Alstom Wins Bangalore Metro’s CBTC Signaling & PSD Contract 10 S&T-DM

Alstom Transport India on Thursday was declared as the lowest bidder for the CBTC signaling & platform screen door (PSD) contract for the 73.92 km Bangalore Metro Phase 2, 18.23 km Phase 2A and 37 km Phase 2B projects.

The scope of this package 10 S&T-DM involves installing communications-based train control (CBTC) signalling & train control and platform screen door/gate systems, and the training of personnel including annual maintenance up to 5 years across 2 lines – 21 km Pink Line (Reach 6) and 56 km Blue Line (ORR Line & Airport Line).

These systems will work in sync and support operations by 53 x 6-coach BEML trains which are currently being procured as part of Phase 2’s 5RS-DM rolling stock contract.

Full height platform screen doors (PSDs) will be installed at 13 underground stations while half-height platform screen gates (PSGs) will be installed at 37 elevated or at-grade stations.

• Phase 2’s Pink Line (Nagawara – Kalena Agrahara): 6 elevated stations with PSGs & 12 underground stations with PSDs
• Phase 2A’s Blue Line (Central Silk Board – KR Puram): 13 elevated stations with PSGs
• Phase 2B’s Blue Line (KR Puram – KIAL Airport): 17 elevated stations & 1 at-grade station with PSGs, and 1 underground station with PSD

BMRC had invited bids for this contract in March 2023 with an unknown estimate and delivery timeframe.

Financial Bid Values

Note: All 3 firms submitted bids in different combinations of INR + EURO + USD + JPY. Below I’ve shown the INR equivalent.

Firm	Bid (Rs. Crore)
Alstom Transport	857
Siemens India	912
Nippon Signal	944

Scope: Design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of signalling & train control and platform screen door/gate systems and training of personnel including annual maintenance up to five (05) years under Bangalore Metro Rail Project Phase-2, Phase-2A and Phase-2B.

BMRCL’s estimate is unknown to me, so I can’t provide an assessment on the chances of a contract getting awarded. But looking at Alstom’s bid relative to others and the time lost so far in bidding, this will definitely be awarded to Alstom – with or without negotiations.

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.

It includes a 2 year Defect Notification Period (DNP) / Defect Liability period (DLP). The 5 years of Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) will cover breakdown / corrective maintenance on a 24 hours x 7 days per week basis and repair of PCB / modules during the AMC period.

Phase 2 project’s 21.38 km Pink Line (Kalena Agrahara – Nagawara) is in the most advance stage of construction among both lines. With tendering and construction delays slowing things down, I see commercial operations on the Pink Line starting no sooner than Q4 2025.

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– TMRG