Contracts to revamp New Delhi, Ahmedabad stations ‘axed’ over pricey bids

The railway board has cancelled tenders for redeveloping the New Delhi and Ahmedabad stations due to exceptionally high bids, sources said.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in September 2022 sanctioned Rs 10,000 crore for work at New Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) stations, but the lowest bids for the first two terminals were more than Rs 14,000 crore combined–much more than the Centre’s spending estimate.

‘Business Standard’ reported on April 10 that L&T had emerged as the lowest bidder for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) tender for the New Delhi railway station at Rs 8,740 crore. Ahluwalia Contracts was the lowest bidder for CSMT.