MRVC to launch tender for 238 Vande Metro Trains for Mumbai Suburban Rail

Mumbai, India (Metro Rail Today): The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC), which plans and implement Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) for Mumbai Suburban Rail, is planning to procure 238 Vande Metro Trains to replace suburban rakes in Mumbai. This development come after Railway Ministry's node for investment of Rs 20,000 crore for procurement of suburban rakes under MUTP-3 & 3A.

"Good news for our esteemed Suburban commuters! Procurement of 238 rakes of Vande Metro (Suburban) against MUTP-III & 3A approved by Railway Board. Procurement will be undertaken by MRVC. The procurement will be with maintenance requirement of the rakes for entire 35 years," said the statement issued by MRVC.

"The two depots already approved under MUTP-III & 3A will be set up by the technology partners. These trains will be manufactured by the technology partners ensuring Make in India guidance of DPIIT," added the statement.

Here are some key features of Vande Metro trains:

• Coach formation: The Vande Metro trains will be similar to Metro trains and it will have eight to twelve coaches.
• Route Distance: The Vande Metro trains will be operated between two cities having short distance around 100 kilomteres.
• Design Speed: The design speed of Vande Metro trains will be 130 kilometres per hour.
• Traction & Power Supply: The Vande Metro trains will also run by receiving traction power via 25kV overhead equipment (OHE) similar to Vande Bharat trains.
• Frequency: Vande Metro Trains will be built with the concept that the train can run at a very high frequency, i.e. four or five times a day.
• Seating/Standing: The Vande Metro trains will have only seating facility like Intercity trains being operated by the Indian Railways across various metropolitan / suburban areas. The trains will also have lots of space in the centre for the commuters to stand holding onto handholds.
• No Pantry Car: The Vande Metro trains will not have any Pantry car for food services to passengers.
• Manufacturing/Development: The Vande Metro trains will be developed by technology partner "Make in India" and "Atmanirbhar Bharat" Mission.
• Other facilities/features: The Vande Metro trains will have similar facilities like Metro trains such as automatic doors, CCTV, passenger information & public address system, airconditioned coaches etc. The Vande Metro trains will also have some additional safety features.

Known as the lifeline of Mumbai, the two suburban rail corridors operated by the Western Railways (WR) and Central Railways (CR) stretch 319 km, carrying a huge daily volume of passengers. Both corridors facilitate interdistrict travel between the five districts of Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Palghar and Raigad. A total of 3,129 services are operated on the Central and Western lines, including AC local trains procured from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), on which close to 60 lakh commuters travel daily at present.