Officials in BMRCL said the contract for laying tracks on the 7.5-km stretch has been awarded to a joint venture company Italian-Thai Development (ITD) Company Limited and ITD-Cementation (India) at a total cost of Rs 331 crore and is progressing on schedule.

“About 120 workers/engineers from Thailand have flown down to the City to assist in the track laying work. ITD has been awarded the entire track laying work (42.3 km), on Phase-1 of the project, including the underground corridor,” said an officials from BMRCL.

The ballastless track solutions are being provided by a Hyderabad-based company, Patil Rail Infrastructure Ltd, that has imported the tracks in a joint venture agreement from Austria. They are unlike conventional railway tracks that are laid on jelly stones for support. These tracks will have to be ready in time for the trial and test run of the rolling stock (train coach), said BMRCL officials.

Patil Rail would supply BMRCL with maintenance-free tracks (plinth system) with fasteners and is designed to take trains up to a maximum speed of 90 kmph. The contract to design, manufacture and supply ballastless tracks is valued at around Rs 200 crore.  The plinth system of metro tracks is a proven design used in metro train projects across the world and has a lifespan of at least 40 years.