K-Ride to purchase 306 coaches for Bengaluru suburban rail project at Rs 4270 crores

By Vinaykumar Patil | First Published Oct 15, 2024, 10:45 AM IST

K-RIDE will directly purchase 306 air-conditioned railway coaches worth Rs 4,270 crores for the Bangalore Suburban Rail Project, funded equally by the state government and Indian Railways. The coaches will be sourced from ICF Chennai, replacing a previously considered Public-Private Partnership model.

The Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (K-RIDE) has decided to directly purchase 306 railway coaches for the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP). The coaches, estimated to cost Rs 4,270 crores, will be jointly funded by the state government and Indian Railways in a 50:50 ratio, as per a proposal submitted by K-RIDE to the government.

The Railway Department has recommended acquiring these coaches through the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai. A crucial meeting is set to take place today (Tuesday) involving state finance department officials, where the method for procuring the coaches will likely be decided, K-RIDE officials confirmed.

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Initially, K-RIDE had explored the option of procuring trains for 35 years under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, a first in the country. Companies such as BEML, Bharat Heavy Electricals, and CEF had qualified for the financial bidding stage but eventually pulled out. As a result, the PPP model was abandoned. There were also discussions to procure Vande Metro coaches, but K-RIDE ultimately decided to purchase the bogies directly, deeming it the more practical solution.

Following the state government’s final decision, the proposal will be sent to the Railway Board and the Cabinet Committee for approval. The matter will also be discussed with the NITI Aayog, officials said.

To support the BSRP financially, loans have been secured from both the German Investment Bank and the European Investment Bank. As part of the agreement, both organizations must submit a final report on the deployment of rolling stock by September 2025. Hence, K-RIDE is pushing to finalize the bogie procurement as soon as possible.

The coaches for the Bengaluru suburban rail will be air-conditioned, similar to metro trains, and each coach will have the capacity to carry 300 passengers. In the initial phase, the plan is to operate trains with three coaches. The long coaches, measuring 21.74 meters in length and 3.2 meters in width, will feature face-to-face seating arrangements. The trains will run on the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) system, which will relay critical information such as train speed and track conditions to the control centre. The interiors are being designed with women and disabled passengers in mind.

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The BSRP, covering 149 kilometres, will feature four corridors:
- KSR Bengaluru to Devanahalli ('Sampige' line, 41.40 km)
- Baiyappanahalli to Chikkabanavara ('Mallige' line, 25.01 km)
- Kengeri to Whitefield ('Parijata' line, 35.52 km)
- Heelalige to Rajanukunte ('Kanaka' route, 46.24 km)

The 'Mallige' suburban rail line is expected to be operational by 2027, and K-RIDE is confident that the coaches will be ready by then.

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