GMR forays into railways, wins order for Rs 267 crore

 GMR Infrastructure Ltd said on Tuesday that a consortium led by it has won its first railway project involving the doubling of the rail line between Jhansi and Bhimsen stations in Uttar Pradesh. The total contract value is about Rs 267 crore, of which GMR’s share of work will be about Rs 135 crore, the company said.

The consortium led by the Bangalore-headquartered infrastructure major, will carry out the project which includes construction of roadbed, bridges, track linking, outdoor S&T works, OHE (Over Head Equipments) and general electrical works from Jhansi to Erich Road.

Other members of the consortium include Tata Projects & Kalindee Rail Nirman Ltd as partners for OHE and track works, S&T works respectively. The project will commence from April 2 this year and is set to be completed in 42 months.

"As part of our asset light strategy, we are very happy to announce our first foray into the very promising railway construction sector. This win reflects our long term vision of building our EPC expertise in a niche segment like Railways, and will pave the way for similar projects in future," said Arun Kumar Sharma, CEO, GMR Urban Infrastructure & Highways.

GMR Infrastructure has interests in airports, energy, highways and urban infrastructure sectors. The company has 15 power generation projects under its belt of which eight are operational and seven in various stages of development. In the airports sector, the company operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. It has also developed and commissioned the greenfield international airport in Hyderabad as a gateway to south and central India. It has been part of a consortium that has upgraded and is operating the Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport.