BEML Awarded Bangalore Metro’s 318 Coach Rolling Stock Contract 5RS-DM

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) on Monday awarded BEML with an approximately Rs. 3177 crore contract to manufacture 318 new metro coaches for the 73.92 km Bangalore Metro Phase 2, 18.23 km Phase 2A and 37 km Phase 2B projects.

BEML made a brief announcement about this rolling stock contract, which includes 15 years of comprehensive maintenance, on both NSE and BSE exchanges.

BMRCL will deploy these coaches from Package 5RS-DM in 6-car formations across 2 lines: 21 km Pink Line (Reach 6) and 56 km Blue Line (ORR Line & Airport Line).

Here’s a breakdown of how the new coaches are intended to be distributed, as shared in March 2021 when BMRCL was scouting for a General Consultant. This is of course subject to change by the time operations begin.

Line	Coaches
Phase 2: Pink Line (Kalena Agrahara – Nagawara, 21.386 km)	96 (16 x 6)
Phase 2A: Blue Line (Silk Board – KR Puram, 18.2 km)	96 (16 x 6)
Phase 2B: Blue Line (KR Puram – Airport, 37 km)	126 (21 x 6)

BMRC had invited bids for this contract in September 2022 with an unknown estimate and delivery timeframe. Technical bids were opened in February 2023 to reveal 4 bidders – BEML, Alstom Transport India, Titagarh Wagons and CAF. Financial bids were opened in May 2023 to reveal BEML as the lowest bidder at Rs. 3176.43 crore – view all firms’ bid values here.

Brief Scope: Design, Manufacture, Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of 318 Nos. of Standard Gauge Metro Cars and Training of Personnel upto fifteen (15) years under Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase-2, 2A and 2B

This contract will be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with whom the Government of India signed a Rs 3,717 crore loan agreement in March 2021 to procure critical systems such as rolling stock, CBTC signaling and platform screen doors.

With this contract signed, we should see the first prototype train train rolling out of BEML’s local Bengaluru facility in CV Raman Nagar sometime in Q2 2025.

As shared in my prior posts, Phase 2 project’s 21.38 km Pink Line (Kalena Agrahara – Nagawara) is in the most advance stage of construction among the 2 lines, so I reckon Kothanur Depot will be the recipient of the first train-set. With tendering and construction delays slowing things down, I see the start of commercial operations happening no sooner than mid-2025.

This is one of the largest metro rolling stock contracts in recent times, just a little larger than Delhi Metro’s 312 coach RS-17 contract for Phase 4 which was awarded to Alstom in October 2022. The largest ongoing contract is for Mumbai Metro Line 2 & 7’s 576 coaches which BEML is currently fulfilling.

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– TMRG