Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Hindustan Construction Company Ltd (HCC) had emerged as the lowest bidder for the civil construction contract of the Indore Metro underground section, announced the Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (MPMRCL) on Saturday, after evaluating the financial bids.
The underground corridor spanning 8.626 km will connect a ramp east of Indore Railway Station to a ramp west of Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport. The section will include twin tunnels and seven underground stations at Indore Railway Station, Rajwada, Chota Ganpati, Bada Ganpati, Ramchandra Nagar, BSF/Kalani Nagar and the airport.
This is the only underground section in the 33.53 km Indore Metro Phase 1 project. The MPMRCL initially invited bids for underground stations and tunnels with an estimated cost of Rs. 2,550 crore and a four-year deadline. After evaluating six bidders, HCC secured the contract with a bid of Rs. 2,190.91 crore, 14.08% lower than the estimated cost.
The HCC is expected to receive the contract within the coming weeks without any prolonged evaluation period. The project will be funded by a $200 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), pending ADB board approval.
With this development, basic groundwork is expected to start in Quarter 2 (Q2) 2025, followed by actual construction in Q3 2025, and tunneling work no sooner than Q3 2026.
As part of the contract, the HCC will deploy at least four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to construct 16 tunnels along this underground section. The successful execution of this project will mark a significant milestone in Indore’s metro expansion, bringing the city closer to a modern and efficient public transportation system.
Firm Bid Amount
HCC – TPL Indore Metro JV 2190.91
Larsen and Toubro Ltd. (L&;T) 2268.00
J Kumar Infraprojects Ltd. (JKIL) 2690.00
Gulermak Agir Sanayi Insaat Ve
Taahhut A.S. 2832.06
