Bengaluru: Bengaluru Suburban Transport Project (BSTP) implementing agency K-Ride has officially signed an MoU with Integral Coach Factory (ICF) for manufacture and supply 51 trains, each comprising three coaches.K-Ride subsidiary Bi-Ride, had in May, issued a Rs 1,513-crore work order to the Chennai-based firm to supply the 153 air-conditioned Metro type coaches required for Corridor-2 and Corridor-4 of the project.ICF will also conduct quality inspection, integration, testing, and commissioning of the coaches.With the MoU signed Tuesday, K-Ride said the work order also includes system integration and compliance with reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS) requirements.“We are yet to start the designing process and only four trainsets will be delivered by the 2027/28 financial year. The remaining 47 trainsets will be delivered only by 2028/29. We are confident about completing the delivery within the deadline”, an ICF official told TOI.The trains will run with a maximum operational speed of 80 kmph and will be fully made out of stainless steel. “At a time 350 passengers can travel across the three coaches. They will be designed providing priority to standing passengers,” the official explained.“The procurement of modern rolling stock will strengthen the project’s progress towards delivering a safe, reliable and sustainable suburban rail network. BSTP will enhance connectivity between Bengaluru and its surrounding regions, provide commuters with an efficient alternative to road-based travel and contribute to reducing the city’s traffic congestion”, Lakshman Singh, managing director, K-Ride stated.While K-Ride has directed ICF to begin the supply of coaches within the next 15 months, the coach factory is yet to finalise on the design expression of interest (EOI) floated in April. Interestingly the propulsion tender for the trains are yet to be floated which has raised concerns on the timeliness of the delivery.The 18-month deadline was set initially in May to ensure that the trains arrive in time for the opening of the Chikkabanawara-Yeshwanthpur section, which falls under Corridor-2.——————-What to expect-51 A/C Metro-like trains with three coaches each-Max speed 80 kmph-Max passengers: 350 per train-4 trains to be delivered by 2027/28-Full delivery by 2028/29
