NMRCL Invites Bids for 9 Stations on Nagpur’s Metro’s NS Line

The Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. has finally invited bids (see notice) from infrastructure / construction companies to construct 7 elevated and 2 at-grade stations on the 12.11 km Khapri – Congress Nagar ‘Reach 1’ section of Nagpur Metro’s 19.658 km north-south line! In November 2015, the NMRCL had awarded L&T Infrastructure Engineering & Rajendra Associates the contract for the detailed design consultancy of these stations.

The two contracts for constructing this section’s at-grade level track-bed with 3 bridges (see images) and elevated viaduct (see images) on Wardha Road were both awarded to NCC Ltd on May 30 & November 30 2015, and work is well underway for both.

The 9 stations which the successful bidder will have to construct are:

• At-Grade: Khapri, New Airport
• Elevated: Airport, Ujwal Nagar, Jai Prakash Nagar, Chatrapati Nagar, Ajni Square, Rahate Colony and Congress Nagar

Khapri – Congress Nagar section of Nagpur’s Metro – view Nagpur Metro map and information

Out of these 9 stations, the designs of the Khapri and New Airport stations were revealed in February. Read about them here: NMRCL Unveils New Airport & Khapri Stations’ Designs

Nagpur’s New Airport Metro Station – Render Courtesy: Nagpur Today

Khapri Metro Station – Render Courtesy: Nagpur Today

More details about both stations’ design and inspiration can be read over here.

The pre-bid meeting with interested infra companies will be held on March 22 and the last date for submission of tender documents for bidding is 4 pm on April 21. Following that, the bids will be opened & evaluated at 4 pm on April 23. After the contract is finalized, piling work for the stations can be expected to begin as soon as July 2016.

In other news, the Big 4 firm Ernst & Young was recently appointed as the consultant for the automated fare collection (AFC) system and the use of smart cards that can be extended to other modes of transportation. Also, 3 JVs were recently shortlisted for providing General Consultancy services to the NMRCL and the contract for it is expected to be given out by March 15. Once that happens, they will take over the responsibilities of RITES and DMRC who’re currently providing interim consultancy services.

Overall, the Nagpur metro project is progressing at a good pace but will not be able to meet the 2018-end deadline as promised by the NMRCL’s Managing Director at various occasions. By then, at the most I expect the 4.5 km at-grade section to be ready with 2 stations en-route, with other sections of both lines (see Nagpur Metro info) opening between 2019 and 2021.

For more updates on Nagpur’s Metro, check out the Nagpur section of The Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG