Train Set project: Chinese, Japanese cos among 7 consortiums in race

NEW DELHI: Seven consortiums involving global companies including from China, Japan and Germany are in the race to bag the Rs 2,500 crore Train Set project in India.

A total of 14 companies have submitted applications for participating in the bid for procuring 15 EMU train sets, a first for Indian Railways, a senior Railway Ministry official involved with the project said today.

Railways had floated a global tender last month inviting bidders for the project.

While 40 coaches will be imported, 275 will be manufactured in the country as part of Narendra Modi government's Make-in-India initiative.

The Train Sets, known for faster acceleration and deceleration, are to be pressed on Rajdhani and Shatabdi routes with the aim of reducing travel time between cities.

Companies from China, Japan, Canada, South Korea, France, Spain and Germany and two Indian PSUs had applied for the project.

Chinese ventures CSR Zhuhou Electric Locomotive and Zhuhou CSR Times Electric have formed a consortium for the global bidding while four Japanese firms are in the race separately in three different consortiums.

Two Indian PSUs are also bidding for the project as part of two different consortiums.

German firm Siemens has applied alone while Japan's Kawasaki and Toshiba have formed a consortium with Indian PSU BHEL. Hitachi, another Japanese major, has staked its claim for the ambitious railway project with Spanish Ansal Do.

Canadian multinational Bombardier has joined hands with CAF from Spain while BEML, another Indian PSU has tied up with French engineering major Alstom.

South Korean Rotem and Japanese Melco have formed consortium to participate in the bidding process.

The bidder will now be shortlisted through an evaluation process, the official said.

"Evaluation will take about a month and then shortlisted companies will be asked to submit their price bid by Novemeber 15. Contract will be awarded by December end after examining the price bid," the official said.

The selected bidder will have to manufacture and supply about 315 rail cars with AC sleeper as well seating facilities.