Asian Development Bank Plays Truant With Mumbai Metro Coach Procurement, Opposes Make In India Clause

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (MMRDA’s) call for tenders to supply rolling stock for two under construction lines saw seven firms show interest to supply 378 coaches for the 63 six-car trains that will operate in the capital of Maharashtra.

According to a Times of India report, the seven firms that bid for Lines 2 and 7 are South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, Bombardier India, Alstom India, China’s CRRC Corporation, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), CAF India and Titagarh Wagons.

Bidding was opened in Delhi and carried out by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) which is executing the construction of the two lines. All the trains will feature communication-based train control (CBTC) that eliminates track side signals and also allow for driverless operations. Mumbai’s sole operational line currently uses CBTC.

However, the bidding was delayed due to opposition from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) – that is funding the two lines – to the state government’s clause that 75 per cent of the rolling stock in manufactured in India, reports The Indian Express. In April 2017, the Union Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) had made it mandatory for all future metro rail projects to cap rolling stock imports to 25 per cent under the Make In India scheme.

Earlier, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) that is implementing the underground Line 3 had to redo the tendering process for rolling stock despite the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) objecting to the Make In India clause. The bid was finally won by French manufacturer Alstom’s Indian subsidiary.