Bangalore, Sep 11 (Inditop.com) State-run Bharat Earth Movers Friday rolled out India’s first set of four standard gauge metro cars for Delhi Metro Rail Corp’s second phase of mass rapid transport system.
The stainless steel air-conditioned coaches are indigenously manufactured at Bharat Earth’s Bangalore complex under technology transfer from Rotem of South Korea.
Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa flagged off and handed over the first train set of four cars to Delhi Metro managing director E. Sreedharan.
Delhi Metro’s second phase covers a 125-km network.
Though Rotem shipped the first four-coach train set of standard gauge to Delhi Metro in March, Bharat Earth will supply 196 cars for the second phase.
The value of the order is estimated to be Rs.1,365 crore.
The standard gauge car has a single glass pane unlike two separate panes in the broad gauge cars.
Other features are closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, power supply connections to charge mobiles and laptops, better humidity control and microprocessor controlled disc brakes.
“When we commission the second phase, commuters of broad gauge in the first phase will have to switch over to the standard gauge for travelling on the new lines at transit hubs,” Sreedharan told reporters.
Delhi Metro will hereafter use standard gauge coaches as per international norms. Each set of four cars has a capacity to carry 1,300 passengers.
“We plan to place an order with BEML (Bharat Earth) for supply of 60 additional cars for the third phase to be built from Delhi to Faridabad in Haryana,” Sreedharan said.
Indigenisation of Metro cars has reduced the coast by 10 percent.
“Increasing localisation and great vendor participation will lower the cost by 15-18 percent when BEML designs and develops cost-effective coaches,” Sreedharan said.
Bharat Earth will also supply 46 sets of six coaches each to Delhi Metro, which currently operates about 220 coaches over 62 km.
The company has an order from Bangalore Metro Rail Corp for supply of 150 standard gauge cars at an estimated cost of Rs.1,673 crore. The first set of cars is slated for delivery by October 2010 for test purpose.
