Tunnel Construction Contracts for Mumbai Metro’s Line 3 to be Awarded Soon

If we go by what Ashwini Bhide, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corp’s MD, announced back in July, then the seven civil construction contracts for Mumbai Metro’s Line 3 connecting Cuffe Parade to BKC to SEEPZ are expected to be awarded in “mid-september” which means any time now. The seven contracts, numbered 1 to 7 start in South Mumbai and increase as they make their way up to the northern suburbs:

Contract Package MM3-CBS-UGC-01
Ch. : -488 to Ch. : 3762 including four underground stations and associated bored tunnels together with two tunnel sidings at Cuffe Parade.
Locations of Stations are:
• Cuffe Parade Station: BMC Park (Taj Vivanta)
• Vidhan Bhavan Station : In between Nariman Point Fire Brigade Station and
Vidhan Sabha Assembly Hall (Vidhan Bhavan Assembly)
• Churchgate Station: Jamshedji Tata Road ( Eros Cinema Hall)
• Hutatama Chowk Station: Dadabhai Naoroji Road (Hutatma Statue)

Contract Package MM3-CBS-UGC-02
Ch.: 3762 to Ch.: 7811 including four underground stations and associated bored tunnels.
Locations of stations are:
• CST Metro Station: Azad Maidan close to Mahapalika Marg (CST Railway
Station)
• Kalbadevi Station: Jagannath Shankar Sheth Road (Parsi Temple)
• Girgaon Station: Jagannath Shankar Sheth Road (Maratha Mandir High School)
• Grant Road Station: Dadabhai Bhadkamkar Road (B. Ed. College, Gilger Tank
Building)

Contract Package MM3-CBS-UGC-03
Ch.: 7811 to Ch.: 12868 including five underground stations and associated bored tunnels.
Locations of stations are:
• Mumbai Central Metro Station: Dr. Nair Marg (Mumbai Central Railway Station)
• Mahalakshami Metro Station: Sane Guruji Road (Jacob Circle)
• Science Museum Station: Dr. E Moses Road (Race Course)
• Acharya Atre Chowk Station: Dr. E Moses Road (B.M.C. Office)
• Worli Station: Dr. Annie Besant Road (Glaxo SmithKline Building)

Contract Package MM3-CBS-UGC-04
Ch.: 12868 to Ch.: 18976 including three underground stations and associated bored tunnels.
Locations of stations are:
• Siddhi Vinayak Station: BMC Ground (Siddhi Vinayak Temple)
• Dadar Station: Namdar Gopalkrushna Gokhale Road (Shiv Sena Bhavan )
• Shitaladevi Station: Lady Jamshedji Marg (Paradise Cinema)

Contract Package MM3-CBS-UGC-05
Ch.: 18976 to Ch.: 23900 including four underground stations and associated bored tunnels together with two tunnel sidings at B.K.C.
Locations of stations are:
• Dharavi Station: Mahim Sion Link Road (Dharavi Hutment)
• B.K.C Station: B.K.C. Road (Income Tax Office)
• Vidyanagri Station:B.K.C. – F Block Road (Uttar Bharat Education Institute)
• Santa Cruz Station Western Express Highway (Wakola Flyover)

Contract Package MM3-CBS-UGC-06
Ch.: 23900 to Ch.: 28388) including three underground stations and associated bored tunnels.
Locations of stations are:
• CSIA Domestic Airport Station: CSIA Domestic Airport
• Sahar Road Station: Sahar Road (International Airport)
• CSIA International Airport Station: International Airport

Contract Package MM3-CBS-UGC-07
Ch.: 28388 to Ch.: 32367 including three underground stations and associated bored tunnels together with a ramp for the depot connection.
Locations of stations are:
• Marol Naka Station: Andheri – Kurla Road ( MML1 Marol Naka Station)
• MIDC Station: Road No.7 – connecting Krantiveer Akhuji Salve Road(Sr. Police
Colony & Vikroli Village Hutment Area)
• SEEPZ Station: Krantiveer Akhuji Salve Marg (SEEPZ Gate No. 1)

Mumbai Metro’s Line 3

This line has seen its fare share of controversies, primarily around the Depot’s location in Aarey Milk Colony in Goregaon, but that should not affect the project’s core 7 contracts from being awarded as the Depot section has its own contract.

However knowing the MMRC’s absolutely sluggish behavior, it may be a while before the contracts finally do get awarded. To give a good idea about how lethargic and incompetent the MMRC is, here’s a short timeline. In 2011, line 3 in its current form was announced by the MMRDA. In September 2013, the MMRC called for pre-qualification bids from construction companies interested in building the line. In September 2014, out of the 14 consortia which submitted bids, the MMRC shortlisted the following 9:

1. AFCONS Infrastructure Ltd. – Kyivmetrobud
2. Continental Engineering Corporation – ITD Cementation India Ltd – Tata Projects Ltd
3. DOGUS – SOMA
4. IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company Ltd – China Railway 25th Bureau Group Co.Ltd
5. J.Kumar Infraprojects Ltd – China Railway No.3 Engineering Group Co. Ltd
6. Larsen & Toubro Ltd/Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. Ltd
7. OSJC Moscow Metrostroy – Hindustan Construction Co.Ltd
8. Pratibha Industries Ltd – Guandong Yuantian Engineering Co.
9. Unity Infraprojects Ltd – IVRCL Ltd – China Railway Tunnel Group Co. Ltd

Taking one year between each stage of the tendering process is simply unacceptable. Metro agencies in other cites like Lucknow & Noida-Gr.Noida have been extremely fast in getting their projects off the ground. You may argue that they initially took the Delhi Metro Rail Corp’s assistance, but so could have the MMRDA, but they chose not to.

What’s even more surprising is that even though the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) sanctioned a Rs 13,235 crore loan (57% of project cost) in February 2013, the pressure to execute didn’t translate into faster action. The line is already running way behind schedule, so metro fans like you and me can only hope that the contracts are awarded by the end of this month. Any further delay and Mumbai will only have the MMRC & MMRDA to be blame, like it has always been the case. 

For more updates on Mumbai’s Metro, check out the Mumbai section of the Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG

October 5 Update: The lowest bidders for all sections have been announced! See this page for more details: Financial Bids for Mumbai Metro’s Line 3 (Colaba-SEEPZ) Opened! Here’s a List of Lowest Bidders