Skybus
Skybus
Skybus
SKYBUS
ABSTRACT
The most precious asset in growing areas is the land. Allocations to residential
and commercial purpose put heavy pressure on land for public use like parks and
open spaces apart from very important and critical roadways. Hardily 6% to a
maximum of 18% of land in cities form roadways. The roadways once laid, almost
increases, naturally loads on roads increases. Roads take one exactly to the
point where one wants to go. But the capacity is limited in terms of passengers
per hour that can be handled. Even if one wants to go by bus, need to maintain
the breaking distance between two buses and the space maintained between
them affects speed as well as limits per lane what capacity can be achived.
When mass transits , that too at higher speed is required rail based systems
only can handle. This has made the sky bus technology an attractive proposition.
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
Cities around the world are facing an acute problem of traffic congestion
due to ever increasing urbanization . The road infrastructure has not kept pace
with the demand put on it. In India vehicle population has increased from 3
lakhs in 1951 to about 270 lakhs at present. As against this road network
2. Low charges.
congestion in cities.
Elevated Railway
It technically cannot reach truly congested central busy roads where the mass
transport is needed. It is also too invasive and may require dislocation of some
Underground Railway
It is less invasive on surface but still poses technically challenging and has to
walking and railway. Both modes suffer from derailments and capsizing killing
commuters.
Surface Railway
It is impossible to lay in an existing city. But even to lay the same in a new
development, one should keep in mind what happens after 50 years of laying
the same.
Almost close to 1000 persons die annually because of trespassing or falling from
urchins but resulting in grievous injuries like losing sight for the commuters.
Again this mode cannot follow roads, so that weak link of road vehicles has to be
1. Follows the existing roads but does not take road space and be
as flexible as a bus.
alignment.
terms of sky bus metros is based on the concept of sky wheels presented in
(Metro Rapid Transit System) in which rolling stack hangs on wheel. This
Germany etc.
6. TECHNOLOGY
from each other, in the divider space between lanes on a road way at a height of
5
8m above road surface-provides the support and guidance for powered bogies
which can run at 100kmph, with coach shell suspended below, carry passengers
in air conditioned comfort, can follow existing roads routes, while existing
traffic on road continues. The fixed structure at 8m hight above the road level
with a ground clearance 5.5m below the sky bus roads which is aesthetically
Sky bus metro falls under tramway category. Since it operates along
existing road ways and within municipal limits, hence excluded from indian
railway act.
SKY WAY
The sky way consist of a concrete box structure carry over a series of
Two rail fixed with appropriate fastenings with in the concrete box
SKY BOGIE
Standard two axle bogies used in metros for speeds of 100 km ph are
Regenerative.
Disc brakes
SKYCOACHES
Double walled light shells with wide large windows are suspended from the
sky bogies
Special 4m wide sliding doors for quick entry and exit of passengers.
SKY STATION
Unlike conventional mass transit systems, sky bus needs smaller stations.
for passenger.
Totally automated with out drivers or guards and access control is also
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
Salient Features
8
Sky Rail, a Konkan Railway innovation is a Broad Gauge double Railway line
conventional railways. It is similar to Sky Bus Metro but differs in higher load
bogies while the freight STU is a steel cage. It is sturdy enough to carry army
than the best system available on date. It also enables intermodal integration
7. ADVANTAGES
Fast transportation :
Every minute passenger would get air condition travel facility, covering
In big metros like Mumbai, two or three deaths occurs daily on the railway
tracks , with total causalities reaching almost 500-600 per year. This can be
Deep penetration :
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The sky bus follows existing busy roads, thus reaching the heart of the city
Capacity :
The skybus can handle 15000-50000 persons per hour per direction and can
A taxi / auto driver actually takes a loan and operates his vehicle. Similarly
companies owing taxis 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.15,000/- invested, the
15or 20 nos of such gold cards , which convert in to single journey cards say 30
in number which form 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 Rs. 300 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.
No Vandalism.
Fire Protections :
ground metros.
No Capsizing :
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If at all there is a derailment, the coach keeps hanging and does not fall down.
Hence no capsizing takes place as compared to over ground railways and under
ground metros.
The sky bus does not require road over / under bridges.
Fly over :
Except for providing for right of way on existing road ways there will be no land
No demolition ;
environmental hazards.
It working out to almost 50% of elevated rail system and 25% of under ground
Maintenance free tracks ,no track circuits or signals, points and crossing to
maintain.
Fast Clearance
13
Since the system involves guide ways in the sky, which does not fall into an
executing the project will be minimum and only one authority and respective
Fast Execution
According to KRCL the project can be completed and commissioned within 100
No Pollution
aesthetically pleasing.
No Force Majeure
The use of pre-Fabricated latest construction technology, would save time and
money in easy execution of the project in busy urban areas with out disturbing
Use of IT Tools
Information technology tools have been used for economic communications and
controls .
8. CONSUMER BENEFITS
No trafic jams :-
No waiting :-
Share holders travel free while others would have to pay Rs.250/- only for
Comfort:-
All sky buses are air conditioned, thus providing excellent travelling
comfort.
No pollution:-
One can escape from the hazards of noise and air pollution.
Tourism:-
Easy Access:-
The user will have to walk a maximum distance of 500m to bard a sky bus.
Amenity:-
Senior citizen and the handicapped persons can avail of the lift facility.
Luxury :-
communication facilities with health parks will be made available on sky top.
station for use of only senior citizens and differently enabled persons.
6.2. The platform level and the coach floor level is kept exactly the same, so
6.3. The electronic access gates have special gates, with a separate entry gate
reserved for wheel chairs and differently enabled persons so that the speed of
the gate opening and closure is controlled to give longer access time.
6.4. We are planning to issue special access cards designed for use by those
with poor eyesight and will not require very accurate swiping.
6.5. All the signage is being designed to give both audio and visual warning and
6.6.1 Every station and coach is manned. The primary duty of the person will be
not only to assist the normal citizens in getting accustomed t the technologically
advanced systems but also to help the differently enabled persons in boarding
6.7. Both the station area as well as the area within a coach webcams provided
for continuous security monitoring in the central control and every coach also, is
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provided with central control and interactive video communication with the
central control.
6.8. A special tracking will be done by the computer system from the entry
point until the exit point, the moment a differently enabled person
6.9. Within a coach special seats are provided only for differently enabled
persons, as well as, space close to the doors provided with collapsing clamping
6.10. The coach attendant will not allow the train to start until the differently
In brief the facilities being planned are described as above. But , we are
Typically for Kolkata city, the quantum of population because of vechicles in the
city is as under:
Particulate 7.7
Hydro Carbon 18
pollution levels are reached in the city . West Bengal Pollution Control Broad
gives figures of 820,000 road vehicles in the city, with 4500 further vehicles
particles smaller than 10 microns (PM 10) were much higher than standards set
by the World Health Organisation . Maximum values are Six times the
more than a million , and with density of 500 per sq. km is heading very fast to
In urban areas the problem is compounded further over and above the
emissions are about 4 times greater than at 32 kmph (Federal Urban Driving
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
routes where one cannot travel at more than 15 kmph to 20 kmph average
18
million liters of fossil fuel is cosumed- 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
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.
15000 cr in fuel import bill- recurring annually as also, catapult all our cities to
But additional power generation for the cities at the rate of 60 to 100
from existing grid supply or plan for captive power plant- will have to be
examined.
built in conserves energy and ultimately cost less than 5paise per passenger per
km.
3. Will not require human settlement to displaced, nor any existing parts,
habitates violated.
5. Will have a positive effect on the road traffic by decongesting and allows
private cars and taxis ply at higher speeds improving fuel efficiency and
reducing pollution.
11. CONCLUSION
Any town or city with a population of 20 lakhs and 10km busy traffic route with
2 to 3 lakh journeys a day can implement the sky bus metro. The cost of putting
sky Bus metro, over 20-30 km 2 area should be served by 10-20km of the sky
bus route. At least 3lakh community members residing in the sky bus metro
area or those who come to work in the area can own the sky bus metro.
The sky bus project will maintain world class standards and will place
9. REFERENCES
3 www.sky bus.com
4 www.konkan railway.com