KMRC Unveils Design of Kolkata Metro’s New BEML Trains
Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation – the operator of Kolkata Metro’s upcoming 16.34 km ‘east-west’ Line-2 just unveiled the first look of its new trains that are currently being manufactured at BEML’s plant in Bangalore.
The line’s Rs. 900 crore rolling stock contract for 14 new train-sets, comprising of 6 coaches each, was awarded to BEML in January 2016 after they emerged as the sole bidder for the contract in September 2015. Prior to this, KMRC had awarded the rolling stock contract to Spain’s Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) in 2009, but the company pulled out of the project in 2014 due to cost escalation issues and non-payment of Rs. 70 crore (10% of cost) by KMRC as a mobilization advance.
We are expecting the first rake to come by December. The trains will undergo safety trials and be ready for commercial runs by the time the first phase of the project is unveiled around June next year.
– Vishwesh Chaubey, Chairman of KMRC to The Telegraph
The ‘first phase’ mentioned above refers to the primarily elevated and long completed 7 km section between Sector V and Phoolbagan – view map here. In the next phase, currently under construction, the underground section of the line will connect Phoolbagan to Howrah Maidan via tunnels underneath the historic Bowbazar & BBD Bagh districts of the city and Hooghly River.
Here’s the first look –
Source: The Telegraph
The 2.9m wide trains will be operated with 6 coaches from the onset and be capable of carrying a max of 2068 people (crush-load). The trains’ on-board design features & facilities are fairly standard with CCTV cameras, air conditioning, emergency push-to-talk buttons etc.
Source: The Telegraph
Operator’s dashboard – Source: The Telegraph
Details on their grade of automation, max axle load or propulsion system are not available at this time.
Last year, ‘Metro Railway, Kolkata’ – the operator of Line-1 and other upcoming lines unveiled their new CRRC trains’ design which are currently being manufactured in Dalian, China. Those trains are also scheduled to start arriving in the city before the end of this year.
For more updates, check out the Kolkata section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
Dare I say, it looks a lot better than the stock made for Bengaluru, Jaipur or Delhi’s violet line.
Its almost similar to Bengaluru metro stock.
DOES B.E.M.L.SOURCE IT TRACTION MOTORS FROM INDIA OR ABROAD I AM NOT AWARE.OTHERWISE OF HYUNDAI ROTEM WHERE IT HAS A TIE UP.
Yup, Hyundai Rotem or MELCO with whom they have a ToT tie up
Rolling Stock contract was awarded to BEML in Feb. 2016
Propulsion system will be from Melco, Japan.
Thanks a lot for the information
This looks almost exactly like Namma Metro coaches, color is different.
TMRG, you mentioed “long completed 7 km section between Sector V and Phoolbagan”. Were they waiting for coaches to commence operations then?
Yup, non-availability of trains is the primary reason.
Station finishing works are on right now. By the time testing begins, they’ll mostly be ready for operations. This section’s biggest bottleneck at Duttabad, which cuts through a 350m stretch of slums, has also been conquered.
Excellent
Hope AC works properly….as current metro in Kolkata have AC problems. Only after 3 Non-AC trains 1 AC Train runs….Pathetic in Kolkata. Please send Good Quality trains.
BEML trains are pretty sturdy and reliable. Much needed as the other ICF trains are junk.
Change bangalore’s purple line to blue and borrow some coaches. Really difficult to get through for next one year. ?
Or they can borrow from Hyderabad as L&T doesn’t seem to be interested in starting operations 😀
Nagpur Metro is trying to procure 2 trains from Hyd for trial run purposes. Not sure what they’ll accomplish by running them through 3 at-grade stations in rural fields, but that’s the plan.
Awesome design of kolkata metro
how is it possible?????????kolkata metro to get 40 new rakes ,as far i know. metro spokeperson told in an interview that “we ordered 40 new recks, 16 are from ICF,Perambur,,14 aree from china’s dalian corp,,and another additional 10 rakes have been ordered from CRRC ,china……………then from where this BEMl comes in this picture??????
Those 40 new coaches are for line 1- North South(Kavi Subhash to Noapara). The administrative department of Line 1 and other 4 lines are different.
Line 1 of Kolkata Metro is the 18th Zone of Indian Railways. ?
There you go wrong ! All Line of Kolkata Metro are under Indian Railways . All Lines except East West corridor are handled by a body called Metro Railway Kolkata , whereas East West is handled by Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation .