Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Co Limited (MPMRCL) will be adopting the salient features of Lucknow and Kochi Metro to upgrade its rakes in Indore. These trains will feature front opening emergency gates, similar to the Lucknow model, to allow safe exits in case of power failure. In addition to that, a third rail power system will also be installed, at the side, like Kochi metro. This will prevent a web of wires on top of the Indore Metro, powering high-speed movement and enabling passengers to board trains every 90 seconds.
Priority corridor to be ready in December 2023
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Metro construction work has been on track since mid-August last year and the first span of MR-10 Indore Metro, between pillar no. 14 and 15, will be launched on March 9. According to this timeline, a 17 km priority corridor from Shaheed Park in Gandhi Nagar is expected to be ready by December 2023. Eventually, Indore will have a 31.55 km metro ring.
Tenders for metro depots and viaducts have been given to agencies while those for coaches and signalling systems will be given out soon. The depot contract, of ₹247 crores, has been extended to a Kanpur-based company. As per reports, this structure is being built for the maintenance of coaches in Gandhi Nagar.
The tender for a viaduct between MR-10 Bridge to Chandragupta intersection has been given to Dilip Buildcon. This 5.29 km stretch will have 203 pillars and 11 portals. After this stretch, the track will run on a single pillar to accommodate the gas pipelines in the area.
Here, the launcher machines will be installed at the end of the bridges since they cannot be placed on the pillars due to their closeness to bridges. However, this will enable faster launches.
Coaches to hold 250 passengers
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Though the Indore metro has been designed to support 6-coach trains, only 3 coaches will be operated in the first phase of the project. Each coach will have a capacity of 250 passengers, added officials. In total, a tender for 75 coaches has been opened by MPMRCL. Technical evaluation for the same is in process.
