As per an official statement, firms like L&T, GMR, Welspun are among the top firms that have been found eligible to participate in the RFP stage for private participation in passenger train services for 12 clusters comprising 151 trains. 120 applications from 16 firms were received by the railway ministry at the RFP stage, out of which 102 applications were given the eligible status. The private investment of Rs 300 billion is envisaged for running passenger trains over the rail network for the first time. A two-stage transparent, competitive bidding process comprising a request for qualification (RFQ) and request for proposal (RFP) will be arranged to select the private entities for undertaking the project. The RFQ for 12 clusters were published on 1 July 2020, while the applications were opened on October 7, 2020. The ministry has received an excellent response. In total, 120 applications have been received for the 12 clusters, from 16 firms. The Ministry of Railways (MoR) said that they have completed the evaluation of applications. While the total number of applications received was 120, 102 applications were found eligible to participate in the RFP stage, the statement added. The firms which applied for the clusters include Construcciones y Auxiliar de FerrocarrilesArvind AviationBHELS.ACube HighwaysGateway Rail Freight LimitedInfrastructure III Pvt Ltd.Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation LtdL&T Infrastructure Development Projects LtdGMR Highways LtdIRB Infrastructure Developers LtdMalempati Power Private LtdWith high revenue and footfall, firms showed the most interest in Mumbai and Delhi clusters. While applications received from 19 firms each have been found eligible for two Delhi and Mumbai clusters, five applicants were found suitable for Chandigarh and Chennai clusters. Nine applicants were eligible for Jaipur, Secunderabad, and Prayagraj clusters respectively, while Bengaluru, Patna, and Howrah clusters had eight eligible applicants each. According to internal projection, the Indian railways plans to start private train operations by March 2023, with 12 trains. The Ministry of Railways plans to bring in 151 such services.