The Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company Limited (K-RIDE) has decided to procure Vande Bharat metro coaches for the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP) through equity funding after receiving no financial bids for rolling stock on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Three firms that qualified for the bidding process –...
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Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Bharat Earth Movers Limited, and Spanish rail manufacturer CAF – did not submit financial bids, citing a need for sovereign guarantees. K-RIDE has requested the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai to supply the coaches, with some design modifications to meet BSRP specifications. The coaches will be supplied until 2030, with production starting in 2025-26. K-RIDE is confident of procuring the rolling stock before the commissioning of the first corridor, which is expected to be completed by December 2025. BSRP is divided into four corridors: Sampige (41.4 km), Mallige (25.01 km), Parijaatha (35.52 km), and Kanaka (46.24 km). Corridor 2 (Mallige line) connects Benniganahalli to Chikkabanavara via Hebbal and Yeshwanthpura, and is currently 25% complete.