BENGALURU: Bengaluru’s long-awaited suburban rail project received a major push with the Bengaluru Integrated Rail Infrastructure Development Enterprise Limited (Bi-RIDE), a subsidiary of K-RIDE executing the project, issuing a Rs 1,513.75 crore work order to the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, for procurement of 153 air-conditioned broad-gauge metro-type coaches for Corridors 2 and 4 of the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project.
The contract was awarded on May 6 and the supply of coaches is expected to begin within the next 18 months. It said the timeline has been fixed to facilitate the scheduled opening of the Chikkabanavara-Yeshwanthpur section under Corridor-2. The timeline is also aligned with directives issued during the PM’s ‘PRAGATI’ review meeting held last December.
The contract includes detailed design, manufacturing, inspection, testing, integration and commissioning of the rolling stock. ICF will also be responsible for obtaining statutory approvals from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation and coordinating with signalling, traction, power supply and platform screen door contracts.
The coaches will comply with RAMS standards – Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety – required for suburban rail operations.
Lakshman Singh, Managing Director (MD), K-RIDE, said, “This work order is a milestone for the project. Through this partnership with ICF, we are ensuring that the required train coaches will be available by the time the track and systems infrastructure work for Corridors 2 and 4 is completed. This synchronization will help deliver a world-class suburban rail network to the citizens of Bengaluru without any delay, fulfilling the vision of sustainable urban transport and easing the city’s traffic congestion.”
An official Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between K-RIDE and ICF is expected to be signed shortly.