CHENNAI (Metro Rail News): Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has planned to bring in external experts to service the Chennai metros, for which they have floated tenders to outsource the work.
The overhauling will be executed which is done after a train completes six years in operation or covers four lakh kilometres in operation. This is done to avoid any accidents and breakdowns during the daily operations. The overhauling process involves the removal of bogies from the car body, replacing all worn out components and updating the train software. The CMRL has 52 trains in total, and the services began in June 2015.
As per the tender, the CMRL has planned to service 45 four-car trains between 2022 and 2027 – at least nine trains every year. The overhauling which is to be carried out at CMRL’s depot in Koyambedu should be complete within 35 days for each train. Last year, an in-house team of the CMRL overhauled seven trainsets – at a cost of 1.77 crore for each train, a metro rail official informed.
“When we overhauled the trains, we understood that we needed certain resources like manpower and material for certain works, the cost for which was high. We then decided to outsource the work where everything will be handled by an external team. We will also get the work done at a better cost,” a CMRL official said, TOI reported.
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The CMRL procured 42 four-car trains for the 45 km phase-1 and another 10 trains for the 9km phase-l extension line.
After the overhauling activities are completed a fitness certificate will be issued and the entire process will be documented. Problems in the train control and monitoring system software, which is also an interface connecting all subsystems in the train, will also be identified and the software will be updated “All our trains have a life of 30 years after which they will be refurbished,” the official added.
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