New Delhi: After assessing over 120 applications for the private-run passenger rains, the Indian Railways on Thursday that it found 102 applications eligible for the next round. Top firms like L&T Infrastructure Development Projects, GMR Highways, Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd. and Malempati Power Private Ltd. were among the few who were called in for the Request for Proposal (RFP) round.
According to reports, the Ministry earlier invited a request for qualifications (RFQ) for private participation in the operation of passenger train services over 12 clusters comprising more than 150 origin-destination pairs of routes through the introduction of 151 modern trains. The applications for RFQ were opened on October 7, 2020.
“This is the first major initiative of attracting private investment for running passenger trains over Indian Railway Network. The project would entail private sector investment of about Rs 30,000 crore,” the Ministry of Railways said in a statement.
Eight applicants each have qualified for Cluster 1 (Mumbai 1), Cluster 5 (Chandigarh), Cluster 6 (Howrah), Cluster 7 (Patna) and Cluster 12 (Bengaluru), 11 for Cluster 2 (Mumbai 2), nine each for Cluster 3 (Delhi 1), Cluster 8 (Prayagraj), Cluster 9 (Secunderabad) and Cluster 10 (Jaipur), 10 for Cluster 3 (Delhi 2) and five for Cluster 11 (Chennai).
With high footfall and revenue, firms showed the most interest in Delhi and Mumbai clusters.