US$ 1.15 billion Indian freight rail contract awarded
By Helen Wright10 June 2013
Indian contractor Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in joint venture with Japan’s Sojitz Corp has been awarded an INR 6699 Crore (US$ 1.15 billion) contract to construct a 626 km freight rail corridor spanning three states across India.
The double track line will run from Rewari in Haryana to Iqbalgarh in Gujarat, via Rajasthan. The contract was awarded by the government-owned Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India, and funding will come from Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The new freight line is part of a 1,490 km western rail corridor that is planned to run between Dadri, near Delhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust near Mumbai. The entire corridor is expected to require the construction of 1,300 bridges, of which 50 will be major structures, as well as 20 new stations.
There is a four-year timetable for completion, and L&T said the award of the first 626 km stretch paved the way for the finalisation of other packages, which are in various stages of the bidding process.
