Four Firms Compete for Chennai Metro Line-4’s E&M Contract

Four companies have entered the race to win the electrical and mechanical (E&M) systems contract for Chennai Metro Line-4’s underground section after Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) opened technical bids on Wednesday.

The 26.09 km Line-4 is part of the larger 116.1 km Phase 2 project and will run from Light House to Poonamallee Bypass, covering 30 stations. A 10 km stretch of this line will be underground, connecting the Power House Ramp to Light House Station through twin tunnels.

The contract in question, designated C4-E&M-06, covers electrical, plumbing, and fire protection system works for 8 underground stations: Light House, Kutchery Road, Alwarpet, Bharatidasan Road, Boat Club, Nandanam, Panagal Park, and Kodambakkam. These stations are currently under construction by ITD Cementation India under civil packages UG-01 and UG-02, awarded in January 2022.

The bidders for this systems contract are:

• Blue Star Ltd.
• IRCON International Ltd.
• Jakson Ltd.
• Universal MEP Projects & Engineering Services Ltd. (a subsidiary of Voltas)

CMRL floated the tender in November 2024. Though the estimated contract value remains undisclosed, the completion timeline is set at 1,630 days (roughly 4.5 years).

The scope includes the supply, installation, testing, commissioning, and training for all E&M systems across the 8 underground stations. This also includes the bored tunnels, cut-and-cover boxes, U-sections, and ramps from chainage 0+173 m to 9+949 m, which forms part of Corridor-4 of Chennai Metro’s Phase 2.

The bids are now under technical evaluation, a process expected to take a few months. Once complete, financial bids from qualified firms will be opened to determine the lowest bidder and likely contractor.

Notably, in July 2024, ABS Fujitsu General was awarded the VAC, tunnel ventilation, electrical, and SCADA system contract (C4-VAC&TVS-12) for the same 8 stations.