Chennai Metro Rail phase II: BEML bids lowest to manufacture 70 driverless trains

BEML Limited, a company under the Ministry of Defence, is the lowest bidder for building train sets as part of one of the contracts for Chennai Metro Rail’s phase II project.

BEML Limited, a company under the Ministry of Defence, is the lowest bidder for building train sets as part of one of the contracts for Chennai Metro Rail’s phase II project.

Since the ₹63,246 crore phase II project has three corridors, Chennai Metro Rail has divided the contracts for production of its three-coach driverless trains. As part of the first contract that was awarded two years ago, the first driverless train was delivered last month, and it is currently being tested at the depot.

According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), BEML is the lowest bidder for the second contract for building train sets for a part of corridor 3 (Madhavaram to SIPCOT) and corridor 5 (Madhavaram to Sholinganallur) of the phase II project.

Some approvals were needed to award this contract. While one of the approvals has come through, the contract will be awarded only after a high-level committee comprising members of the State government gives the nod. This may be done by the end of this month or early next month, sources said.

“Under the second contract (for manufacturing trains for phase II project), the firm will manufacture 210 coaches or 70 three coach trains. They will be given two years before which they will have to deliver all the trains,” an official said. The value of the second contract is around ₹3,600 crore, and the coaches are likely to be manufactured in Bengaluru, sources said.

As part of the first contract, 108 coaches or 36 trains will be needed for running operations in corridor 4 of the phase II project (Light House to Poonamallee). Alstom bagged the contract and the production of these trains are underway now.

Equipped to run at a maximum speed of 90 kmph, these trains can transport about 1,000 every trip, and despite being driverless trains, they will have roving attendants during the early period of train operations.