MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has decided to postpone the bidding process for the procurement of 238 air-conditioned Vande Bharat metro rakes, just a month after inviting tenders. A total of 2856 AC cars were to be acquired as part of the tender, which could configure both 12-car and 15-car trains. On May 19, the decision to procure the rakes under MUTP-3 and 3A was taken after receiving approval from Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
However, according to the notice on the MRVC website, the tender for the procurement and lifetime maintenance of Vande Metro (suburban) rakes, along with the establishment of new maintenance depots and upgrading existing maintenance facilities, has been deferred until further notice.
MRVC had initially aimed to finalize the contractor by September, with an estimated cost of around Rs 90 crore for each 12-car rake. The plan was to receive the first rake by 2026, followed by at least 50 rakes per year, and completing the entire stock by 2030.
Mr. Sunil Udasi, MRVC’s Chief Public Relations Officer, clarified that they have delayed the tender process due to the need to consider inputs from Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR). Additionally, they are awaiting the report on the migration strategy for transitioning from non-AC to AC services.
