New Delhi: French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom's first train for the Mumbai Metro Line 4, which will link the main island city with adjoining Thane, will be delivered by mid-December, a company official said on Wednesday.
"We expect to ship the first train by the end of November. It takes about a week to 10 days to reach Mumbai, so the train should arrive in the first or second week of December," Champak Panda, managing director, rolling stock and component business of Alstom India, told PTI in an interview.
Testing at the train level is almost complete, with signalling integration and the remaining validation work expected to take another three to four weeks, he said.
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On Wednesday, Alstom unveiled its first 'Metropolis' trainset for the Mumbai Metro Line 4 and 4A at Sri City facility in Andhra Pradesh, a company release said.
The Line 4 extends from Wadala in Mumbai to Kasarwadavli in Thane, and the first phase is expected to start operations late this year. The full 32.32-km-long elevated corridor will have 30 stations.
After arriving in Mumbai, the train will undergo certification by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS), including high-speed runs of up to 90 kmph, braking tests, ride index tests and oscillation trials, Panda stated.
Revenue services can begin after the prescribed tests are completed and RDSO grants speed certification, he said, adding Alstom expects to meet its agreed project milestone of commencing passenger operations by August 2027.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) plans to initially use trains from Metro Lines 2 and 7 to commence operations, as civil construction work on the new corridor is ready.
Alstom has completed the signalling work, and the trains from the other corridors will be replaced by its trains once they are tested and validated, Panda informed.
Addressing concerns over the proposed car shed for Metro Line 4, he said the issue would not affect the project's progress, as the company had worked out arrangements for testing, stabling and maintenance.
Alstom is also looking at upcoming metro rail opportunities in Mumbai and other cities, including potential projects in Nagpur, Pune, Thane, Gurugram and Patna. Hyderabad Metro has sought additional cars, while plans for the Bhubaneswar metro network have been put on hold as authorities revisit the proposed network.
The French company is interested in future projects undertaken by Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL), including opportunities to supply rolling stock, signalling systems and services for upcoming corridors such as the proposed Line 14.
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On Mumbai's proposed air-conditioned local train procurement, the official said the tender floated under Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) had been opened and subsequently scrapped.
Alstom was ready to participate, but was informed that Indian Railways had decided to manufacture the trains at its Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, the official said.
The company expects Indian Railways to issue tenders for propulsion systems and other requirements and plans to participate when these are floated.
The French firm is also preparing proposals for Indian Railways on setting up maintenance sheds and service centres for locomotives and Vande Bharat trains. The proposals have not yet been submitted, the official added.
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