KPIL-Gulermak JV wins Bhopal metro tunneling contract

Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (MPMRCL) won a contract worth ₹ 769 crore with Kalpataru Projects International Ltd. (KPIL) and Gulermak JV for the underground tunnelling and construction of Bhopal Metro’s Orange Line.

Through two subterranean platforms at Bhopal Junction Station and Nadra Bus Stand, twin tunnels on 3.39 km of Package BH-04 will link a ramp west of Aish Bagh Crossing Station with a ramp south of Sindhi Colony Station.

The first and only subterranean portion of the 27.87 km Phase 1 Bhopal Metro project is this. To build six tunnels, MPMRCL mandates that KPIL-Gulermak JV use a minimum of two tunnel boring machines (TBMs). The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a €400 million (about ₹ 3584 crore) loan in December 2019 to finance the construction.

In May 2023, MPMRCL issued a request for proposals for the building of this package, with a construction date of 1274 days (3.5 years) and an estimated cost of ₹ 892 crore. In October 2023, technical proposals were made available, revealing six bidders. When financial bids were offered in February 2024, KPIL-Gulermak JV placed the lowest bid.

The scope of this project is limited to the design and construction of two UG stations, two tunnels cut cover passages with or without sump ramps, and architectural finishing for the water supply, sanitary installation, and drainage works throughout the entire UG from CH 28375 to 31765 for the Bhopal Metro.

This is the second significant deal that KPIL-Gulermak JV has signed in recent months. They were given the ₹ 762.50 crore contract for Kanpur Metro Line-2’s 4.08 km subterranean Package KNPCC-11, which consists of 3 stations, back in December 2023.

After packages, BH-01 (AIIMS to Subhash Nagar’s viaduct), BH-02 (AIIMS to Subhash Nagar’s stations), BH-06 (Subhash Nagar Depot), and BH-03 (Subhash Nagar to Aish Bagh Ramp and Sindhi Colony Ramp to Karond Circle), package BH-04 is the fifth and last civil package for the Orange Line to be granted.

Blue Line’s Package BH-05 is presently awaiting a financial bid opening. The complete 12.915-kilometre elevated line between Bhadbhada Chauraha and Ratnagiri Tiraha is being built as part of that massive package.

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