Трамвай Т811. Фото: t.me/BKM_HOLDING
Authorities in the Indian city of Kolkata plan to revive tram services under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Companies from Australia and Belarus have already expressed interest in the project, The Times of India reports.
The state intends to retain ownership of the tram infrastructure while handing over the operation, modernization and development of the system to a private partner. In return, the operator will pay the authorities royalties for the right to provide transportation services.
Before announcing the tender, the authorities intend to study recommendations from RITES on the development of the tram network. They then plan to invite private companies to express their interest in participating in the project.
“We will float tenders seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from private players after examining the recommendations of the RITES study on the city’s tram network. The process will be used to identify operators capable of running, upgrading and modernising tram services,” state Transport Minister Arjun Singh said.
As part of the modernization, the expansion of the network beyond its traditional routes is also being considered. New tram lines could be introduced in the Salt Lake and New Town areas. They are expected to be designed there with modern transport corridors in mind rather than along the congested routes in central Kolkata.
The specific routes, amount of investment required, operating conditions for private operators and the amount of royalties will be determined during the tender process.
Kolkata remains the only city in India where trams continue to operate, although the network has shrunk significantly in recent years. The authorities hope that a PPP will help preserve this mode of transport and make its operation financially sustainable.
In June, BKM Holding received a delegation of Indian partners. Representatives of Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport, GTR-12C, Bel Business India LLP and Rubbertech took part in the talks. The main topics of discussion included prospects for supplying electric transport to the Indian market.
In addition, a meeting with representatives of the Indian companies GTR-12C and K2N Technologies LLP was held at the Ministry of Industry. The parties discussed prospects for cooperation in passenger transport and mining equipment for India. Following the talks, memorandums of cooperation were signed with MAZ OJSC and BKM OJSC.