The process of procuring 63 driverless trains for three Metro corridors in Mumbai has been kicked off, with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) initiating the bidding on Thursday.
The DMRC is assisting the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) with executing the rail project.
The three lines for which the rakes are being procured are Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro-2A, DN Nagar-Mankhurd Metro-2B and Dahisar East-Andheri East Metro-7.
DMRC floated bids for 63 six-coach driverless Metro trains. Bidders have been given time till June to submit their quotations.
A DMRC official said the bidding has officially started and the potential manufacturer will be given at least 20 months to start supplying the trains, considering Metro-7 and Metro-2A are to be made operational by mid-2020.
"The supply can start after 20 months, but the lot of 378 coaches will have to be completed over the next four years," he added.
The aggregate procurement cost is expected to be around Rs 4,000 crore, but it might increase.
The driverless train will be capable of running on automatic mode, but initially there will be a supervisor present in the rake at all times to report any anomaly.
The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, which is executing the underground Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro-3, is also working on similar technology that allows running a driverless Metro manually.
DIDN'T MAKE IN INDIA
- Coach procurement for the 3 Metro lines was set back by 18 months over insistence that two-thirds of the 63 trains be made in India. But MMRDA had to relax after Asian Development Bank objected to delays.
