Aurionpro & Paytm Re-Bid for Lucknow Metro’s AFC Re-Engineering Contract

July 26, 2023 Update: Paytm has been awarded a Rs. 8,79,03,470.00 (8.79 crore) contract by UPMRC

April 3, 2023 Original Post: Aurionpro Solutions and Paytm Payments Bank last week submitted bids to re-engineer Lucknow Metro Phase 1’s Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) system from a closed-loop to an open-loop system (Package LKS-04).

The original AFC system installed by Datamatics & Mikroelektronika (view brochure with insights & specifications) was inaugurated in September 2017 when Lucknow Metro Line-1’s first 8.5 km section opened connecting Transport Nagar and Charbagh.

The new system will be an end-to-end Open loop system allowing EMV (RuPay/Master/Visa) cards, National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) and QR code-based ticketing with each device connected to a central back-office AFC system.

Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) had originally invited tenders for this contract in August 2022 with a Rs. 12.12 crore estimate and 270 day estimate. That round of tendering received 2 bids from the same firms in November, which was canceled in December by UPMRC without offering a reason.

Scope: Design supply, installation, testing and commissioning of AFC system by Re-Engineering the existing Lucknow Metro closed loop system for implementation of Open Loop EMV NCMC card and QR Code ticketing.

The 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 contractor.

Lucknow Metro Line-1’s project information and a list of contractors can be viewed here.

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– TMRG