Vijayawada: With Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation (AMRC), the special purpose vehicle (SPV) floated for execution of Vijayawada metro project, deciding to put Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at bay, Make in India coaches are set to chug the Vijayawada metro corridors.
The earlier plan was to get the rakes from Japan as JICA had insisted on purchasing them there. With the state government shutting the door on the Japanese funding agency for inordinate delay in releasing the funds, AMRC had a change of heart, it is learnt.
Sources said the AMRC is planning to procure the coaches from the metro bogies manufacturing units at SriCity in Chittoor district, Savli in Gujarat and another one from Bengaluru.
“Three metro coach manufacturing units were established under Make in India in our country last year.We have also exported six rakes to Australia in February 2016 which were manufactured in Gujarat plant.Hence, we can also get them from these firms,” said a senior official.
According to preliminary estimates, the government pegged the cost of procurement of metro coaches at Rs 550 crore and the officials are planning to buy 54 rakes for the two corridors of Vijayawada metro.
