3 Bidders for Mumbai – Ahmedabad Bullet Train’s T1 Track Contract
Three firms with two in a consortium this week submitted bids for track work package T-1 of 508.17 km Mumbai – Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR Bullet Train) project.
Package T-1 by India’s National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. (NHSRCL) in Maharashtra is the third and final track installation related package of India’s first high speed rail line which will connect Mumbai and Ahmedabad through 12 stations at an estimated cost of Rs. 1.1 lakh crore (US $15 billion).
T-1’s scope corresponds to track work at 1.028 km Package C-1 (underground BKC Station under construction by MEIL – HCC JV), 20.377 km Package C-2 (underground tunnel by Afcons Infrastructure) and 135.45 km Package C-3 (elevated viaduct & 3 stations by Larsen & Toubro).
NHSRCL had invited bids for this contract in October 2024 with a 2157 days (5.9 years) deadline and unknown estimate. Technical bids were opened this Wednesday to reveal the following three bidders.
Bidders
- DRA Infracon – DMRC JV
- KEC International – Rahee JV
- Larsen & Toubro Ltd.
IFB Number: Package No. MAHSR – T-1
Brief Scope: Design, Supply and Construction of Track Works including Testing and Commissioning on Design-Build Lump Sum Price basis for Double Line High Speed Railway between Mumbai Stn. at Bandra-Kurla complex (MAHSR Km. -0.255) and Zaroli Village (Km.156.600)
The bids have now been sent for technical bid 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.
As shared earlier, a special slab track system will be utilized for the Bullet Train project instead of a conventional ballasted track system found in main-line railway lines. NHSRCL has a dedicated page for this with information on its economics and dynamics.
Here’s a cool infographic shared by NHSRCL in the past showing different components of the Japanese J-Slab track system.
Here’s the scope and status of the Mumbai – Ahmedabad Bullet Train’s 3 track-work packages:
| Package | Status |
| T-1 (Maharashtra): Design, Supply & Construction of Track & Track related works between HSR station at BKC/ Mumbai and Zaroli Village on MH/GJ border (156.855 km) | 3 bids submitted (this post!) |
| T-2 (Gujarat): Design, Supply & Construction of Track and Track related works between Zaroli Village and Vadodara (237.10 km) | Installation underway by IRCON International |
| T-3 (Gujarat): Design, Supply & Construction of Track and Track related works between Vadodara and Sabarmati Depot and workshops (114.60 km) | Installation underway by Larsen & Toubro |
L&T in October 2023 had opened their specialized High-Speed Rail Track Slab Manufacturing Facility (TSMF) in Anand, Gujarat.
A list of all bullet train civil and system packages and their status can be viewed here.
For more updates, check out the High Speed Rail section or my Home Page! Sign up for free instant email notifications on new posts over here. Like this post? Get early-access to updates and support the site over here.
– TMRG
Any update on the tbm’s ? The delay in this tunnel is gonna hurt the ridership and by implication people perception of the projects success so much in the coming years when train will reach thane but no further. It may even impact the start of construction for new lines.
Hope to see those machines in those shafts soon .
The completion duration of 5.9 years after awarding the contract is alarming. Which means when the contract is awarded after bids evaluation about at Diwali time, makes the full operational readiness time to near about mid of year 2031. This is 8 years delayed to the scheduled 2023 when the project kicked off. Not denying the newness, technical challenge, covid challenge with such scale for the first time in India, but that was known before the project kickstart and must have already been factored in except for MH govt blockage for 2.5 years.