Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) has signed a contract extension agreement with BEML Ltd. to procure an additional 7 train-sets of 6 coaches for Pink Line (Reach-6) of the 73.92 km Bangalore Metro Phase 2 project.

This 42 coach contract for the 21.38 km Pink Line (Kalena Agrahara – Nagawara) is worth Rs. 405 crore and takes the total number of trainsets under Package 5RS-DM from 53 trains (318 coaches) to 60 trains (360 coaches).

BMRCL had originally awarded BEML with rolling stock contract 5RS-DM’s Rs. 3177 crore contract in August 2023 with a 15 year comprehensive maintenance period. A history of its bidding timeline can be viewed here. Manufacturing activities formally began in August 2024 during which the trains’ design was unveiled.

The new trains’ procurement is being 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 development, here’s a breakdown of how all 360 new coaches are intended to be distributed:

Bangalore Metro Coaches Details

Bengaluru’s new lightweight train-sets will be operated in formations of DMC + TC + TC + TC + TC + DMC where DMC = Driving Motor Car and TC = Trailer Car. They will have a maximum design speed of 95 kmph and operational speed of 85 kmph.

With Alstom’s CBTC signaling and train-control solution from Package 10 S&T-DM, the trains will be capable of running “driverless” on GoA4 (grade of automation 4) for Unattended Train Operations (UTO)

As shared in one of my earlier posts, the first prototype train is expected to roll out no sooner than Q4 2025. 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.

Bangalore’s 5RS-DM contract with 360 coaches 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. That contract started with 504 coaches with another 72 coaches added in November 2020 in a similar contract extension agreement.

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Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) on Wednesday awarded Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) with a Rs. 5870 crore contract for the operations & maintenance (O&M) of 116.1 km Chennai Metro Phase 2 project for a period of 12 years.

Chennai Metro’s Phase 2 was approved by the Central Government’s Cabinet in October 2024 but has been well under construction since May 2021. The project includes the construction of 3 new metro lines, with a mix of underground & elevated routes, and 125 stations from an original number of 128.

• Line-3: Madhavaram to SIPCOT (45.4 km with 49 stations)
• Line-4: Light House to Poonamalle Bypass (26.1 km with 28 stations)
• Line-5: Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (44.6 km with 48 stations)

This O&M contract aims to enhance efficiency and service quality across the entire Phase 2 network for services to passengers and asset maintenance. This would typically involve overseeing day-to-day operations, maintenance, customer service, managing station facilities, train schedules and implementing safety protocols for smooth passenger experience.

CMRL had invited bids for this contract in August 2024 with a 12 year contract date that would start from the commencement date of the final section/stage of Phase 2. It includes a provision to extend the contract by 3 years in case of satisfactory performance by DMRC.

Technical bids were opened on March 7 to reveal 2 bidders – Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (DMRC) and Deutsche Bahn International Operations GmbH (DB IO), and their financial bids were opened on March 11 to reveal DMRC as the lowest bidder.

Financial Bid Values

Brief Scope: Selection of the “Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Contractor for Chennai Metro Rail Phase II -Corridor-3 ((Madhavaram Milk Colony to Siruseri SIPCOT-II Metro), Corridor- 4 (Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass) and Corridor-5 (Madhavaram Milk Colony to Sholinganallur), including Maintenance Depots at Madhavaram, Poonamallee & Semmancheri”

This is DMRC’s third O&M contract after Noida Metro’s Aqua Line (signed in August 2016) and Mumbai Metro’s Aqua Line (awarded in April 2023).

Coming back to Chennai, its 116 km Phase 2 like other metro projects is planned to be operationalized in stages. Among them Line-4’s roughly 7.9 km Poonamallee Bypass – Porur section, built by HCC – KEC JV, will be the first to open which I reckon will happen no sooner than Q1 2026. Train testing on a small 2 km section (Poonamallee Depot to Mullaithottam Station) began last month.

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Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. and SS.SS. Constructions Pvt. Ltd.  in the past week have been awarded contracts for architectural finishing works at 7 new underground stations of Delhi Metro’s 23.622 km Golden Line (Line-10) which will connect Aerocity – Tughalakabad via 15 stations.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had invited bids for both these packages of the 112 km Delhi Metro Phase 4 project in October – November 2024 financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through a Rs. 8,390 crore loan.

DC-07 will be the first section of the Golden Line to open up, and given its criticality the contract comes with a 1 year deadline as opposed to 2 years in all other architectural finishing contracts.

Package DC-07A

Godrej & Boyce was awarded Package DC-07A’s Rs. 49.99 crore contract for 3 stations at Maa Anandmayee Marg, Tughlakabad Railway Colony and Tughlakabad.

Their construction work is currently being carried out by Afcons Infrastructure as part of Phase 4 project’s 6.981 km underground Package DC-07 connecting Sarita Vihar Depot – Sangam Vihar Ramp.

Technical bids were opened in November 2024 to reveal 4 bidders, and financial bids of the technically-qualified bidders were opened in March 2025 to reveal Godrej & Boyce as the lowest bidder.

Final Contract Value: Rs. 49,99,70,132.33

Brief Scope: Comprehensive Architectural Finishing Works at three Underground stations namely Maa Anandmayee Marg, Tughlakabad Railway Colony and Tughlakabad on Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor of Phase-IV of Delhi MRTS.

Package DC-08A

SS SS Constructions was awarded Package DC-08A’s Rs. 67.72 crore contract for 4 stations at Aerocity, Mahipalpur, Vasant Kunj and Kishangarh.

Their construction work is currently being carried out by J Kumar Infraprojects (JKIL) as part of Phase 4 project’s 6.981 km underground Package DC-08 connecting Aerocity – Kishangarh.

DMRC had invited bids for DC-08A with a 2 year deadline in October 2024 financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through a Rs. 8,390 crore loan.

Technical bids were opened in November 2024 to reveal 9 bidders, and the financial bids of the technically qualified bidders were opened in March 2025 to reveal SSCONS as the lowest bidder.

Final Contract Value: Rs. 67,72,54,904.00

Brief Scope: Comprehensive Architectural Finishing Works at Four Underground stations namely Aerocity, Mahipalpur, Vasant Kunj and Kishangarh station on Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor of Phase-IV of Delhi MRTS.

Back in January, Himcon Engineers was awarded Package DC-09A’s Rs. 61.29 crore contract for 4 stations at Chhattarpur Station, Chhattarpur Mandir Station, IGNOU Station and Neb Sarai Station which are under construction by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as part of 6.51 km Package DC-09 connecting Kishangarh Station – Saket Ramp.

So with this development, architectural finishing contracts for all underground packages of the Golden Line have been awarded.

9 tunnel breakthroughs have been recorded so far, and at this time I see commercial operations on the Golden Line starting no sooner than mid-2027. A list of Delhi Metro Phase 4’s civil & system contracts and their status can be viewed here.

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Afcons Infrastructure this week completed launching a 65 meter long open web girder (OWG) bridge for Mumbai Metro’s 24.9 km Line-5 (Orange Line) connecting Thane – Bhiwandi – Kalyan.

This steel bridge weighing 456 MT was fabricated by Eurocoustic Products in Daman, and was launched over the Indian Railways’ Vasai – Diva railway line at Anjurphata. The exact location on Line-5’s viaduct is between Purna & Anjurphata metro stations (view on Google Maps).

The bridge is 12.7m wide and 10.2m tall, and consists of 30,000+ HSFG bolts. It was slowly pulled into position on top of Piers P328 – P329 using multiple Strand Jacks and Hillman Rollers with a nose arrangement.

The OWG’s launch on-site was carried out in two stages over 8 days.

• First Stage Launching: Completed on April 2 (Railway Block – 1st April) at 04:20 AM, with 44 meters of the OWG pulled into position.
• Final Completion: Achieved on April 10 (Railway Block – 9th April 2025) at 03.00 AM, successfully positioned the entire 65-meter OWG girder.

The OWG bridge forms a crucial part of 12.811 km Package CA-28 (Line-5A) which connects Kapurbawadi and Bhiwandi. It consists of 7 stations en route at Kapurbawadi, Balkum Naka, Kasheli, Kalher, Purna, Anjurphata, and Dhamankar Naka.

Afcons in the past has completed launching two steel composite girders (57.5m and 46m long), and completed launching segments for a 550m bridge over Kasheli Creek.

The line’s viaduct is almost ready. As of Saturday, Afcons had launched 682/692 U-girders for the viaduct and 108/108 U-girders for its stations. The very first one was launched near Balkum Naka Metro Station’s site in March 2021.

At this time I see Mumbai’s Orange Line opening for commercial operations no sooner than Q4 2027 since technical bid evaluation is still underway for its systems Package-1 (CA-241). That mega systems contract includes supplying rolling stock (132 coaches), CBTC signaling & train control (S&T), telecommunication, platform screen doors (PSDs), and depot machinery & plant (M&P) for Kasheli Depot.

A list of all Orange Line’s packages (civil & systems) and their status can be viewed here.

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Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) Delhi–Meerut RRTS this weekend started trial runs (train testing) on the 5 km New Ashok Nagar – Sarai Kale Khan section of the 82.15 km Delhi–Meerut RRTS  project.

This exciting development marks the entry of Alstom‘s semi high-speed trains, nicknamed Namo Bharat, to the line’s southern terminal at Sarai Kale Khan. This station has been structurally built futuristically to serve as the terminal station for Delhi – Dharuhera RRTS and Delhi – Panipat RRTS lines.

NCRTC’s team operated one of their 40 Alstom trains at a low speed of 10 kmph from New Ashok Nagar on the down-line tracks and along the way passed over the 1.35 km long Yamuna River Bridge.

As always, the sole objective of the first run was to check for Schedule of Dimensions (SOD) clearances and observe the train’s interaction with the civil structure to ensure there are no physical obstructions along the way.

The New Ashok Nagar – Sarai Kale Khan section was built by Afcons Infrastructure as part of Package 6. A small part of that package (Ramp – New Ashok Nagar) became operational in January 2025 as part of the 13 km Sahihabad – Anand Vihar – New Ashok Nagar section.

This section’s 25kV AC overhead equipment (OHE) system was installed and energized earlier this week by IRCON International as part of Package 19. A full list of contractors can be viewed here.

Here are some snaps of Sarai Kale Khan Station where station architectural finishing, system installation, PEB roof work, and station entry/exit work is underway.

NCRTC hasn’t announced their game plan, but looking at the progress made so far, I’m inclined to believe the New Ashok Nagar – Sarai Kale Khan section will open in Q3 2025 (August – October).

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Egis Rail – AECOM India – Doyen Engineering Services JV this week was declared as the preferred bidder for Pune Metro  Phase 2 project by Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (Maha-Metro or MMRCL).

Egis – AECOM – Doyen JV’s selection for consultancy Package Consul-01 was based on the Quality and Cost Based System (QCBS) method. Although they were not the lowest bidder on the financial side, they eventually scored the highest total score of 139.77/150, which is a combination of the normalized technical and financial scores.

Pune Metro’s Package Consul-01 is the first significant contract of the Phase 2 project which has been on the drawing board since at least 2021. Maha-Metro had submitted Phase 2’s draft Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC), with several routes totaling 82.50 km, for approval to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in September 2022.

Phase 2’s plan has since been modified. Notably the operational 14.665 km Aqua Line‘s two elevated extensions, which include the 1.12 km Vanaz – Chandni Chowk extension and 11.63 km Ramwadi – Wagholi extension, have been fast-tracked and absorbed into Phase 1A or Phase 1 Extension project.

Per the tender documents, the engagement’s scope includes all 4 corridors of Pune Metro’s Phase 1 Extension (Phase 1A) project to Bhakti Shakti (Nigdi), Katraj, Chandni Chowk and Wagholi. For Pune Metro Phase 2 , the contract’s scope includes the following lines:

• Khadakwasla – Swargate – Hadapsar – Kharadi (25.818 km, 22 stations)
• Nal Stop – Warje – Manik Baug (6.118 km, 6 stations)
• Hadapsar – Loni Kalbhor (11.352 km, 10 stations)
• Hadapsar Bus Depot – Sasvad Road (5.573 km, 4 stations)

A full list of stations planned on each line can be viewed here.

Maha-Metro had invited bids for this consultant contract in October 2024 with a 60 month duration. Technical bids were opened in January to reveal 6 consortia had submitted bids, and their financial bids were opened earlier this week.

Egis – AECOM – Doyen JV’s Financial Bid: Rs. 329,96,54,340 (Rs. 329.96 cr)

Results Pune Metro Phase 2

Maha-Metro’s Brief Scope: Engagement of General Consultant For Pune Metro Rail Project

Maha-Metro’s estimate remains unknown to me, so we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out. The appointment of a dedicated General Consultant will help Maha-Metro with the project’s execution through assistance in design, supervision, safety, quality control and contract management.

Pune Metro’s 18 km Line-4 (Civil Court – Loni Kalbhor) proposed by Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) is not part of Phase 2 plans, and like the under construction 23.3 km Line-3 (Hinjawadi – Civil Court) it will be executed on the public-private partnership (PPP) model – see details.

That said, Line-4 and and Line-5 (Khadakwasla – Kharadi) will share a common alignment for a distance of approximately 4.6 km between Pul Gate and Hadapsar (Magarpatta) on Solapur Road.

Maharashtra’s Government in October 2024 approved 31.64 km of routes which includes the construction of 25.518 km Line-5 connecting Khadakwasla – Swargate – Hadapsar – Kharadi via 22 elevated stations. The other approved line, Line-5’s 6.118 km spur, will connect Nal Stop – Warje – Manik Bagh via 6 elevated stations.

As shared in the past, this isn’t Maha-Metro’s first rodeo in appointing Pune Metro Phase 2’s General Consultant. Back in July 2020, AECOM – SYSTRA – CEG JV emerged as the only bidder for a mega contract which also included Nagpur Metro Phase 2 and Thane Metro, but GC services for Pune Metro Phase 2 and Thane Metro were de-scoped due to pending approvals.

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