INDIA: Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp of India Ltd has awarded the railway systems contract for the 343 km Bhaupur (Kanpur) – Khurja section of the 1 840 km Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor to the AIL-ATSA joint venture of Alstom companies.
This design-and-build lump sum contract announced on July 23 is worth Rs14·97bn and includes 25 kV AC electrification, signalling, axle-counters and GSM-R, as well as a control centre, depots and other associated buildings.
The work is funded by the World Bank. The Ministry of Railways said the civil works being undertaken under a separate contract are ‘progressing at a fast pace’, with opening of the Bhaupur – Khurja section planned for 2018.
The Eastern DFC is being designed for trains of up to 13 000 tonnes and 1 500 m in length. The maximum speed of the freight trains on the route will be 100 km/h, with an average speed of 65 km/h, compared to 25 km/h on existing lines.
