Skybus Metro

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Skybus Metro
Skybus at Station.jpg
A Skybus Metro car at a station
Overview
Area served Margao, Goa
Transit type Suspended railway
Number of lines1
Number of stations1
Operation
Began operationNever entered service
Operator(s) Konkan Railway
Rolling stock BEML
Train length18.5 m (61 ft)
Technical
System length1.6 km (0.99 mi)
Minimum radius of curvature 100 m (330 ft)
Top speed100 km/h (62 mph)

The Skybus Metro was a prototype suspended railway system by Indian technologist B. Rajaram with the BEML [1] and Konkan Railway [2] which is patented by the Indian Railways. [3] The system consisted of an elevated track with the cars suspended below, similar to the Wuppertal Schwebebahn or H-Bahn systems in Germany.

Contents

A 1.6  km (1  mi) test track in Margao, Goa started trials in 2004, but on 25 September, one employee was killed and three injured in an accident, ending the trial. [4] The test track was supposed to be extended to 10.5 km, but no progress was made after the accident. [5] In 2013, the Konkan Railway dismantled the line. [6]

Construction

Skybus can run at 100 km/h using electric power, [7] with suspended cars that carry the passengers.

Tracks

A Skybus Metro Railcar suspended at a station on the track at Margao, Goa, India. The system looks like a "monorail" but there are two conventional steel rails on the overhead concrete beam, with the car hanging from this. Skybus Metro Suspended Railway in Margao, Goa, India.jpg
A Skybus Metro Railcar suspended at a station on the track at Margao, Goa, India. The system looks like a "monorail" but there are two conventional steel rails on the overhead concrete beam, with the car hanging from this.

Heavy 52 kilograms per metre (100 lb/yd) rails of standard gauge are placed in 8 m x 2 m-box enclosures of reinforced concrete. These double-track enclosures are supported over 1 m diameter columns 10 m tall, spaced at 15-20 m intervals on pile foundation. This structure was planned to run in the divider space between road lanes, so Skybus Metro follows existing road routes without disturbing at-grade traffic. The steepest gradient possible was 1.75 % and the sharpest curve had a radius of 100 m. [7] The maximum radius of a vertical curve was 3,375 m.

Bogies

BEML had signed a memorandum of understanding with KRC for exclusive manufacture and supply of innovative Skybus bogies, the prototype development of Skybus for the first time in the country. [8]

Two standard axle "bogies" provide the drive mechanism. Each bogie is driven by 3-phase alternating current (AC) motor. A third rail provides power. Braking is either regenerative (returning electricity to the grid) with supplemental disc and (emergency) mechanical braking. Power is delivered to the vehicles using brushes or by current carrying wheels.

Coaches

The coaches are double walled lightweight shells with wide larger windows and are suspended below the rails. The air conditioned coaches have 4 m-wide automatic doors. They offer audiovisual information to passengers. Each pair of coaches carries 300 passengers. Each coach is 9.25 m long and 3.2 m wide. "Trains" consist of two coaches, with total length of 18.5 m.

Traverser

The traverser automatically shifts units between tracks. The traverser is a modified form of transverser used in others industries for lifting & shifting objects. In the traverser a platform of track is hung to a bogie which consist of a motor and is also mounted on the track. The traverser acts like a station. A distance of 50 m from the last station to the traverser is maintained to provide holding capacity for two units as a third unit is getting traversed in case of unforeseen delay.

Station

The station is an air-conditioned platform 5.5 m above ground. Stations have automatic doors and lifts. A smart card opens the station door. The station fits in a 50 m long spot.

Trials

In 2004 the Konkan Railway carried out a trial of Skybus in Margao, Goa with the help of Goa state government. On 25 September, one employee was killed and three injured in an accident when the coaches hit the concrete track pillars, ending the trial. [9]

Managing director Bhanu Prakash Tayal shared that KRC was unable to engineer critical components like the "swing arrestor" and "switching apparatus" which could have potentially addressed the safety concerns that surrounded the project since the 2004 accident. [6]

Rajaram defended Skybus, stating that the accident was avoidable. [10]

Closure

In October, 2013 the Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC) decided to discontinue the Skybus project to curb expenses. The 1.6 km test track was dismantled as a result of the decision. The KRC had solicited interest from foreign firms to maintain and upgrade the test track; this was met with poor response which also contributed to the decision to dismantle. [6]

Revival discussions

The state government of Goa considered reviving Skybus for a north-south metro rail project in 2018. [11]

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has advocated for building Skybus systems for Delhi-Gurgaon, Bengaluru, and Pune. In October 2023, he visited a suspended train system build by uSky Technologies in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. [12] [13] [14] [15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "First prototype of sky-bus to be unveiled in Goa". The Times of India. 2 April 2003. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  2. ↑ "Konkan Rly to invite EOI for Sky Bus metro". Deccan Herald.
  3. ↑ "Sky Bus Metro track gets US patent". The Times of India. 9 February 2004. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  4. ↑ Sastry, Anil (23 December 2004). "National : Sky Bus Metro resumes after 3 months". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 14 January 2005.
  5. ↑ Pandey, Vineeta (15 March 2005). "Skybus project: Fantasy or reality?". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 June 2006.
  6. 1 2 3 "Its final! Konkan Railway Corporation to scrap skybus project - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Skybus Tech Movie Full". Rajaram Bojji. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  8. ↑ "First prototype of sky-bus to be unveiled in Goa". The Times of India. 2 April 2003. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "National : Sky Bus Metro resumes after 3 months". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 23 December 2004. Archived from the original on 14 January 2005. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  10. ↑ "ACD article 20th july 2010" . Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  11. ↑ Govt may pitch for metro rail line from north to south Goa
  12. ↑ Nitin Gadkari Tests Skybus In Sharjah; Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune To Get Suspended Rail System Soon?
  13. ↑ Nitin Gadkari Wants Skybuses For Bengaluru To Decongest Roads. What Is A Skybus?
  14. ↑ Will Nitin Gadkari finally announce sky bus service for Indian cities?
  15. ↑ Pegu, Violina (26 October 2023). "Explained: What are Sky Buses in India and Will We Get Them Soon?". Coach Builders India.

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