E-W Metro set to add muscle with 11 more high-end rakes in 2 years
Times of India | 12 April 2024
Kolkata: East-West Metro is likely to have 25 futuristic rakes in its stable in the next two years, BEML CMD Shantanu Roy told TOI in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
East-West Metro — Kolkata’s Line 2 or the Green line — now has 14 state-of-the-art BEML-make rakes. Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC), the implementing agency of the corridor, ordered for three more in Dec 2021.“They will start arriving between June and August this year,” the BEML CMD said.
Before the East-West Metro took off, KMRC and BEML inked their first agreement for 14 six-car rakes. “Having successfully delivered 14 rakes, we have almost completed manufacturing three more. The propulsion system that consists of the traction motor, the train control management system (which controls the propulsion system, brakes, lighting and communication systems) and other equipment are shortly expected from Japan,” Roy said.
“But East-West Metro needs more rakes. KMRC is ready to order four more. Recently, we were in talks for another four. It’s undecided whether all eight will be ordered at one go. It depends on the flow of funds,” Roy said.
The three rakes ordered in the second agreement would take the East-West Metro fleet to 17. “With eight more delivered in the next two years, East-West Metro will have 25 rakes in its stable,” the CMD added.
According to Roy, BEML may collaborate in manufacturing rakes ordered to ICF for other Metro corridors in Kolkata. “The rakes in Kolkata’s first Metro (North-South line) are custom-made to suit the tracks. Now, most Metro systems in India and abroad are going for more efficient standard gauge. But ICF (Chennai’s Integral Coach Factory) supplies these railway versions of Metro for Kolkata. There’s a proposal for BEML to collaborate with ICF to help manufacture futuristic rakes,” said Roy.
The tunnels, which were built in the 1970s, are not wide enough to accommodate broad-gauge coaches (though the tracks are broad gauge). So coaches have to be tailored for the North-South and other lines (except the Jica-funded East-West Metro, which is standard gauge).
“New rakes are being ordered for the newer lines. RVNL (implementing most of the other Kolkata Metro projects) has ordered 57. BEML will be bidding aggressively for supplying rakes to lines other than East-West Metro for Kolkata,” said Roy.