First Metro Rolling Stock contract in India : Alstom to provide 168 cars for Chennai’s metro for €243 million

Chennai Metro Rail Limited has signed with Alstom Transport a €243 million contract to supply 168 cars for the metro of Chennai in India. The contract also includes an option for 16 additional metro cars. The first deliveries are planned for the end of 2012. The new trains will be equipped with Automatic Train Protection (ATP) and Automatic Train Operation (ATO) features.

Chennai’s metro project has been initiated in 2007. The phase 1 consists of two interconnected lines, linking North Chennai to the Airport in the South and Chennai Central to St.Thomas Mount. It will include 32 stations -19 equipped with full size platform screen doors- over 45 km (24 km underground and 21 km elevated). These lines have been planned with a capacity to carry more than 500,000 people daily and a frequency between two trains as short as 3 minutes. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by 2014-2015. Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital city of the state of Tamil Nadu, located on the southeastern coast of India. It is the fifth most inhabited conurbation in India, with a population of more than 8 million people.

Alstom will supply Chennai metro’s public operator with 42 train-sets composed of four cars each. The stainless steel trains will feature air-conditioned interiors and electrically operated automatic sliding doors, offering comfort and easy access to passengers. They will be equipped with a regenerative braking system ensuring significant energy savings. The cars will operate on 25 KV AC through an overhead catenary system at speeds of up to 80 km/h.

As a multi-specialist rail transport solutions supplier, Alstom has previously provided train control and signaling systems for the metro of Delhi and is installing them in the metro of Bangalore.

This new contract confirms that Alstom is well positioned to respond to all opportunities arising from one of the largest railway markets in the world. By the end of 2012, train passenger numbers in India are expected to increase to 8.4 billion annually. Indian Railways’ current five-year plan foresees investments of approximately €39 billion until 2012. Today, forty-five Indian cities are above 1 million inhabitants and more than 10 urban projects are in progress or planned in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi and Kolkata.

“Alstom will now roll out its expertise in urban rail transport by providing modern trains for metro services in Chennai. This new order underlines the confidence shown in Alstom and the quality of its rail transportation solutions, and reinforces Alstom’s long term commitment to the Indian market,” stated Philippe Mellier, President of Alstom Transport. “We are now aiming to deliver world class solutions to India as the country embarks on modernizing and expanding the railway and metro infrastructure.”