Chennai Metro Plans to Procure 28 New Six-Coach Trains; Consultant to Be Appointed Soon

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is set to appoint a Project Management Consultant (PMC) to oversee the procurement of 28 new six-coach metro trains for the Phase I and Phase I Extension corridors. The move is aimed at increasing train capacity and meeting the growing passenger demand across the network.

Currently, the 54-km Phase I and Phase I Extension network, connecting Chennai Airport to Wimco Nagar and St. Thomas Mount (Parangimalai) to Chennai Central, operates 45 four-coach metro trains. The network serves approximately 3.20 lakh passengers daily.

Current Metro Service Frequency

At present, Chennai Metro operates trains at the following intervals:

Washermenpet – Alandur: Every 3 minutes
Wimco Nagar – Chennai Airport: Every 6 minutes
Chennai Central – Chennai Airport: Every 12 minutes
Chennai Central – St. Thomas Mount (Parangimalai): Every 12 minutes

To accommodate increasing ridership, CMRL plans to introduce 28 six-coach trains and upgrade the infrastructure at existing Phase I stations to support the operation of longer trains.

Consultant to Oversee Procurement and Station Upgrades

According to CMRL officials, a Project Management Consultant will soon be appointed to manage the procurement process and supervise the station modification works required for six-coach operations.

Officials said that the tender for procuring the new trains has already been issued, and the bids are expected to be opened next month. Since manufacturing and delivering the trains will take around two years, the procurement process has been initiated well in advance.

The consultant will be responsible for streamlining the train procurement and delivery process, while also overseeing the infrastructure upgrades needed to accommodate the longer trains. Similar consultancy arrangements were implemented during Phase I and Phase II of the Chennai Metro project.

Contract to Be Awarded Soon

CMRL officials stated that the contract for the selected consultant will be awarded shortly, after which station modification works will commence.

According to officials, the joint venture of Egis India and Nippon Koei, which submitted the lowest bid, is likely to be appointed as the Project Management Consultant for the project. This appointment will play a key role in enhancing Chennai Metro`s capacity and improving passenger convenience as ridership continues to grow.