Metro Rail Projects Built With Central Assistance Will Now Require Local Manufacturers To Be Included

Metro Rail projects in India receiving financial assistance from the Centre can no longer bar Indian manufacturers like Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), even if multi-lateral funding is obtained, reports The Times of India. Looking to push its Make In India scheme, the Centre has asked Metro Rail companies to place a ‘developmental order’ of 10 per cent to local manufacturers of propulsion systems.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has issued fresh norms for the eligibility criteria for rolling stock. There are three incumbent players in propulsion systems manufacturing in India – Alstom, Bombardier and Mitsubishi – of which Mitsubishi has the highest market share.

State-run BEML that comes under the Ministry of Defence could not participate in two metro rail projects due to restrictions imposed by multi-lateral agencies. However, with the new eligibility criteria in place, this would not happen in future.

The Centre has also set two standard widths for coaches running on the 1,435 mm standard gauge tracks at 2.9 m and 3.2 m. It has also set the operating speed at 80 km/hr with a design speed of 90 km/hr.

The Centre has also said that future metro projects would have to either have trains in three, six or nine-car combinations instead of the existing four, six and eight-car configurations being followed.