IRCON-Paras-PCM JV Wins Rishikesh – Karnaprayag Rail’s Track Contract

IRCON – Paras Railtech – PCM JV earlier this month was declared as the lowest bidder to supply and install broad gauge ballastless tracks for the 125 km Rishikesh – Karnaprayag railway line project in Uttarakhand.

A ballastless track system was selected by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) as roughly 84.24% of the line’s route traverses through 35 bridges and 17 tunnels, including a 15.1 km tunnel connecting Devprayag – Lachmoli which will be one of the longest in the country.

The scope of this contract also includes 4.7 km tunnel Package C-4 of the 121.7 km Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) project which was awarded to RVNL in August 2023 with a value of Rs. 1088.49 crore.

RVNL had invited bids for this contract in April 2023 with a 42 month deadline which includes 6 months for design & 36 months for installation. Their estimate I hear from different sources is either Rs. 725.95 crore or Rs. 910.85 crore.

Financial Bid Values

Firm	Bid (Rs. Crore)
IRCON – Paras – PCM JV	750.82
Larsen & Toubro	788.68
KRCL-ABCI-Avadh JV	882.03
Rahee – PRT JV	895.71

Tender Reference Number: RVNL/RKSH/BLT(TENR)/1/2022/CIVIL/RKSH

RVNL’s Brief Scope: Design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of Broad Gauge ballastless track (BLT), supply of ballast and installation of track (excluding supply of rails and track sleepers) between chainage 6+015 (FLS) to 125+200 (FLS) in connection with new BG line between Rishikesh and Karanprayag (125km) in the state of Uttarakhand, India.

RVNL’s estimate remains unconfirmed to me, but either way IRCON – Paras – PCM JV’s bid was well placed regardless of RVNL’s estimate being Rs. 725.95 crore or Rs. 910.85 crore. A contract should be awarded in the coming weeks without a long financial bid evaluation period.

RVNL in June 2023 had invited bids for the track system’s Proof Checking Consultant contract but discharged it later. A retender notice is pending.

This project with 12 stations is considered to be of national importance and is being tracked on the Central Government’s PRAGATI (Pro Active Governance and Timely Implementation) portal. When ready, it will help improve connectivity to the Char Dham shrines of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath in the Garhwal region of the Himalayas.

Larsen & Toubro on Package 4 (chainage 47.360 to 63.118) has deployed two 9.1m diameter Herrenknecht Hard Rock tunnel boring machines named TBM Shiv and TBM Shakti – check out each link for details and pics.

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– TMRG