Bids (RFPs) for Private Train Project have been opened from today. Indian Railways has received bids for three Clusters – Mumbai 2, Delhi 1 and Delhi 2.
The two bidders, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) are participating in the bids.
These three clusters would entail around 30 pairs of train services and an investment of around Rs 7200 crores.
The private train project envisages private investment to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore for running passenger trains over the rail network for the first time.
The private entities for undertaking the project would be selected through a transparent two-stage competitive bidding process comprising a request for qualification (RFQ) and request for proposal (RFP).
With high footfall and revenue, firms showed the most interest in Delhi and Mumbai clusters.
The Indian Railways plans to begin private train operations by March 2023, with 12 trains, according to an internal projection. By 2027, Railways plans to bring in 151 such services.
