The much-awaited Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) will be launched in Ahmedabad on October 14. According to a source in the Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd (AJL), a company formed by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for the service, the AJL has decided to launch the BRT service on October 14, on the eve of Dhanteras.The service will be thrown open to the public with 22 buses operating on the 12.5-km stretch from the RTO to Pirana. Chief minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the service.
The trial runs for the BRTS began on July 16, with 14 buses offering free services. Since then, between 17,000 and 18,000 commuters have been making use of the free service daily, a source in the AJL said. Once the BRTS is launched, the service will become chargeable.
Showing posts with label Ahmedabad BRTS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ahmedabad BRTS. Show all posts
21.10.08
Ahmedabad BRTS snippets
If not by Christmas, then the first phase of the BRT service connecting Vasna with Naranpura will be operational by Uttarayan, it has been learnt. Hectic activity is now on at various levels, if work from Nehrunagar to Shivranjani cross and further toward IIM and Memnagar is anything to go by.Bosses at the Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd (AJL), the special purpose vehicle for the project, are running against time because the launch has to take place before the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections.In fact, after a disappointing delay in completion of the Sabarmati Riverfront Development project, political bosses ruling the roost in Gandhinagar will depend heavily on two mascots of progress: the Nano and BRTS.
Incidentally, AJL has already finalised the bus design, though the colour is yet to be given a final gothrough. But officials are not in a hurry on this front, and have said that other loose ends will have to be tied up prior to that. Project in-charge D Thara said: “All the bus stops on the routes will have to be completed and drivers will have to be imparted special training to operate them to ensure that the time schedule is maintained and that they get a clear understanding of instructions from the Central communication unit.” She said the tenders will be finalised by mid-November for the develop ment of this communication unit. Then a ticketing system will also have to be finalised along with the launch of the bus service. She said the sample bus will be procured next month. Municipal commissioner I P Gautam said the launch will be “very soon.” He, however, refrained from giving a fixed date for that.
The AMC administration has once already faced an embarrassing situation by announcing the launch date of the Kankaria Lake Front Development project, which went wide off the mark.
Gautam said the “operational nuances” of the project will have to be taken care of before the announcement of the launch date.Apart from completing the bus stops, the training of bus drivers and the construction of bus stops and bridges will also have to be completed, he said.
According to him, the split flyover bridge at Memnagar across Drive-In Road will be completed by the end of December whereas the one near the AEC junction in Naranpura will be finished by January.The first few days of the launch will be for trial runs, he said.
Incidentally, AJL has already finalised the bus design, though the colour is yet to be given a final gothrough. But officials are not in a hurry on this front, and have said that other loose ends will have to be tied up prior to that. Project in-charge D Thara said: “All the bus stops on the routes will have to be completed and drivers will have to be imparted special training to operate them to ensure that the time schedule is maintained and that they get a clear understanding of instructions from the Central communication unit.” She said the tenders will be finalised by mid-November for the develop ment of this communication unit. Then a ticketing system will also have to be finalised along with the launch of the bus service. She said the sample bus will be procured next month. Municipal commissioner I P Gautam said the launch will be “very soon.” He, however, refrained from giving a fixed date for that.
The AMC administration has once already faced an embarrassing situation by announcing the launch date of the Kankaria Lake Front Development project, which went wide off the mark.
Gautam said the “operational nuances” of the project will have to be taken care of before the announcement of the launch date.Apart from completing the bus stops, the training of bus drivers and the construction of bus stops and bridges will also have to be completed, he said.
According to him, the split flyover bridge at Memnagar across Drive-In Road will be completed by the end of December whereas the one near the AEC junction in Naranpura will be finished by January.The first few days of the launch will be for trial runs, he said.
8.10.08
Ahmedabad BRTS update
After Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited (AJL) finalised and awarded bus procurement and maintenance bids, bids calling for installation of IT-enabled services (ITES) are expected in a week.The process of finalising the bid documents for ITES in BRTS is in the stage of documentation and will be up for grabs by the end of the week. AJL — the governing body for BRTS in the city — will call for various services for ITES. These will include, GPS or automatic vehicle location information systems, hardware for on board announcements, display systems at bus stop and within buses, RFID services and smart cards for prepaid ticketing.Besides, surveillance and security systems that will be installed at some of the bus stops will become operational on the 12.5-km stretch between RTO and Pirana. BRTS will have its central control room that will process real time data of the position of buses on the route and passengers will come to know about the exact time when the next bus would arrive at the stop. AJL officials said that SMS information for regular passengers will also be introduced, once the system stabilises within six months of being made operational.One of the key features of the ITES package will be installation of CCTV cameras at bus stops. Apart from security concerns, cameras will help BRTS maintain the threeminute deadline for every bus, especially during peak traffic hours in the day. The special cameras will send video feeds to the BRTS control room telling the operator exact number of people waiting for a bus at a particular station. The operator will then immediately inform the central depot to deploy one of the 10 standby buses.
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