RAILWAY SAMACHAR

MRVC tender for MUTP2 Rakes

People, I may be late, but i'll explain the tender to you.

1) The tender is incomplete, as there is no inclusion of the Bid Documents containing the Supplier's Responsibilities. I think this is only supplied to a bidder when he makes his intention to bid clear beyond doubt, because these contain the exact specific requirements that are demanded of the said bidder.

2) It has only specified there should be IGBT based 3 phase electrics,"BUILT TO THEIR RESPECTIVE SPECIFICATIONS". There is no inclusion about the power source or the specifications. This is again, probably, the industrial secrecy that needs to be maintained while publicizing a tender.

3) Then again there is a mention that the "new motor coaches and trailer coaches are to be built at Indian Manufacturing Unit, with existing mechanical design". Confirming that the tender says to the bidder: You use your technology, and manufacture the product here (i.e. get your kit to this country), with our designs. Meaning, change your technology if it doesn't fit our manufacturing design requirements, and we (tenderer) will have every right to poke our nose into the manufacturing that you are doing. If you agree to this, and agree to bid honestly, the technical specification documents are yours.

Now if the bidder agrees to this, even without signing a contract, upon procurement of the bid documents he is silenced.

I hope Manish sir that your query about the AC and AC-DC is now clear.

Regarding the other queries about the compatibility, consider this: the old DC EMUs had no sensors anywhere in them, when they went dead, they went dead without any sickness. The shed had to literally do a complete autopsy to figure the problem.

Then came the converted and very first generation of AC-DC dual, containing what is known as the Driver Display Unit (DDU). This could tell the motorman of rudimentary faults like sensory malfunction, MR and Brake pressures, Traction Motor speeds (not individual, but for the whole bogie), and such other tiny bits that enabled him to figure out if there was anything major wrong with the motor coaches (only).

Now the Siemens rakes come with something far more sophisticated: a screen almost half a foot square complete with LCD display, touch sensitive side panels and capable of monitoring everything from Traction Motors, to OHE current, to the tubelights and fans in every coach. Well, just to say: pretty hi-tech.

Hence, unfortunately, they cannot be coupled together. and it would be, at least, 20 more years before they are phased out with pure AC rakes.

And without quite a few more rakes Mumbai cannot go AC. There is also the harbor line that has not seen a single AC-DC EMU till date.

And I hope the new ones come with a complete steel interior, with teflon (or similar) interiors and exterior finishes, enabling easier cleaning of the spitters and advertisers marks of "been there done that".

Regards,

Kartik Kaushik

CE, MU.