INDIA: Chennai Metro Rail has awarded Alstom a €98m contract to design and supply 26 three-car Metropolis trainsets for the future Orange Line
Being built under Phase II of the Chennai metro programme, the 1 435 mm gauge Orange Line will run for 26 km from Poonamallee Bypass to Light House, serving 18 elevated and 10 underground stations.
The 25 kV 50 Hz trainsets will be designed for unattended operation at a maximum speed of 80 km/h. The contract announced on November 11 includes staff training.
Alstom said the trains would be 100% indigenously produced, in line with the government’s Make in India vision. Manufacturing would be undertaken at the company’s Sricity plant which has an annual capacity of 480 vehicles.
Alstom has previously supplied 208 cars for Phase I of the metro programme which covered the 33 km Blue Line linking the airport to Wimco Nagar and the 22 km Green Line from Chennai Central to St Thomas Mount.
‘Our manufacturing journey in India began with the trains for Chennai Metro Phase I in 2014, which was also the first rolling stock order win for us in the country’, said Olivier Loison, Managing Director of Alstom India. ‘This new win brings us immense pride and we are honoured to be reliable partners in improving Chennai’s urban transportation network.’
