Bombardier delivers first MOVIA car for Delhi Metro

Bombardier Transportation has delivered the first vehicle in the new high-technology fleet of `Bombardier MOVIA' metro cars, ordered by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for its phase II expansion.

The first vehicle was built in an 18-month period and was transported directly from Germany to India in an Antonov aircraft.

The MOVIA train-set will commence track tests in March while the service introduction is scheduled for the second week in June. The first 36 vehicles for DMRC will be built in Goerlitz, Germany and the following 388 cars in Savli, India, where Bombardier has recently inaugurated a modern railway vehicle manufacturing facility, Bombardier said in a release.

With an investment valued at 33 million euros, this greenfield facility will directly employ 750 people and indirectly generate approximately 3,000 jobs in the region, the release said.

DMRC has ambitious targets to expand its metro service in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, where the environmentally friendly fleet of 424 state-of-the-art MOVIA vehicles will play a vital role.

Also, the project is to be carried out in the new large-scale manufacturing plant in India, the first wholly private company of its type in the country.

E Sreedharan, managing director, DMRC as well as Stéphane Rambaud-Measson, president, passengers division, Kristian Mikkelsen, president, Asia, passengers division, and Rajeev Jyoti, president and managing director, India from Bombardier Transportation were present at the airport.

''We, at Bombardier, are very proud of delivering our high quality vehicles to Delhi Metro. I would like to congratulate the Bombardier employees located here in India as well as those from other engineering and manufacturing sites in Europe, like Goerlitz in Germany and Västerås in Sweden for their amazing performance and dedicated participation in this project,'' Stéphane Rambaud-Measson said.

Bombardier employees in India are receiving training and support both in Savli and in Goerlitz.

The first line of New Delhi's Metro network opened in December 2002. Phase I consisted of 3 lines totaling 65 km with Phase II, now under construction, representing an additional 125 km. In phase II of the expansion of Delhi Metro, the modern MOVIA high-capacity vehicles are expected to transport 4 million passengers every day.

The high capacity MOVIA vehicles will accommodate some 1,480 passengers per four car train unit. The air conditioned train units have CCTV and open gangways, emergency speaker units and safety egress door via the driver's cab for emergency evacuation.