Bengaluru Suburban Rail: BHEL, BEML And CAF Express Interest To Supply Coaches And Rolling Stock On PPP Mode

Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited (KRIDE) announced that the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project received interest from three bidders to supply coaches and rolling stock on Wednesday (17 May).

The bidders are Spanish company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), K-RIDE said in a statement.

KRIDE opened the tender with bidders present on Tuesday (16 May), as they had issued the 'Request for Qualification'.

KRIDE on 25 January invited bids from firms to handle the design, manufacture, supply, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of rolling stock for the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The global tender will be awarded to bidders who meet the eligibility criteria to supply 306 coaches for the project worth Rs 15,767 crore.

The elected will design, procure, test, commission, fund, and work on relevant clearances from government instrumentalities.

In a bid to reduce the overall project cost, the coaches (rolling stock) for the project, estimated to be over Rs 3,000 crore, are not included in the project’s cost. KRIDE opted for the PPP model for the rolling stock procurement. The successful bidder is expected to supply the coaches and maintain them for a period of 35 years.

As per the finalised Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the suburban rail project, the selected firm will also install, operate, and maintain machinery and plants at depots, as well as lease and maintain trains and provide train operators.

The selected bidder is expected to make 264 cars available to KRIDE on a lease basis and supply trains i.e. three or six cars each to be decided by the authority at the bid stage.

To meet the traffic demand, 3200 mm wide AC rolling stock will be used for running suburban rail services in Bengaluru. Other parameters of the proposed train system include trains designed to run at a maximum speed of 90 kmph.

A 25 KV Over Head Equipments (OHE) traction system has been proposed for the corridors. The power supply will be through TSS (Traction Sub Stations), as identified for the corridors.

OHE is a system of conductors / equipments carrying traction power from traction sub station to electric locomotive.

Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project

The commuter rail network will cover 148.17 km and comprise four corridors and 57 stations.

Sampige (Corridor 1): KSR Bengaluru – Devanahalli (41 km) connecting Kempegowda International Airport

Mallige (Corridor 2): Baiyappanahalli – Chikkabanavara (25.14 km)

Parijatha (Corridor 3) from Kengeri to Whitefield (35.52 km)

Kanaka (Corridor 4): Heelalige – Rajankunte (46.24 km)

The suburban rail project is estimated to cost ₹15,767 crore. Both the State and Union governments will each bear 20 per cent of the cost, while the remaining 60 per cent will be raised through external sources.

The project was first proposed in 1983 by a southern railways expert team and was estimated to span 58 km. The proposal was included in Karnataka's first transportation survey, commissioned by then chief minister R Gundu Rao.

On 20 June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation for the suburban rail project in the city.

Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project will link Bengaluru to its satellite townships, suburbs, and surrounding rural areas through a rail-based rapid-transit system network.