INDIA: With tendering well underway for the first phase of the Bangalore metro, Delhi Metro Rail Corp has been appointed as consultant for Phase II.
Phase I consists of two routes running north-south and east-west, intersecting at Majestic. The 33 km standard gauge line will have 35 stations. The 14·9 km north-south line will run from Yeshwanthpur to R V Road Terminal. The east-west line will be 18·1 km long, starting from Baiyappanahalli Terminal and finishing at Mysore Road. Whilst most will be elevated, the central sections of both lines will be underground.
For implementation purposes the elevated sections have been divided into four 'reaches'. R-1 covers the first 7 km from Baiyappanahalli Terminal to M G Road which is already under construction. R-2 covers the western part from City Railway Station to Mysore Road. R-3 is the northern section of the N-S corridor from Yeshwantpur to Swastik while R-4 is the southern extremity from K R Road to R V Road. The network is due to be completed in stages between March 2010 and December 2011.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corp has launched tenders for the construction of four elevated stations on R-1 and the depot and workshop at Baiyappanahalli. BMRC is currently evaluating offers to construct the viaducts on Reaches 2, 3 and 4.
A rolling stock supplier was due to be selected by the end of September. Alstom and the BEML consortium, which includes Mitsubishi and Rotem, have been shortlisted for a contract to supply around 120 cars, valued at Rs7bn. The air-conditioned trains, formed of three cars with a capacity of 1 000 passengers, will have a maximum speed of 80 km/h.
The five pre-qualified bidders for the signalling, train control and communications contract were named last month as: Bombardier Transportation and ST Electronics; Larsen & Toubro with Kyosan and Alcatel Shanghai Bell; Alstom with Thales and Sumitomo; Siemens; and Mitsubishi, GE and Hitachi. Bids are to be submitted by November 5.
The cost of the project, to be built on an Engineering Procurement & Construction basis, is around Rs64bn, with the governments of Gol and Karnataka each contributing 15%. Another 25% will come from subordinated debt and the remainder will be long-term debt.
DMRC is expected to submit a detailed project report for Phase II within eight months. The city's comprehensive transport plan, prepared by Rites, recommends the construction of two more corridors. The first would run for 36 km between Peripheral Ring Road and Yelahanka, intersecting with the E-W line at M G Road. The other would link Indiranagar and Whitefield. Extensions to both Phase I routes have also been recommended.
