A Metro rail link between New Delhi city & international airport to be launched soon

New Delhi: A consortium comprising Reliance Energy and Spanish rolling stock firm CAF has bagged the project to operate and manage a 22.7 km metro rail link between New Delhi city centre and international airport for 30 years. The total project cost works out to about Rs 3800 crore – including the civil work and rolling stock expenses.

For running the operations, the consortium would pay Rs 51 crore in the first year. In the subsequent years, it would pay an additional five per cent per annum on a compounded basis for the remaining period of the contract. It would also share 1-5 per cent of gross revenue for the first 15 years of operations and share 5 per cent revenues thereafter, said a spokesperson adding that Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) would share roughly half of the project cost. The Government hopes to complete this project before the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in the city.

DMRC had invited expressions of interest from consortia to design, commission and operate the airport-city centre rail link for a 30-year period.

The consortium, which gets the concession will have to install all systems including rolling stock, overhead electrification, track, signalling and telecommunication, ventilation and air-conditioning, automatic fare collection, baggage check-in and handling, depot and other facilities. DMRC would do the civil work for the project.

Five consortia consisting of global rail rolling stock firms and infrastructure development companies had expressed an interest to design and operate the rail link between New Delhi’s city centre and international airport.

It included Canadian rolling stock major Bombardier with IL&FS, German firm Siemens Transportation with Gammon India, Larsen & Toubro and American player GE Transportation, Reliance Energy with Spanish rolling stock company CAF.