Delhi Metro Corp to procure 68 coaches for Red Line extn to Gurugram

DMRC has issued a tender for 68 coaches for the Red Line extension, aiming for 4-coach trains initially, with plans for 8 based on demand.

New Delhi

The service under the extension plan will have four-coach trains. (Representational photo/HT Archive)

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has floated a tender to procure 68 coaches for the Rithala-Narela-Nathupur (Kundli) corridor—an extension of the Red Line under Phase-4 expansion—officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

While the tender document stipulates a contract period, including maintenance for 15 years, officials said they initially plan to run four-coach trains on the extension.

“As per our initial plans, these cars shall form four coach trains. However, depending on passenger demand, there shall be the option of augmenting the number of coaches to eight. These cars will be of broad gauge since this corridor, an extension of the already operational Red Line, is being constructed in broad gauge,” said Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, corporate communications, DMRC.

Presently, the Red Line extends from Shaheed Sthal in Uttar Pradesh to Rithala in Delhi, encompassing 29 stations. During peak hours, 33 trains, all eight-coach ones, are run on this corridor.

The extension will add 21 stations, across 26 kilometres, to the Red Line. Of these, 19 stations are in Delhi and 2 are in Haryana.

This is the fourth planned expansion into Haryana after the Yellow Line (Gurugram), Violet Line (Faridabad) and Green Line (Bahadurgarh). This will also be the first Delhi Metro Line directly connecting Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, officials said.

In January, the foundation stone to extend the Red Line from Rithala to Narela and further to Haryana’s Kundli was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, officials said physical construction on the corridor is yet to commence. “Pre-construction preparation is ongoing, including tendering and ground assessments,” a Metro official said.

DMRC said plans are afoot to procure these coaches by mid-2029, before operationalisation of this corridor. “These trains shall be equipped with the latest technologies currently available for Metro trains across the world. These shall also be able to operate with communication-based train control (CBTC) signalling technology,” Dayal said.

DMRC previously planned this extension as a “Metrolite” corridor—a light rail urban transit system, planned in areas with low population, as a feeder service. It generally has three to four coaches and the coaches are also smaller than conventional ones.