Mumbai Local News: MRVC Calls Off Tender For Vande Metro Coaches

Mumbaikars will now have to wait longer for AC local trains to take over all the non-AC ones owing to Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation's (MRVC) poor planning. The MRVC has postponed the massive, multi-billion dollar international tender it had issued for the purchase of 2,856 Vande Metro coaches until further notice, without setting a new deadline or date.

Without waiting for the outcome of the ongoing required migration study and other consultations, the tender was sent out.

Vande Metro Coaches for Mumbai is also Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s big project. The bids, which were almost worth INR 20,000 crores, were for the construction of new train depots in Vangaon and Bhivpuri as well as for the purchase of 238 Vande Metro (suburban) trains for the Mumbai Urban Transport Projects (MUTP) 3 and 3A over the course of the next seven years.

The city's rail network will be upgraded with new lanes and trains through MUTP projects, which are jointly funded by the state and the central government.

Earlier too the tender was delayed as there was insufficient funding by the Maharashtra government and the involvement of multiple stakeholders. Now, it is postponed again as the requirement for further consultations arose.

The deferral, according to MRVC authorities, was caused by ongoing conversations with numerous stakeholders and consideration of the findings of research on migration strategies.

Further, the officials stated that more suggestions and consultations were need of hour as converting all the trains into AC locals is a tough task.

An official said, “The most crucial aspect of the new AC local trains (now known as Vande Metro trains) would be how Mumbaikars make the switch from non-AC to AC trains. Inputs from a migration strategy study being carried out for this reason by Systra will also be a major determinant of how the train design will develop.”

Besides this, suggestions and consultations from other institutes like Zonal Railway and Financial Institute will be taken into consideration as well.

In 2019, the migration bids were invited for the first time, but, due to lockdown, the final consultants were appointed in December 2022.

When asked why the tender had been removed from the site, MRVC representatives claimed that it had just been delayed. The tender for "procurement cum lifetime maintenance of Vande Metro (suburban) Rakes including setting up of new maintenance depots and upgrading of existing maintenance facilities" has been deferred until further advice, according to an official notice on the website.

Migration Strategy:

Systra is appointed as a consultant by MRVC, and it will guide about how to migrate the existing Mumbai local train fleet to AC locals with the least inconvenience to commuters. An official stated, "The goal is to develop a migration strategy for conventional local trains to AC local trains in a manner that is effective from an operational point of view with the least amount of inconvenience to commuters."

MRVC has a nine-point plan. As per the plan, it will call for the consultants to study the existing data/records including those regarding present traffic. It will have to include and work on the following too:

1. Data on/of commuter profile.

2. Comfort & ease of travel.

3. Peak/non-peak hour travel.

4. To stimulate how feasible the AC locals will be.

5. Ensure there are no major changes in the existing timetable.