Japan's overseas development agency said Monday that it has agreed to lend funds for a new $1.5-billion light rail system for Sri Lanka's congested capital Colombo.

Colombo traffic slows to an average speed of less than seven kilometres (four miles) an hour during peak times, making it one of the slowest in South Asia.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said it signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to provide a loan of 30.04 billion yen ($270 million).

Under the deal, Japanese technology including rolling stock and electromechanical equipment will be utilised in the project, it added.

The Light Rail Transit (LRT) system with 16 stations over 15.7 kilometres (9.8 miles) will operate on an elevated track in and around Colombo.&nbsp;

"It will fundamentally change the face of public transport in this country, ease traffic congestion and improve the environment of Colombo city," the statement said.

The Japanese loan carries an interest rate of 0.1 per cent and is repayable over 40 years with a 12-year grace period, JICA said.

Japan has already funded sections of new expressways and a key bridge to reduce traffic congestion in and out of the capital.

Sri Lanka has seen a massive rollout of ports, highways and railroads in recent years but several ambitious infrastructure projects ended up as white elephants and left the country facing a mountain of debt -- mainly to China.&nbsp;

Unable to service its loans, the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe leased a Chinese-built port at Hambantota to a Beijing company for $1.12 billion in 2017.

Japan's overseas development agency said Monday that it has agreed to lend funds for a new $1.5-billion light rail system for Sri Lanka's congested capital Colombo.

Japan's overseas development agency said Monday that it has agreed to lend funds for a new $1.5-billion light rail system for Sri Lanka's congested capital Colombo. Colombo traffic slows to an average speed of less than seven kilometres (four miles) an hour during peak times, making it one of the slowest in South Asia. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said it signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to provide a loan of 30.04 billion yen ($270 million). Under the deal, Japanese technology including rolling stock and electromechanical equipment will be utilised in the project, it added. The Light Rail Transit (LRT) system with 16 stations over 15.7 kilometres (9.8 miles) will operate on an elevated track in and around Colombo. "It will fundamentally change the face of public transport in this country, ease traffic congestion and improve the environment of Colombo city," the statement said. The Japanese loan carries an interest rate of 0.1 per cent and is repayable over 40 years with a 12-year grace period, JICA said. Japan has already funded sections of new expressways and a key bridge to reduce traffic congestion in and out of the capital. Sri Lanka has seen a massive rollout of ports, highways and railroads in recent years but several ambitious infrastructure projects ended up as white elephants and left the country facing a mountain of debt -- mainly to China. Unable to service its loans, the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe leased a Chinese-built port at Hambantota to a Beijing company for $1.12 billion in 2017.

Japan to fund Sri Lankan light rail system

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed an agreement with the Indian government to provide an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of 89,547 million Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 5,500 crore) as Tranche 1 on the `Project for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR)` corridor, commonly known as bullet train project.

The objective of MAHSR is to develop a high-frequency mass transportation system by constructing the High-Speed Rail between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, using Japan's Shinkansen technology (Bullet Train), thereby enhancing mobility in India and contributing to regional economic development.

The Japanese state-owned funding agency has also signed another agreement to provide ODA loan of 25,903 million Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 1,600 crore) for building a metro rail system between Howrah Maiden to Salt Lake Sector V, including an underwater section, as a part of the `Kolkata East-West Metro Project (III)`, JICA said in a statement.

The Kolkata East-West Metro Project (III) will mitigate traffic congestion, reduce air pollution, minimize road accidents and make travel smoother for the people in Kolkata.

The Project will connect Howrah Maiden to Salt Lake Sector V through Esplanade and provide an improved access to the public from the west gateway area to the central business district as well as the residential-cum-institutional complex areas.

Both the ODA loan agreements were signed between CS Mohapatra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, and Katsuo Matsumoto, Chief Representative, JICA India.

"India has witnessed strong economic growth in recent years, and with this growth has come a sharp rise in the volume of passengers and goods being transported in the country. Both Maharashtra and Gujarat states have been the nation`s growth drivers, and MAHSR is expected to further support such economic pulse as had the Shinkansen done for Japan. With this project, we aim to simplify mobility, ease connectivity and enhance regional economic development with a safe and reliable inter-city transport system," Matsumoto said.

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) is the Executing Agency of the MAHSR Project. A training institute, which will have the facilities and equipment to help trainees, will be set up so that operational and safety standards, as well as the traveling experience, will match the Shinkansen originals in Japan.

Last year, in September 2017, JICA signed an agreement with India providing an ODA Loan of 10,453 million Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 640 crore) to develop a training institute at Vadodara, Gujarat.

Talking about the Kolkata East-West Metro Project (III), Matsumoto said: "Kolkata will be the first city to have an underwater section in its metro which will help connect both sides of the river-divided city, responding to the growing traffic demands. The metro line will cover the central business district area and residential cum institutional complex area of Kolkata thereby bringing ease of commuting. Kolkata is an old city with only 5.4 per cent road volume and non-road based Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) system is best suited. JICA`s cooperation will lead to the modal shift from road traffic to public transport system and will eventually lead to balanced regional development and improvement of environmental conditions."

The Executing Agency for the Kolkata East-West Metro Project (III) is Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL).

The project involves an ambitious tunnel crossing below river Ganges in between Howrah and Mahakaran stations which is the first transportation tunnel in India under any mighty river, the statement read.

The elevated portion is planned with the construction of piers mainly on the median of the road, while the underground section is planned with shield tunneling method by using tunnel boring machines and stations by `cut and cover` method.

With signing of this third loan agreement for Kolkata metro project, the cumulative loan amount provided by JICA for metro projects in India (including Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Ahmedabad Metro) exceeds 1.2 trillion Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 73,710 crore).&nbsp;

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed an agreement with the Indian government to provide an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of 89,547 million Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 5,500 crore) as Tranche 1 on the `Project for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR)` corridor, commonly known as bullet train project.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed an agreement with the Indian government to provide an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of 89,547 million Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 5,500 crore) as Tranche 1 on the `Project for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR)` corridor, commonly known as bullet train project. The objective of MAHSR is to develop a high-frequency mass transportation system by constructing the High-Speed Rail between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, using Japan's Shinkansen technology (Bullet Train), thereby enhancing mobility in India and contributing to regional economic development. The Japanese state-owned funding agency has also signed another agreement to provide ODA loan of 25,903 million Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 1,600 crore) for building a metro rail system between Howrah Maiden to Salt Lake Sector V, including an underwater section, as a part of the `Kolkata East-West Metro Project (III)`, JICA said in a statement. The Kolkata East-West Metro Project (III) will mitigate traffic congestion, reduce air pollution, minimize road accidents and make travel smoother for the people in Kolkata. The Project will connect Howrah Maiden to Salt Lake Sector V through Esplanade and provide an improved access to the public from the west gateway area to the central business district as well as the residential-cum-institutional complex areas. Both the ODA loan agreements were signed between CS Mohapatra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, and Katsuo Matsumoto, Chief Representative, JICA India. "India has witnessed strong economic growth in recent years, and with this growth has come a sharp rise in the volume of passengers and goods being transported in the country. Both Maharashtra and Gujarat states have been the nation`s growth drivers, and MAHSR is expected to further support such economic pulse as had the Shinkansen done for Japan. With this project, we aim to simplify mobility, ease connectivity and enhance regional economic development with a safe and reliable inter-city transport system," Matsumoto said. The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) is the Executing Agency of the MAHSR Project. A training institute, which will have the facilities and equipment to help trainees, will be set up so that operational and safety standards, as well as the traveling experience, will match the Shinkansen originals in Japan. Last year, in September 2017, JICA signed an agreement with India providing an ODA Loan of 10,453 million Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 640 crore) to develop a training institute at Vadodara, Gujarat. Talking about the Kolkata East-West Metro Project (III), Matsumoto said: "Kolkata will be the first city to have an underwater section in its metro which will help connect both sides of the river-divided city, responding to the growing traffic demands. The metro line will cover the central business district area and residential cum institutional complex area of Kolkata thereby bringing ease of commuting. Kolkata is an old city with only 5.4 per cent road volume and non-road based Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) system is best suited. JICA`s cooperation will lead to the modal shift from road traffic to public transport system and will eventually lead to balanced regional development and improvement of environmental conditions." The Executing Agency for the Kolkata East-West Metro Project (III) is Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL). The project involves an ambitious tunnel crossing below river Ganges in between Howrah and Mahakaran stations which is the first transportation tunnel in India under any mighty river, the statement read. The elevated portion is planned with the construction of piers mainly on the median of the road, while the underground section is planned with shield tunneling method by using tunnel boring machines and stations by `cut and cover` method. With signing of this third loan agreement for Kolkata metro project, the cumulative loan amount provided by JICA for metro projects in India (including Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Ahmedabad Metro) exceeds 1.2 trillion Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 73,710 crore).

Japan International Cooperation Agency provides Rs 5500 crore loan for bullet train project

India&nbsp;is set to miss a December deadline to acquire land for a Japan-backed $17 billion bullet train project following protests by fruit growers, government officials said, likely delaying one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's most ambitious projects.

Modi's office is now monitoring the project week-to-week, as&nbsp;Indian officials seek to reassure Tokyo that the hurdles can be overcome through intense negotiations with sapota and mango growers in Maharashtra.

Protests, backed by local politicians, have flared up in recent months against attempts to secure sections of a 108-km stretch, which is around one-fifth of the entire bullet train corridor connecting Mumbai with Ahmedabad, the largest commercial city in Modi's home state Gujarat.

"I've worked hard for three decades to develop this plantation, and they are asking me to hand over this land," sapota farmer Dashrat Purav, 62, said as he showed his orchard in the town of Palghar, a three-hour-drive north of Mumbai.

"I haven't worked hard to surrender land for the project. I did that for my children."

Purav said he would sell his land only if at least one of his two unemployed sons was promised a government job.

Protests against land acquisitions are common in&nbsp;India, where tens of millions of farmers till small holdings. A planned $44 billion refinery to be run by a consortium including Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil producer, is also struggling to secure land in Maharashtra.

"Land acquisition for any project is complex in&nbsp;India," said Dhananjay Kumar, spokesman for the National High-Speed Rail Corp Ltd (NHSRCL) that is overseeing the project. "Here also we are facing difficulty because of so much resistance."

Failure to procure the bullet train land by the deadline would delay disbursal of soft-loans by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a government development body, which is reviewing the project next month, said two senior officials with the state-run&nbsp;Indian Railways, declining to be named.

A JICA spokeswoman said that&nbsp;India&nbsp;must create&nbsp;relocation plans for local residents and make them public in order to enter into a loan agreement covering the main part of the bullet train project.

"It is possible that it takes time to sign a contract as&nbsp;India&nbsp;takes proper and careful measures in line with JICA's guidelines for environmental and social considerations," she said.

To assuage Japan's concerns,&nbsp;Indian officials have sought a meeting this month with transport ministry officials in Tokyo, one of the&nbsp;Indian officials said.&nbsp;India&nbsp;wants the project's completion target to be advanced by a year to 2022, the 75th year of&nbsp;India's independence.

A Japanese transport ministry official who deals with the bullet train project said that&nbsp;Indian officials had told them that "they can manage" the land acquisition.

"We will continue to work together with the&nbsp;Indian government to bring this project forward with an aim to start operation in 2023," the official said.

'NOT INSURMOUNTABLE'

Japan is majority-funding the train project through a 50-year loan. Japanese companies such as Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp, JFE Holdings, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba Corp and Hitachi are likely to supply at least 70 per cent of the core components of the rail line, sources told Reuters in January.

Modi has called the project crucial for his pet "Make in&nbsp;India" campaign aimed at lifting the share of manufacturing in&nbsp;India's $2 trillion economy. The government also hopes to generate hundreds of jobs through the train project, and hence is pushing hard to finish it on time.

To sweeten the terms for people opposed to selling their land,&nbsp;Indian Railways has put its weight behind NHSRCL, pledging funds from its own welfare scheme to build schools and community halls, one of the officials said.

Ashwani Lohani, chairman of the&nbsp;Indian Railway Board, said the issues with farmers were not insurmountable.

The government has offered to buy land at a 25 per cent premium to the market value, the two government officials said. Farmers are also being offered resettlement dues of 500,000 rupees ($7,409) or 50 per cent of the land value, whichever is higher.

However, local political opposition in Palghar, ahead of a general election next year, has fanned the protests. Opponents say the bullet train is wasteful and the money would be better used upgrading the country's rickety rail infrastructure. Farmers have threatened a hunger strike.

Last week, farmers and local activists disrupted a public hearing conducted by NHSRCL, its second attempt to hold such an event in less than a month. The first one last month was also cut short by protests.

"In coming weeks, we will intensify the protests," said Nilam&nbsp;Gorhe, a spokesman for Shiv Sena, a regional party that has an on-off relationship with Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The delays have followed protests by fruit growers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office is now monitoring the project week-to-week

India is set to miss a December deadline to acquire land for a Japan-backed $17 billion bullet train project following protests by fruit growers, government officials said, likely delaying one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's most ambitious projects. Modi's office is now monitoring the project week-to-week, as Indian officials seek to reassure Tokyo that the hurdles can be overcome through intense negotiations with sapota and mango growers in Maharashtra. Protests, backed by local politicians, have flared up in recent months against attempts to secure sections of a 108-km stretch, which is around one-fifth of the entire bullet train corridor connecting Mumbai with Ahmedabad, the largest commercial city in Modi's home state Gujarat. "I've worked hard for three decades to develop this plantation, and they are asking me to hand over this land," sapota farmer Dashrat Purav, 62, said as he showed his orchard in the town of Palghar, a three-hour-drive north of Mumbai. "I haven't worked hard to surrender land for the project. I did that for my children." Purav said he would sell his land only if at least one of his two unemployed sons was promised a government job. Protests against land acquisitions are common in India, where tens of millions of farmers till small holdings. A planned $44 billion refinery to be run by a consortium including Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil producer, is also struggling to secure land in Maharashtra. "Land acquisition for any project is complex in India," said Dhananjay Kumar, spokesman for the National High-Speed Rail Corp Ltd (NHSRCL) that is overseeing the project. "Here also we are facing difficulty because of so much resistance." Failure to procure the bullet train land by the deadline would delay disbursal of soft-loans by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a government development body, which is reviewing the project next month, said two senior officials with the state-run Indian Railways, declining to be named. A JICA spokeswoman said that India must create relocation plans for local residents and make them public in order to enter into a loan agreement covering the main part of the bullet train project. "It is possible that it takes time to sign a contract as India takes proper and careful measures in line with JICA's guidelines for environmental and social considerations," she said. To assuage Japan's concerns, Indian officials have sought a meeting this month with transport ministry officials in Tokyo, one of the Indian officials said. India wants the project's completion target to be advanced by a year to 2022, the 75th year of India's independence. A Japanese transport ministry official who deals with the bullet train project said that Indian officials had told them that "they can manage" the land acquisition. "We will continue to work together with the Indian government to bring this project forward with an aim to start operation in 2023," the official said. 'NOT INSURMOUNTABLE' Japan is majority-funding the train project through a 50-year loan. Japanese companies such as Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp, JFE Holdings, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba Corp and Hitachi are likely to supply at least 70 per cent of the core components of the rail line, sources told Reuters in January. Modi has called the project crucial for his pet "Make in India" campaign aimed at lifting the share of manufacturing in India's $2 trillion economy. The government also hopes to generate hundreds of jobs through the train project, and hence is pushing hard to finish it on time. To sweeten the terms for people opposed to selling their land, Indian Railways has put its weight behind NHSRCL, pledging funds from its own welfare scheme to build schools and community halls, one of the officials said. Ashwani Lohani, chairman of the Indian Railway Board, said the issues with farmers were not insurmountable. The government has offered to buy land at a 25 per cent premium to the market value, the two government officials said. Farmers are also being offered resettlement dues of 500,000 rupees ($7,409) or 50 per cent of the land value, whichever is higher. However, local political opposition in Palghar, ahead of a general election next year, has fanned the protests. Opponents say the bullet train is wasteful and the money would be better used upgrading the country's rickety rail infrastructure. Farmers have threatened a hunger strike. Last week, farmers and local activists disrupted a public hearing conducted by NHSRCL, its second attempt to hold such an event in less than a month. The first one last month was also cut short by protests. "In coming weeks, we will intensify the protests," said Nilam Gorhe, a spokesman for Shiv Sena, a regional party that has an on-off relationship with Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Bullet train: India to miss December deadline to acquire land

japan-international-cooperation-agency

Japan International Cooperation Agency, News on Japan International Cooperation Agency, stories on Japan International Cooperation Agency, articles on Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan International Cooperation Agency stories at Wion, Japan International Cooperation Agency news, Japan International Cooperation Agency latest news

japan international-cooperation-agency

Japan to fund Sri Lankan light rail system

Japan International Cooperation Agency provides Rs 5500 crore loan for bullet train project

Bullet train: India to miss December deadline to acquire land