New Delhi Station modernisation snippets

Eight companies have cleared the first round of qualification for the Rs 5,000-crore New Delhi railway station’s modernisation project. L&T Transco, DLF and GVK Developmental Projects, Mumbai-based Trif Infrastructure, DB Reality and Nishok Realities are among eight companies, besides Hyderabad-based VNR Infrastructure and KMC Constructions. More than a dozen companies, including Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure and Kolkatabased Srei Infra were in the race for a slice of the Indian Railways’ world-class railway station project. However, only eight companies submitted requests for qualification (RFQs) after the Railways changed the qualifying criteria around two months back.
According to a senior railway ministry official, “We are in the process of evaluating these bids. Once its over, we will invite technical bids. We are looking at a maximum of six bidders for the project.” To fasttrack the selection process, the ministry has handed over the technical bid documents to qualified bidders as it finishes the evaluation. The railways have appointed a consortium of business and design consultants — Hong Kong’s Terry Ferrell & Partners, London’s Ove Arup & Partners and Smec International of Gurgaon — to finalise the business plans for project.