BEML bags Rs3,015-cr order for Mumbai Metro Corridor
23 Nov 2018
Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML), a central public sector undertaking, has bagged a contract for Rs3,015 crore for Mumbai Metro Corridor. The order includes manufacture of 378 Metro cars (63 Metro trains of 6 cars each) for Mumbai Metro Corridor 2A, 2B and 7.
BEML was the lowest among seven bidders, which included 6 internationally renowned bidders. The state-of-the-art, driverless trains will be manufactured indigenously by BEML.
BEML was the lowest among seven bidders, which included seven internationally renowned companies. Seven international manufacturers of rolling stock, viz, Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, CRRC, Titagarh, BEML, Hyundai Rotem, participated in the bid.
These state-of-the-art, driverless trains will be manufactured indigenously by BEML. BEML bagged the contract – one of the largest orders of Metro rail coaches in recent times - on its own merit.
Supply of trains will begin from October 2020 and completed by December 2022. BEML has earlier also supplied metro coaches in smaller numbers but along with an international player as a JV partner. Under the present contract, BEML will sub-contract some design to Hitachi. The coaches will be manufactured in the BEML factory at Bengaluru.
Some of the salient features are:
- Total Trains: 63
- Coaches per Train: 6
- Fully Air Conditioned
- Driverless train compatibility
- Energy friendly with regenerative braking system. Train to operate on 25 KV AC traction.
- Equipped with CCTV surveillance for passenger security and real-time track monitoring.
- Carrying capacity of 300 passengers in each coach.
- Stainless steel body with 4 doors on each side.
Today about 536 km of metro lines are operational in 10 different cities, namely, Delhi and NCR (317 km), Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Gurugram. In addition, more than 650 km of metro rail projects are under construction in Delhi and NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Pune, Bhopal and Indore. Many more cities are also planning metro rail systems.
The ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) has standardised the specifications for metro rolling-stock, signalling, telecom, electrical and civil components. It has also adopted `Make in India’ public procurement policy for Metro rail systems. MoHUA has also stipulated that minimum 75 per cent of the coaches procured against any tender have to be manufactured in India.
Alstom, Bombardier, BEML, and Titagarh have setup manufacturing units in India. As a result of the “Make in India” initiatives, the last two big procurement orders for rolling stock in India, floated on international competitive bidding model, have gone to Indian companies. This has also resulted in substantial reduction in cost.
The award price per coach, which is less than Rs8.00 crore (including spares, design, installation, and commissioning) is lowest recorded in recent times.
The supply of coaches will start from end of 2020 and will be completed in about two years’ time. The project is being assisted by Asian Development Bank and the procurement has been done following their guidelines and concurrence.
Mumbai Metro line 2A will connect Dahisar to DN Nagar in Mumbai. Metro line 2B will run further from DN Nagar to Mankhurd via Bandra and Metro line 7 from Dahisar to Andheri (East).