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Bids opened for two sections on Line-3 of Indore Metro

INDORE (Metro Rail News): Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MPMRCL) on 2nd July opened technical bids for two packages for the 33.53 Km long Line-3 (Yellow Line) of Indore Metro Rail Project.

Routes of Indore Metro
Indore Metro Map

PACKAGE -1

Tender Number – 200/MPMRCL/2021/Package IN-02

Name of Work – Design and Construction of Seven (7) Elevated Metro Rail Stations including Viaduct portion within the stations and Transition spans on either side of the stations, Entry-Exit Structures, Architectural Finishes, E&M Works etc. (ISBT/MR10 Flyover, Chandragupta Square, Hira Nagar, Bapat Square, Meghdoot Garden, Vijay Nagar Square & Radisson Square)” of Indore Metro Rail Project.

Tenders for this package were invited on 27th February by MPMRCL at an estimated cost of INR 369 Crores and completion period of 847 days. For this package, MPMRCL received bids from three firms –

  • Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL)
  • URC Construction Pvt. Ltd.
  • YFC Projects Private Limited

The bids for this package will now undergo technical evaluation which can take couple of months. After that, financial bids will be opened of the technically qualified bidders which will reveal the name of the lowest bidder and the most likely winner of this contract.

PACKAGE -2

Tender Number – 273/MPMRCL/2021/Package IN-03

Name of Work – Design and Construction of Elevated Viaduct between Ch.14+488 & Ch.25+415, viaduct connecting Depot leading upto interface location, Nine (9) Elevated Metro Rail Stations including all Civil, Structural, Roof structure, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) works, Architectural finishes, Façade, Entry/Exits, FOB, Viaduct within the stations including Transition spans” for Indore Metro Rail Project Yellow Line.

This package includes construction of elevated viaduct and nine stations on the upcoming Super Corridor zone in Indore. These nine stations are Gandhi Nagar, Super Corridor 6, Super Corridor 5, Super Corridor 4, Super Corridor 3, Super Corridor 2 and Super Corridor 1, Bhawarsala Square and MR 10 Road. 

Tenders for this package were invited on 10th March by MPMRCL at an estimated cost of INR 1000 Crores and a completion period of 847 days. Surprisingly for this package, MPMRCL received bid from only one firm –

  • Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL)

Now it will be important to know whether MPMRCL will go ahead with this one bid and carry out technical bid evaluation and subsequent process.

It seems that with just one bid for this section, MPMRCL may cancel this tender and re-invite bids for this important corridor. The project is already facing lot of delays due to multiple reasons. With just one bidder for this section, things will only get delayed further.

Indore metro has set a deadline of 2023 to start operation which at present looks unlikely. Hope that construction activities for the project get accelerated along with inviting of tenders and awarding of contracts which also requires extensive participation in tenders from construction companies.

Phase-1 of Indore Metro comprises construction of 33.53 km long corridor as Line-3 (Yellow Line) which will form a ring around the city connecting Palasia – Railway Station – Rajwada – Airport – Bhawarsala through 29 stations. The corridor will have 6 underground stations from Kothari market to Airport and all other 23 stations will be elevated.

URC Construction lowest bidder for Architectural finishing works on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Extension Line

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) opened the financial bids for Architectural finishing works on seven stations of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Extension Line under Phase-4 in which URC Construction Pvt. Ltd. emerge lowest bidder among the two bidders by quoting bid value of INR 97.50 Crores while the other bidder i.e. Sam India Builtwell Pvt. Ltd. quoted bid value of INR 97.53 Crores.

DMRC invited bids for this work in December 2020 with an estimated cost of INR 89.76 Crores and completion period of 24 months. Technical bids for the same were opened in February which revealed names of 12 bidders. Later, 10 bidders were disqualified based on bid evaluation.

The work under this contract also includes installation of prefabricated steel roof structures at seven stations namely Keshopur, Paschim Vihar, Peeragarhi, Mangol Puri, West Enclave, Pushpanjali and Deepali Chowk.

Contract No. – DC-10A-R

Name of Work – Architectural Finishing Works Including Design, Fabrication, Supply, Erection & Roof sheeting of Prefabricated Steel Roof Portal Pre- Engineered Building (PEB) Structures & Foot Over Bridge (FOB) including Design & Construction (Substructure & Superstructure) & necessary changes in existing station for connection of FOB, External facade, Water Supply, Sanitary Installation, Drainage, Site development works at Seven Elevated Stations namely Keshopur, Paschim Vihar, Peeragarhi, Mangol Puri, West Enclave, Pushpanjali & Deepali Chowk on Janakpuri West to R.K.Ashram Corridor (Extn. of Line-8) of Phase-IV of Delhi MRTS.

Although URC Construction bid is slightly on the higher side in comparison to DMRC estimate, it is still likely that DMRC will award this contract to URC Construction in the coming weeks.

This section is a part of Magenta Extension corridor (Line-8) which will run from Janakpuri West to R.K. Ashram (28.92 km with 22 stations) under Phase-4 and is expected to become operational by June, 2024. This corridor will have elevated section of 21.18 km and underground section of 7.74 km.

Last month, Lisha Engineers won the similar contract of Architectural finishing works on eight stations namely Yamuna Vihar, Bhajanpura, Khajuri Khas, Sonia Vihar, Soorghat, Jagatpur Village, Jharoda Majraa and Burari of Maujpur-Majlis Park for Line-7 Extension (Pink Line) under Phase-4 of Delhi Metro

3 Companies in a race to construct Chennai Metro Line-5 Southern Section

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) opened technical bids on Wednesday for the construction of 11.61 km long elevated viaduct for Puzhuthivakkam – Sholinganallur section including construction of 11 stations for Line-5 of Chennai Metro.

Name of three bidders were revealed for construction of this section of Line-5 including one submitted bid in joint venture. They are –

  • Hindustan Construction Company Ltd. – KEC International (HCC-KEC) JV
  • Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T)
  • NCC Ltd.

Tender No: CMRL/PHASE II/CORRIDOR 5/C5-ECV-03

Name of Work: Construction of Elevated Viaduct of Approximately 11.61 km length from Ch: 33710 m to 45320 m between Puzhuthivakkam Metro Station (excluding) and beyond Elcot Metro station including Construction of 11 Nos(Eleven Numbers) of Elevated Stations at Madipakkam, Kilkattalai, Echangadu, Kovilambakkam, Vellakkal, Medavakkam Koot Road, Kamaraj Garden Street, Medavakkam Junction, Perumbakkam, Global Hospital and Elcot and all associated works in Corridor-5 of Chennai Metro Rail Project- Phase-2.

CMRL invited tenders for this work on 11th November 2020 with a completion period of 36 months. However, CMRL did not disclose the estimated value of the tender. This elevated section with 11 stations is a part of 47 km long Line-5 from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur with 46 stations under Phase-2 of Chennai Metro Rail Project.

The bids will now be sent for technical evaluation which can take a couple of months. After that, financial bids of the technically qualified bidders will be opened which will reveal the name of the lowest bidder and most likely winner of this contract.

Kochi Metro to start operating from today from 8 AM to 8 PM

KOCHI (Metro Rail News): Kochi Metro will resume its services from today after a gap of 53 days. The metro trains will operate from 8 AM to 8 PM with the headway of 10 minutes during peak hours and 15 minutes during non-peak hours, as announced by KMRL (Kochi Metro Rail Limited).

Operation of Kochi Metro services comes to a halt after the surge in Covid-19 cases and the imposition of lockdowns in the city. As the State Government eases lockdown restrictions, KMRL decided to resume operation of Kochi Metro.

KMRL is taking all measures to contain Covid-19 in Metro premises which includes cleaning and sanitization of all Metro stations, thermal scanning to check body temperatures of commuters before they are allowed to enter the station, sitting at alternate seats to maintain social distancing, contactless ticket system at all stations etc.

KMRL has also urged passengers to strictly follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour which includes compulsory wearing of masks, maintain social distancing, use of sanitizers provided at entrance of stations, usage of Kochi 1 Smart card for contactless commuting, installation of Arogya Setu app by all commuters and carrying minimum luggage to make the security checking process hassle-free.

In related news, Bangalore Metro operation timings has been extended and from today it will operation from 7 AM to 6 PM with a frequency of five minutes in peak hours and 15 minutes in non-peak hours from Monday to Friday, as announced by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).

Metro train will services will not be available on Saturday and Sunday due Covid-19 induced curfew and trains will continue to operate at 50% capacity. However, depending on the patronage, the trains would be operated with increased or decreased frequency, BMRCL said in a statement.

Bangalore Metro Airport Line bidders name revealed

BENGALURU (Metro Rail News): Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is constructing 38.44 long corridors connecting K R Puram to the Kempegowda International Airport via Hebbal Junction under Phase-2B of Bangalore Metro. This corridor will have 17 stations on the route.

Recently, Phase-2B along with Phase-2A got approval from Central Government. The total length of both these sections is 58.19 km from Central Silkboard to Kempegowda International Airport with 30 stations on the route. The total cost of the project is expected to be INR 14,788.101 Crores.

Tenders for construction of 38.44 long Phase-2B of Bangalore Metro are invited in three packages. The names of the bidders have been revealed as reported by Bangalore Mirror.

Contract No: PHASE 2B /P1/69 (a)

Estimated Cost of Work: INR 639.95 Crores
Completion Period: 27 months
Name of Work: “Construction of elevated structures (Viaduct & Stations) of length 11.003 km (including 281.00 m of Viaduct beyond Phase 2A) from Chainage 0.000 m to 10072.000 m and eight elevated metro stations viz, Kasturi Nagar, Horamavu, HRBR Layout, Kalyan Nagar, HBR Layout, Nagawara, Veerannapalya and Kempapura, including 650.00 m link line connectivity to Baiyappanahalli, Road widening, Utility diversion and allied works of Bengaluru Metro Rail Project Phase-2B.

Bidders Name: Afcons InfrastructureLtd., Shankara Narayana Constructions-Cherian Varkey Construction Company (JV) and NCC Limited

Contract No: PHASE 2B /P2/69(b)

Estimated Cost of Work: INR 645.30 Crores
Completion Period: 24 months
Name of Work: Construction of elevated structures (Viaduct & Stations) of length 11.678 km from Chainage 10072.00 m to 21500.000 m and five elevated metro stations viz, Hebbal, Kodigehalli, Jakkur Cross, Yelahanka and Bagalur Cross, including 250 m Pocket track, Road widening, Utility diversion and allied works of Bengaluru Metro Rail Project Phase2B.

Bidders Name: GR Infra Projects and Gulermak (JV), Afcons InfrastructureLtd., Shankara Narayana Constructions-Cherian Varkey Construction Company (JV) and NCC Limited

Contract No:
 PHASE 2B /P3/69(c)

Estimated Cost of Work: INR 620.88 Crores
Completion Period: 24 months
Name of Work: Construction of elevated structures (Viaduct & Stations) of length 15.011 km from chainage 21500.000 m to 36511.000 m and two elevated metro stations viz, Bettahalasuru and Doddajala, including Road widening, Utility diversion and allied works of Bengaluru Metro Rail Project Phase-2B. This length includes approx. 718.18 m cut & cover portion in front of Yelahanka Air Force Station.

Bidders Name: GR Infra Projects and Gulermak (JV), Afcons InfrastructureLtd., ITD Cementation India, Shankara Narayana Constructions-Cherian Varkey Construction Company (JV) and NCC Limited.

Indore Metro Rail Project: Resumption of work and all other updates

INDORE (Metro Rail News): Indore Metro Rail Project which was facing stagnation for months due to multiple reasons including the Covid-19 pandemic is finally moving on track as work will resume on the project and will be carried out at rapid pace from now on.

Recently, a meeting was conducted to review the Indore Metro project which was chaired by Indore Divisional Commissioner Dr. Pawan Kumar Sharma who said that work on the metro projects in the city has lagged behind due to Covid-19 and other reasons but now work on this need to be accelerated. In the meeting, Collector Manish Singh, Executive Director of Indore Metro Rail Project Gautam Singh, CEO of IDA Vivek Shrotriya were also present.

The Commissioner instructed the officers of Indore Metro Rail Project to update and inform about the progress on the metro project every 15 days to the Indore Collector. All other obstacles including land acquisition will be removed with cooperation from the Collector. He also said that every station of the metro train should have proper facilities for the movement of passengers without any obstructions.

The Commissioner also advocated better connectivity of the metro stations with the airport and railway station so that passengers can catch the metro train without any hindrance. Outside every metro station, there should be an efficient system for the entry and exit of bus and other vehicles. He also praised Delhi Metro project as a model for mass transit system in the country and wants Indore Metro to follow the same path of Delhi metro in terms of work execution and planning.

Collector Manish Singh expressed displeasure over the irregular way of working of Metro Rail office in Indore and instructed the officials to open the office on a regular basis. He also advocated constitution of a dedicated team for the metro project which should remain in constant touch with the district administration.

During the meeting, Additional Director (Technical) of Indore Metro Rail Project, Shobhit Tandon said that the process of floating tenders in five packages has been completed. Soon the company will be given the operational right so that construction work begins as early as possible.

Routes of Indore Metro
Indore Metro Rail Project

Phase-1 of Indore Metro comprises construction of 33.53 km long corridor as Line-3 (Yellow Line) which will form a ring around the city connecting Palasia – Railway Station – Rajwada – Airport – Bhawarsala through 29 stations. The corridor will have 6 underground stations from Kothari market to Airport and all other 23 stations will be elevated.

These stations are Bhawarsala Square, MR 10 Road, ISBT / MR 10 Flyover, Chandragupta Square, Hira Nagar, Bapat Square, Meghdoot Garden, Vijay Nagar Square, Radisson Square, Mumtaj Bag Colony, Bengali Square, Patrakar Colony, Palasia Square, High Court, Indore Railway Station, Rajwada Palace, Maulana Azad Marg, Bada Ganpati, Ramchandra Nagar Square, Kalani Nagar, BSF, Airport, Gandhi Nagar, Super Corridor 6, Super Corridor 5, Super Corridor 4, Super Corridor 3, Super Corridor 2 and Super Corridor 1.

Indore Metro trains will have six coaches each with each train to have capacity of 1950 passengers. Metro Stations will have Automatic Fare Collection system along with advanced escalators.

In February 2019, civil construction work was started on Line-3 for an elevated viaduct of length 5.29 km from ISBT/MR10 to Mumtaj Bagh Colony. However, construction activities later start facing issues and delays due to disputes between General Consultant and the Contractor Dilip Buildcon. The metro project also got affected due to Covid-19 and the resultant lockdowns in the city.

At present, efforts are being made to resolve disputes between the GC and the Contractor at the administrative level and hope that it get resolved at the earliest so that construction activities again speed up for the project.

In February this year, Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MPMRCL) floated tenders for the construction of seven elevated stations between ISBT/MR10 Flyover and Radisson Square for Line-3 of Indore Metro. However, bid submission end date has been extended twice for this tender due to the Covid-19 second wave and now extended to 1st July 2021.

Recently, MPMRCL in March also floated tenders for the construction of elevated viaduct and 9 elevated metro stations for the same line from MR10 Road Station to Gandhi Nagar Station (10.9 km). However, here also bid submission end date extended to 1st July 2021 due to Covid-19 second wave.

Indore metro has set a deadline of 2023 to start operation which at present looks unlikely. Hope that construction activities for the project get accelerated along with inviting of tenders and awarding of contracts for Line-3 so that this line becomes operational as early as possible.

Satish Agnihotri is the new Managing Director of National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has appointed 1982 Batch IRSE officer (Retired) Satish Agnihotri as the new Managing Director on 1st July 2021. Previously, he had worked as Chairman & Managing Director, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a schedule ‘A’ CPSE under the Ministry of Railways for close to 9 years.

As per NHSRCL, he also held the position of Chairman, High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (HSRC), a fully owned subsidiary of RVNL since its inception in July 2012 till August 2018. HSRC was the Indian-side counterpart agency for carrying out various high-speed studies which were undertaken on Government-to-Government basis with China, Spain etc. and completed feasibility studies of 5 high speed rail corridors.

During his tenure as CMD of RVNL, RVNL completed 7000 km of project length including 3000 km doubling/3rd line, 880 km conversion of metre gauge track to broad gauge, 3000 km railway electrification, 85 km new line, 6 factories and many important bridges. A 7 km long tunnel was also completed in a record time of 25 months in a new line project in Andhra Pradesh.

According to NHSRCL Spokesperson Sushma Gaur, Satish Agnihotri comes with more than 19 years of experience in the implementation of mega rail infrastructure projects. He has taken charge from Achal Khare who was the first Managing Director of NHSRCL. He was appointed on 18th April 2017 and retired on Wednesday.

NHSRCL said on Twitter that as we bid farewell to our first Managing Director Achal Khare, on his superannuation, NHSRCL family takes this opportunity to thank him for his inspiring leadership and trailblazing spirit towards the dream of India’s first high-speed rail corridor.

Land acquisition for Phase-2 of Kochi Metro to be completed by December

KOCHI (Metro Rail News): Land acquisition process for Phase-2 of Kochi Metro from Jawaharlal Nehru International (JLN) Stadium to Infopark 2 is currently underway on a stretch of 11.2 km and is expected to be completed by December this year.

According to District Collector S Suhas, “A total of 386 parcels of land need to be acquired. Most of them are situated on the 10km reach between Palarivattom and Infopark. The 286 parcels of land will be handed over by August. The remaining ones on the 1.2 km between Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Palarivattom will be completed by December.  Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) had started preparatory works on land already handed over.”

Approval for Phase-2 of Kochi Metro is expected soon from Central Government, the proposal for which is already submitted by KMRL and at present, it is under consideration.

Kochi Metro Phase-2 comprises construction of 11.2 km long elevated corridor from JLN stadium to Infopark 2 via Kakkanad with eleven stations on the route. These stations are Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Palarivattom Junction, Palarivattom Bypass, Chembumukku, Vazhakkala, Kunnumpuram, Kakkanad Junction, Cochin SEZ, Chittethukara, KINFRA (Rajagiri), Infopark 1 and Infopark 2.

Regarding land acquisition for Phase-1B (1.163 km) of Kochi Metro between SN Junction and Tripunithura, the same will be completed in four months, the Collector said.

ETA Engineering wins Electrical and Mechanical system contract for Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line-8 Extension

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): ETA Engineering Pvt. Ltd. had received a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on 17th June for the work related to supply and commissioning of Electrical and Mechanical system including environment control system, tunnel ventilation system and building management system for Krishna Park Extension station of Line-8 Extension corridor under Phase-4 of Delhi Metro.

DMRC invited tenders for this contract in December 2020 with an approximate cost of work of INR 57.94 Crores and completion period of 36 months.

Technical bids for the work opened in February this year which revealed name of eight bidders. Later, four bidders were disqualified based on bid evaluation. The financial bid values of other technically qualified bidders are –

  • Blue Star Ltd. – INR 63.56 Crores
  • EFKON India Pvt. Ltd. – INR 57.64 Crores
  • ETA Engineering Pvt. Ltd. – INR 48.08 Crores
  • Sterling and Wilson Pvt. Ltd. – INR 57.79 Crores

Contract Package Number DE-03

Name of Work Design verification, Detail engineering, Manufacture, Supply, Installation, Testing & Commissioning of Electrical and Mechanical system including Fire, Hydraulic and DG set, Environment control system, Tunnel ventilation system and Building Management System for Krishna Park Ext Underground station of line-8 extension corridor of Phase-IV of Delhi MRTS

Krishna Park Extension station will be an underground station on Line-8 Extension corridor which will run from Janakpuri West to R.K. Ashram (28.92 km with 22 stations) under Phase-4 and is expected to become operational by June, 2024. This corridor will have elevated section of 21.18 km and underground section of 7.74 km.

Alstom bags OHE contract for Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line-8 Extension

NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Alstom Transport India emerged as the lowest bidder for the design, supply and commissioning of 25 KV AC OHE Traction work including SCADA systems for Krishna Park Underground Station of Magenta Line (Line-8 extension) from Janakpuri West – R.K. Ashram of length 28.92 km under Phase-4 of Delhi Metro.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) invited tenders for this contract in December 2020 with an estimated tender value of INR 17.67 crore and completion period of 36 months.

Technical bids for the work opened in February this year which revealed name of three bidders. Later, bid by Hitech Erectors Private Limited was disqualified based on bid evaluation. The financial bid values of other technically qualified bidders are –

  • Alstom Transport India Limited – INR 22.76 Crores
  • Siemens Limited – INR 28.09 Crores

Contract Package Number DE-05

Name of Work Design, Detail Engineering, Manufacture, Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of 25KV AC Traction (RIGID OHE), 33KV Auxiliary Sub Stations (ASS), Associated Cabling and SCADA Systems for Krishna Park Underground Station of Janakpuri west to R. K Ashram corridor (Extn. of Line-8) of Phase-IV Delhi MRTS Project.

As the bid value of Alstom Transport is slightly on the higher side against the DMRC estimate, it will be interesting to know the awarding of this contract to Alstom Transport.

This package contract will be funded by the JICA ( Japan International Cooperation Agency) as a part of loan sanctioned for Phase-4 of Delhi Metro of amount INR 8,390 Crores.