The 750V dc trains will enter service in June 2016 on the 25.6km north-south line from Aluva to Petta, which will have 22 stations and is initially expected to carry around 382,000 passengers per day.

Each 65m-long train will be formed of two driving motor vehicles and an unpowered intermediate trailer. They will accommodate up to 975 passengers, 140 of them seated, based on a maximum occupancy of eight standing passengers per square metre.

Kochi Metro will require 22 three-car trains to operate five-minute headways, increasing to 27 sets for a four-minute headway.

The deadline for submission of tenders to DMRC is October 3.

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