BENGALURU (Metro Rail News): The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has approved the proposal from the China-based CRRC Corporation Ltd, a Chinese firm, to work in partnership with Titagarh Wagons (TWL) in Kolkata to produce 216 metro rail coaches. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is signed and it puts an end to the supply of coaches’ shortage by 90% of the manufacturing criteria for the 34 train sets including 204 coaches to be finished inside India presently, said various sources. However, the CRCC’s request for a price hike was denied by the BMRCL. Anjum Parwez, Managing Director of BMRCL confirmed the news by stating that the MoU had been signed and that the project cost will not change.
The BMRCL threatened to encash the bank guarantee and terminate the contract with CRCC’s Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd for Rs 1,578 crore contract in December 2019 after thet failed in establishing manufacturing facility there. But the CRCC went to court and asked for extra time to carry out the project by citing updated FDI norms. “CRRC’s decision to set up its own manufacturing place at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh to supply coaches for BMRCL didn’t work out,” a reliable source confirmed.
Out of the 36 train sets, 34 train sets will be prepared inside India now. Under the direction of CRRC, TWL will establish stainless steel car body manufacturing facilities. This will be a significant lift to the Make In India strategy of the Center.” Only two train sets (12 coaches) will be prepared in China and both will be tested before being deployed.
The arrangement has already enabled BMRCL to save over Rs 400 crore. “This would have been the extra expense caused if retendering had been called due to the price hike of stainless steel and general hike in cost of different components, ” the source added.
The BMRCL intended to run 126 coaches out of the 216 coaches on the green and purple lines. On the 19- km RV Road- Bommasandra line, out of 36 train sets, 15 will be Communication Based Train Control (CVTC) sets to be operated, the remaining 90 coaches are anticipated to be used. Out of 90 coaches 21 coaches will be based on Distance to Go (DTG) technology which will be functional on Purple and Green lines and their extensions.
Increase in number of these coaches in upcoming one year from now will assist in reducing the time gap between two trains during non-peak hours to 3.5 minutes.
