Bengaluru suburban rail: Agency invites tender for station work on 'priority section'

"We are inviting two tenders for the station work in the priority section to speed up the project. Tenders for the remaining stations will be invited in a few days," a K-RIDE official said on condition of anonymity.

Also, read: Karnataka govt sets 2028 deadline for entire Bengaluru suburban rail project

The other tender would be for the remaining stations — Yeswantpur, Shettihalli, Myadarahalli, and Chikkabanavara — on the “priority section”, which is a part of the Mallige Line.

The work will include constructing the stations along with civil, structural, entry/exit structures, steel foot over bridges and maintenance works.

K-RIDE gave a civil work tender for the Mallige Line to Larsen & Toubro in August 2022. The project was to be completed in 27 months but the progress has been tardy due to poor coordination with the South Western Railway and delays due to land acquisition and permission to fell trees.

Also, read: L&T gets Rs 1,040-crore contract for Bengaluru suburban rail's Kanaka Line

All suburban rail stations to have platform screen doors

K-RIDE officials told Moneycontrol all suburban stations will have platform screen doors for passenger safety.

“We will soon invite another tender for signalling and platform screen doors for the Mallige corridor,” the official quoted earlier said.

Also read: Germany-based KfW Development Bank to fund Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project

Rolling stock contract delayed

K-RIDE plans to operationalise the priority section by December 2025, with all four corridors completed by 2027.

The deadline is unlikely to be met.

K-RIDE is yet to finalise the rolling stock (train sets) contract. In December 2023, it invited a tender to induct rolling stock under the lease model.  The tender was for selecting a lessee to design, manufacture, supply, commission, operate and maintain train sets.

The deadline for the tender, invited under the public-private partnerships (PPP) model, has been extended to July 2024.

It will take at least three years for the manufacturer to deliver the rolling stock, experts said.

This is probably the first time an urban rail transit agency in India is procuring train sets on a large scale under a lease model.

Three firms —Spain-based Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) — have expressed interest and will bid for the contract.

Also, read: Bengaluru suburban rail project: BEML, BHEL & Spain-based CAF in race to supply AC coaches under PPP model

“This is the first large-scale PPP model for a rolling-stock contract. The bidders have sought additional time since they need to tie up with financial partners,” the K-RIDE official said.

The selected firm will provide 264 coaches within three to five years, take care of maintenance and supply train operators for 35 years. K-RIDE will require a total of 306 coaches.

Vande Metro for suburban rail?

If the lease model doesn’t take off, K-RIDE may opt for Vande Metro with some modifications. “We are also in discussion with the railway board about whether Vande Metro can be used for suburban rail, which will be cheaper than the lease model in the long term,” the official said.

Vande Metro, a shorter-distance version of the Vande Bharat Express, is tailored for urban commuters traveling up to 250 km. Chennai Integral Coach Factory (ICF) has built a prototype of the 12-car Vande Metro (fully air-conditioned), with trial runs set to commence by August 15.

While K-RIDE awarded the civil work tender for the 46-km Heelalige–Yelahanka–Rajanukunte (Kanaka) Line to L&T in December, it is yet to invite civil work tenders for the remaining KSR Bengaluru City–Yelahanka–Devanahalli (Sampige) and the Kengeri–Cantonment–Whitefield (Parijaata) two corridors.