Skybus Metro

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

Not to be confused with other uses of the name "Skybus".

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.[2] The test track was supposed to be extended to 10.5 km, but no progress was made after the accident.[3] In 2013, the Konkan Railway dismantled the line.[4]

Construction

Skybus can run at 100 km/h using electric power,[5] 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.

Heavy 52 kilograms per metre (100 lb/yd) rails of standard gauge are placed in 8m x 2m-box enclosures. These rails are supported over 1m diameter columns 10m tall, spaced at 15-20m intervals on pile foundation. This structure is constructed in the divider space between road lanes. Sky Bus follows existing road routes without disturbing traffic. The steepest gradient was 2%. The sharpest curve had a radius of 100m. The maximum radius of vertical curve was 3375m.

Bogies

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

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 & is also mounted on the track. The traverser acts like a station. A distance of 50m 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
A Skybus Metro car at a station

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

Trials

In 2004 the Konkan Railway carried out a trial of Sky Bus 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.[6]

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.[4]

Rajaram defended Sky Bus, stating that the accident was avoidable.[7]

Closure

In October, 2013 the Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC) decided to discontinue the SkyBus project to curb expenses. The 1.6km 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.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Konkan Rly to invite EOI for Sky Bus metro". Deccan Herald.
  2. Sastry, Anil (23 December 2004). "The Hindu : National : Sky Bus Metro resumes after 3 months". hindu.com.
  3. Pandey, Vineeta (15 March 2005). "Skybus project: Fantasy or reality?". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 June 2006.
  4. "Its final! Konkan Railway Corporation to scrap skybus project - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  5. Rajaram Bojji: Skybus Tech Movie Full.
  6. "National : Sky Bus Metro resumes after 3 months". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 23 December 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  7. "ACD article 20th july 2010". Retrieved 26 November 2012.

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