Railways invites coach makers from abroad

Will be first-ever global tender by the railways; bids to be opened in January.

To meet the rising standards of modern urban public transportation systems, Indian Railways has, for the first time, opted for a global tender for Kolkata Metro’s coaches.

According to railway sources, both domestic and international companies have shown interest in producing broad-gauge air-conditioned rakes for the metro rail here.
 

CHUGGING ON

* Both domestic and international companies have shown interest in producing rakes

* The bidding will take place for 14 air-conditioned rakes

* Kolkata Metro till now was dependent on the railways’ Integral Coach Factory at Perambur for rolling stock

* There are reportedly some recurring issues with the recently introduced AC coaches of the Kolkata Metro

* The metro, with an average daily traffic of 500,000, runs 23 rakes, including five AC rakes

* Another eight AC rakes manufactured in ICF will be introduced in 2012

“The project has evinced interest from Bombardier, BEML and some Japanese players. The bids are expected to be opened in January 2012,” said a railway official. The bidding will take place for 14 air-conditioned rakes (each rake constitutes eight coaches).

“The present Kolkata metro is a broad-gauge system, while those in other parts, including the proposed east-west metro line in Kolkata, which railways has taken over from the state, will be of standard gauge. As manufacturers across the globe are more accustomed to the standard gauge, we had some difficulties,” the official added.

While Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has sourced coaches from makers abroad such as Hyundai Rotem and Bombardier; its forerunner here, the country’s first underground mass transit system, till now was dependent on the railways’ Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at Perambur, Chennai, for rolling stock.

“The rakes we run now are indigenously developed by ICF. Though we have upgraded many of them and introduced AC rakes, there are some technical limitation. The new coaches are expected to be based on latest modern technology,” said Kolkata Metro spokesman and deputy general manager, Pratyush Ghosh.

There are reportedly some recurring issues with the recently introduced AC coaches of the Kolkata Metro. Recently, one AC rake malfunctioned after the diode valve located in the undercarriage came into contact with water and shorted. Metro Rail and ICF engineers are working to address this general problem.

The metro railway in Kolkata, with an average daily traffic of 500,000, currently runs 23 rakes, including five AC rakes. Another eight AC rakes manufactured in ICF will be introduced by early 2012.

“The proposed 14 (new) rakes are likely to take another two-three years. By that time, we will run AC rakes only,” Ghosh said.