Metro 3 to get made in India driverless trains

MUMBAI: When the city’s first underground Metro line starts operations, the eight-coach trains that will traverse across the 33-km network will have the option to run without a driver. And in a first for Mumbai, these driverless trains will come from manufacturing units located in India, although built by a foreign firm.
French rail transport manufacturer Alstom was on Thursday awarded the contract to build 31 trains for the Cuffe Parade-Seepz Metro 3 at a cost of Rs 10.14 crore per coach.In the bidding process, Alstom’s competitors from China, Japan and Europe had quoted Rs 11crore, Rs 13crore and Rs 16 crore per coach, said Ashwini Bhide, MD of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC).
“Being the most competitive among the pre-qualified bidders, the contract has been granted after receiving clearance from JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), the funding agency,” the MMRC said.
An official said the consortium of Alstom Transport India Ltd and Alstom Transport SA France will be responsible for “design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 31 trains”. Alstom already has manufacturing facilities at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Sri City in Andhra Pradesh. The eight-coach trains, with longitudinal seating arrangement, will have an approximate carrying capacity of 2,350 passengers each. An MMRC spokesperson said the state-of-the-art trains will be also equipped with Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) System.
Another French firm, Veolia Corporation, had provided rakes for the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro, but the coaches were manufactured in China.