Bengaluru: Bi-RIDE, a subsidiary of K-RIDE, which is implementing the project, has placed a work order worth Rs 1,513.75 crore for the purchase of 153 air-conditioned broad-gauge metro-type coaches for the much-awaited suburban rail project in Bengaluru.
The agreement was signed on May 6. The supply of coaches is expected to start within the next 18 months. The coaches have been directed to be supplied to facilitate the inauguration day of the Chikkabanavara-Yeshwanthpur section under Corridor-2.
The timing has been fixed in line with the directives issued during the Prime Minister’s ‘Pragati’ review meeting held last December.
The agreement covers the design, manufacturing, inspection, testing, integration and commissioning of the coaches. ICF is responsible for all the responsibilities including rolling stock testing to check the condition of the brakes, wheels, and coaches of the trains.
Giving information about this, K-Ride Managing Director (MD) Laxman Singh said, “This work order is a milestone for the project. Through this partnership with ICF, we will ensure that the required train coaches are available by the time the track and systems infrastructure work for Corridors 2 and 4 is completed.
The work order for the purchase of coaches will help the citizens of Bengaluru to implement a world-class suburban rail project without any delay. This project will reduce traffic congestion in the city. A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between K-Ride and ICF is expected to be signed soon, he said.