Ahmedabad station redevelopment tender re-floated by RLDA

The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has announced that the tender for the redevelopment of Ahmedabad station will be floated again, with some adjustments made to the scope of the civil work. It was stated that the previous tender was cancelled in May due to the high bids received for Ahmedabad, which exceeded the cost estimated by the Indian Railways. Additionally, the tender for New Delhi station was also cancelled for the same reason, prompting the RLDA to revise the tender documents for both stations. While the tender for New Delhi is still under consideration, the RLDA has reissued the tender for the redevelopment of Ahmedabad station, making modifications to the scope of work. The estimated cost of the redevelopment, which is approximately Rs 30 billion, remains the same, but changes are being implemented to increase competitiveness. In the new tender, joint ventures are allowed, whereas the previous tender only permitted single companies. Initially, bidders were required to provide proof of three major works for eligibility. However, the revised tender now allows two companies in a joint venture to submit three major works together to qualify for participation. The RLDA states that adjustments are being made to the alignment of the elevated road and civil engineering works in the new tender for Ahmedabad in order to attract more potential participants. Afcons Infrastructure Limited, a construction giant, was the lowest bidder in the earlier tender for the Ahmedabad station redevelopment project, quoting Rs 53.55 billion, significantly higher than the Indian Railways' estimated cost of Rs 30 billion. In September of the previous year, the union cabinet approved Rs 100 billion for the redevelopment of three major railway stations: New Delhi, Ahmedabad, and CSMT in Mumbai. While the contract for CSMT was awarded last month, the tenders for New Delhi and Ahmedabad stations were cancelled, resulting in the need to restart the entire process for these two major stations. The Ahmedabad project aims to create a new city centre at the station, connecting both sides of the city through an elevated road network and integrating the bullet train, metro, BRT, and railway station in a multi-modal system. The design of the redeveloped Ahmedabad station takes inspiration from the iconic Modhera Sun Temple in Gujarat. The station redevelopment program is a prominent initiative of the Indian government, and the project will be carried out in the engineering, procurement, and construction mode. The RLDA, which is a statutory authority under the Ministry of Railways, has been assigned the responsibility of redeveloping several iconic stations. Also read: Railways makes Rs 146.42 billion from May freight loading Merger of Konkan Railway with Indian Railways gains Public Support