Pune Metro’s coach assembling unit is yet to get land near Nagpur in Maharashtra. Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (MahaMetro) had sought land from both the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) but has not got any response so far. International bids for the supply of 102 coaches for Pune Metro has been awarded to Titagarh Firema, an Indian company in a joint venture (JV) with an Italian firm.
The JV is supposed to supply 102 ultra modern state-of-the-art aluminium bodied coaches. As per the agreement, 25% of the coaches are to be manufactured at their plant in Italy and the balance 75% will be produced and commissioned at the MahaMetro coach manufacturing plant near Nagpur.
If this happens, it will be for first time that aluminium bodied coaches will be manufactured in India. The delivery of Pune Metro coaches is expected to start from January 2021.
However, given the delay in land acquisition for the project, there is little chance that MahaMetro’s plant will be ready by then. MahaMetro had submitted a proposal for acquiring 50 acre land for the plant in September 2018.
Getting no response from JNPT, MahaMetro officials then sought land from MIDC in Butibori and so far it is yet to get any green signal for that land too.
The detailed project report (DPR) of the plant is ready and according to it, the Phase-I of the plant will cost Rs 100 crore for the construction of the boundary wall and sheds and for buying cranes. The coach supplier will bring the remaining equipment to the plant site.
