NHAI on a recruitment drive

NHAI’s new bid norms positive for industry, says HCC

NHAI to raise Money

Kamal Nath, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, India at AIC 2010 (Video)

Guest Editorial on TMS system: Mr. AV Suraj

Any Concessionaire who build the National Highways on BOT basis has always been given due importance to TMS system, as it is the system used for revenue generation for years together and is the only centre for generating revenue and profit though out the length of the road. Hence concessionaire is always ready to welcome any innovative ideas for better and effective toll management system.

Concessionaire’s worry: Is there a way for revenue leakage?

Is it possible for the appointed manager to manipulate revenue report and traffic volume

Is there a possibility for Toll collector to manipulate?

Is system cross check and intimate the areas to be checked and confirmed before generating reports (External check list).

Is validation happening properly? Since most of the cases once the validation is over, there is no more mandatory cross verification. It needs to be addressed for adding the comfort level of the concessionaire

Concessionaires /Plaza operating team’s wishes

Toll plaza operation should be 100% leak proof in all respect and should be safe.

Any hardware which is not operating according to the pre-defined requirement should immediately generate non functioning report. In turn an action initiated for solution report should also be generated and send as a mail to the top management. .It helps for a healthy operation of plaza, Otherwise plaza manager can always make excuses.

A report should be generated on daily bases which should indicate, breakeven based on the as on date traffic and revenue. Based on this report the operating team should plan method/Promotional plans to improve the traffic volume for early recovery of investment. so that within the pre-defined concession period profit can be increased

Present toll management system has a minimum of 20 different hardware’s with different functionalities and is connected with full of cables throughout the plaza Due to different reasons one or the other equipments fails every now and then ,concessionaire has to keep stock of different equipments ,which may not be using for long time .hence the performance efficiency of the equipment also reduces .

Keeping all these points in view a comprehensive TMS system should be developed for better and effective Toll Management.

A.V.Suraj
Consultant(Toll &HTMS )

NH land acquisition getting murkier

Utter confusion which prevails even among ministers about the NH widening project is likely to cost dearly the development plans of National Highways 17 and 47. Though the PWD had inked a contract with the National Highways Authority of India for developing NH 17 and 47 under the BOT plan, a section of ministers questioned the existence of such an agreement in the cabinet meeting the other day.

Minister C. Divakaran, K.P. Rajendran and N.K. Premachandran who are learnt to have raised the issue in the cabinet meeting alleged that the alignment of new roads will make thousands of poor people homeless. Another major allegation levelled by these Ministers was that the NHAI had diluted acquisition plans for helping some bar hotel owners who own land alon NH-47.

It is reliably learnt that the NHAI authorities are unhappy over the recent controversies about the NH widening work in Kerala. NHAI chairman Brijeswar Singh will arrive here on Tuesday to hold discussions with the Chief Minister and PWD authorities. He may also attend the all-party meeting on land acquisition scheduled on that day.

If a consensus can’t be reached on the acquisition issue, NHAI may drop the project.

“The recent controversy was created by these ministers at the most inappropriate time. We had demanded more compensation for evictees and the NHAI had approved the demand in principle.

A proposal to conduct a socio-economic survey to gauge the difficulties faced by evictees and other locals was also planned,’’ said a top source in the Works department.

The proposal of the department was to demand land price at market rates for evictees and also provide decent rehabilitation plans for them.

“It was the duty of the government to bargain hard and translate these plans into action. Instead, they are challenging the basic agreement which is a common factor for all roads in the country,’’ said the source. In a press note issued here on Saturday, PWD Principal Secretary Tom Jose clarified that there was no substance in the allegation regarding bar hotels.

“Earlier, an allegation was raised that there were efforts to favour some bar-owners by manipulating the alignment plans. This charge was proved baseless in the inquiry. Of the 22 bars which have come up along Kazhakkoottam- Cherthala stretch of NH 47, 16 will be affected by acquisition,’’ he said.

Tom Jose also said that the PWD was committed to complete the NH widening plan with minimum inconvenience to local residents.

Source: expressbuzz.com

Government moves towards open toll system for highways

Highway users, there is good news round the corner. Soon, you will not have to stop for payment at every toll plaza.

The government is on the verge of introducing an open road tolling (ORT) system in the country, by which toll payment would become a one-time transaction per trip.

The toll fees will be deducted either from the users’ bank account, or it collected at the beginning of the journey, in the manner of pre-paid or post-paid phone connections.

The ministry of road, transport and highways (MoRTH)  will on October 31 start a six-month pilot project to test the efficacy of ORT on three stretches on the national highways.

Three systems of ORT — Active, Passive and Calm tolling systems — would be tested for suitability.

The active tolling system (a microwave tag-based system that sends or receives signals) will be tested on the Gurgaon-
Jaipur stretch. The passive system (also microwave-based, but only send signals) on the Panipat-Jalandhar stretch. The calm ORT system, an infrared-based system that sends and receives signals and works on an optical fibre network, will be tried on the Surat-Dasihar stretch.

“We will finalise a system that is best suited for India. The tests have to be very elaborate and that is why they will carry on for six months,” a senior official at the ministry, who did not wish to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media, told Hindustan Times.

A third party will independently evaluate the three systems for suitability for use in India.

The new toll system will significantly reduce the time spent by commercial vehicles at tollbooths. For instance, a commercial vehicle plying between Delhi and Mumbai has to stop at 20 toll plazas.

On an average, there is a toll plaza every 60 km in India.

“It will be a very good thing. Separate lanes for the new toll system will result in significant saving of travel time,” said Anil K.G., resident consultant of Bangalore-based logistics company Transworld International, which runs a fleet of 150 trucks.

Source: hindustantimes.com

ATTSII Recommends Guidelines For A Suitable Electronic Toll Collection Standardisation For India

PROPOSES WORLD WIDE TESTED AND RECOGNIZED CEN 278, BASED ON DSRC MICROWAVE TECHNLOGY

Objective of a suitable ETC: Identify the vehicle distinctly Transmit the data securely to Database Guaranteed and fast recording of transaction Zero Leakage & self auditable Electronic clearance and Interoperability of plazas operated by different entities.

Features of CEN 278 technology: Based on Microwave 5.8 GHz Cost Effective Proven standard world wide Sourcing from Multiple vendors Foster Interoperability (CESARE, PISTA, CARDME)

New Delhi, 23rd July, 2008: The Association of Toll and Traffic Systems Integrators of India (ATTSII) has recommended guidelines for a suitable Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) to the working group formed by the Committee of Road Safety and Traffic Management, Ministry of Surface Transport and Highways to determine the technology for Advance Traffic Management Systems, Advance Travel or Information Systems and Electronic Toll collection Systems. The association proposes CEN 278 standard based on DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) microwave technology for the Indian subcontinent keeping in mind the Indian environment and driving conditions.

Representing the association, Mr. Sachin Bhatia, President ATTSII and Country Director of KAPSCH METRO JV said, “CEN 278 is the most acceptable technology worldwide with interoperability standards. It is already successfully implemented at the Delhi – Gurgaon Expressway, the largest 32 lane toll plaza in India. Introduction of smart tags based on microwave technology has received overwhelming response from drivers who earlier had to wait in long queues for several hours at the Toll. Now, it only takes few seconds for each vehicle to pass through, significantly reducing waiting time. CEN 278 is a cost effective technology as multiple vendors are present in the market to ensure that customers get the best competitive deal.

“At a time when India is starting to put in place the ETC technology, it should adopt the most advanced technology that is pre tested, allows wider applications and faster data transfer speed. We cannot afford to lose time in deciding on a technology as there is an urgent need to meet the ever increasing traffic management requirements in India that suits the masses and is most viable to implement,” said Mr. Aman Kishore ,VP of the ATTSII and Managing Director of International Road Dynamics (IRD) South Asia.

“IRD have successfully implemented CEN 278 standard microwave based Electronic Toll Collection(ETC) technology in April 2006 at Hoogly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) site at Vidyasagar Setu – Kolkata. HRBC is a West Bengal Government organization for operation, implementation and maintenance of Hoogly Bridge. Currently, it has 24 lanes at 1 Plaza with 4 ETC Lanes and is efficiently meeting requirements of the department to cater to heavy traffic volumes in a matter of seconds at the entry to Kolkata city,” added Mr. Kishore.

He further explained, “Most of the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) operators are opting for technology for ETC which is more cost effective and operationally efficient for Indian conditions. Recently, we have bagged an order for implementation of CEN 278 standard microwave based ETC from one of biggest BOT and O&M operators in the country – Ideal Road Builders (IRB), Mumbai for one of its locations at Mumbai’s Entry Points. The decision of opting for Microwave based ETC technology by such a reputed company must have been taken after much due diligence.”

“The major advantage of the microwave technology is the presence of numerous vendors in the market that generates fair competition. We must understand the emerging traffic volume in our country and we must opt and guide for technology which best meets diverse user needs and national interest, rather than being guided by commercial interest of vendors.

“CEN 278 standard is based on microwave technology, making it more reliable, robust and viable. A very recent example is the stormy morning of 14th May; any other known standards based on other technologies like infrared would have created chaos at points where it would have been applied. This is because in dusty weather, data fails to be securely transmitted, resulting in distortion in reporting and further leading to revenue leakages at tolling booths. As ATTSII represents the road operators in India, we sincerely hope to provide the best infrastructure and cost effective method of ETC for the end benefits for our people, we strongly recommend CEN 278 to be included as a policy due to its advantages outweighing that of any other present technology, pre -tested and widely accepted”, further explained Mr. Bhatia.

“It is a proven technology being used for electronic toll collection for many years around the world. This proves also our more than 140 reference projects in 30 countries in the Asian/Pacific region, Europe, Australia, Latin America and in South Africa. This technology guarantees thanks the reliability of the tolling system and the low error rate the maximum toll income and it is the perfect choice for charging on motorways, expressways and even secondary main roads. With respect to interoperability the DSRC is the only working technology today providing the necessary standards and specifications. We have also already made very good experiences with using of the DSRC tolling systems for the improving of the road safety and for the optimizing of the traffic flow by the installation of traffic data sensors or variable message signs on the toll gantries,” said Erwin Toplak, Management Board, Kapsch TrafficCom AG.

About ATTSII

The Association of Toll and Traffic Systems Integrators of India (ATTSII) has been established in India for the Toll and traffic Industry players to share their views; ideas and technologies through a common platform. The Association comprises of the leading players of the Industry as below:

• IRD, Canada / India
• Kapsch TrafficCom AG; Austria/ India
• GEA; France / India
• CS ROUTE ; France/ India
• Metro Road Systems ; India
• Q-Free / Comvision , India

About Kapsch TrafficCom AG

Kapsch TrafficCom AG is an international supplier of innovative road traffic telematics solutions. Its principle business is the development and supply of electronic toll collection (ETC) systems, in particular for the multi-lane free-flow (MLFF) of the traffic, and the technical and commercial operation of such systems. Kapsch TrafficCom also supplies traffic management systems, with a focus on road safety and traffic control, and electronic access systems and parking management. With more than 140 reference projects in 30 countries in Europe, Australia, Latin America, in the Asian/Pacific region and in South Africa, and with almost 12 million on-board units (OBUs) and nearly 11,000 equipped lanes, Kapsch TrafficCom has positioned itself among the leading suppliers of ETC systems worldwide. Kapsch TrafficCom is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and has subsidiaries and representative offices in 20 countries.

For further media queries contact:

Alka Ohja / Archana Sharda
Blue Lotus PR
alka@bluelotuspr.com / archanas@bluelotuspr.com
011-46571241 / 42
9958443490 / 9811838332

M’lore: High-tech Four-lane Road from Kundapur to Talapady Soon

Govind D Belgaumkar/The Hindu

• Work on the 90-km stretch likely to begin after the monsoon season
• Contractors to apply for pre-qualification before May 30
• Work to be awarded on build, operate and transfer basis

Mangalore, May 2: A smooth ride on a high-tech road from Kundapur in Udupi district to Talapady on Karnataka-Kerala border may be a possibility very soon. However, vehicle users will have to pay for using the road.

The work is being taken up under the third phase of National Highway Development Project (NHDP), aimed at building world-class highways to fuel the growth of the economy.

Although the work on the stretch between Nanthur and Surathkal has been tardy, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has invited tenders for the remaining 90-km stretch. The Surathkal-Nanthur stretch has been taken up under the Port Connectivity Project of the NHDP.

Process

Considering that the process of awarding the tender takes a few months, as suggested in the authority’s website, the 90-km project implementation may begin only after the monsoon season.

The authority intends to pre-qualify six applicants, who will be eligible to bid for the project. In the next step, the bidders have to submit their financial offers for the project.

The NHAI has set May 30, against the previous May 5, as the deadline for contractors to apply for pre-qualification. Queries from the applicants will be entertained till May 5, after which a conference will be organised to clear their doubts on May 7. It will be a tolled road to be awarded on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis. A special purpose company will be created to undertake the project implementation.

The contractor winning the project will have to design, engineer, finance, construct, operate and maintain the road till its transfer to the NHAI.

Scope of work

The scope of the project includes, rehabilitation of displaced people, improvement and widening of the existing carriageway to four-lane standards with construction of new pavements, rehabilitation of existing pavement, construction and/or rehabilitation of major and minor bridges, culverts, road intersections, interchanges, drains, and the operation and maintenance thereof.

Features

The NHDP hopes to provide enhanced safety features on the roads taken up for four-laning or six-laning, besides better riding surface, better traffic management and noticeable signage, divided carriageways and service roads, grade separators, over bridges and underpasses, bypasses and wayside amenities. The third phase envisages construction of more than 12,000-km of road. Of this, about 10,000 km is yet to be awarded, according to the NHAI website. Under NHDP, the authority has almost completed the golden quadrilateral which connects the four metros.
source:www.daijiworld.com

Australia’s longest tunnel with Kapsch technology: Another contract from Australia for Kapsch TrafficCom AG

Kapsch TrafficCom will equip Australia’s longest tunnel. In March 2008, the company was able to secure contracts with a project sum of more than 11 million Australian dollars (more than EUR 6.4 million). More specifically, Kapsch will supply the road side equipment as well as the central telematics system for the tolling in the North-South Bypass Tunnel in Brisbane. With this contract, Kapsch TrafficCom is consolidating its strong market leadership in Australia.

“We are pleased about being awarded the contracts for equipping the North-South Bypass Tunnel. This traffic project emphasises Australia’s leading position in traffic systems and fully electronic toll systems. With this contract, Kapsch TrafficCom can also continue its success story in Australia – since 2000, several major projects have been realised in Australia – e.g. in Melbourne and Sydney”, explains Erwin Toplak, Management Board Member of Kapsch TrafficCom AG.

Upon its completion in 2010, the North-South Bypass Tunnel in Brisbane will be the longest in Australia. The tunnel, with a project length of 6.8 kilometres, includes two 4.8 km double-lane tunnel tubes. Kapsch TrafficCom is equipping this with a central traffic telematics system, including two signal bridges and a complete back-office solution. When complete the tunnel will create a new link for north-south traffic underneath Brisbane and will significantly reduce the volume of traffic in the city.

Further information also available at: www.rivercitymotorway.com.au

Kapsch TrafficCom AG is an international provider of innovative traffic telematics systems, products and services. Kapsch TrafficCom mainly develops and supplies electronic toll collection (ETC) systems, especially multi-lane free-flow (MLFF) ETC systems as well as offering technical and commercial operating services for these systems. In addition, Kapsch TrafficCom offers traffic management solutions focusing on traffic safety and traffic control, electronic access control systems and parking space management. With more than 140 installed toll systems worldwide in 30 countries in Europe, Australia, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region and South Africa, and with a total of more than eleven million transponders and 11,000 equipped traffic lanes, Kapsch TrafficCom has positioned itself as a worldwide market leader for ETC systems. Kapsch TrafficCom is headquartered in Vienna, Austria and has subsidiaries and representative offices in 18 countries.

Vienna, 31st March 2008

For further information:
Brigitte Herdlicka
Public Relations & Sponsoring
Kapsch Group
Phone: +43 (0) 50 811 2705
A-1120 Vienna, Wagenseilgasse 1
E-mail: brigitte.herdlicka@kapsch.net
www.kapschtraffic.com
www.kapsch.net

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NHAI's First ETC(Electronic Toll Collection) PLAZA

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