60 cr per km - will not need acquisition of built up precious urban land nor breaking hearts of business men along the route- safer system, with TUV Germany certification, included in the National Policy statement too,?

Just ask your experts to make a tabulation of the specifications of Skybus standard gauge metro rail posted at http://www.atrilab.com/ , and make a comparative statement, without adding their own prejudiced comments- track, structure, train control are all exactly the same!

For once think for yourself- not like many of our Government Babus, who are safer not taking a decision!

It is a pure business proposition- win-win strategy.

The pessimistic engineers, who have scant respect for Indian engineers and who delivered nothing in lifetime of their own, but become famous fast procuring and contract management experts with no respect for financing and viability, are good for Government funded open ended budget projects- where losses are palmed off back to the nation! If you have unlimited funds, that is the right kind of person for you, to spend and spend merrily, even after the project is over.

I give you an offer- my Laboratory can deliver the Skybus Standard gauge metro rail at 100 kmph, air-conditioned and with superior performance than what you are constructing/planning, both in capacity and safety, with the same standard safety certification applicable to metro rail systems- at Rs 60 cr per km in two years-

That is the precious Indian intellect which fills the viability gap of technologies in the world!

In March 2009 the Hon’ble CM with his colleagues can find themselves actually traveling in the World's leading Skybus technology- our own country’s contribution!

The technology risk, others tell you, does not exist because even the simple experimental set up I had constructed within 90 days in the Konkan Railway, which had a freak accident during an experiment before certification process, but has been running over the last two years after my own certification since Dec 2004.

In fact with only Rs 60 cr, my laboratory will complete one kilometer as model kilometer of the 10 km route you have chosen, and get the entire system certified- before the BOT operator spends more! The contracts with suppliers of equipment will be structured suitably as I did earlier.

Worst case scenario: If Dr Abdul Kalam, Dr Anil Kakodkar, Mr Rajaram Bojji all are proven wrong and TUV assessment also is incorrect, but only the arm chair spin doctors like the retired railway engineers and consultants prove right, and safety certificate tests fail for Skybus, then the State can still get the 3-lane fly over, the Sky-top, for diverting all autos taxis, cars, and two wheelers which constitute 90% of road traffic on the 10 km route section- the BOT operator then would have spent only Rs 30 cr per km but collect toll of say Rs 3 per unit of two-wheels, and will again handsomely recover his capital while the State also wins because they get the road totally decongested! This is the worst case scenario. But I am sure of delivering the Skybus- which makes the metro rail a reality and financially remunerative too in which case BOT operator will get all the 90,000 sq.m of Skytop for commercial use- an icing on the cake while the State gets world class metro technology, a comment by none other than Dr CK Prahlad on a visit to my first prototype.

Approaching Konkan Railway to whom I assigned my private research work patents, including Skybus, worth Rs 10,000 cr, will not help you. Because it was a private and personal work of mine; so technology vacuum has occurred after I left the place. Konkan Railway is my love and of course will involve them to the extent of any deliverable guaranteed technology (which they could not get because I had to leave) covered by patents which I assigned to them.

Hope you will have the wisdom to take this offer instead of getting stuck in a financial quagmarine that you are attempting to get in.

Observing the rules of governance, the state can call for open tenders with certain pre-qualification norms stressing on BOT experience, and choose two or three parties for delivering standard gauge metro Skybus type metro rail, offering the least land, but giving only the right of way and promising no viability gap funding- to deliver within two years safety certified metro rail for 10km route, time counted from the date concession agreement is signed. My laboratory will be the nominated technology deliverer assuring the safety certification of TUV Germany and will be paid by the BOT operator for delivery of technology. For the right of way a State agency can hold a nominal equity share of 5% of the SPV, formed by the BOT partner, while signing the concession agreement. As the inventor of the technology, I believe my laboratory is best equipped to deliver the promise. Till the process of selection of the BOT operator is complete and signing of the concession agreement, my Laboratory can be retained by the State, on payment of retainer fees, and once the SPV is formed, the project SPV will pay for the services of technology delivery, to my Laboratory. You can start with issue of letter of intent to my Laboratory to proceed.

If you are serious, please let your Chief Secretary find time to meet me in Hyderabad, before 15th April, or in Washington DC if it is later than 24th April 2007. I want to be sure that you are serious- which I want to ascertain this way- not a case of arrogance on my part. I have limited time and time is too precious for me- far more than money; so am trying to conserve the same only for serious achievers.

Please do not give instructions to your senior bureaucrats to call me for a meeting at your place.

You will be the gainer as much as your City, more than me!

It is your choice to imitate and get into a sure mess or lead the world boldly with glory to show case your achievement before next assessment of your work by people!

That too without spending public funds!

Yours sincerely,

B. Rajaram M. Tech., FIE., FNAE
Indian Railway Service of Engineers (1970-2005)
CE(Goa), Dir(Project) & MD Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd.,( 1990-2005)
Inventor & Mentor Anti-collision/Skybus Technologies
Director / Atri K E I Lab.(P) Ltd.,5-9-101/3, Public Garden Rd.,Hyderabad 500001 India
Fax: + 91 40 23234964 Ph: +91 40 64545659 USA: +1 703 586 9025FAX (USA) +1(425) 952-1732
http://www.atrilab.com/ Videos www.youtube.com/atrilab

2007-03-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

Letter sent at Year 2002 pricelevels. To Planning Commission and PMO.

Dear Sir,

Sub: Sky Bus Metro : A holistic, eco-friendly & futuristic indigenous but world class technology for urban transport

Sky Bus Technology is our indigenous innovative rail-based Urban Rapid Mass Transport solution, safer & better than underground or elevated rail metro, NOT requiring any subsidy from Government to:
1. provide every minute 100 kmph speed mass transport to city commuters in air-condition comfort at less than 50 ps/km while requiring virtually no urban land
2. save annually Rs 10000 cr recurring, in fuel imports
3. prevent urban pollution; stopping current emission of 1750 tonnes of CO per day
4. requires investment of Rs 25000 cr over 5 years to construct 560 km double line, with additional Rs 5000 cr for augmenting power supply
5. this entire investment is recovered in three years of saving in fuel bill!
6. India’s cities become noise-free and pollution free
7. For next 100 years the urban transport needs are taken care of
Action required:
1. Sanction in principle the Rs 25000 cr investment proposal on the basis of sale of ROW along city routes, on exclusive basis to Konkan Railway to install and operate the Sky Bus for the various financiers, who fund based on the transfer of rights of way over the city routes.
2. To enable Konkan Railway to raise the funds against the ROW., GOI to immediately make available Rs 50 cr this year to implement the Technology demonstration project of Sky Bus Metro.
3. Konkan Railway will demonstrate the performance of their technology within 12 months, commissioning the 1 km route for service!

Since the project is remunerative, once the technology is demonstrated, private participation is assured.

Under existing legal system it falls under the tram- way act, operating within municipal limits and therefore, outside the purview of Indian Railway Act.

Implemetation of the Sky Bus system in a time bound manner will eliminate foreign exchange out-go of nearly Rs 10000 cr annually recurring, as well as elevate our cities to standards better than Singapore or Malaysia. This will add to value of our currency as the purchasing power of rupee improves because the cost of travel actually comes down with Sky Bus metro and quality of service is of world class.

To present our Sky Bus technology , may I request for your help the undersigned to make a presentation to the Hon’ble PM, in your presence, which I believe, could lead to expedite decision to implement the Sky Bus, in the cause of our Nation.

With regards,

Yours sincerely,

B. Rajaram

Need for Urban Transport solution- what Sky Bus Metro can offer:

The Sky Bus Metro Project is a technology break-through providing a total solution to the Urban Transport problem.

At capital cost of Rs 45 cr per km the scope for implementation of the project is now estimated.- ( for 15000 to 30000 pphpd scalable to 90000 pphpd)

In each city having at least 20 lac population urban transport problems arise soon- because the space within city is limited and addition of road vehicles bring down the through puts, reduces average speed , increases pollution.

Underground metro has a larger number of safety concerns than surface rail; in addition to being prone to derailments and capsizing, also suffers from hazardous evacuation problems in case of fire or derailment. The solution is too expensive, four times that of Sky Bus, and takes too much of time to implement.

Elevated light rail systems are noisy and also only as safe as a railway, prone to derailments and capsizing , and not flexible to adopt to existing road alignments and finally, also almost costs twice that of Sky- Bus.

As a thumb-rule if 3 lac commuters are available daily to make two journeys a day, a 10 km route of Sky- Bus route gets financially viable- without subsidy from Govt.

Metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune do need to adopt this solution if future growth of city economically is to be ensured while improving quality of life- over next century.

The probable route lengths are:
Mumbai …….120 km
Delhi….………120 km
Kolkata………...60 km
Chennai………...80 km
Bangalore………80 km
Hyderabad……..50 km
Pune……………50 km

This adds up to 560 km with an investment of Rs 25,200 cr.

The systm will replace existing systems based on city buses, autos, taxis and even a large number of two wheelers within city area.

However the additional power requirement of 100 to 150 MW per city has to be augmented- preferably by location-independent nuclear power to protect against inflation in energy charges. Rs 5000 cr will have to come from NPC for erecting and operating these plants.

Environmental Benefits:

Vehicles in metro areas contribute 70% of CO , 50% of HC, 30 to 40% of Nox ,30% of SPM, and 10% of SO 2 of total pollution in the cities. ( Ministry Of Environment and Forests 1995).

Typicaly for Kolkata city , the quantum of pollution because of vehicles in the city is as under:
TDP ( tonnes per day)
Particulate 7.7
Carbon monoxide 175.6
Sulphur Dioxide 26.2
Nitrogen Oxide 12.9
Hydro Carbon 18

Almost 70% pollution in city is caused by vehicles. Dangerous levels of pollution levels are reached in the city. West Bengal Pollution Control Board gives figures of 820,000 road vehicles in the city , with 4500 further vehicles being added monthly.

According to World Bank report,(1996), Mumbai’s air pollution levels particles smaller than 10 microns ( PM 10) were much higher than standards set by the World Health Organisation. Maximum values are SIX times the standards. Same is with nitrogen oxides emissions. The vehicles numbering more than a million, and with density of 500 per sq.km is heading very fast to a very serious crisis. About 69% pollution is due to vehicles.

In urban areas the problem is compounded further over and above the density and numbers of vehicles, by the inefficient driving cycle- which increases both fuel consumption per vehicle as well as emissions.

The CARB ( California Air Resources Board ) estimates that at 8 kmph HC emissions are 23 times greater, CO emissions are 13 times greater, and NOx emissions are about 4 times greater than at 32 kmph ( Federal Urban Driving Schedule average speed). At city-traffic speeds much higher emissions occur

The Urban driving cycle includes approximately 18% idle, 39.7% accelerating, 22.7% time decelerating at close throttle, 12% time decelerating under power and only 7.6% time at steady state speed. Periods of acceleration and deceleration produce extremely high exhaust emissions, and time at idle produce emissions with no benefit of distance being covered. So cities with routes where one cannot travel at more than 15 kmph to 20 kmph average speeds- account for dangerous levels of pollution as well as inefficient fuel burning costing the nation dearly.

Assuming a total of 10 million vehicles for the above mentioned Urban Agglomerations, each consuming 5 litres of fuel a day , on average about 50 million litres of fossil fuel is consumed – adding to that much pollution. Almost 75% of this goes for public transport like buses, taxis and autos. If alternate public transport means are provided, like Sky Bus Metro, we may save this fuel every day.

This amounts to about Rs 500 million a day of fuel bill savings- in terms of imports!
Or annually, about Rs 15000 cr – while total import bill is of the order of Rs 60000 cr.

So an investment of about Rs 25000 cr in Sky Bus can give a saving of Rs 15000 cr in fuel import bill- recurring annually as also, catapult all our cities to international standards of air quality.

But additional power generation for the cities at the rate of 100 to 150 megawatts for each city has to be provided for.

Whether this additional power for each Urban agglomeration is drawn from existing grid supply or plan for captive power plant – will have to be examined.

In summary :
· Over next 5 years invest Rs 25000 cr to install Sky Bus Metros
· Allocate Rs 5000 cr for additional captive power or augmentation projects
· Then start saving Rs 10000 cr per annum in import bills for fuels
· Almost prevent spewing of 1750 tonnes of Carbon emissions per day!
· Provide air-condition service to people at hardly 50 ps/ km, which if properly structured, can even become virtually free or cost less than 15 ps per km.

For the same performance, Sky Bus Metro costs only 30% as compared to Underground metro like Delhi Metro, and costs only 50% as compared to Elevated rail systems.

Considering the tremendous impact on our economy because of this technology, it deserves allocation of Rs 400 cr in this year’s general budget - Konkan Railway will demonstrate all the expectations in practice within 18 months of making available the funds on one of the chosen pilot route. All the technologies are indigenously implemented and integrated- India can be placed on the world map as the leader in finding cost effective environment friendly solution to pressing Urban Transport problem.

Social concern for the displaced bus /taxi/auto drivers and workers:

A taxi or auto owner driver actually takes a loan and operates his vehicle. Similarly companies owning taxis and employing persons to drive also have to invest first in taxis. Now both the categories will use the same money to invest in Sky Bus Metro shares- there is a scheme where for every Rs 15000 invested, the share holder is entitled to a Gold card permitting him almost free travel or at concessional rate of 15 ps/km- so for Rs 2 or 3 lacs of investment , one gets 15 or 20 nos of such Gold cards, which convert into single journey cards say, 30 in number, which from a kiosk next to Sky Bus Station he sells to floating population of the city at say Rs 10 or 15 , making a profit of more than Rs300 a day- while sitting in one place. He does not have any worries of maintaining cars or autos. Same goes for the companies owning buses and their workers.

The Sky Bus metro is one single technology which can change the face of our cities, take out almost 10 million road vehicles in the cities and make the cities liveable, improving quality of life and attract and sustain economic activity to generate wealth.

2006-09-17T04:38:00.000-07:00

Skybus Metro

Pls visit www.atrilab.com too!

2006-06-06T11:38:00.000-07:00

Venerable Dr Abdul Kalam and his team examined the Skybus Concept as presented by the inventor and then MD of Konkan Railway Mr. Rajaram, upheld the same and recommended to take the same forward.(Yr 2001, Exhibit 1 ) The safety case visualisation as required by Dr. Abdul Kalam was also completed by respected Dr Anil Kakodkar, Dr P Ramarao ( Both respected Padma Vibhushans and scientists), and a working Commissioner of Railway safety of Central circle- who declared that safety-wise Skybus is better than railway by bench marking process.(Exhibit 2)

The Delhi Metro Corporation lobbied strongly to get these committee's recommendations set aside by wrong and misleading advice to Ministry of Urban Development, and successfully used their considerable influence to get another committee headed by Dr Indiresan, with memebrs loaded from Delhi Metro and their own paid consultant RITES to see that Skybus is killed. Further when Dr Indiresan Committee could not condemn the project inspite of best efforts of Delhi Metro sponsored members, Delhi Metro got upset and wrote another letter to the Chairman of the committee which if read with comments given by Mr Rajaram parawise- makes an interesting reading.(Exhibit 3) Since Skybus could not be killed, another time consuming method was found out to start a research and development project on well proven railway technology, saying that more tests and trials are needed to be conducted! here comes the simple commonsense question whether Skybus is a case of research or a design project- with every single element already proven and used in the railway- but congifured to deliver better results. What is to be proven doing fresh research spending public money is not technically established. In fact when one follows all the existing codes of railways and design the railway system, by the by the by, Skybus also uses the same Standard Gauge used by all other metros in the world-then sytem falls by definition as pre-certified ! Only a third party has to certify that it is so after verfification. That is what TuV Rheinland Germany is prepared to do. In fact Chief Commissioner Railway Safety was clear that once the Act is specified giving them the authority, their railway knowledge is enough to certify the Skybus for public safety. On this ground only, the Urban Dev ministry after considering the Dr Indiresan report, decided to permit AP Government to go ahead with commercial Skybus project in Hyderabad. (Exhibit 4)

The technically shameless attempt by experts of Delhi Metro to compare the standard gauge based railway bogies of Skybus metro, running on standard steel railway track, with rubber tyred mono-rail systems of Singapore in 2001, with active cooperation of people in power, to derail the opinion of independent opinions of scientists and railway safety expert, so as to keep the expensive metro rail projects of Delhi metro going on, makes it clear of the malafides, which is self-evident. Then getting the Dr Indiresan committee appointed only to delay and get PMO Scientfic Advisors's positive view of Skybus, load the committee with vested interests of metro rail persons, and the way RITES tried to write technically unsustainable dissent note to stop further any consideration of Skybus which was over ruled by the rest of the members of the committee, followed by unashamed arrogant letter of Chief of Delhi Metro, finding fault with Dr Indiresan for not supporting the RITES views( His own paid consultant), still comparing the rail-based Skybus with rubber tyred based system, confirms the malafides of the Delhi Metro to systematically sabotage and block the superior Indian technology, even after proving the same in dynamic trials.

I pray that Hon'ble Justice go through the letters I addressed to Cabinet Secretary and other Cheif Secretaries. Exhibit 5 & 6).

When engineers no more work like designers for the country's interest but join a gang to bleed the country, the Delhi Metro rail is the result. Over priced and under performing , financially bleeding white elephant!

I filed complaints with CAG and CBI too for the criminal nature of fraud taking place on the nation.( Exhibit 6 & 7). A complaint has been filed with the President of India too.

I also have finally formally filed complaint with the President of India. ( Exhibit 8)

Now, that Government is going ahead with their another mega project of Mumbai as well as Bangalore and Hyderabad with avoidable expenditures of tens of thousands of crores to create dangerous derailment prone railway systems within habitats with possibility serious collateral damage to no-users of railway, need less destructuin of built up property, while more elegant and safer solution duly pre-certified by definition, that is Skybus, is available, I seek finally the intervention of the Hon'ble courts to protect public interest- to call a halt and introspection over the hasy steps being taken by the Government of India and the concerned states.

We have had the more than century old railway technology, used in normal surface railway, or in under-ground metros- which is merely a railway in tunnel, or the elevated metro, which is the same railway running on a continuous bridge, managed the same with problems of derailments and capsizing! Now the same technology we use, in Skybus, but with an improvement that no more danger of derailment and capsizing can take place- then how come the engineers are trying to contest saying that it is now unsafe? At the most, they may argue that like old railway it will still derail and capsize- and the improvement is not effective- but they cannot say it is now unsafe, not tested! It is so self-evident system that it needed very convoluted thinking on the part of engineer-advisors to the government, to compare the railbased Skybus with a rubber tyred system and confuse the government, wantonly misleading the authorities, who also seem to be willing and ready to look confused! This is evident from the files of the Urban Development Ministry, if one collects the comments of Delhi Metro head.
This is nothing less than criminal fraud- particularly to lobby to set aside the opinion of venerable scientists like Dr Abdul Kalam and Dr Anil Kakodkar as well as a serving commissioner of railway safety. Fraud because the nation is being forced to spend thousands of crores more and getting country impoverished buyng off more expensive and less safe railway metro systems, and criminal because, knowingly a danger prone railway train is being put on the median of road, which cannot be guranteed against escaping the railway trakcs and jump on road-users, when a guranteed railway system like Skybus is available which is safer!
The current rush by the state governments with active encouragement of central government promising even viability gap funding is a typical case of "Draupadi syndrome" : all steps taken are procedurally correct, all bureaucrats and politicians protected- but the country is paying two to three times the cost needed to provide urban metro transport. Delhi Metro may have a defence- saying that they did not know about Skybus metro rail when they sanctioned- but now the Govt. has no excuse, to actively become a product seller for the benefit of certain foreign technology companies to the detriment of India! To indicate the magnitude of the implications, for example, the Mumbai City can be provided with safer , rail based fast mass transit for 60 lac passengers a day at less than Re one per killometer in aircondition comfort, without any viability gap funding from Government, spending only Rs 6000 cr! But Government is planning to spend Rs 20,000 cr to achieve much less and endangering the road safety too! Letters written to Cabinet Secretary, Cheif Secretary, Prime Minister and the results obtained at the test track proving the safety issues of Skybus- all are being kept aside, by the Government saying Skybus raiway is not proven, while again using the same railway technology as proven if it is in case of metro railway! Consultants who are self-serving today don't have any responsibility fixed on them-admminstrators take consultants' name, and get the advice they want and act, without taking responsiblity for the action.
I pray that Hon'ble court may take cognisance of my last letter to Government, not to become a product seller but protect public interest-Exhibit 5 and , in their wisdom, issue directives to Government to protect public interest.
I make this prayer as the inventor and the technology developer who has assigned all the patent rights to the people of the country, to serve public interest . Being a retired public servant, I am not financially strong to support the legal costs- I feel I have done my duty by bringing this issue on record of the Hon'ble courts to take it further.

2006-04-30T03:09:00.000-07:00

"Cabinet clears metro rail projects forBangalore...." It is surprising and quite amusing some times, tosee the self-important administrators happily implementing the Delhi metro/Mumbai metro taking help of mainly foreign consultants with Indian collaborators, progressively impoverishing the country. It is further adding insult to injury to our Indian intellect and technical expertise, when the money power of the lobby effectively manipulates the bureaucracy and political power, to block our country's initiative to deliver better and safer systems of urban transport like pre-safety-certified Skybus metro rail, which makes the urban transport in the world financially viable. But it is not so amusing to watch the combination of the tourist level technical knowledge of the administrators and happy technical advisors on foreign trips to refresh their tourist-level-technical expertise, coupled with short term huge gains to consulting firms along with press effectively blinded by the glitter of glass and steel camouflaging the same old railway with serious lacunae of derailments and capsizing, who all applaud each other, while the country's mute institutions of engineers and technologists, keep themselves busy picking up the crumbs while common man sweats out paying for the fun of all these players! Press may not publish this comment also, but fortunately the lobby is not effective in USA and other countries who recognised the safer Skybus metro rail to grant patents.

2006-04-21T02:09:00.000-07:00

Skybus Metro

2006-04-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

Skybus Metro

West Bengal

2006-03-30T23:23:00.000-08:00

Dear Sir,

Sub: Urban administrators-challenge-Viable alternative Skybus
Ref: Your Letter No: TS-176/06 dt 21st March,2006 & Conference in New Delhi on 21st March, 2006

As a former senior bureaucrat-engineer-manager-inventor and scientist, my interest is purely public interest. (a one page profile you may glance through).
I have done enough presentations in my service, and making one more to you is not difficult. But, the concern and worry that quite a few senior persons who talked to me at the conference, makes me write this letter.
My wish is one of your smart men should take the leadership position to present & implement viable, safer transport solution to improve the urban habitat. Of course, my services are always available as needed to your state.
Please accept my suggestion. Choose & nominate a dynamic senior in cadre, committed team leader in your Government, whom you trust & directly dealing with the problem of Urban transportation, to meet me in Hyderabad, to spend about only three hours. I will utilize this time to convince him of the necessity to design transport product to suit people and how to avoid bending peoples’ interest to serve product sellers.

Technology should serve people, not vice-versa!

Metro transport solution should basically meet the fundamental requirements to serve people and not to tax them and destroy their livelihood and homes.

Please be bold and insist to demand your requirements; it is the job of engineers and technologists to evolve suitable design to meet your needs:

Only transport zone in the city, space above or below the road should be used- but with least occupation of the congested road, by the solution.

The city aesthetics concerns, noise pollution, should be adequately addressed. This can be achieved only if continuous fixed structure is at a height of not less than 9 to 10m range.

The access for people should be friendly and available every 500m , and one need not climb more than 6 to 7m as well as without need for another feeder system

The solution should not generate further congestions on the roads with sudden massive discharge/ ingress of commuters, but evenly spread to match with the walkways available.

The solution should be scalable for next 100 years, to carry light loads like 8000 pphpd to heavy 80,000 pphpd. And at high speeds of the order of 100kmph.

The solution should address the cargo movement requirement of the city too, as well as the transport requirement for house keeping functions of the city.

Not a single building nor any occupied land be demanded in the city for setting up the solution.

The system should be free from climatic disruptions and be capable of working in floods/snow.

Credible disaster management arrangements should be demonstrated.

The safety of not only the commuters on the train, but also of the road users who are not using the solution, should be guaranteed through third party international accredited safety certifiers.

The solution provider shall not expect any subsidy nor grant from the government. The solution should be financially viable from the fare box collections.

Concession period will be negotiable from 10 years to 30 years, with performance assurance in the form of bank guarantee, with presentation of their solution in detail, to be completed within 3 years- will form the parameters to choose the DBOT( Design, Build, Operate & Transfer) through open bidding process. State should only provide the traffic data along the route, the work done by accredited responsible traffic survey consultants.

The DBOT operator will be required to price his service to compare with existing modes of transport and shall not be given preferential treatment by the state, to control other modes, to favour him. A regulator on the lines of TRAI, of state will provide for any relief if needed by the DBOT operator.

Thus the State will not act to promote any particular, technology at the cost to public interest, but will be people centric and protect only the public interest, thus making technology to be evolved to serve people.

The state has to provide the legal framework of Tramway Act and rules made under the act, to allow the DBOT operator to get the commissioning safety certificate formally issued by a state nominated Safety Commissioner, based on the safety certificate issued by a reputed accredited international class safety certifiers.

I am not a salesman for the Skybus technology- although it is my invention; but all rights of royalties go to the people of our country and my effort is solely in public interest. You will be surprised to know that all the above requirements are met only by our country’s invention Skybus technology, which is pre-certified, - and not by any of the imported technologies.

My sincere advice to you is to send a sincere committed senior officer who can think of public interest- I am prepared to spare my time without any charges. In about three hours I will give all necessary materials and training inputs to your officer, so that he/she may correctly face the Urban decongestion challenge, and be a leader & implementor. Then this officer can explain or do the necessary presentation to the superior decision making authorities in the State. You have to lead, through knowledge.

Please do not be led by product sellers.

You can have free metro transport solution- if only you want it: we can make it happen, that is what as IITian from Kharagpur (1996-1970), I can do for Kolkata!

But for heaven’s sake do not commit the blunder of setting up an elevated conventional metro rail traveling on your head all along the road- a waiting disaster to happen to the innocent road users and adjoining property- that will be a criminal act of negligence knowingly by the powers charged to protect lives and property in the state.

Let us serve wisely!

Yours sincerely,

(B. Rajaram)

Annexure: Profile.

Sri
Principal Secretary/ Transport/ Govt. of West Bengal /Kolkata

Working for Infrastructure Development model
to make travel, food and shelter virtually free to all!
Er. B. Rajaram B.E., M.Tech., F.I.E IRSE(retd.,)
Life Member Computer Society of India
Fellow of National Academy of Engineering
Inventor &Mentor Anti-collision / Skybus Technologies
Mr. B. Rajaram (born 1945) is a First Class First with Distinction Engineering graduate and an M.Tech from IIT/Kharagpur. Having served a decade in railway open line in various capacities, another decade in Railway research at RDSO & IIT, worked abroad as consultant till 1990.
He was involved with the Konkan railway project from the beginning of construction (1990) as a Chief Engineer, Director (Projects) and finally as the Managing Director(1998 to Jan, 2005).
The World Bank praised his management practices.
He has original contributions of new theories in rail-wheel and track-vehicle interactions in railway technologies recognized and published in the world forums.
He holds several patents abroad and in India for his inventions. His inventions cover railway technologies, world’s first Intelligent Anti-collision Devices (already under implementation over 2500km of route on Indian Railways), Sky Bus Metro (concept first presented in Bologna University Italy, by him in 1989)- in all 17 patents are assigned by him to the Government, through Konkan Railway Corporation, the royalty streams valued ( by Pricewaterhouse Coopers) at Rs 20,000 to 30,000 cr over 10 years with NPV of over Rs 8000 cr, if nurtured over next three years.
Research & technology innovation has been his passion. He is the recipient of FICCI national level award for Outstanding contribution to knowledge based industries in our country, as adjudged by Justice Bhagawathi committee, in 2004.
He believes it is in the realm of reality to make food, travel, communication and dwelling virtually free to all humans on the planet through bold application of science and technology to infrastructure development.
He wants India to lead the world in transportation, with Skybus technology, which makes metro-rail safer and financially affordable.
He has started his own research laboratory and is using the company as the vehicle. His website is www.atrilab.com

2006-03-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Skybus Metro

Elevated metro rail is a criminal act of negligence

2006-03-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Sir,

Sub: Urban administrators-challenge- please be informed about derailment-free and financially viable metro rail, the pre-certified Skybus of India
Ref: Conference in New Delhi on 21st March, 2006

As a former senior bureaucrat-engineer-manager-inventor and scientist, my interest is purely public interest. (a one page profile of mine, you may glance through.) I have done enough presentations in my service. The concern and worry that quite a few senior persons who talked to me at the conference, makes me write this letter.

My wish is one of your smart men should take the leadership position to present & implement viable, safer transport solution to improve the urban habitat. Of course, my services are always available as needed to your state.

Please accept my suggestion. Choose & nominate a dynamic senior in cadre, committed team leader in your Government, whom you trust & directly dealing with the problem of Urban transportation, to meet me in Hyderabad, to spend about only three hours. I will utilize this time to convince him of the necessity to design transport product to suit people and how to avoid bending peoples’ interest to serve product sellers.

Technology should serve people, not vice-versa!

Metro transport solution should basically meet the fundamental requirements to serve people and not to tax them and destroy their livelihood and homes.

Please be bold and insist to demand your requirements; it is the job of engineers and technologists to evolve suitable design to meet your needs:

Only transport zone in the city, space above or below the road should be used- but with least occupation of the congested road, by the solution.

The city aesthetics concerns, noise pollution, should be adequately addressed. This can be achieved only if continuous fixed structure is at a height of not less than 9 to 10m range.

The access for people should be friendly and available every 500m , and one need not climb more than 6 to 7m as well as without need for another feeder system

The solution should not generate further congestions on the roads with sudden massive discharge/ ingress of commuters, but evenly spread to match with the walkways available.

The solution should be scalable for next 100 years, to carry light loads like 8000 pphpd to heavy 80,000 pphpd. And at high speeds of the order of 100kmph.

The solution should address the cargo movement requirement of the city too, as well as the transport requirement for house keeping functions of the city.

Not a single building or any occupied land be demanded in the city for setting up the solution. Practically no demolitions in the city.

The system should be free from climatic disruptions and be capable of working in floods/snow.

Credible disaster management arrangements should be demonstrated.

The safety of not only the commuters on the train, but also of the road users who are not using the solution, should be guaranteed through third party international accredited safety certifiers.

The solution provider shall not expect any subsidy nor grant from the government. The solution should be financially viable from the fare box collections.

Concession period will be negotiable from 10 years to 30 years, with performance assurance in the form of bank guarantee, with presentation of their solution in detail, to be completed within 3 years- will form the parameters to choose the DBOT (Design, Build, Operate & Transfer) through open bidding process. State should only provide the traffic data along the route, the work done by accredited responsible traffic survey consultants.

The DBOT operator will be required to price his service to compare with existing modes of transport and shall not be given preferential treatment by the state, to control other modes, to favour him. A regulator on the lines of TRAI, of state will provide for any relief if needed by the DBOT operator.

Thus the State will not act to promote any particular, technology at the cost to public interest, but will be people centric and protect only the public interest, thus making technology to be evolved to serve people. State should not become an instrument to impoverish & displace citizens to favour and prop up unviable technologies.

The state has to provide the legal framework of Tramway Act and rules made under the act, to allow the DBOT operator to get the commissioning safety certificate formally issued by a state nominated Safety Commissioner, based on the safety certificate issued by a reputed accredited international class safety certifiers.

I am not a salesman for the Skybus technology- although it is my invention; but all rights of royalties go to the people of our country and my interest is solely in public interest. You will be surprised to know that all the above requirements are met only by our country’s invention Skybus technology, which is pre-certified, - and not by any of the imported technologies.

My sincere advice to you is to send a sincere committed senior officer truly committed to public interest- I am prepared to spare my time without any charges. In about three hours I will give all necessary materials and training inputs to your officer, so that he/she may correctly face the Urban decongestion challenge, and be a leader & executor. Then this officer can explain or do the necessary presentation to the superior decision making authorities in the State. You have to lead, through knowledge. Please do not be led by product sellers.

You can have free metro transport solution- if only you want it!

But for heaven’s sake do not commit the blunder of setting up an elevated conventional metro rail traveling on your head all along the road- a waiting disaster to happen to the innocent road users and adjoining property- that will be a criminal act of negligence knowingly by the powers charged to protect lives and property in the state.

Let us serve wisely!

Yours sincerely,
(image placeholder)
(B.Rajaram)

Sent to
Cabinet Secretary
Government of India

2006-03-12T04:43:00.000-08:00

Sub: Challenge faced by Urban administrators-An objective process to get right solution- refuse to promote metro rail or Skybus or mono-rail or guided buses! Pray Promote public interest!

Urban area administrators today are facing a serious dilemma. They face a choking city and conflicting offers of impossible solutions. In brief they face:

Ø Responsibility to solve current chaotic transport problem

o Roads congested with excessive number of road vehicles

o Low speeds causing pollution and loss of millions of productive man-hours

Ø Inability to increase road space

Ø Lack of funds

Ø Being called administrators – force themselves to depend on “experts” or “consultants” – who are likely to be pushers of vested interests

The solution depends on whom you choose as your consultant.

The technical/ knowledge world has different categories of persons, like all doctors are not the same- all engineers and consultants are not the same. Specialisation has to be distinguished.

For example for solving blood circulation problem, in a large hospital, the Doctor experienced as administrator and procurer of required hospital equipment cannot be the right choice – in case you choose, because he has been efficient in his work, what you get is what is contained in the suppliers marketing literature, as advice. So multiple solutions driven by products, appear.

Levels of technical competence are distinguished by

Ø Research and creative activity

Ø Design as per standards

Ø Execution through

o procurement as per specifications and standards.

o and contract management

Ø Maintenance / operational

Technology Evolution: We must understand difference between a research project & an innovative design to existing standards using well tested proven components.

The dilemma is to take advice from whom?

Ø If you take from Procurers and Project managers you get

o Off the shelf aggressively marketed solution

o Powerful established lobbies blur your view

Ø If you take from proven designers and innovators

o Worried to become a guinea pig in case it is new technology though sounds nice

o Face also violent opposition from established players in the highly competitive market who do have market strength

So one should have norms defined to discipline self to get the right advice

Ø Define what you want

Ø Define the minimum safety requirements to be certified at internationally accepted levels

Ø Hold the consultants/experts accountable and fix penal provisions for any misleading wrong advice

Ø Choose only those who have proven record of design/ technical contributions in their areas

Ø Check for back ground and eliminate procurers and project managers or operational executives even if they had worked for government, from your team of advisors- they are least qualified to render advice, because of their knowledge driven by marketing literature of equipment suppliers.

What do we want, in solving problem of transport?

Ø People: Comfortable. Safe travel at reasonably high speed at affordable prices for the city dwellers

Ø Cargo: City needs cargo supplies- an environment friendly system to eliminate trucks from roads

Ø Services: Municipal house keeping functions to be handled hygienically and efficiently

For People

Ø Easy access within one km to be reduced to 500m on the existing roads

Ø Almost no waiting time( less than 1min) – air condition travel with potential 100kmph speeds

Ø Affordable as compared to existing modes

Ø Assurance of safety not only for those who use the system, but also for road users.

Ø Minimum noise pollution and emissions

Ø Scalability for next 100 years requirement

For Cargo

Ø The system should take care of containerised or bagged cargo and be able to deliver the cities’ cargo to different locations.

Ø If possible can trucks be transported, eliminating them from roads?

City house keeping functions

Ø Since system follows exactly the roads, it is desirable if automated systems can be operated to clean and wash the roads

Ø As the city grows one major concern is management of city refuse- if the system can help automate the removal of containerised refuse of the city, a major hygienic concern is addressed.

As public servants we are concerned as to how to protect public interest. One must insist:

Ø Third party international class safety certification to guarantee:

Ø At no time the system will endanger the lives of commuters

Ø No collateral damage to any road users and properties along the road, because of allowing the system to follow the roads- either elevated or underground

Ø Credible disaster management system for safe evacuation of commuters

Ø Least public/debt support requirement

Ø Consultants or advisors to be made criminally liable for their recommendations, if found to be against public interest.

Objectivity and clarity

Ø Administrators with good intentions should demand that :

o Not a single building, garden, habitat be dislocated by the solution

o Least or almost no land causing dislocation of previous occupant be required

o Only existing transport zone in the form of roadways be utilised- and the city be not disfigured

Ø Solution should not cause further introduction of new road based vehicles on the system, which already is congested.

Ø Remedy chosen shall not be worse than the problem

Administrators cannot abdicate their responsibility to apply mind. Just calling some one as consultant,( not any way accountable for views), then allow wastage of public funds has to be viewed seriously.

As an experienced public servant and the inventor of Skybus technology of India, I have a duty to clarify and state facts, in public interest- technology rights are assigned by me to the Government through a public sector undertaking, (Konkan railway), hence I state in public interest:

First please understand the fact that Skybus metro rail is NOT a research project- but an innovative design project satisfying proven standards of construction and operations applicable to railway systems. So in technical terms Skybus is Pre-certified.

Ø Uses only the existing roadways- but does not occupy the existing traffic lanes.

Ø No demolition of any building or asset required, almost no land requirement

Ø Stations at 1km distance possible, without disturbing any local existing assets

Ø Handles cargo as well as the house keeping functions

Ø Scalable from light railway loads to heavy metro capacity, seamlessly

Ø Controls noise pollution

Ø Has the best disaster management solutions for evacuation

Ø Only railway system which provides guarantee against derailments and losing control from rail tracks, while providing high speed 100kmph speeds.

Ø By design and construction the safest improved railway in the world using well proven, time tested elements satisfying the prescribed international norms.

Ø It is a case of Innovative design project, pre-certified because observes existing standards and NOT a research project.

Ø Valuable experience gained while putting up and testing the Skybus, including handling of a disaster, prove all the points, and post accident safety trials have confirmed the superiority of the technology while being simple.

Ø Actual costs of construction establish that at half the capital cost of current solution, the system provides double the level of performance, compared to conventional metro rail.

Please visit www.atrilab.com to get typical third party consultancy reports prepared for some cities, for financial viability.

Urban administrators are concerned about public Safety & Funding.

Ø Skybus technology is Pre-certified as each and every element and sub-assembly as well as a system satisfies the same safety codal provisions.

Ø TuV Rheinland Germany , the premier undisputed leaders in the world for safety certification, are associated to assure.

Ø Without Government funds nor guarantees for debt, private funds will put up the superior Skybus Metro rail- in a short period of hardly 3 years for a 20 to 30 km network.

Ø Malaysian technology partners are ready to fund the SMART Hyderabad fully, Skybus Accentuated Metro Rail of 20km length.

Ø The technology belongs to India- I as inventor assigned the rights to President of India, through Konkan Railway Corporation- so as State authorities you have comfort of trusting another Public Sector Undertaking for delivering the Skybus Metro to you. The royalty benefits go to people of our country.

Ø The State chooses private BOT operator, and Konkan Railway and associates will provide the technology back up and see that the project is delivered.

So what is the way forward- straightaway adopt Skybus as a favour to me?

NO ! Please do not get involved with promoting any technology product; neither heavy metro rail nor mono-rail, nor guided buses nor Skybus etc etc - but challenge the technical prowess in the country and the world by demanding what is best for the public:

Ø Choose your consultants who are truly knowledgeable, avoiding procurement specialists and maintenance technicians, who may have vested interests or limited by experience.

Ø Do not specify technology- but emphasise your requirements. Demand high speed, safe, mass transit system, scalable for all future ( 100 years), please.

Ø Specify your requirements for the city to serve not only people but provide capability to handle cargo as well as house keeping functions

Ø Ban any dismantling of existing buildings and destroying gardens in city

Ø Demand that the system shall be safe as not to derail nor escape tracks to endanger the safety of the public on the roads & best disaster management– but fix penalties and criminal liability for failing to meet your requirement, as promised.

Ø Promise no Government funding in the name of viability gap funding nor offer any guarantees for raising debt- at the most offer tax concessions.

Ø Provide the Legal frame work through Tramway Act and a safety commissioner, who will verify the international certification papers to assure the best international class safety for public, at the time of commissioning and issue Formal Safety Certificate.

With the above approach, you need not waste your time with non-issues like whether you need a railway or what gauge is to be used or more serious real concerns like from where you should get funds, or whose properties you end up destroying with social and political implications.

You need only route-wise traffic projections and loads to be handled- independent of technology to be adopted, get these figures and call for open bids with the above mentioned requirements to get a BOT operator- your decision will be simple and public interest is best served without tears and fast too.

You can provide affordable air condition travel to all without struggling with details of technology choices nor funding problems, within your own time.

Yours sincerely,

(B. Rajaram)

Circulation:

Hon’ble Prime Minister & Cabinet Ministers Govt.of India, Secretariat/LS&RS, Planning Commission, & Hon’ble Chief Ministers All States.

Cabinet Secretary, Secretary /MOUD, Finance/Chief Secretaries All states, / CVC/ CAG

Press

2006-03-11T06:20:00.000-08:00

2006-03-05T03:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Sir,

Sub: Safety Certificate concerns about India’s Skybus technology-clarification-choice to create wealth for country or impoverish further our helpless common man

It has come to my notice that States are missing out a historical opportunity to change the lives of urbanites for better by not adopting India’s own Skybus technology, as some consultants not adequately informed, are giving misleading information and advice to states. Skybus actually solved some fundamental safety problems of railway- a solution which world awaited so long- it is not surprising that business interests of outdated technologies are spreading mis-information to prevent adoption of Skybus.

The power of the business interest of the foreign suppliers can be gauged, by the fact that even a good man like Mr Sreedharan, whom I respect, has fallen victim, and is writing to states against the better and safer railway system- which is Skybus.

I consider it my duty to put down the facts in public interest- I have no vested interest- as I have assigned all the royalties which my patent for Skybus will earn, to the Government of India, through Konkan Railway Corporation.

Administrators don’t have time and patience to deeply go through the matter, being too busy, but I pray that, you will be doing service to yourself and your own conscience, if you allocate your precious time and read, what I have submitted herein. You can change lives of the common man, at no cost to the state, provide urban transport using India’a most modern technology- please do not discount what I say, merely because I am Indian. India can lead, please.

Any system/sub-system/component/interface element when used satisfying proven established relevant international/national standards, is considered pre-certified.

1. In a table form it is shown how Skybus is pre-certified, just like metro rail, because all elements in Skybus are made to satisfy existing international safety standards just as a railway.

Matters of Fact: verifiable easily

Description		Conventional Metro rail like Singapore/Kolkata/Delhi	India’s patented Skybus metro rail –rights belong to the country
Railway track- Rails	Rails	52kg/62kg/m heavy rails as per standards- pre-certified	52kg/62kg/m heavy rails as per standards- pre-certified
	Fastenings	UIC standard pre-certified	UIC standard pre-certified
	Sleeper-blocks	UIC /Indian Rly standards – pre-certified	UIC/ Indian Rly standards Pre-certified
Track geometry	Gauge/alignment/ twist	UIC/IR standards- pre-certifed	UIC/IR standards Pre-certified
Elevated structure	Pre-stressed concrete/ pile/ open foundations etc	Standard rly codal practices Pre-certified	Standard rly codal practices-Pre-certified
Wheel-sets coned and single flanged	Solid wheel sets	Standard UIC/IR codes of practice Pre-certified	Standard UIC/IR codes of practice Pre-certified
Axle bearings/gearing driving motors –full bogie sets with standard braking		Standard commercially used driving bogies in all world metros to UIC/ISO /IR standards Pre-certified	Same standard UIC/ISO/IR standard driving bogies- pre-certified
Passenger coach load transfer	The loading points on top of the bogie Springing and damping	The fixed loading points for load transfer – for which the bogie is designed and proven to function over decades Pre-certified Springing and damping fine tuned for the track geometry over years Pre-certified	The same load transfer points used- no change Pre-certified Same springing and damping used Pre-certified
Mass distribution diagram	Constant improvement aimed to uniform distribution and keep centre of gravity as low as possible vis-vis the railway track	The centre of gravity is about 1 to 1.5 m above the rail tracks , and all design parameters of track geometry and curving evolved proven standards over decades- standards laid Pre-certified	The mass diagram is improved further, lowering the centre of gravity close to the rail track , relatively improving stability and safety- but still no advantage is taken but the same standards followed- pre-certified
System integrated- safety require-ments	Passenger comfort norms prescribed – more severe than the derailment/ track distortion forces	UIC/Indian Rly standards – dynamic tests shd satisfy –tests show satisfied	Same UIC/IR stds to be satisfied- tests show that these are satisfied
Dynamic safety to be assured during life cycle in worn out condition for springs / wheel sets, increased clearances	New and worn out tolerance limits laid by codes of practice	New and worn out conditions simulated and tests reconfirm that the norms in para 8 satisfied only before introducing the rolling stock. But later no tests are conducted- maintenance manuals followed to observe the tolerance limits for worn elements. Static check only.	In addition to following the conventional rly practice, improved system of daily monitoring to the same rigid standard as done at the time of clearance- with fully instrumented bogies assure much higher degree of safety- unique to Skybus. So dynamic monitoring exists. Far superior to existing metro railways.
Track transfer systems	Movement controlled with signals interlocked to prescribed standards as per UIC/IR	Points crossings position changed with due interlocking with signals IR/UIC/CENELC standards applied. Pre-certified.	Track itself gets shifted in similar manner, safety again assured observing the same interlocking of position of track with signals, observingIR/UIC/CENELEC standards Pre-certified.
Special unique features to be compared	Capacity to handle cargo in the form of containers or carry trucks on roll-on-roll off basis- to decongest roads of trucks Prevention of railway coach escaping the railway tracks Prevention of derailments, wheel shall not climb rail Station	Cannot do Has to depend on chance, and depend on all elements working as per design- NO positive design feature to hold railway track and wheels together except for gravity- No special design feature- depends on the till now used gravity only- has the proneness as the existing railways to derail and go out of control when rail breakage takes place or axle /wheel breaks. Not less than 600m to 1km long	Possible in Skybus technology only Positive holding together of railway track and the coach provided by design- can never escape tracks Special feature of derailment arrester prevents wheels from climbing over the rail and the running bogie can never escape the rail track Max 60m long for 60,000 pphpd
Emergency /disaster management	1.Fire	In underground metro just scary and very little consolation from the thick manuals In elevated system too, the fire generally entraps with smoke the coach and people are known to suffer asphyxation-further evacuation needs people to lump through the fire and smoke rising – creating problems	The Skybus system has the fire causing electricals and AC systems motors/electricals held inside the concrete box over head separated from passenger coach- any fire and smoke will rise above over head, not affecting the coach. Evacuation is more practical- slides, bridging to another Sky coach easy access to a double decker bus below – create alternate methods of recue. Additionally fire control inside the closed concrete box is simpler and automatic with built in auto sprinkler /foam systems to be auto activated. This is not possible in other conventional systems.
Getting stuck –failure of power/seizure of axle etc : evacuation	The train/coaches may get stranded inside a tunnel/elevated structure –how do you evacuate	In underground it is a nightmarish task- In elevated system, the path provided is too narrow next to track for people to get down the height of wheels and bogie, as we can see in current trains, and path is at rail level making it difficult for people to get down.	There is an easier method of evacuation- in case total power failure- there is an emergrncy generator giving just enough power to take the coach to the nearest station- in case this is not possible- then three modes of evacuation present 1. slides down to the road below- the traffic on road brought to halt by sirens and flashing lights to facilitate 2. In case of seized axle, sideways clearance with simple bridging with another Skybus unit is possible. 3. When height from road below is too much, then a side platform at the floor level of coach- easy to get on- leads to steps to go to Skytop above- where they get a 9m wide path to walk off- or electric vehicles can pick them and ferry to nearest station-in case of senior citizens. Thus much better superior systems available on Skybus comparatively.
Capacity	20,000 to 80,000 passengers per hour per direction needed- scalable over next 30 years	Meets the requirements with headway of 90 sec min	Meets the requirement with maximum of 3 units forming a 60 m, carrying 1200 passengers every minute yielding 72000 passengers per hour direction or 80m long multi unit can yield 96,000 passengers per hour per direction. Scalable from 20,000 to 80,000 passengers per hour per direction. These figures are based on the same principles of calculating the headways and through put with current train control systems- advantage of Skybus is it’s short length and capacity to deliver more passengers per lineal metre.
Capital cost	The traffic handling capacities being the same, comparison of cost of creating passenger seat km can be a good comparison- say consider a system to handle 20,000 passengers per hour per direction or 40,000 peak time passengers : cost per a double route/40,000 passengers per hour	Underground metro:Rs 400cr/40,000= Rs 100,000 Elevated metro rail : Rs 170cr/40,000= Rs 42,500. (figures taken from offer received for Mumbai recently)	Skybus technology: Rs 60cr/40,000= Rs 15,000. (Actual experimental test track costed Rs35 cr with rolling stock incl station etc- hence Rs 60 cr is per km is practically feasible)
Financial viability need for viability gap funding	When revenues are not enough- Government provides viability gap funding to make project viable for private BOT operators to take up the project	The conventional system has outlived its economic viability & relevance- capital costs so high cannot be viable. Though Government is offering 20% of project cost as gap funding, operators want close to 45% subsidy. So public funding becomes necessary	Financially viable- does not require any Government subsidy. Returns of IRR 15 to 20% make the project bankable, without Government support. Factors for lowered costs: 1.Dead loads reduced 2.Practically no urban land required. 3.No demolotion of any existing structures- as it can handle turning radius of 20 to 40m and even vertical lift if needed. 4.Stations are simple 50 to 60m long and there are no points and crossings 5.Digitally empowered system being derailment free and capsize-free is the safest system, reducing provisions for undefined risks.
Visual acceptance	City scape and along the roads the transport system should not become a grotesque invasion visually	At the 6m height, and heavy concrete wide overhead structure, cuts the 30deg cone formed at eye level of road users, creating a visually grotesque intrusion.	The Skybus fixed structure is at 9m and above from road level, and avoids cutting the cone of visibility for road users, giving free view of city from road level.
Noise pollution	City roads with a train running overheads may suffer additional noise pollution	In case of conventional metro, this has proved to be a major problem for residents, because air borne noise is difficult to control.	In Skybus, the noise generating rail/wheel point is totally enclosed inside the concrete box, cutting off the path of air-borne noise, trapping the same within. Amenable to control and minimize the noise pollution.

2. In my capacity as a professional railway expert, scientist engineer with patents for Skybus metro rail technology, internationally published original research and technical papers, as well as a senior administrator/bureaucrat (35 years) and project manger of having constructed and operated the first BOT project Konkan Railway (1990-2005) , former MD of Konkan Railway Corporation, and as the inventor who assigned intellectual property worth Rs 30,000 cr to the people of the country (as verified by Price-waterhouse Coopers), I swear and state that when we have proven India’s Skybus metro rail technology, much superior to conventional railway, the country is wasting public funds in the name of providing metro rail on the lines of Delhi Metro rail.

3. In summary: I state and hold myself accountable for the veracity of what I claim:

3.1. that India now owns world’s best railway technology in the form of Skybus and Intellectual property earns royalties for the country, as the inventor has voluntarily assigned his rights , there fore Skybus technology is people’s technology and I am working to promote public interest.

3.2. that Skybus is as much Pre-certified as the existing conventional railway system as evident from the table above and for reasons given there in

3.3. that the Skybus technology has additional safety features improving upon and removing the serious lacunae and unsafe features of existing railway used in metro rail

3.4. that the Skybus provides better visual acceptability, because the fixed structure is about 9m above the road level and will not infringe the 30 deg.cone of visibilty .

3.5. that since alternative superior and improved technology Skybus is available duly pre-certified, just as much as the metro rail, which also is getting safety certificate at commissioning stage, under the applicable act of state, for public carriage from TUV Rhienland Germany-

3.6. that it is technically a criminal act to recommend for any technically competent person to still go for unsafe old railway for metro rail.

3.6.1. the lives of travelers are endangered because of possible derailments and capsizing as the railway track and running wheels are not firmly and positively connected to prevent losing control in the old railway technology

3.6.2. the lives of those traveling on the roads also are exposed to added risk of train traveling all along the road overhead, losing control and rolling down on them with disastrous consequences

4. The State authorities constrained by lack of objective technical advice, are in the danger of creating waiting disaster in the name of metro rail facility, a train traveling all along the median of road, may jump rail track and find itself on the road below- acid test for the consultants, which state can use is, just ask for a guarantee that the train will never jump tracks in it’s life time, and in case it does, suffer pain of punishment both for the BOT operator and the consultant, under the relevant Cr.PC provisions.

5. If you don’t get such guarantee, then better don’t adopt that technology. Skybus technology can provide this guarantee.

6. You are in the seat of power given in trust by the common people to decide their fate: it is the choice you have to make:

6.1. adopt conventional old railway technology based Delhi/Kolkata/Singapore metro creating

6.1.1. a disaster-prone system endangering lives of people on the roads

6.1.2. raise a loan and write off public funds to the extent of Rs25,000 cr impoverishing common man, if you execute projects worth Rs 50,000 cr

6.2. adopt India’s Skybus technology creating

6.2.1. the safest railway system in the world, which cannot derail nor escape tracks to fall on the road below

6.2.2. with no requirement of funding nor subsidy from the state, but create wealth of Rs 25000 cr

7. I am in no position of power nor I represent any powerful MNC interest, only an ordinary retired central govt. employee; can only appeal to your conscience, as well as through a copy of this letter, appeal to the country’s most powerful man who seems to influence the states and Government of India, Sri Sreedharan:

Let us serve wisely Sir!

With regards to all the wise-men holding the positions of power to cause change in the destiny of common men,

Yours sincerely,

(B.Rajaram)

2006-01-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

CII

2005-12-14T09:06:00.001-08:00

Author: Er. B. Rajaram M.Tech., FIE., FNAE
Former MD / Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd.,
Why CII is not taking this opportunity in the interest of industry and our country?
Our attitude for infrasrtructure development
It is cosmic reality that humans are a part and parcel of the universe. They neither own exclusively the resources, nor create any, on their own. A trustee at best, but localised in time and space frame, we cause distortions in access rights causing unequal distribution of wealth. Infrastructure development is the instrument through which the humans address the improvement of quality of life, and knowledge in action is the technology, which forms the driving engine to deliver the infrastructure. Intellect is the precious gift to humans, which used properly, can yield development model, which progressively improves quality of life while reducing the costs of services, thus becoming a wealth generator- wrong approaches currently prevailing, lead to financially unviable models, effectively eroding value and wealth of one community to enrich another exploitative community, which in long term is unsustainable and makes all poorer. Through application of knowledge embedded devices and re-engineering known technologies, it is demonstrated how we can change the pace of infrastructure development to create a win-win strategy of self-sustaining & wealth generating infrastructure, ultimately leading to a situation of virtually free travel, food and dwellings! A real life case of development of the Sky Bus Metro technology in our country is shown to be capable of making the urban transport virtually free with vastly improved quality of service! Such paradigm shift in infrastructure-development is unbelievable, but true!

Sky Bus Metro – a paradigm shift in urban transportation:
The model shows how over 5 to 7 years an urban habitat can virtually have free transportation within their community.
Transport requirements of new economy emerging in the new millennium- Improve quality of life while reducing costs:

History shows when technologies are outdated they actually become economically un-affordable, typical financial disasters!

A society which forces their future progeny to pay for today’s comfort is not sustainable

Today’s transport solutions based on last century’s technologies like elevated/underground rail based systems are violating this cardinal principle-we should not rob wealth of our grand children!

Human life and quality improvement at reducing costs should be perceived as the focus of the new millennium

Infrastructure therefore has to cost less but deliver more to be a value generator: technology innovation alone can help

Sky Bus Metro technology is the break-through in transport technology from our country to cause such paradigm shift to make transport costs to fall while quality of life improves for all including handling cargo – providing a holistic transport solution.

9. The Challenge

Urban space remains frozen

Populations are shifting to urban habitats

Mass transit capacity

occupying less and less urban space,

while being pollution-free

affordable by common users

with point to point connectivity

Be integrated, avoiding inter-modal transfers

Safer than existing systems-value human life

Better quality of travel

Air-conditioned

Noise-free

Virtually no-wait service

9. Sky Bus technology as offered by Konkan Railway meets the above requirements, and helps us re-define the thinking and planning for urban transport.
9.1 Description: Heavy 52/60 kg /m rails placed at standard gauge floating in elastic medium and damped by inertia of measured mass held in a 8 mX 2m box enclosure, supported over a 1m dia. columns spaced at 15 m and located at 15 m distance from each other, in the divider space in between lanes on a road- way, at a height of 8m above road surface- provides the support and guidance for powered bogies which can run at 100 kmph, with the coach shells suspended below , carry passengers in air conditioned comfort, can follow existing road routes, while existing traffic on roads continue.
9.1 The fixed structure at 8 m height above road level is aesthetically pleasing and there is no concern of claustrophobic feeling for road users.
9.2 Aesthetic and eco-friendly, the Sky Bus can never derail, capsize nor collide- by design as well as by construction, hence is safer than existing rail-based system. At Rs 500 m or US$12m/km in India, the system is noise-free and pollution-free with 18000pphpd, scalable to 72000 pphpd as required. With no signalling and having no points and crossings, it is a unique mass-transit system, which can be put up within two years in any crowded & congested city. In addition to moving people Sky Bus system can carry standard 20ft containers, boosting its capacity utilization to double that of other existing systems.
10. Legal provisions: Sky Bus metro falls under tramway category, under Art 366(20) of Constitution of India, since it operates along existing roadways and within municipal limits, hence excluded from Railway Act. However all technologies are railway based and substantially provisions of Railway Act apply with additional provisions required to operate safely in conjunction with road users, who are sharing the transport zone along with the Sky Buses over-head. So a special Sky Bus metro Act has been drafted to cover the legal requirements.
11. The components of SKY BUS

Sky way

Sky bogies

Sky coaches

Sky stations

Traverser arrangements at terminals

11.1 Sky way

In the middle of road way pile foundations support 1 m dia column approximately 8 m high, and space at 15 m all along the roadway

The sky way consists of a concrete box structure carried over a series of piers at a height of 8 m above existing road level

Two rails fixed with appropriate fastenings within the concrete box support and guide the sky bogie

There are no points & crossings-

11.2 Sky Bogie

Standard two axle bogies used in metros for speeds of 100 kmph are used ( but can have higher speeds, if required up to 160 kmph)- of standard gauge.

Linear induction motor technology is incorporated-with 4th rail driving which is above the bogie/or 3 Ph AC motors with regenerative power capability.

Third rail is used for current collection

Braking-bogie mounted

Regenerative

Disc brakes

Emergency mechanical brakes

11.3 Design loads:
Max axle load 12 tonnes

Weight of bogie-2 axle motor:5 t

tare weight of coach: 6.5 t

weight of equipment:2t

passenger load: 9 t

total for a bogie: 24 t

axle load: 12 t

11.4 Sky Coaches

Double walled light shells with wide large windows are suspended from the sky bogies

Controlled banking on curves- 100m radius curves can be handled.

Air conditioned and with automatic doors

Audio visual information to passengers

Special 4m wide sliding doors for quick entry and exit of passengers

Each pair carries 300 persons and service every one minute or 30 seconds is possible.

11.5 Sky station description

Unlike conventional mass transit systems, Sky Bus needs smaller stations

Service is every 30 seconds or 1 minute that is virtually no waiting time for passengers

Totally automated without drivers or guards-and access control is also electronic by prepaid cards being swiped in

Stations act as only access facility, and not as passenger holding area

11.6 Traverser: There are no points and crossings. The traverser is the system which automatically shifts the sky bus units for balancing the loads/ changing routes too as well as shift units to depot lines etc.
Proven technologies and a very simple solution by merely re-engineering
the components constitute Sky Bus:
12. Sky Bus: Performance, Costs & Benefits

Passengers per hour in peak period 40,000 to 80,000 on a route

Service every minute

Grid network covers existing roads-point to point service

Rs 500 m per route km of double line capital cost for 40,000 passengers/hour capacity during peak

Two years construction period after financial closure.

Capital can be recovered in 5 to 7 years

Full private funding possible, being financially viable.

12.1 Free travel for life to those who own flats/assets in the city after 7 years:
Once the capital is recovered over 5 to 7 years, the residents/occupants, will be entitled for free life-time free travel, for one time payment of Rs 15000.
For a 10km route approximately, 2 lac users , when they pay, funds collected amount to Rs 3000 m. This is used as equity to expand raising debt of twice the amount, which means Rs 10 b worth additional network, providing annual 15% returns. Floating populations continue to be charged, which will be sufficient to pay for the operating expenses. The result is the urban travel becomes virtually free for life at a mere one time payment of 1% of value of his flat!
13. Network of Sky Bus Metro Mumbai city

Any metro can be sufficiently served by a grid network of 100km route length

Two routes of 20km length : 40 km

Four routes across of 10km : 40 km

Four routes feeders of 5km : 20 km

About 200 sq.km area can be served!

The system can move 100,000 to 200,000 passengers per hour in either direction-with flexible transport transfer capacity

At average lead of 7 km , the system can handle more than 6 m commuters every day assuming utilisation of 50% of capacity!

The investment is of the order of Rs 600 b for this system and can be up and ready within 3 years! Provides integrated solution, handles cargo too!

For such service, the current elevated/underground metro systems while being comparatively less safe, cost Rs 1200 b to 2500 b, and also will take not less than 7 to 8 years to construct. Still requires inter-modal transfer costs to be incurred additionally. Pollution of trucks continues in all other transport solutions.

14. Time Scale of developments

The innovative concept paper was presented by Mr B. Rajaram at a World Congress on railways at Bolgna University, in the year 1989 titled as ‘ Sky Wheels’.

After due engineering, the Sky Bus Metro technology was presented by Mr. B. Rajaram as MD Konkan Railway, to the Government of India in the year 2000-2001.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Scientists like Dr Anil Kakodkar as well as a working Commissioner of Railway Safety affirm technically the system to be feasible and safer than existing systems. (Year-2001)

Independent consultants like ICRA/ PwC confirm IRR of 14 to 15% (Yr 2001-02)

Private industries expressed confidence by investing their own funds to put up Rs 7 cr worth Sky Bus prototypes- a miracle by itself!(Yr.2003)

Then Ministry of Railways authorised Konkan Railway to spend Rs 50 cr to put up 1.6 km test track at Margao-getting ready within the cost to be operated in August 2004.

15. World Potential

Market exists all over the world for the financially viable urban transport

Even as on date expression of interest cases add up to Rs 500 b- simply based on the concept itself!

Our country stands to gain from this market as more than 95% is indigenously manufactured.

16. Implications for India

Polluted cities causing wasteful fossil fuel consumption being congested lowering average speeds of vehicles, will become wonderful healthy places to attract more investments

Investment of Rs 500 b over next 5 years covering 1000km of Sky Bus metro in 10 cities can save wasted fossil fuel worth Rs 50 b per annum and improve quality of life for all at affordable price.

This funding could be fully outside Government resources- private funding possible being financially viable!

16.1 Industries benefit:

Cement : 5,500,000 MT Steel:2,800,000 MT

Construction : Rs 150 b Manufacture: Rs 50 b

Employment :20000 permanent & 200,000 temporary/annum

Financial services: Rs 15 b Software/devices:Rs 20 b

Consultancy/design supervisory services: Rs 30 b

With international market the above figures will be doubled, in 5 years!

This investment of Rs 500 b in India adds annually a surplus cashflow of Rs 100 b recurring only from the fare box collections!
17. Skycon, Skyjet & Skyrail technologies

Sky Bus Metro technologies lead to other transport applications

Skycon is the application in Ports- the container handling and the Port operations get quantum jump in productivity almost five fold- causes a paradigm shift in designing and operating Ports.

Skyjet is another application linking major metros bringing the metropolitan cities at 1000 km within travel times of 7 hours! Delivers containers too with the same speed! Hence high speed travel becomes financially viable in our country at affordable prices.

Skyrail is an application for mountainous areas allowing almost vertical lifts and radius of turning less than 20m, with capability to deliver any defence equipment, free from climatic conditions.

The scope of all these applications has not been factored in.

18. Safety Certification:

Basically the Skybus Metro System is a modified railway improving the safety parameters: the center of gravity of mass carried by wheels is brought closer to the railway wheel-rail guidance support point as compared to railway. Since we use the same railway bogie on the same railway track used for metros in the world, the same rules for dynamic safety will apply while the system is in motion- that is:

The peak accelerations in vertical/lateral/longitudinal directions should not exceed the norms fixed for the metro rail systems in the world.

The ride index values used by Indian railways for their suburban systems used as the upper limits for performance

Since this is coaching stock with 8 wheel configuration, and limits are based on human comfort, automatically the safety requirement of Derailment Coefficient being within safe limits is assured.

The above position is confirmed by the Chief Commissioner of Safety for Railways in India.

The same rules for opening railways can be effectively used in this case too.

The fixed structure dimensions and the moving dimensions permissible are derived by using the existing clearances provided for rolling stock in our own country. Further from the test track these values can be re-confirmed and validated.

The principles used for operating and controlling the railways in metro suburban system are used for Skybus too. The apprehension that this may not give through-put , by some railway experts is unfounded. The secret is “train” here is 20m long and because of superior electrical braking the braking distances are of the order of 150 to less than 200m as compared to 5 to 10 times in conventional railway working and hence conventional railway experience of the fearing experts does not have technical basis. Also we carry 300 to 430 persons within 20m length in Skybus, which is not so for conventional railway, which is the Metro rail.

Now “Certification” is a legally based document which can be issued by a person / or commission so authorized under the law of the land. If Railway Act is applied, then Commissioner for Railway safety can issue the same, once the laid down norms are satisfied. A third party independent agency takes the measurements for the performance norms, which are compared with standards prescribed by the rules made under the Act , and after completing the work only before opening for public the certificate is issued. Since Ministry of Railways do not want to classify Skybus under Railway Act, then center has no authority on the safety issue- tramway act under the constitution applies and State Govt becomes the rule making authority, even though all the rules are similar to the railway rules only, for the Skybus too- because it is a 100% railway technology based system- only improved to avoid derailments/ and collisions which routinely ocuur on conventional railway systems.

Obligation from State Govt:

The old central Act but, transferred to States to operate after Independence, the Tramway Act 18XX existing, can be straightaway adopted by the State or The Skybus Metro Act has to be passed, since Ministry of Railway has categorized the Skybus Metro System as “not railway” under Railway Act 1989.

Since the test results satisfy the international norms, once the Act is passed by a state, it becomes a state subject , the safety commissioner under the Act will certify to the same norms used for the railway vehicles, either by India or by Europe, with third party test results.

Right of Way has to be granted to the BOT operator under the Act- The draft is already prepared by an experienced Supreme court advocate and a former Member law commission.

Invitation to discuss and finalise a concession agreement with the BOT operator.

It is there for your asking, the Skybus Metro system- this new millennium’s gift of our country to the world, in the words of Bharat Ratna Dr Abdul Kalam.

It will be a historic day when the Skybus Metro gets commissioned within 24 months of financial closure, expected to happen in 4 months, and open the new Metro for public use in 2007- touching lives of hundreds thousands of ordinary common struggling people, who will eternally be grateful to the Government!

Konkan Railway Corporation ltd., a Government of India Company,the BOT operator who are funding and the State will have to execute a MOU to make the above a reality.

19. Sky Bus Metro – new millennium’s transport solution: affordable by all common citizens on the planet- a gift from India to the world!

Sky Bus is the first non-invasive rapid mass transit system giving benefits of rail and flexibility to follow roads.

Unlike existing ones, Sky Bus technology carries cargo for city and eliminates trucks too!

Urban transport is made financially viable and affordable by the common man today to be within his living means.

The utilization of infrastructure created for urban transport of commuters, is doubled because the Sky Bus technology allows cargo also to be handled, providing house keeping functions also to the city- which existing metro technologies cannot render.

The perennial financial burden that the current urban transport solutions are, will now become history, with the advent of Sky Bus Metro technology. The public administrations will gain and the common citizen is benefited.

Skycon will revolutionise the Port working all over the world and the Skyjet systems will redefine the working lifestyles of people and cargo delivery time cycles will be influenced not only for industry but also for agriculture.

The automated systems progressively bring down the costs of transport in the goods and services availability.

Extensive use of knowledge embedded systems in a network configuration in the technology, lays the foundation for a future of falling costs, as is already happening in the tele-communication sector. The quality of service improves many-fold.

CII to act

2005-12-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

History shows when technologies are outdated they actually become economically un-affordable, typical financial disasters!

A society which forces their future progeny to pay for today’s comfort is not sustainable

Today’s transport solutions based on last century’s technologies like elevated/underground rail based systems are violating this cardinal principle-we should not rob wealth of our grand children!

Human life and quality improvement at reducing costs should be perceived as the focus of the new millennium

Infrastructure therefore has to cost less but deliver more to be a value generator: technology innovation alone can help

Sky Bus Metro technology is the break-through in transport technology from our country to cause such paradigm shift to make transport costs to fall while quality of life improves for all including handling cargo – providing a holistic transport solution.

9. The Challenge

Urban space remains frozen

Populations are shifting to urban habitats

Mass transit capacity

occupying less and less urban space,

while being pollution-free

affordable by common users

with point to point connectivity

Be integrated, avoiding inter-modal transfers

Safer than existing systems-value human life

Better quality of travel

Air-conditioned

Noise-free

Virtually no-wait service

Sky way

Sky bogies

Sky coaches

Sky stations

Traverser arrangements at terminals

11.1 Sky way

In the middle of road way pile foundations support 1 m dia column approximately 8 m high, and space at 15 m all along the roadway

The sky way consists of a concrete box structure carried over a series of piers at a height of 8 m above existing road level

Two rails fixed with appropriate fastenings within the concrete box support and guide the sky bogie

There are no points & crossings-

11.2 Sky Bogie

Standard two axle bogies used in metros for speeds of 100 kmph are used ( but can have higher speeds, if required up to 160 kmph)- of standard gauge.

Linear induction motor technology is incorporated-with 4th rail driving which is above the bogie/or 3 Ph AC motors with regenerative power capability.

Third rail is used for current collection

Braking-bogie mounted

Regenerative

Disc brakes

Emergency mechanical brakes

11.3 Design loads:
Max axle load 12 tonnes

Weight of bogie-2 axle motor:5 t

tare weight of coach: 6.5 t

weight of equipment:2t

passenger load: 9 t

total for a bogie: 24 t

axle load: 12 t

11.4 Sky Coaches

Double walled light shells with wide large windows are suspended from the sky bogies

Controlled banking on curves- 100m radius curves can be handled.

Air conditioned and with automatic doors

Audio visual information to passengers

Special 4m wide sliding doors for quick entry and exit of passengers

Each pair carries 300 persons and service every one minute or 30 seconds is possible.

11.5 Sky station description

Unlike conventional mass transit systems, Sky Bus needs smaller stations

Service is every 30 seconds or 1 minute that is virtually no waiting time for passengers

Totally automated without drivers or guards-and access control is also electronic by prepaid cards being swiped in

Stations act as only access facility, and not as passenger holding area

Passengers per hour in peak period 40,000 to 80,000 on a route

Service every minute

Grid network covers existing roads-point to point service

Rs 500 m per route km of double line capital cost for 40,000 passengers/hour capacity during peak

Two years construction period after financial closure.

Capital can be recovered in 5 to 7 years

Full private funding possible, being financially viable.

Any metro can be sufficiently served by a grid network of 100km route length

Two routes of 20km length : 40 km

Four routes across of 10km : 40 km

Four routes feeders of 5km : 20 km

About 200 sq.km area can be served!

The system can move 100,000 to 200,000 passengers per hour in either direction-with flexible transport transfer capacity

At average lead of 7 km , the system can handle more than 6 m commuters every day assuming utilisation of 50% of capacity!

The investment is of the order of Rs 600 b for this system and can be up and ready within 3 years! Provides integrated solution, handles cargo too!

For such service, the current elevated/underground metro systems while being comparatively less safe, cost Rs 1200 b to 2500 b, and also will take not less than 7 to 8 years to construct. Still requires inter-modal transfer costs to be incurred additionally. Pollution of trucks continues in all other transport solutions.

14. Time Scale of developments

The innovative concept paper was presented by Mr B. Rajaram at a World Congress on railways at Bolgna University, in the year 1989 titled as ‘ Sky Wheels’.

After due engineering, the Sky Bus Metro technology was presented by Mr. B. Rajaram as MD Konkan Railway, to the Government of India in the year 2000-2001.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Scientists like Dr Anil Kakodkar as well as a working Commissioner of Railway Safety affirm technically the system to be feasible and safer than existing systems. (Year-2001)

Independent consultants like ICRA/ PwC confirm IRR of 14 to 15% (Yr 2001-02)

Private industries expressed confidence by investing their own funds to put up Rs 7 cr worth Sky Bus prototypes- a miracle by itself!(Yr.2003)

Then Ministry of Railways authorised Konkan Railway to spend Rs 50 cr to put up 1.6 km test track at Margao-getting ready within the cost to be operated in August 2004.

15. World Potential

Market exists all over the world for the financially viable urban transport

Even as on date expression of interest cases add up to Rs 500 b- simply based on the concept itself!

Our country stands to gain from this market as more than 95% is indigenously manufactured.

16. Implications for India

Polluted cities causing wasteful fossil fuel consumption being congested lowering average speeds of vehicles, will become wonderful healthy places to attract more investments

Investment of Rs 500 b over next 5 years covering 1000km of Sky Bus metro in 10 cities can save wasted fossil fuel worth Rs 50 b per annum and improve quality of life for all at affordable price.

This funding could be fully outside Government resources- private funding possible being financially viable!

16.1 Industries benefit:

Cement : 5,500,000 MT Steel:2,800,000 MT

Construction : Rs 150 b Manufacture: Rs 50 b

Employment :20000 permanent & 200,000 temporary/annum

Financial services: Rs 15 b Software/devices:Rs 20 b

Consultancy/design supervisory services: Rs 30 b

With international market the above figures will be doubled, in 5 years!

This investment of Rs 500 b in India adds annually a surplus cashflow of Rs 100 b recurring only from the fare box collections!
17. Skycon, Skyjet & Skyrail technologies

Sky Bus Metro technologies lead to other transport applications

Skycon is the application in Ports- the container handling and the Port operations get quantum jump in productivity almost five fold- causes a paradigm shift in designing and operating Ports.

Skyjet is another application linking major metros bringing the metropolitan cities at 1000 km within travel times of 7 hours! Delivers containers too with the same speed! Hence high speed travel becomes financially viable in our country at affordable prices.

Skyrail is an application for mountainous areas allowing almost vertical lifts and radius of turning less than 20m, with capability to deliver any defence equipment, free from climatic conditions.

The scope of all these applications has not been factored in.

18. Safety Certification:

Basically the Skybus Metro System is a modified railway improving the safety parameters: the center of gravity of mass carried by wheels is brought closer to the railway wheel-rail guidance support point as compared to railway. Since we use the same railway bogie on the same railway track used for metros in the world, the same rules for dynamic safety will apply while the system is in motion- that is:

The peak accelerations in vertical/lateral/longitudinal directions should not exceed the norms fixed for the metro rail systems in the world.

The ride index values used by Indian railways for their suburban systems used as the upper limits for performance

Since this is coaching stock with 8 wheel configuration, and limits are based on human comfort, automatically the safety requirement of Derailment Coefficient being within safe limits is assured.

The above position is confirmed by the Chief Commissioner of Safety for Railways in India.

The same rules for opening railways can be effectively used in this case too.

The fixed structure dimensions and the moving dimensions permissible are derived by using the existing clearances provided for rolling stock in our own country. Further from the test track these values can be re-confirmed and validated.

The principles used for operating and controlling the railways in metro suburban system are used for Skybus too. The apprehension that this may not give through-put , by some railway experts is unfounded. The secret is “train” here is 20m long and because of superior electrical braking the braking distances are of the order of 150 to less than 200m as compared to 5 to 10 times in conventional railway working and hence conventional railway experience of the fearing experts does not have technical basis. Also we carry 300 to 430 persons within 20m length in Skybus, which is not so for conventional railway, which is the Metro rail.

Now “Certification” is a legally based document which can be issued by a person / or commission so authorized under the law of the land. If Railway Act is applied, then Commissioner for Railway safety can issue the same, once the laid down norms are satisfied. A third party independent agency takes the measurements for the performance norms, which are compared with standards prescribed by the rules made under the Act , and after completing the work only before opening for public the certificate is issued. Since Ministry of Railways do not want to classify Skybus under Railway Act, then center has no authority on the safety issue- tramway act under the constitution applies and State Govt becomes the rule making authority, even though all the rules are similar to the railway rules only, for the Skybus too- because it is a 100% railway technology based system- only improved to avoid derailments/ and collisions which routinely ocuur on conventional railway systems.

Obligation from State Govt:

The old central Act but, transferred to States to operate after Independence, the Tramway Act 18XX existing, can be straightaway adopted by the State or The Skybus Metro Act has to be passed, since Ministry of Railway has categorized the Skybus Metro System as “not railway” under Railway Act 1989.

Since the test results satisfy the international norms, once the Act is passed by a state, it becomes a state subject , the safety commissioner under the Act will certify to the same norms used for the railway vehicles, either by India or by Europe, with third party test results.

Right of Way has to be granted to the BOT operator under the Act- The draft is already prepared by an experienced Supreme court advocate and a former Member law commission.

Invitation to discuss and finalise a concession agreement with the BOT operator.

It is there for your asking, the Skybus Metro system- this new millennium’s gift of our country to the world, in the words of Bharat Ratna Dr Abdul Kalam.

It will be a historic day when the Skybus Metro gets commissioned within 24 months of financial closure, expected to happen in 4 months, and open the new Metro for public use in 2007- touching lives of hundreds thousands of ordinary common struggling people, who will eternally be grateful to the Government!

Konkan Railway Corporation ltd., a Government of India Company,the BOT operator who are funding and the State will have to execute a MOU to make the above a reality.

19. Sky Bus Metro – new millennium’s transport solution: affordable by all common citizens on the planet- a gift from India to the world!

Sky Bus is the first non-invasive rapid mass transit system giving benefits of rail and flexibility to follow roads.

Unlike existing ones, Sky Bus technology carries cargo for city and eliminates trucks too!

Urban transport is made financially viable and affordable by the common man today to be within his living means.

The utilization of infrastructure created for urban transport of commuters, is doubled because the Sky Bus technology allows cargo also to be handled, providing house keeping functions also to the city- which existing metro technologies cannot render.

The perennial financial burden that the current urban transport solutions are, will now become history, with the advent of Sky Bus Metro technology. The public administrations will gain and the common citizen is benefited.

Skycon will revolutionise the Port working all over the world and the Skyjet systems will redefine the working lifestyles of people and cargo delivery time cycles will be influenced not only for industry but also for agriculture.

The automated systems progressively bring down the costs of transport in the goods and services availability.

Extensive use of knowledge embedded systems in a network configuration in the technology, lays the foundation for a future of falling costs, as is already happening in the tele-communication sector. The quality of service improves many-fold.

Replies to Times of India

2005-12-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

sudip talukdar <sudip_talukdar@hotmail.com> wrote:
Mr B. Rajaram

MD, KRCL
Answers provided underlined.

Why has an indigenously developed technology like the Sky Bus been under sustained attack?

Our country has been conditioned to think that our engineers cannot produce any thing of world class, commenting " if it is so good, America would have done that" , deprecating our indigenous efforts. The Sky Bus technology causes paradigm shift to not only urban transport but also to the way Ports will work, Airports operate and also design of High Speed trains. The Sky Bus Technology is safer, eco-friendly, rapid mass transit system for cities with same capacities as an underground metro, transports cargo too, which others cannot do and takes only two/ three years to complete a net work of 30 to 50 km in a city. More importantly the Sky Bus system costs less than half to one-fourth the cost of existing technologies and for the first time in the world urban transport is made financially viable - at affordable pricing of 50ps per km of airconditioned travel or Rs 500 per family per month to travel 1000 km. The technology is a direct threat to all the well established technology lobbies selling yester year products in our country aggressively. Hence well orchestrated opposition is sustained by the high cost technology proponents to protect their self interest

Why did the prototype develop snags during tests in Madgaon recently. Have you drawn any lessons from the accident.?

The technology of the Sky Bus is so safe that no human life can be lost, by design. The accident occured while partial testing of one sub-element of an automated working, was in progress under expert supervision with facility to abort experiment the if found necessary. In the emergency procedure, power was cutoff disabling the electrical braking , and the mechanical brakes failed to take action, in this case. Even then nothing would have happened except the Sky Buses would have come to a stop over sand bag protected tracks. As some people thought. the speed of 50 kmph over the 100m radius curve, could have caused the Sky Bus coach to hit the central column, is not correct- even at that speed sufficient clearances are provided not to touch the column. But the coach did hit the column. The facts indicate presence grease on top of the rails in the approach and on the curve portion, which was not expected to be present, as the same was removed and cleaned 10 days earlier by the Konkan Railway engineers. The light drizzle coupled with the presence of soft grease , and the curving effect created a combination of factors, causing the Sky Bus to go into a voilent skid behaviour, generating excessive forces in the suspended mass making the coach hit first the column.The behaviour is similar to what one experiences when one steers a truck on a road covered with oil/grease and water, causing severe veering and loss of control of the moving truck.
Lessons are that first, technology having commercial implications should be experimented in a more secure and protected locale, preventing any access to unauthorised persons. We have now totally barricaded area and very strict security screening introduced in experimental area.
Secondly, Sky Bus final design is free from climatic conditions, as the track is protected in a closed box of concrete, unlike the test track where we have used open rib-structure for facility to observe the bogie movements. So rains etc will not affect the Sky Bus in commercial working.
Thirdly, instead of using track with curve of 100m radius, which requires application of grease to the running flange, to reduce curve resistance, for commercial application , we can as well give a 20 m radius of turning using our traverser technology, thus avoiding the sharp track curve. This will make Sky Bus better and safer.
Fourthly on a positive front, ther has been no derailment even at such high speed of travel on a curve fit for 20 kmph only even after impact forces because of hitting an obstruction- normal railway system would have had a derailment for much lower level of obstructions. Further all suspenders held very well and no coach fell down. So unlike in a railway system where hell breaks lose once an obstruction is hit by the train, by losing control capsizing dangerously & killing people, the Sky Bus remained positively attached and all persons inside the coach came out safe, except for the one who fell out of coach.On the front of disaster management, evacuation was complete and medical help was given within 20 minutes of accident.

When other 'tested' mass transit systems are available, what made you conceptualise and design the Sky Bus, for which you also hold a US patent.?

It was in the year 1989, that I presented a paper for a futuristic urban transport system, which should be safer and conserve on the precious urban space. Urbanisation will increase in years to come and the roads and circulating areas remaining virtually invariant in a city, the population will keep on increasing. Road based solutions are bound to fail both on account of relatively low throughpu and with diminishing returns as every attempt to increase vehicles will further clog the roads and congestion leads with low speeds increase pollution. It is difficult to lay railway corridors in built up cities and the railway is not able to follow the roads any way.Elevated and under ground solutions suffer from the basic safety concerns of derailments and capsizing with loss of life and do need a technology improvement. The Sky Bus , by turning the existing railway system up side down, taking the wheels and underframe above and suspending the coaches below, changed the dynamics- now the center of gravity is lowered to the rail level, improving flexibility of rail based system to follow existing roads, and by operating in smaller modules of 20 m long twin coach system forming a train carrying 300 persons normal ( if required can carry 430 nos at current metro standard quality), The design parameters thus make it more economical in structures, stations ( now lower by 2 m as compared to elevated metro), and provides service every minute which cannot be done by the current systems, by avoiding the long turn round times on points and crossings.The economy achieved by the engineering design translates into benefit for commuter- and solution is again with least technology risk, because each element of technology used is time tested well proven in metros all over the world.
Questions are being raised about the viability of the Sky Bus and its unsuitability for Indian conditions. Is the perception correct?
Again, it is pathetic attempt by the lobbies sticking to the 3 to 4 times expensive technologies of yester years, who make such vague unsubstantiated comments. Independent financial evaluation reports and actual construction costs duly verified at test track at Madgaon, clearly indicate that within 7 years of operation , the Sky Bus operator can recover his capital, and the charges collected from floating poulation to the city can meet the operation,depreciation and profit margins- thus making the travel for local residents virtually free after 7 years, for life time, at one time charge of Rs 15000! Sky Bus is not just for India, it will be a gift to to all cities in the world from us to cause a paradigm shift to city’s transport scene. Sky Bus technology alone can eliminate truck movements in a city, by delivering either containers or the truck itself to within a kilometer of it’s destination. No other metro technology can do this.

When do you expect to complete current trials and make the system ready for use and where?

The trials are to be restarted by 15th Dec 2004, and I personally will try my best to complete safety certification by 31st Dec or before I leave my Indian Railway Service of Engineers on super-annuation by 31st Jan 2005. This will be done at Madgaon, Goa, where Konkan Railway has constructed the 1.6 km test track, the World’s First at a cost of Rs 50 cr as approved by the Ministry of Railways.

Elsewhere you have spoken of bureaucratic mindset as coming in the way of implementing cost effective breakthroughs, especially the Sky Bus. Please elaborate?

We have systems manned by persons to govern- decisions will always be done with due “government prudence” – concentrating on pure expenditure control. This mental conditioning makes the mind sets of bureaucrats, for no fault of any individual, to abhor innovation and risk of experiment with some probability of failure. Only Scientists have the mind set for experimentation and see the result not in terms of failure or success, but as a knowledge gain laying steps for further progress of humanity. The Sky Bus, that is why could be understood in better manner by scientists. I only wish our engineers think like engineers and lean towards scientific inquiry and learning to develop technologies for improving human life more cost-effectively, rather than bureaucratize themselves, confusing further efficient project management as technical expertise, to uphold outdated technologies in the name of having been adopted else where, to the detriment of our own initiative to contribute to the world.

As an inventor and innovator with 17 patents, including the Sky Bus and Anti-Collision Devices to your credit, valued at Rs 10,000 crore, which have been assigned to the President of India, what do you think is the solution to the staggering urban transport muddle.

It is not mere problem of transporting people in a city, which seems to be the prime concern today for many, forgetting that goods, municipal services also need simultaneous attention to address the improvement in quality of life. A holistic solution is provided by the Sky Bus technology : .1) Provides air-conditoned travel to all at affordable price for common man without robbing your grand children of their wealth 2) Decongests roads of trucks plying and thus reduces further pollution levels- which current solutions of metros cannot achieve even though costing us more than 3 to 4 times 3) Preserves precious urban space and further adds to usable urban space by way of creating a Sky top space all along the route of 9.5 m width, which can be used for Cyber Cafes/ markets/ jogging tracks/ bicycle paths, hanging gardens – gives opportunity of space for urban thinkers to improve avenues to better urban life 4) Sky Bus during nights can automat the cleaning of the primary roads where it is running and wash too . as well as collect and deliver all the containerized garbage to garbage dumps automatically and hygienically. This is a quite a serious problem that municipal administrations are facing for major cities. In my opinion the muddle is in our minds not to see the right solution , just because it is from our country. It is time we liberate ourselves to launch our country in to the new millennium as a leader to provide cost effective technological solutions.

Sudip Talukdar
Dated: December 7, 004

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2005-12-04T03:52:00.000-08:00

Skybus Dynamics:Safety running tests

2005-12-04T03:01:00.000-08:00

Skybus causes a paradigm shift to the transport of people and goods!

2005-12-04T02:51:00.000-08:00

The railway track is carried in a concrete box over which , inside the box the the railway wheels with electic motors run using the same under-frame used in railway coach, to which the coach you can see suspended, transferring the load to the frame at the same points as done in railway coach. The suspenders travel between the two rails of the track. Positive connection is now provided between the railway track and the running wheels- there is no possibility of the coach going out of control!

2005-12-04T02:13:00.000-08:00

Conventional Raiway suffers from lack of positive connection between the railway track and the running bogie- once loses the rail guidance in derailment, loses control dangerously!

Evolution of Skybus railway technology

2005-12-04T01:12:00.000-08:00

The railway technology, used in metros suffer from a fundamental technology defect: derailment and separation of traveling coach from the railway track, falling down on the ground killing people.

So long as wheels are on rail, the coach runs. But failure of rails/ obstruction or even heavy wind force can create a dangerous situation…..

But when wheels climb the 25 to 30 mm flange, go over the rail, derailment occurs..

Then there is nothing to hold the coach to the track- coach just topples

Such capsizing can kill people inside the coach as well as those on the road below!

Evolution of Skybus technology- improved railway !

Standard Railway coach running on railway track…

The under-frame with standard railway wheel-set running on railway track..
Evolve into
Skybus-an improved railway!

The under-frame remains same, railway wheels run on the same track, the coach is firmly attached to the under-frame positively

The under-frame with wheels and railway traction motors & railway track enclosed in the concrete box- travel on the railway track , carrying the coach below outside the concrete box- now the coach and the track are positively held together- cannot escape from rails!

Safety Certification Issues:
The same railway elements well proven and used in metro rails are used- at the least it is as safe but, actually safer because of improvements.
World’s leading railway safety experts of TUV, Rheinland, Germany comment on Skybus technology:

The experts will ensure that the commercial Skybus for use of public will satisfy the international safety norms.

A high level Scientists Committee headed by Bharat Ratna Abdul Kalam ( then Principal Scientific Advisor in PMO/ Govt. of India) concluded after examining Mr. B Rajaram’s presentation:
Skybus proposal is technically sound.
On Konkan Railway Skybus test track, Bhaba Atomic Research Centre and RDSO( Ministry of Railways) tested to safety parameters as applicable to metro rail systems, ( prescribed by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, Govt. of India) the results are:
Safety

The system is basically a railway with improved suspension systems and patented features. The norms for safety clearance for dynamic behaviour, as per railway rolling stock, are applied and checked if any adverse results come because of suspended coaches below the wheels. The measurements were made by RDSO (Research Designs and Standards Organization, Ministry of Railways) during Jan 2005.

Permissible limits Max.acceleration 0.3g going upto 0.35 g if no resonance is observed. Ride Index (RI): 3.25 normal can go upto 4.0 for EMU and DEMU.

Train control is as per Railway standards and Motorman driven observing Railway General rules.- even with this Sky Bus, a short unit of 20m,yields 1min headway. Structurally the Codes of Practice observed and the Schedule of Dimensions fixed, moving checked to find that design and actual conditions in dynamic conditions are satisfactory.

The performance is much better than the prescribed limits as evident from the figures.

The World's First test track has yielded excellent results showing the superior behaviour of Sky Bus technology.
Implementation with Safety certification-guidelines recommended:
Certification for safety can be done under the existing Tramway Act 18xx, once the State Govt notifies the Skybus under the Act and appoints a Safety Commissioner.
Since the technology breakthrough by our country has made the high speed mass urban transport safer and also financially viable proposition if one adopts the Skybus, it is in public interest that the following guideles are issued for States to follow so that they can implement urban transport project using Skybus technology, requiring NIL funding from the State, with almost no land acquisition and not disturbing any existing habitats.On BOOT basis the projects can be executed, State giving the right of way 6m above road level and right to place in the road divider, columns of width not exceeding (image placeholder).2m. at a spacing of 20m along the road, without disturbing existing utilities.

The State Govt shall notify that Skybus shall be governed under the Tramway Act18xx, and special rules made under the Act by the State for safe operation for public use.

Based on the dynamic test results and structural compliance with codes of practice, a third party consultant shall give certified information to satisfy laid down norms, along with joint certification by the Heads of concerned technical branches: this forms the basis for the Safety Commissioner appointed by the State under the Tramway Act to issue Safety certificate which is the same procedure followed in case of railway.

Since Skybus is fundamentally a railway only, except it is made now derailment proof and collision proof, the same established rules for opening railways are used to prepare the documentation for the Safety Commissioner's inspection.

The codes of practice for construction of the concrete/stell structures of the Skybus shall be to Indian standards where available or to existing international standards as applicable.

For safety of running, the Indian Rly rules as well as UIC norms will form the basis for certification.

For signal and train control, if it is manually operated system, the existing Indian Railway Signal engineering Manual and principles used to locate signals, after taking into account the braking distances and the speed profiles needed. It is noted that additional safety layer of ACDs and speed profile comtrol based on distance required to brake, basis will be also be functional- to step in in case driver fails to observe the signals. The revenue risk of Headways and through put are rntirely taken by the BOOT operator. However, it is noted that calculations indicate even with manual operations, one minute headway is possible, and incase it is more, then instead of one unit two units have to run, in case 2 minute headway is adopted to ensure throuhputs.So public interest is served.

(image placeholder)If totally automated. then the appropriate CENELEC standards shall be complied with.

With capacities to match the heavy duty metro rail system, States have a choice to improve their urban transport without financial burden.

The BOOT operator shall take all the responsibility both financial and technical to build own ,operate and transfer the asset at no cost to the State at the end of concession period.The Govt appointee viz., Skybus Safety Commissioner under the Tramway Act will assure the Public Safety aspects , as laid down in the rules for opening the Skybus system for public use.( the formats prepared for test tracks and used in Goa, to be supplied by Konkan Railway- for guidance.)

To cover revenue risk for the operator, the operator may be allowed to exploit the commercial space created at the station and all along the route over the Skytop, over the concession period and in case he puts up a few towers at stations, these towers will be for a longer period of 50 years. It is to be noted that no special land of Govt is required for this purpose, but only marginal short length (50m) and nominally widened foot paths to provide for Staircase access from road has to be given to the BOOT operator.

(image placeholder)Without the aid of central funding or loans , if States want to take up the Skybus projects to solve their urban transport problem, the above guidelines may be followed.
The inventor Mr. B. Rajaram who got patents from countries like USA and others for this innovative technology improving rxisting railway, has assigned the rights to people of our country through Konkan Railway Corporation( Govt of India undertaking). This technology is a real threat to the existing vendors of old metro rail technology from abroad. Skybus technology makes our industry and engineers leaders for the world- it is vastly improved metro rail which also costs less than half of what the outside technology vendors are charging our country. So it is but natural for the vendors and brokers to mount a vilification campaign to belittle and spread disinformation about our own country’s strength “intellect”- Skybus technology is actually, not in competition with any other technology- in fact, Skybus properly understood, makes all others pale into insignificance!

FAQ:
From: <bojjiatri@yahoo.com>To: <sky_bus_metro@yahoogroups.com>Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 8:52 AMSubject: [sky_bus_metro] Some FAQ> with refereence to ncfi digest 714, can u please educate the group> about following matters?>> 1. what are the dimentions of each bus?>> Each bus coachis 9.25m long and 3.2m wide and a Sky Bus unit> comprises two such bus coaches, with total length of 18.5m
>>> Ie each bus has a clean floor area of 29.6 sq.m, not counting seats, passages, entry and exit space requirements. So what is the effective available space for passengers>effectively 27 sq m is provided- no seats except for disabled at edges- 151 is capacity for each . Pls see file reg PPHPD and headways file.> 2. what is the passenger carrying capacity of each car.>> Each twin unit carry 300 passengers- at 5.6 persons per sq.m loading -
> which is much better than 6 to 7 persons/sq.m adopted internationally.
>>> Per coach, 29.6 sq.m * 5.6 persons is 166 persons, if the bus is standees only, present overcrowded BEST buses have capacity of around 19 standees, >50 seats>> 3. what are the economics vis-a-vis rail, diesel bus>> Sky Bus has to be compared with mass rail based ransport- compared to> elevated metro costs half and compared to underground metro, costs> one-fourth for a capacity of 40000 passengers per hour.
>>> Compared on what basis, construction, or per coach or propulsion system, or what? total capital costs are compared.>
> Does not require land but follows roads. Stations are maximum 50 m> long and access is from the footpath.
>>> If one rake is 18.5 m long, plus coupling length, why have more than double length station, which will allow unnecessary loafing by non passengers, and sight seeing types, as happened at New Delhi Metro. Also, how wide are the platforms, how much foot print on the footpath / road will these stations occupy ? The structural system, safety to passengers boarding, alighting ?>The design is based on rate of flow of passengers 300 persons per 15 seconds- minimum holding space is provided- entry is only for bonafide commuter having smart card. The length of platform is only 38m –enough to handle traffic for next century. Compare this length with existing railway platforms!The floor levels and the coach foor match. The presentations in the Files may be seen.> Fare box collection alone can sustain the system and can give 15%> FIRR at ridership of 2 lacs per day per 10 km route at Re 1 per km.
>>> Over what time period (what is FiRR?) >Over 20 years debt services at 15% and FIRR is financial IRR.The template is posted at site for sensitivity analysis> 4. what makes skybus more safe compared to rail.>> Sky Bus is rail based and safer because it cannot derail as the> bogies have derailment arresters and the coaches cannot capsize on to> ground because of the positive hold provided between the rails and> the coach. Also no collision is possible for the coaches which are> suspended, as the steel beam inside the concrete box takes the impact> protection the coach units and passengers inside. An expert committee> after examining the features concluded that the Sky Bus technology is> safer than existing sytems.
>>> What about getting stranded in the mid route, how is the emergency access and exit done
>100% redundancy in driving motors is provided, and the normal railway operational procedures of clearance of stock disabled are followed. The traverser allows the stock to be taken off the route.> 5. at what height the sky bus will operate.
>> The sky rail guidance is about 9.5 m above road level and the> suspended coach bottom abot 6 m above road level, providing National> Highway clearances for road vehicles to ply unhindered.
>>> Does it take into account flyovers crossings and other such obstructions >yes- Sky Bus can fly over fly-overs and can have spans of 50 to 100m- as cable stayed bridge.> 6. how does one climb up and down - stairs or lifts.>> The access is by staircase near footpath- virtually itis like bus> station of city bus- the station is also at 5.5 m above ground level> and from the foot path one climbs stairs to access.
>>> Does it take into account barrier free access, ramps, etc. What is the foot print for these stations
>For spastics provisions exist-pls go through the presentation posted at site- arrangements for spastics will explain> 7. what is the max speed achieved by sky bus.>> Maximumspeed of Sky Bus in a city is 100kmph.
>>> Assuming this speed is ever reached, what is the acceleration time, and decceleration time. For a 10 km section, including, say, 8 stations at 1 km distances, what will be the travel speed. For 100 kmph, it means 1.6 km a minute, so what about distances travelled to attain then braking speed ? Will it ever reach 30 kmph or what ?
>The average speed for 1 km stops at stations is 45 kmph and for alternate services stopping at alternate stations average speed is 55kmph to 60 kmph.
The specifications also are available at site and calculations are standard assuming peak accelerations and limiting the power of driving motors to 85/110KW> 8. how are the breakdowns handled.>> Sky Bus is exactly like a railway line- same standards of operation,> except the "train", in our case is only 38m long! Redundancy in> driving motors is provided-even if 50% motrs fail, the Sky Bus units> can haul themselves and clear at the traverser. If all fail, then> fellow Sky Bus unit has extra power to push it and take it out at the> traverser.
>>> Ideal conditions. But I think I have misunderstood, if in 1 above, each Sky Bus unit is two coaches, ie 18.5 m, how in this case, the train is 38 m long ? Is it then actuallyu 4 coaches ? >One unit is only 18.5m. The train length in Sky Bus is only 18.5m for first 10 years- and may be go upto 38m if extraordinary loads have to be handles.
Nothing ideal- we do day in day out in running and handling breakdowns of trains!> 9. what is the type of engine and how much pollution it can> generate>> The driving bogies are exactly like our suburban driving bogies-> electrical motors driving the axles- similar to normal railway metro.> Infact the same proven 3 phase AC motors of metro are used.>> 10. how will the loing done for different directions at> junctions.>> In Sky Bus we do not use points and crossings. There is a traverser> every 10 km , which transfers the Sky Bus unit from one track to> another/ or shift to a depot the excess buses/ or turn them back in> reverse or another direction.
>>> Where are these traversing points, depots, planned for and located in say, Andheri, Ghatkopar, and how much area is required for these
>At the terminals the traversers are located. Both at Andheri and Ghatkopar two traverser are present. But the depot will be at Andheri-the traverser is a 3/4 line type.the movie shows how it works.>> 11. what is the average life of bus.> The life is same as that of a stainless steel railway coach!
>>> And that is ?
>not less than 20 years.
> 12. what are the safety measures in the system.
> Compared to conventional railway systems, the centre of gravity of the mass being carried on the wheels is brought down to be closer to the wheel support- hence dynamic safety is many time improved>> In conventional railway wind can topple the trains and in Kerala once, an express train went into river by being toppled by wind!!> In Sky Bus wind cannot topple- there is positive link between the rail guidance system and the Bus Coaches- with 400% safety factor built into multiple suspenders.>> The railway bogies in conventional system have propensity to lose control on derailment, but additional safety in Sky Bus bogie is that we have derailment arresters, which prevents the wheel from jumping off the rails. So we are ensuring that there is no derailment.>> In normal railway systems, when collision takes place, derailment also occurs, and carriages capsize killing people. But in Sky Bus no collision can take place between the coaches- even after the 3 levels of braking fail and the Sky Bus units hit each other in a collision, the Sky Coaches in which people are travelling, will only swing to and fro- but will not collide with each other nor capsize.>> 13. are there stations? how do people change buses for their> way.> The stations are available every 1 km. It is a natural foot bridge across the road. From upline to down line the station provides natural access which is easy. At sky top one can change to different bus routes too!
>>> This establishes that the Sky Bus will never reach 100 kmph, but will be more or less 25 to 30 kmph, slower than suburban trains, whose stations are around 3 km or more apart
>Not correct. With two km stations the sky bus reaches 100 kmph speeds. The train control system in Sky Bus is different-from existing 100 year old technologies. The moving block system without any fixed colour light sytem, but controlled thru microprocessors- is at the cutting edge of technology.> 14. how many sky buses will be needed for a city’s transportation needs.>> For a city 100 km route can be designed Approximately> initially about 400 units will suffice to provide for moving 5> million commuters a day.>> 15. besides passengers, can they handle luggages and baggages.>> Yes- Sky Bus units going to Airports and Rly stations can carry> luggage. In addition during off peak period containers can be> transported, as well as trucks as in RO-RO service. So pollution due to trucks can be eliminated.>> 16. are the engines silent.>> The electrically run system is quiet and there is no pollutants. The noise of steel wheels running on the steel rails, railway sound as you hear also is trapped in the concrete box, and the noise levels will be much less than what you get in elevated metros like DMRC/Delhi or Hongkong.>> 17. how much time it will take to carry passenger from point to point?>> In peak period the speed will be 55 to 60 kmph, with stops at 2 km,> skipping alternate stations, by alternate service.> Otherwise 45 kmph is the average speed. So you can calculate the time> of journey. You will never wait for more than one minute for the> service at a station.
>>> These figures are not commensurate with actual calculations and previous statements. If the time for waiting is no more than 1 minute, does that mean travel time between stations is 1 minute. If so, we need calculations to show how far the Sky Bus will go before it reaches 50 kmph, then, reduce to a full stop. Then, calculate the average speed.
>Please understand moving block sytem is different from what you know from current suburban sytems you know.I suggest pls read calculations in the file Pphpdheadways posted at site. The length of train and train control systems have impact.> 18. where will the ticket windows, cloak room facilities, police help.> Smart card contact-less systems are used, where the machines validate> the card and add value when you pay the money to the ATM like> machine. These will be available not only at stations but also in many other places.> Every Sky Bus unit will have webcam surveillance and there is> continuous security monitoring of the Sky Bus during travel. Instant communication with central control is also provided from every Sky Bus Manned by Sky Man , who is technically trained to take care of any hitches in the driverless Sky Bus, he also acts as Sky marshal.>> 19. who are likely to travel by this system. will the car owners switch.>> Air-conditioned no-wait travel and at average price of Re1 per km or with monthly pass at Rs 500 per 1000 km travel per month, will attract our urbanites, who value time and money,
>>> What about intermodal changeover points, where does one park to get onto Sky Bus, descend at destination, get into ring route public transport, or whatever, what are the plans for this type of transportation 'interconnectivity', or is it that all systems are working entirely in isolation ?>Sky Bus is an intermodal integrator! It eliminates the problems you face now trying to marry railway and road. In this case rail and road are synonymous.Outside the CBD the Sky Bus station towers provide for car parks too. Wish you see the full presentation.The concept of terminus generated by conventional railway working like a huge pipeline is modified to a grid- in Sky Bus, you get down on road where you want to get down.as you do in your own car.
> 20. will the insurance companies insure passengers.> Safer than railway systems, then with international standard certification, same group insurance charges will be> paid as part of ticket.>> 21 will there be monthly pass. will there be classes of Ist and IInd.> There can be Executive class for a few trains- matter of choice. The executive class charge will be 4 times the economy class.>> 22. what about privacy and security of flats exposed to bus route against antisocial elements, house breakers etc?>> The Sky Bus coaches are totally sealed and not possible to get out in between. The privacy is ensured because the lighting inside and outside are matched in such a way that visibility close to flats etc is restricted for the travellers.>> 23. what are the expansion options availabe for growing future> needs?> Sky Bus units can provide modular growth. For next century needs are met with. Can expand from 40000 passengers per hour to 80000 per hour per route km.
And if no rise and landing, then where will the depots for the coaches be, where will they be cleaned, maintained, overhauled on the height of the supports.
Depots also are at the same level -these are located outside city limits.
Also, at what point will there be the 'smooth' changeover between different modes of transport.
Transfer points are as easy to provide as providing for normal bus stands. Much smoother than one imagines in present mindsets dictated rigidly by current transport technology like conventional railway.
Not to criticise, but to caution, that however good the technology, the practical implementation is most important.
No arguments on that. If a single rail in mono-rail suspended slow speed system working for more than 100 years, is replaced by two rails and coned wheel having single flange guidance , working for 100 years at high speeds- it becomes Sky Bus! It is not a fragile cable car! Nor a difficult one to maintain like monorail Malasian system! It is modified railway as good as suburban railway- only center of gravity is brought down. Follows the same Newton’s laws- fortunately mr Newton was born before us! Even the current railway engineers are running the railway, born before them! Very few understand physics of the same, but use them, and gain comfort with use. But if the physics are understood, there is little of miracle in nature!

Sorry for my ignorance as usual, because I have not read the relevant links, because apart from figures, the reports do not have anything tangible.
The various files at site do give substantial info- both technical and financial-

For the present, reorganising the traffic flow, absolutely strict and disciplined enforcement, and clearing all obstructions, such as multiple and haphazard parking, encroachments, installing correct lighting, and such, will radically improve flow.

For my personal reasons I believe regimentation and disciplining is symptom of slavish attitudes we inherited- I believe we should create sytems by their merit influence choices of people in terms of convemience to them! Choice shall not be denied.
Incidentally, any study on reintroducing electric trams and trollies, single and double decker ? Equally non polluting, quiet, comfortable.

They have served their purpose. Any solution you design occupying the precious urnam land is a lose-lose strategy. It is not only a requirement to be non-polluting, but also high speed mass transit system, we need. For next century you should not need any other solution- but what you invest should be such that progressively the travel cost should come down!

Mumbai Skybus

2005-12-04T01:06:00.000-08:00

Doc:Skybus/Mumbai/051018                    Dt: 18th Oct.2005

Dear Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh JI,

Sub: Let us create wealth of Rs 6000 cr for Mumbaikars- and not drain off Rs 12000 cr in urban transport

Sir, we met earlier and I do recall your positive attitude to my presentation 4 years ago.

The State is genuinely interested in improving the transport infrastructure in the city- and adopted the conventional metro rails used in more than 200 cities in the world.
However, none of the existing metros are financially viable, proving a financial drain on the state’s exchequer.
Even for capital expenditure since Government lacks funds, we are looking for BOT operators. The fundamental parameter for any BOT operator to take up a project is financial viability. The metro rail is not a financially viable proposition so, all will seek substantial Government assistance, by way of getting prime Govt. land and guarantee for filling the revenue earning gaps, and seek such concessions to generate enough surpluses to cover financing costs and risk of running the business as well as profits. The capital costs being so high, with returns at less than 2 to 3%, the financial structuring will be a non-starter unless, Govt. takes a huge soft loan from abroad and makes it available to the project- as is the case of Delhi.
The reality is that Delhi metro is a financial disaster and harsh inevitable consequence is that the state’s financials will collapse, leaving little money to take care of citizens health/education needs.
Mumbai need not repeat this mistake. Anyway such huge loans are no more forth coming from other foreign countries. The private parties, who entered the fray giving expression of interest, will be having endless negotiations to evolve a workable financial structuring to make through indirect subsidies, convert a fundamentally financially disastrous project like metro rail into a workable one to recover their money, leaving the interest of state to fend for them-selves. Lessons must be learnt from Bangalore experience of why UB group failed to do elevated metro even after a decade. So Mumbai also will end up with no result

if they want to do metro on BOT basis. The world of today does not tolerate such uneconomic activity.
With present hectic activity of MMRDA, it is a bold writing on the wall that unless the state hands over prime land displacing people, to compensate, the BOT operator will not even start activity on metro rail- it is improbable that in next 3 to 5 years financial closure can be achieved. Painful negotiations for revenue guarantee will take its own time too. In my opinion the elevated metro being planned in Mumbai will prove to be a non-starter.
But Skybus can bring in easily the funding and project delivered in 24 months, and add capacity of more than 6m passenger travels a day at Rs 6000 cr!
Sky Bus Metro comprises of proven railway technology elements. Most of them will be fully developed, off-the-shelf-available components, which can be used both in underground existing metros as well as in Sky Bus Metro.  No serious concerns of technology risks are envisaged.
By its construction and structure, it is not like the conventional railway system where coaches travel above the wheels,  but typically the wheels are travelling above the coaches.  Hence, if we agree the system shall not fall under the Indian Railways Act 1989, a special Sky Bus Metro Act is required to assure public safety in travel on the Sky Bus. But if it is taken under Railway Act, the same principles used to certify rail based system can be used to certify the system. State may take a view in consultation with center.
The Sky Bus Metro Act draft also has been prepared by a renowned Supreme Court Advocate and Member Law Commission (copy can be obtained from Konkan Railway).
For the futuristic technologies like Maglev as well as driverless Copenhagen Metro Systems, TUV InterTraffic GmbH, a German Company which is European accredited and  world wide accepted, have now given their consent to certify the system for public safety.  They will also be involved continuously with the manufacturers, suppliers so that under the Sky Bus Metro Act the system can operate safely.
What is required is conviction in the strength of innovative Indian engineers and technologies and align with established reputed scientists and engineers of our country to take the leadership position in the world.

World’s First SkyBus Metro rail test track at Goa:
The results of the trials done on the test track at Goa by the Konkan Railway, with measurements done by the
Research designs and Standards Organisation of Ministry of Railways, indicate that the  Skybus Metro Rail performs better than international metro technology. The cost of Rs 53 cr incurred for the 1.6km test track including rolling stock etc ( means only Rs 36 cr per km) makes it clear that it is practical to construct at Rs 50 cr per km in commercial project, which will have better facilities.

Benefit:   Metro city can be made pollution free, and decongest the roads.  Other metros cost 3 to 5 times more and are not financially viable.  Sky Bus Metro is economic, eco-friendly & financially viable at Rs 500  per month for a traveling family who are used to cover 1000 pass.km /month.
With TUV of Germany, committing support for certification, for safety of Sky Bus Metro, the concern expressed by other Indian Experts are no more valid.

What Government has to do:

          If the above proposition is accepted, your Government has to take only two steps.

Cause a legislation for Sky Bus Metro for which the Draft Act as prepared by a former member of law commission or initially adopt the existing Tramway Act18xxx.

To give right of way and sign a 20-25 year concession agreement with Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd., a Government of India company.

Full funding on BOT basis: With the above two steps you will observe that the subject matter will be totally under the control of the State. For example, the Malaysian technology partners( M/S Doxport technologies leading a consortium) are willing to provide full funding for the Hyderabad Skybus Metro Rail network. Similarly we can find Indian financiers too.
A 20 to 25 year concession will be needed. The SPV will pay for all power/utilities availed from the State. For the first ten years, a tax holiday will be required, until the investor recovers his investment. From the 11th year, taxes will be payable, and in the 30th year the Skybus

Metro will be handed over free to the state, except for the commercial towers constructed at stations.
Hence A State Govt need take no risk of capital nor revenue.
Mr Rajaram is the inventor of the technology and has got patents in USA and other countries too. World’s first Sky Bus test track is already constructed by him as MD/ Konkan Railway, which is working in Goa. Since the inventor has assigned the patent-rights to the President of India through Konkan Railway Corporation, his actions are motivated by public interest to promote Indian intellect and industry to serve the common man.
Within two years you will get to change the city's life style.

DMRC type, are financial black-holes- no returns.
Rubber tyred mono-rail systems are not for mass urban transport.
Skybus Metro needs NO GOVT investment.
Metros are capital intensive and are hardly used 47 to 50 % of the time in a day. But the Skybus Metro system can carry containers, even loaded traucks as in RO-RO service of the Konkan Railway, in addition to automated house keeping functions for the Municipal Corporation, along the roads.
Thus utilization is more than 70% of the time and the capital required less than half, makes economical sense, in case of Skybus Metro System..
The Indian solution of the Sky Bus Metro, the new alternative to other road based solutions to decongest the roads, or very expensive old generation not so safe elevated/ underground technologies, which are financial disasters.
A family has to buy at Rs 500 per month to travel 1000 pass.km- works out to 50ps per km for airconditioned travel and with service available at less than one minute

waiting time in peak period. Minimum entry charges will be applicable.
It is prudent and in public interest to adopt our World class technology, which is economical, safer and affordable metro solution,

not only for people but also

for cargo and trucks

housekeeping functions of the city

with no Government investments.
India will make history in the world as the originators of  Skybus Metro  to improve world city-life.
Mumbai need not be another 201st city in the world with a financially groaning metro rail line like others.
The state has choice – continue current hectic activity of keep on producing consultancy reports and tenders /negotiations and getting stuck on the issue of funding, then seek heavy debt support to create a financial drain losing  Rs 12000 cr wealth which otherwise could have been used for addressing problems of larger rural populations crying for attention—
Or
Create wealth of Rs 6000 cr without risk to Government, also provide 60 lac passenger journey capacity( almost equal to what suburban rail is carrying today) within 36 months- results seen within 24 months a gift  smart & hard working Mumbaikars are over due.
If the state is prepared to take the choice of creating wealth through Skybus, I am prepared to take up once again personal responsibility to deliver the promise, even though I am retired from IRSE.

With best wishes and a prayer that wisdom prevails,

2005-12-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

Skybus Metro Improves Railway Technology! Provides a positive hold between the rail guidance and the normally used metro railway running wheels, thus preventing derailments followed by capsizing, which is the bane of current railway technology used in conventional metro railways!

2005-11-29T02:37:00.000-08:00

Guidelines for States to adopt Skybus for public and goods transport in congested cities, without Govt funds or loans.

The Skybus Metro technology is an improved railway providing unique, hitherto unavailable, positive linkage between the rail tracks and the running coaches, so that they never get separated from each other. This solves the age old problem of railway technology, like derailments and capsizing of coaches crushing people to death. The inventor happens to be an Indian, Er. B. Rajaram IRSE FIE FNAE and former MD of Konkan Railway Corporation who has been granted patents in the USA as well as the patents are in advanced stage of processing all over the world. The proceeds of royalties are assigned by the inventor to the country, through the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd, a Government company Renowned scientists like Bharat Ratna Abdul Kalam , Padmabhushan Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Padmabhushan Dr P Ramarao (Former VC/Univ of Hyderabad) as well as a working Commissioner of Railway Safety examined the safety features and found the technology sound and safer than existing railway technology. The test results obtained at the Test track at Goa, prove that the dynamic behaviour is 10 times better than the best of metro rails in the world.Certification for safety can be done under the existing Tramway Act 18xx, once the State Govt notifies the Skybus under the Act and appoints a Safety Commissioner.Since the technology breakthrough by our country has made the high speed mass urban transport safer and also financially viable proposition, if one adopts the Skybus, it is in public interest that the following guideles are issued for States to follow so that they can implement urban transport project using Skybus technology, requiring NIL funding from the State, with almost no land acquisition and not disturbing any existing habitats.On BOOT basis the projects can be executed, State giving the right of way 6m above road level and right to place in the road divider, columns of width not exceeding 1.2m. at a spacing of 20m along the road, without disturbing existing utilities.

1. The State Govt shall notify that Skybus shall be governed under the Tramway Act18xx, and special rules made under the Act by the State for safe operation for public use.

2. Based on the dynamic test results and structural compliance with codes of practice, a third party consultant shall give certified information to satisfy laid down norms, along with joint certification by the Heads of concerned technical branches: this forms the basis for the Safety Commissioner appointed by the State under the Tramway Act to issue Safety certificate which is the same procedure followed in case of railway.

3. Since Skybus is fundamentally a railway only, except it is made now derailment proof and collision proof, the same established rules for opening railways are used to prepare the documentation for the Safety Commissioner's inspection.

4. The codes of practice for construction of the concrete/steel structures of the Skybus shall be to Indian standards where available or to existing international standards as applicable.

5. For safety of running, the Indian Rly rules as well as UIC norms will form the basis for certification.

6. For signal and train control, if it is manually operated system, the existing Indian Railway Signal engineering Manual and principles used to locate signals, after taking into account the braking distances and the speed profiles needed. It is noted that additional safety layer of ACDs and speed profile comtrol based on distance required to brake, basis will be also be functional- to step in, in case driver fails to observe the signals. The revenue risk of Headways and through put are rntirely taken by the BOOT operator. However, it is noted that calculations indicate even with manual operations, one minute headway is possible, and incase it is more, then instead of one unit two units have to run, in case 2 minute headway is adopted to ensure throuhputs. The station lengths accommodate. So public interest is served.

7. If totally automated. without drivers, then the appropriate CENELEC standards shall be complied with.

8. With capacities to match the heavy duty metro rail system, States have a choice to improve their urban transport without financial burden.

9. The BOOT operator shall take all the responsibility both financial and technical to build own ,operate and transfer the asset at no cost to the State at the end of concession period.The Govt appointee viz., Skybus Safety Commissioner under the Tramway Act will assure the Public Safety aspects , as laid down in the rules for opening the Skybus system for public use.( the formats prepared for test tracks and used in Goa, to be supplied by Konkan Railway- for guidance.)

10. To cover revenue risk for the operator, the operator may be allowed to exploit the commercial space created at the station and all along the route over the Skytop, over the concession period, and in case he puts up a few towers at stations, these towers will be for a longer period of 50 years. It is to be noted that no special land of Govt is required for this purpose, but only marginal short length (50m) and nominally widened foot paths to provide for Staircase access from road has to be given to the BOOT operator.

Without the aid of central funding or loans , if States want to take up the Skybus projects to solve their urban transport problem, the above guidelines may be followed.
www.geocities.com/rajaram_bojji

2005-11-29T02:34:00.000-08:00

A view of Skybus running at 70 kmph Dec 2004

2005-11-29T02:31:00.000-08:00

Sky Station at the test track at Goa Dec 2004

2005-11-29T02:28:00.000-08:00

The New Skybus test unit at the test track in Goa

2005-11-29T02:07:00.000-08:00

The First Movement of Skybus Sept 15th 2004

2005-11-29T02:05:00.000-08:00

Inventor and Developer of the Skybus Metro Technology Mr. B. Rajaram

2005-11-29T02:02:00.000-08:00

Oct 15th 2003 -World's First Skybus Prototype unveiled at Margao, Goa!