Mechi--Mahakali Electric Railway: Consultant selection process reaches its final stage

KATHMANDU, JAN 30 -

The selection process for consultants for the detailed survey and design of two sections—Simara-Tamsaria and Tamsaria-Butwal-Bhairahawa (Lumbini)—of the Mechi-Mahakali Electric Railway has reached its final stage.

The Department of Railways has said that it will select two consultants for each section soon after completing the evaluation of the proposals.

Five international firms—SOOSUNG Engineering of South Korea, Systra SA of France, firm INECO Ingenieria y Economia del Transporte SA of Spain and URS Scott Wilson India and RITES of India—have submitted the request for proposal (RFP) for the 114km Simara-Tamsaria section.

For the 109km Tamsaria-Butwal- Bhairahawa section, DOHWA Engineering of South Korea, Systra SA, URS Scott Wilson India, RITES, and INECO Ingenieria y Economia del Transporte SA have submitted the RFP.

According to the railway department, the selected firms will have to complete the detail design, cost estimation and bid documents for the project construction within a year.

“It will take a maximum of three weeks for us to complete the evaluation and signing of a contract,” said Rajeshwor Man Singh, superintendent engineer at the department. He added the detailed survey and design of other sections in the Western side of Butwal will be carried out gradually.

The selected consulting firms will have to carry out the detailed study on the basis of the feasibility study report prepared by RITES in 2010. A total of 19 global firms had submitted the expression of interest last year to conduct the detailed study. The government prioritised the Simara-Tamsaria and Tamsaria-Butwal-Bhairahawa sections as they are linked with Lumbini, the birth place of Budhha, and Bardibas, until where the Janakpur-Jayanagar railway , is being extended with a broad gauge railway track.

A joint consortium of South Korean, Nepali and Indian firms are also in their final stages to complete the detailed study of the Baridibas-Simara (102km) section and Simara-Birjung link (34 km).

Department officials said they expect a final report within a month and the report could be a major tool to seek soft loans or donor support for going into the construction phase. The draft final detailed study report has estimated that construction of the Baridibas-Simara section and Simara-Birjung would cost Rs 99 billion.

The RITES report had concluded that the 1,317.47-km cross-country Mechi-Mahakali Electric Railway project would cost an estimated Rs 800 billion.

Source: The Kathmandu Post