World’s best coaches for metro

World’s best coaches for metro

S. Rajendran

Each coach will come at Rs. 5.5 crore and can carry 376 passengers

— Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

ON TRACK: A file picture of a metro train on trial run.

BANGALORE: It may be a long wait for Bangaloreans to enjoy the pleasure of travelling in one of the best intra-city rail coaches in the world.

Bangalore’s ‘Namma Metro’ will have each 50-seat coach will be capable of carrying up to a maximum of 376 passengers. The trains will run to a maximum speed of 80 km an hour with an average speed of 35 km.

Following the increasing stress on security vis-À-vis terrorist attacks and so on, each coach will be fitted with video cameras and the pictures will be directly monitored at the control room. In the event of a requirement, the movement of any given passenger can be closely watched.

Sources in Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. told The Hindu that because of the proximity of metro rail stations in Bangalore, the coaches ordered were such that it could accelerate and decelerate in a jiffy (1.5 metres a second).
Protection system

All trains to be run by BMRCL would be fitted with automatic train protection system. If the engine driver dozes off, the train would stop when the system spots another train coming on the same track. All metro trains were being designed in such a manner that they could be controlled from a remote control room. BMRCL is in the final stages of ordering for rolling stock and four major rail coach manufacturers’ consortia of the world have been short-listed for the Rs. 800-crore order.

They were Alstom of France, Bombardier of Canada, Siemens of Germany and Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. of Bangalore, which heads an international consortium of coach manufacturers.

Incidentally, BEML had bagged the order for supply of coaches to Delhi Metro. The final global tender for the supply of rail coaches is expected shortly and the four pre-qualified consortia would have to submit their final bid.

The consortium, which receives the final approval, has to provide the coaches in 18 months (December 2009).

BMRCL managing director V. Madhu said the rail coaches to run on the metro rail here would be state-of-the-art coaches with each priced at about Rs. 5.5 crore. To begin with, a train would comprise three coaches with a capacity to carry around 1,000 passengers. Based on the requirement, the number of coaches would be increased to a maximum of six.

Mr. Madhu said the work on the metro project was on schedule and around 10 per cent of the work of the first phase of the project had been completed.

“We are expected to complete 16 per cent of the work by March and we are on schedule as of date,” he said.

The Bangalore metro will connect Byappanahalli with Mysore Road and Yeshwanthapur with Jayanagar.