Bangalore Metro Terminates Simplex Infra’s Pink Line Contract
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has finally terminated Simplex Infrastructures’ contract for poor performance on the 21.386 km Pink Line’s 7.501 km elevated section between Dairy Circle Ramp and Kalena Agrahara, reports The Times of India.
Simplex Infra was awarded the 73.92 km Phase 2 project’s Rs. 578.70 crore contract for Reach 6 on Bannerghatta Road in September 2017 with a 27 month deadline. Their scope involved building the line’s viaduct, entry line to Kothanur Depot and 5 stations at Kalena Agrahara (formerly Gottigere), Hulimavu, IIM-B, JP Nagar 4th Phase, and Tavarekere (formerly Swagath Road).
BMRCL had as far back as December 2019 sent notices to expedite work, but that failed to get things going and COVID-19’s lockdown most likely exacerbated things.
Simplex’s poor monthly performance is reflected in the BMRCL’s newsletters where the civil progress in December 2019 stood at 22% and advanced to just 35% in December 2020.
The BMRCL for reasons unknown to me decided to stick on and persist with Simplex despite their poor progress on key performance indicators for at least 18 months. When the company’s financial health started heading south, besides followers on the site and on Twitter, other operators around India were quick to notice and terminated their contracts.
For instance – in Mumbai, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) terminated Simplex’s contracts for Line-2B and Line-7’s work exactly a year ago in January 2020 and re-invited bids for completing the balance work a fortnight later.
From here on, let’s see how quickly BMRCL publishes a tender notice for balance work. Anything more than a month would be a ridiculous. This contract termination and new bidding exercise – a necessary step but at the wrong time – now sets back the line’s opening by at least 6 months. Tender notices for key systems (rolling stock, signaling, AFC etc.) are also still pending, so I see this section opening no sooner than 2024 at this time.
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– TMRG
When is the last submission for Mogarpada Depot?
Feb 16
I think the pink line will be operational only in 2025
Don’t know if I should be happy with this or sad they took ages to act on this. Everyone and their uncle knew Simplex became defunct.
Finally, they pull the cord from Simplex, BMRCL should done this before. I hope they soon reinvite bids and should be awarded to be reputed companies like J Kumar, Afcons, Tata, ITD Cementation etc.
Dher aaye durust aaye
Kolkata metro line 3 salary hasn’t been paid by simplex to its workers,for 4months!
All projects by simplex infra is so slow whether it is metro or Bandra kalanagar flyover.
Government should stop awarding them any contract.
Jay Kumar infra and l& T work is much faster
Now J Kumar is working on Kalanagar Flyover
No it’s RPS who are working in Kalnagar flyover. They are working in real fast mode.
Maximum Companies are not Intrested to work in BMRCL, because of Max Contract conditions are against the Contractor.
& BMRCL Staffs are not have any Targets,
They are Enjoying😊😊.
Is Contractor participating Without reading contract condition??
And none of the Bmrcl staff is enjoying.. please change your perception
Is simplex responsible for the Kolkata metro Line 6 construction stretch within sector 5! I may be very wrong. Can anybody confirm this!
Viaduct of NICCO Park to CBD-1 is with Afcons
BMRCL deserves every amount of trolling it gets from citizens
BMRCL good for nothing. Very slow progress on building Phase 2 in Bangalore.
BMRCL needs a better management at the top. Its filled with inefficient govt. employees who take ages to make any kind of changes. When DMRCL extended support in guiding them, they should have taken it. Privatisation of govt. bodies is the only solution to development in India and especially Karnataka
TMRG in Hindustan Times Bangla an article came up that PM has taken decision along with WB government to convert Kolkata Metro Line 4 from New Barrackpur-Barasat Strecth into underground due to land problems
Interesting. Can you share a link?
So then basically the entire Line-4 north of airport will be underground.
https://themetrorailguy.com/2020/01/29/geotechnical-design-bids-invited-for-kolkata-metro-line-4s-extn/
When will they declare about the patna elevated section line 1 winner?
Hi – dates are almost never announced. If I haven’t posted about it, then most likely financial bids haven’t been opened 🙂
Finally BMRCL understood, what common man already understood quite long back. Such inefficient people are posted in BMRCL. Simplex failed everywhere.