Indore Metro’s Gandhi Nagar Depot Starts Taking Shape
With viaduct and station work on Indore Metro’s 33.53 km Yellow Line becoming more visible, here’s a post on the project’s crucial train maintenance depot that is quietly shaping up between Gandhi Nagar and Super Corridor 6 stations.
This depot on 26.25 hectares of land is under construction by K.S.M. Bashir Mohd. and Sons through a Rs. 247.64 crore contract awarded by Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (MPMRCL) in 2022. Its construction under Indore Metro’s Phase 1‘s Package IN-07 comes with a 3 year deadline.
This is where Indore Metro’s Alstom train-sets will be parked (stabled) and maintained to service the Yellow Line which will form a ring line around Indore city connecting Palasia – Railway Station – Rajwara- Airport – Bhawarsala.
Alstom will initially supply 25 train-sets of 3 coaches (total 75 coaches) as part of a larger 156 coach rolling stock contract, combined with Bhopal Metro, awarded in July 2022. The trains’ final design is yet to be revealed, but I reckon we should see or hear something, even if a preliminary design, within the next 3 months.
Back in February, Indore Metro’s track-work contractor, Texmaco – ISC JV, started laying ballast within the depot and last week began laying sleepers for its approximately 940m long test track. They were awarded Package IN-08’s Rs. 258.88 crore track-work contract in December 2022.
Also last week, K.S.M. also erected the first 9 meter tall pre-engineered building (PEB) column for the depot’s inspection bay.
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– TMRG
I have to say work is going on at superb pace. I’ve heard from a superviser that Jindal will start supplying rails from this month. Though he had no idea about the start of electrification and signalling work.
Mpmcrl has committed to start trials by September and he told that he is confident of achieving that target.
Commercial operations though wil not start this year because station works can not be completed in such a short time.
After the sluggish start in 2018-19 to putting in jet packs after July 2021, the speed now is mind-blowing.
Here are some videos of ground construction
First launcher by of the project by dilip buildcon in early April 2022
https://youtu.be/Zrl-ZzBM5oc
Putting up barricades and start of pilling works on super corridore.
25 April 2022
https://youtu.be/fOqBOBxCL6M
First launcher by rvnl/urcc on super corridore 25 July 2022
https://youtu.be/8JIuIHHXrKw
First time wings for concourse level seen at isbt metro station on 18 August 2022
https://youtu.be/9fL9J_qMjdc
Progress on super corridore section till September 2022
https://youtu.be/GCWgrwvBeyE
This video gives a good idea of how much work for done between March and September.
22 December 2022 super corridore update
https://youtu.be/EP-buSvfjko
Pi girder launched for first time 24 Feb 2023
https://youtu.be/IrIYiEy4JuA
About 11 months ago this place had no signs of construction
Not even the barricades were put up. Look at it now.
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Great compilation! This and Bhopal’s were dead 2 years ago with little to no movement.
Sorry, the spam filter got your comment ’cause of so many links. Just approved it 🙂
No problem. I realised that was probably the problem.
One more thing, a team from ADB was in town a few days back, so now we can expect the tenders for the next civil package till palasia (for Indore) to be floated by April.
There is also some dispute regarding alignment through the old areas of rajwada. I don’t know if there is any progress on that front.
And they also recently signed an MOU with airports authority of India for construction of airport station. But i don’t think we will see that tender happening untill the rajwada alignment issue is resolved
The MOU is that AAI will give the existing airport parking lot for construction of metro station, about 200 m from the terminal and will give necessary clearances to build an underground walkway from the station to the terminal
Seems like poor planning to not extend the Super Corridor contract to cover the airport when it was just one station away.