On Thursday (31 August), Alstom delivered the first trainset for the Bhopal–Indore metro project to Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MPMRCL) in India.

The company set a new record for manufacturing speed, taking just fourteen and a half months from its Notice To Proceed (NTP) to delivery.

The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh unveiled the mock-up car at Smart City Park in Bhopal on last Saturday (26 August) in the presence of MPMRCL, the General Consultant and Alstom.

Awarded in July 2022, the contract requires Alstom to design, manufacture, supply, install, test and commission fifty-two standard gauge Movia metro passenger three-car trainsets, and to maintain them for fifteen years.

The trainset unveiled on Thursday will be deployed to Indore. Of the full order, twenty-seven will run in Bhopal and twenty-five in Indore. Bhopal is the capital city of the state of Madhya Pradesh, and Indore is its largest city.

The next trainset is due to be delivered by Wednesday 20 September, to Bhopal. The trains are expected to enter passenger service in April next year.

The Movia trains are ultramodern and lightweight, with a top speed of eighty km/h. They will run on the 31 km line in Bhopal, which has thirty stations, and the 31.5 km line in Indore, which has twenty-nine. They can carry fifty passengers seating and three hundred standing.

The cars are air-conditioned and eco-friendly. The trains are powered with energy-efficient propulsion systems with regenerative braking, which reduces energy consumption. Further energy saving is achieved through features such as ambient lighting and smart lights.

The trains use a Train Control and Management System (TCMS) with an embedded automatic track inspection system which ensure that data can be collected and transmitted at high speed without error.

Continuous CCTV surveillance and direct communication between the train operator and the control centre help to ensure safety and security. The intelligent CCTV features includes the capability to identify unattended objects and confirm that trains are empty in the event of emergency evacuation. The trains also have dedicated wheelchair spaces.

The Movia was originally developed by Adtranz, which was acquired by Bombardier in 2001 and then by Alstom in 2021. Movia trains operated on several Metro systems, including Delhi, Stockholm, Singapore and on the Victoria and sub-surface lines of London Underground.

Under the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives, Alstom has built the Bhopal-Indore Metro trainsets at its state-of-the-art rolling stock manufacturing facility at Savli, Gujarat.

The contract is valued at €387 million (over INR 3200 crores). It requires Alstom to install the latest generation of Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling, as well as train control and telecommunication systems; each with seven years’ maintenance.

This is the second such order in India for Alstom, after the Agra-Kanpur metro projects.

Oliver Loison, Managing Director if Alstom India said, “It is a proud moment for us to deliver the first trainset for the Bhopal-Indore metro project in advance. Bhopal and Indore has been recognised as a smart city in India, and the addition of metro will modernise the city infrastructure notably. These trains will ensure safe, reliable, efficient, and affordable mass transport system, while also promoting economic activity. Alstom is India’s long-standing partner in the journey towards sustainable mobility and we are looking forward to further strengthen this partnership by redefining the mass transportation needs of Madhya Pradesh.”