Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) on Friday was declared as the lowest bidder to construct Chennai Metro Line-3’s 10.13 km Sholinganallur Lake – SIPCOT 2 section (Package C3-ECV-01/RT-01).
This leg of the 118.9 km Chennai Metro Phase 2 project consists of 9 elevated stations on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) at the southern-end of the 45.8 km Line-3 which will connect Madhavaram – SIPCOT 2 through 49 stations.
A train maintenance depot by Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) was earlier planned at SIPCOT but dropped in 2020. That has now been replaced by an elevated stabling yard, similar to the one in Wimco Nagar for the 9.051 km Phase 1 Extension project.
CMRL had originally invited bids for this package in January 2021 with a 36 month deadline and an undisclosed estimate. That tender received 3 bids in July 2021 and was then cancelled in February 2022 due to a major redesign that decoupled the metro’s viaduct from the proposed IT expressway.
Fresh bids were invited in March 2022 with a Rs. 957.50 crore estimate. Technical bids were opened in May 2022 to reveal 7 bidders. URC Construction Pvt. Ltd. (URCC)’s technical bid was rejected.
CMRL’s Brief Scope: Construction of elevated viaduct (approximate length of 10 km), nine (9) elevated metro stations at Sholinganallur Lake, Ponniamman Temple, Sathyabama University, Semmancheri, Gandhi Nagar, Navallur, Siruseri, SIPCOT 1 and SIPCOT 2 and stabling viaduct at SIPCOT
RVNL’s bid of Rs. 901.15 crore was 5.89% below CMRL’s estimate, so I see contract getting awarded in the coming weeks. RVNL will most likely subcontract construction work out as witnessed in Indore where URC Constructions has been engaged. Who they do to remains to be seen, but if I had to guess it’d be either to KEC or URCC.
Back in May 2022, L&T was awarded the line’s northern elevated section, connecting Nehru Nagar – Sholinganallur with 10 stations.