The Government of Tamil Nadu, through the Metropolitan Transport Corporation of Chennai, has issued a request for qualification (RFQ) from interested parties to develop the proposed US$522-million (about Rs 32,350 million) Chennai monorail project.

The estimated length of the line is 20.68 km. The project will be taken up through public-private partnership (PPP) on a design, build, finance operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis.

The deadline for submission of qualification documents is 5 March 2013. A pre-application conference will take place on February 18th and questions will be received until February 15th.

The consortium must include a member holding a 10% stake during five years and with two years of experience operating and maintaining metro any kind of rail projects.

The contract includes the provision of rolling stock material for the project.

Tamil Nadu's government had previously announced that it would implement the monorail project for Chennai. Four corridors have been identified based on a feasibility study. The work will be taken up initially in the first three corridors.

The state administration also said that the advantages of the project were: land acquisition was minimal, monorail is safe, consumes less space, easy to construct, cause minimal disruption during construction, aesthetically pleasing, no grid power required for operation, environment friendly and cost-efficient.

Tender documents:

• RFQ: http://infrapppworld.com/wp-content/uploads/RFQ_chennai-monorail_.pdf
• Manual of Specifications and Standards: http://infrapppworld.com/wp-content/uploads/Manual-of-Specifications-and-Standards.pdf
• Draft Concession Agreement: http://infrapppworld.com/wp-content/uploads/Chennai-Monorail-Draft-Concession-Agreement.pdf