BANGALORE (Metro Rail News): Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) had floated a tender in April this year to supply 72 coaches for the yellow line of Namma Metro’s 73-km Phase-2 project for which four firms that are Alstom Transport, BEML, Mitsubishi Electric, and Titagarh Wagons are bidding.
In December 2019, the BMRCL awarded a contract worth Rs 1,578 crore for supplying 126 metro coaches to Chinese firm CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd, a subsidiary of CRRC Corporation Ltd. which included the supply of 126 cars with distance-to-go (DTG) technology and 90 cars with communication-based train control (CBTC) technology.
According to the contract, the supplier had to either set up a new factory in India for the production of coaches or form a partnership with a domestic manufacturer to ensure timely delivery.
CRCC revealed plans to manufacture 204 coaches in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh but the plans didn’t work out. The company also moved the Karnataka High Court seeking an injunction to restrain BMRCL from encashing two cheques given as bank guarantees of $57,12,162 and Rs 85.49 crore.
With the earlier contract still involved in a protracted legal battle, BMRCL floated a new coach supply tender this April to procure the supply of 72 metro coaches. The successful bidder was given four and half years to supply the coaches. Currently, the technical evaluation of these bids is on.
The 72 coaches are expected to be deployed on the 19.5-km Rashtriya Vidyalaya Road-Bommasandra Line (Yellow Line). The Yellow line is fully elevated with 16 stations.
