Mumbai Metro Line 4, 4A, 5 & 9: JSPL Only Bidder for Head Hardened Rails

February 13, 2024 Update: Both tenders for CA-202 and CA-203 have been cancelled as only 1 bid was received for each.

October 18, 2023 Original Post: Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. (JSPL) is again the only bidder for supplying 16,600 MT of head hardened rails for Mumbai Metro’s lines 4, 4A, 5 and 9 after Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) opened technical bids for packages CA-202 and CA-203 today.

These special tracks will be 60E1 – 1080 grade as per Indian Railway Specification T-12-2009, and be manufactured through a special heat treatment process to provide additional strength, lower residual stress, elongate track-life and minimize maintenance.

MMRDA had re-invited bids for both contracts in August 2023 with a 365 day deadline. Package CA-202 is a retender of CA-150 and comes with an estimate of Rs. 78.09 crore, while CA-203 is a retender of CA-159 and its estimate is unknown to me.

Lines 4 & 4A (Package CA-202)

Mumbai Metro’s 32.32 km Line-4 and 2.88 km Line-4A (Green Line) will connect Wadala – Kasarvadavali – Gaimukh through 34 elevated stations.

JSPL was the only bidder for this contract’s original tender. Their financial bid of Rs. 110.32 crore was deemed too high when opened in February 2023 and was rejected, leading to this new round of bidding.

Package CA-202’s Brief Scope: Supply of 9800 MT 60E1 UIC60 1080 Grade UIC 60 E1 HH Rails as per IRS T 12 2009 latest amendments for Metro Line 4 and 4A extension corridor up to CIF in case of foreign supplier OR up to nearest railway siding siding in case of domestic supplier

Lines 5A & 9 (Package CA-203)

Mumbai Metro’s 12.72 km Line-5A (Orange Line) will connect Kapurbawdi – Dhamankar Naka via 7 stations, while Mumbai Metro’s 11.38 km Line-9 (Red Line) will connect Dahisar East – Mira Bhayandar via 8 elevated stations.

JSPL was again the only bidder for this contract’s original tender when technical bids were opened in January 2023. That tender was cancelled in March 2023 with the official reasoning of “Minimum Bids Not Received”.

Package CA-203’s Brief Scope: Supply of 6800 MT 1080 Grade UIC 60 E1 HH Rails as per IRS T 12 2009 latest amendment for Mumbai Metro line 5 and 9

Whether MMRDA is satisfied or not with again receiving just 1 bid remains to be seen. If they aren’t, then both packages will head to a retender once again. If they are, then JSPL’s technical bid will be evaluated for the next steps in the tendering process.

Within India, JSPL is the only Indian rail manufacturer capable of producing these special tracks. Their rail plant in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh has a capacity of producing 30,000 tonnes of head hardened rail per month – watch a news video.

Here’s a status of all lines’ regular track-work contracts:

• Lines 4 & 4A: Apurvakriti Infrastructure awarded contract in September 2023 (Package CA-161)
• Line 5A: Rahee Infratech declared lowest bidder in September 2023 (Package CA-167)
• Line 9: Paras Railtech declared lowest bidder in May 2023 (Package CA-166)

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– TMRG