After years of talk and months of teasers, the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation has finally invited bids from manufacturers to supply Indian Railways with new air-conditioned local trains.
MRVC plans to procure 2,856 coaches – the equivalent of 238 12-coach rakes or 190 15-coach rakes from independent suppliers. The procurement plan is part of the MUTP-III project. The suppliers will also maintain the trainsets for an estimated lifespan of 35 years. For this, the winning bidder will construct two dedicated facilities.
One maintenance facility will be located at Vangaon near Dahanu on Western Railway. The other facility will be set up at Bhivpuri near Karjat on Central Railway.
But, there is a catch.
Long Wait
Mumbaikars will have to wait a while before airconditioned commutes become the default in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Here’s why:
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The Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) published by MRVC stipulates that the last date for submission of bids is 29th September 2023. Assuming everything goes well, MRVC may finalize bidders and sign contracts in three months. But the real wait begins afterwards.
Once the contract is signed, the winning bidder will supply 238 rakes over seven years. If earlier Indian Railways timelines are indicative, the manufacturer will have 18-24 months to design, build, test and receive approval from Indian Railways and MRVC. Assuming timelines are kept, serial production may only begin in late 2025 or early 2026, with rakes rolling out till 2030.
In the meantime, the manufacturer will also have to construct the Vangaon and Bhivpuri maintenance facilities. At least one depot may have to be readied to accept the first set of new rakes.
More details on the timelines to be followed will be available next month.
New Procurement Method
By inviting bids for new trains, MRVC has shifted from the traditional method of procuring local trains for the city. ICF will no longer be the default supplier of local trains. This may be a good thing. Over the years, passengers and activists have raised numerous complaints about the quality and reliability of ICF-built trains.
K-RIDE, the agency executing Bengaluru’s Suburban Rail Project, has also adopted a similar approach.
Perhaps this will ensure Mumbaikars no longer have to endure poor-quality trains.
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