The first Chennai Metro train that is being built in Alstom’s Metro rail coach manufacturing facility at Sri City Special Economic Zone near Tada in Andhra Pradesh is likely to roll out by February next year.
A general consultant of the Metro rail told Express that eight more trains that are now being manufactured in Brazil will be shipped in pairs to Chennai while the remaining 33 will be manufactured in Sri City.
“The first roll out is expected by February,” he said.
The coaches will be produced with an indigenisation level of around 35 per cent. It is believed the site design and construction of the plant is based on technology shared from Alstom’s global manufacturing facilities as well as its major hub in Lapa in Brazil, where the train that was tested in Chennai on Wednesday was manufactured.
It is believed the Alstom facility is eyeing contracts from Bangalore Metro as well as Kochi and the third phase of Delhi Metro.
The consultant also said that the next pair of trains to be shipped from Brazil is expected to reach Chennai shores by the month end.
Meanwhile, the Operations Control Center (OCC) in Koyambedu depot, which is the nerve centre of Chennai Metro Rail, is likely to be completed in the next four to six months, according to a top official.
The OCC in Koyambedu will be monitoring all the Metro trains, including those plying on the underground stretches. It will pass on live information to the station masters as well as train operators. Another senior official said that OCC could track passengers at all times through surveillance cameras. This will provide deterrence against crime, especially against women.
It will also be in touch with the train operator through a wireless radio. “Even the lifts and elevators will be monitored through the OCC,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chennai Metro Rail will be allotting the three tenders to execute the work on stretch between Officers Training Academy and Chennai Airport in the next 10 days. The three packages worth Rs 200 to Rs 250 crore were opened on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The work on this stretch came to a standstill after Metro rail terminated the contract with Lanco Infratech Limited, which was carrying out the works on the stretch.
The total Chennai Metro Rail project costs Rs 14,600 crore and the State and Central governments are providing 15 per cent each. K Prabhakaran, general manager (finance), Chennai Metro Rail said that the State is providing Rs 2,190 crore besides Rs 844 crore as subordinate debt for land acquisition purpose. Japan International Cooperation Agency is extending a loan of 8,646 crore with an interest rate of 1.40 per cent per annum.