Kolkata Metro inks deal with BEML for 3 more rakes initially

26 Jul 2022 CW Team

Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) has inked a new deal to purchase more rakes from Bengaluru-based PSU Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML), with Sealdah having opened and the entire East-West Metro corridor expected to be commissioned in mid-2023.

The first deal, signed between the two agencies before the East-West Metro project took off, was for 14 rakes. The new contract is initially for three rakes. BEML must deliver them between October and December 2023, taking the total East-West Metro fleet to 17. Manufacturing of these trains will begin next month.

East-West Metro is equipped with the advanced automatic train control (ATC) system and the communication-based train control (CBTC) and signalling system for trains to run at two-minute intervals. The BEML-manufactured rakes are also fitted with ATC and CBTC software. The six-car rakes include two driving motor cars at both ends. The trains have LED lighting for energy conservation, CCTV cameras and other sophisticated features. Capable of operating at 80 kmph, the rakes can accommodate up to 2,068 passengers.

The first of the 14 trains, or 84 standard-gauge Metro cars, that BEML was contracted to supply to KMRC for Rs 900 crore reached the city in April 2018. The last BEML rake arrived in July 2020.

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