BMRC has smart plans for Metro Rail project

BMRC has smart plans for Metro Rail project
R Krishnakumar |TNN

Bangalore: Smart is the buzzword as the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) Limited enters the next level with Namma Metro. BMRC has invited pre-qualification bids for the design, manufacture, installation, testing and commissioning of the automated fare collection (AFC) system. The AFC system is tipped to have smart cards with integrated services as its major component. The pre-qualification tender notification, dated April 8, has invited proposals under an international competitive bidding process.
“Through this tender, we are inviting interested bidders. We’ll shortlist the bidders later, based on experience in similar projects and other criteria,’’ a senior BMRC official told The Times Of India.
According to the notification, the AFC equipment could be installed at all the stations and at the operations control centre. The system is likely to have features like card and token initialization devices, central computer systems, station computer systems, ticket office machines, portable cardreaders, automatic gates and an optional combined ticketissuing machine/add value machine at the stations.
Contactless smart cards could be put to use for stored value tickets, period passes, staff passes and other ticket types, while contactless smart tokens are proposed for singlejourney tickets.
BMRC’s general consultancy group — a consortium of four members, including RITES — has prepared the system’s conceptual design and technical specifications. The tenderers’ AFC designs will be scrutinized by the group according to the specifications.
The official said final specifications of the fare collection system would be decided upon only after the bidder is selected. “It’s too early to discuss the AFC’s features in detail, but it will incorporate features like automated gates at the stations,’’ he said.
The central computer system will have control over the AFC equipment put up across the Metro stations, while the station computer will control equipment at individual stations. TOMs and TVMs will be used to sell tickets at the stations. Ticket gates that control entry and exit from paid and unpaid areas is another AFC feature. The gates will update the data on cards and tokens as the passengers pass through.
The notification specifies that the AFC system has to be ready much ahead of the Metro trials. Commercial operations of Namma Metro are set begin from March 2010.