3 Bidders for Chennai Metro Phase 2’s 78 Coach Contract
Alstom Transport, BEML and Titagarh Wagons have again submitted bids to supply 78 coaches for Chennai Metro Line-4’s Rolling Stock package after Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) today opened technical bids.
26 3-car trains on this line of the 118.9 km Phase 2 project will service Poonamallee Bypass – Light House through 28 (18 elevated & 10 underground) stations, and be stabled & maintained at Poonamallee Depot in western Chennai.
CMRL originally invited tenders for this rolling stock package in December 2020 with an unknown estimate and contract duration of 1340 days + 730 days (Defect Notification Period). After receiving 3 bids in September, the tendering process was abruptly cancelled in November due to “administrative reasons”, and bids were re-invited.
Package: Phase – II / ARE03A
Brief Scope: Design, manufacture, supply, testing, commissioning of standard gauge metro rolling stock (electrical multiple units) and training of personnel for Chennai Metro Project Phase II
CMRL plans to run these trains in a DMC + TC + DMC configuration with the ability to operate at Grade of Automation level-4 for “driverless” Unattended Train Operations (UTO).
The 3 bids have now been sent for technical evaluation which can take a couple months to complete. When that is done, the financial bids of the technically qualified bidders will be opened to reveal who’s the lowest bidder and most likely supplier.
For Phase 2’s 3 corridors, CMRL in the past has revealed they are looking procure 288 coaches and wet-lease 126 coaches to run services. Here’s a status table for all 3 rolling stock packages:
| Line | Coaches to be Procured | Coaches to be Leased |
| Line-3 & Line-5 | 210 (Package ARE02 – Bids to be opened March 16) | 126 (Package ARE04) – Cancelled |
| Line-4 | 78 (Package ARE03) – 3 bids received today | none |
A list of all Chennai Metro Phase 2 tenders (civil, systems) and their status can be viewed here.
For more updates, check out the Chennai section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
Good to see CRRC not in the list
BEML, Titagarh and Alstom? All great choices tbh. Thankfully no CRRC nonsense.
Also @TMRG, has BMRCL’s issue with CRRC been resolved? Do you think the trainsets will eventually just be procured from China (so the line can open on time) or will the rolling stock tender be floated again (delaying operations further)?
BMRCL haven been planning to use existing Purple line rakes for yellow line for initial purpose !!!
But those are DTG trainsets right? The yellow line is for CBTC trains, so I doubt these will be compatible
Not sure what BMRCL is planning and what’s going inside their MD’s head. Almost like Putin these days, ha. Just hoping they take a decision soon.
Lol! Fingers crossed
Since it is JICA tied loan
More chance that BEML and subcontract propulsion and TCMS to Japanese company such Hitachi or most likely to Mitsubishi Electric company. Already seen for DMRC rs and siblings
Titagarh wagons has no 25kv proven design in India .Pune l1 is 750v de
Alstom has also good chance with 2 plants
One in Vadodara Savli ex bombardier and other one in Chennai
Alstom already supplied 52×4 cars for phase I
Will see but to be share with DMRC RS17 288 cars procurement in progress
Cheers
Since cmrl is procuring coaches separately for orange line and other two lines (red and purple), will the design of coaches also be separate. What if Alstom becomes supplier for orange line and titagarh for other two lines?? Won’t the design of coaches vary??
Yup. If suppliers are different, then coach designs will vary.
3 different tenders at the same time for rolling stock is a foolish idea..if they had clubbed all of them they would have got coaches at better price
Separate tender is necessary for leasing contract for few trainsets!
Line-4 is primarily funded by ADB and Line-3/5 by JICA. Each has their own requirements, so they split it up.
TMRG, Any idea on the reason for cancellation in the first place, given that the same vendors have participated now.
they had to cancel the tenders because the depot works wer yet 2 start.. and now since the construction of depot started.. they reinvited bids again..so as to make sure they have place to station trainsets when they start 2 arrive..
Depot contract being the reason is unlikely. There’s been no controversary around it.
Must have been a major change in technical scope
Replying late but wonder what that could be given major technical details like signalling (ATO), dimensions, propulsion systems are predefined and more or less standardized by now.
Also, any word on the pending UG contracts? Given their geographical locations within the network, even the elevated portions of line 3 and 5 cannot be operated without the completion of these UG sections.
Tech bids for UG contracts are currently scheduled to open between April 13 – May 5. We’ve lost 1 good year on this.