Alstom to provide signaling, telecom and electrification for Kochi metro

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French company Alstom has secured two contracts worth over euro 65 million (Rs 470 crore) from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for supplying signaling, telecom and electrification solutions for Kochi metro rail.

The projects will be implemented in early 2016 and commercial service for the first section of the metro is scheduled to begin in March 2016. Around 25 Alstom Metropolis trains will move on the new Kochi metro line, which is 25 km long and includes 22 stations. To start with, these trains will carry up to 15,000 passengers per hour in one direction.

Alstom is the incharge for design, manufacturing, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of Urbalis 400, its communication-based train control (CBTC) solution. It controls the movement of trains, allowing them to run at higher frequencies and speeds under total safety. Alstom’s Urbalis has been in service for 12 years on more than 40 metro lines worldwide.

In addition, the company will provide an integrated telecom solution comprising of radio, CCTV , passenger information display system, passenger announcement system and giga bit network to guarantee comfort and security of passengers. It will be also in charge of the manufacturing, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the 750V third rail traction electrification and auxiliary substations  and other systems.

“Alstom is pleased to be awarded two more contracts for the city of Kochi after being awarded a contract related to metro train sets in 2014. These are the first contracts awarded to Alstom in India for telecom and electrification as well as for our CBTC-based signaling solution. Our solutions are not only advanced but are equally competitive and innovative,” said Dominique Pouliquen, senior vice-president of Alstom Transport Asia-Pacific.

While the engineering work will be led by Alstom’s site in Bengaluru, equipment for the projects will come from Villeurbanne (France) and Bologna (Italy) sites, a press release stated.

The company has recently opened a new facility at SriCity to build metro train sets and has a manufacturing unit in Coimbatore for traction systems and an engineering unit specialised in signalling solutions in Bengaluru. Alstom has strong references in the country both in signalling and trains, including the metro train sets for Chennai and the signalling systems provided for Delhi, Bengaluru and Jaipur metros.