Bengaluru’s suburban rail project is set to use the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 on two corridors after implementing agency Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd (K-Ride) floated a tender for signalling infrastructure estimated at Rs 1,017 crore, excluding GST and customs duty.
The system will be deployed on corridors 2 and 4 of the Bengaluru Suburban Transport Project (BSTP), according to information reported by Economic Times. The signalling package is being introduced in Bengaluru for the first time and represents a shift from the earlier plan to use communications-based train control (CBTC), the technology deployed on parts of the Namma Metro network.
The estimated cost was provided by Bengaluru Integrated Rail Infrastructure Development Enterprise Ltd (Bi-RIDE), a subsidiary of K-Ride. The estimate covers the signalling infrastructure for the two corridors but does not include GST and customs duty on materials, meaning the final financial obligation for the package will be higher than the stated base estimate once those components are added.
ETCS Level 2 is a railway signalling and train-control system designed to support continuous communication between trains and trackside infrastructure. In the Bengaluru suburban rail project, the system will form part of the operational infrastructure for the two corridors covered by the tender. The available project information does not specify the number of signalling installations, the final tender award date or the contractor selected for the work.
The two corridors are identified as the Mallige and Kanaka lines. Their installation schedules are expected to differ, although the available information does not provide separate completion dates. The choice of ETCS for these corridors will therefore require the signalling works to be coordinated with the construction, track, station and rolling-stock elements of the suburban rail project.
The technology decision also creates an operational distinction between Bengaluru’s suburban rail and sections of the city’s metro network that use CBTC. Both systems are intended to support train control, but the project’s move from the earlier CBTC proposal to ETCS means the final system architecture will depend on the equipment, integration standards and operating arrangements specified in the tender.
Rolling stock procurement is being planned alongside the signalling package. Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is expected to manufacture 51 three-coach trains for the Bengaluru suburban rail project. The available information does not state the delivery schedule for these trains or how their commissioning will be synchronised with the different signalling installation timelines on the Mallige and Kanaka corridors.
K-Ride’s tender is the next formal procurement step for the signalling component. The project’s implementation will depend on the tender process, subsequent award, equipment supply, installation, testing and integration with the suburban railway’s other systems. No award announcement or operational start date for the ETCS package has been reported in the supplied information.
