Japanese firm Mitsui Co. Ltd. has won the bid to supply 10,600 metric tonne of Head Hardened Rails (HH-Rail) for the track work of the 37-km-long Phase-1 of the Ahmedabad metro-rail project at the cost of Rs 59.32 crore.

“Mitsui has been selected from a group of five bidders which included Voestalpine, Jindal Steel, British Steel, East Metals,” said IP Gautam, Managing Director of Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) Company Ltd which is constructing the Rs.10,700 crore Phase-I of the project.

Mitsui is the first Japanese firm to win a bid out of the 27 contracts that have been awarded.

The tender notice for procurement of the HH-rail was published on July 8, 2016 and the tender was awarded on June 15.

According to metrorail officials, the 1,080 grade HH-rail being procured for Ahmedabad metro has greater durability than the normal rail of 880 grade. The use of 1,080 grade HH-rail will dispense frequent rail checks on main lines.

“We will be using the HH-rail only for laying the metro tracks, while normal rail will be used in the depots,” an official added. Two depots — one at Apparel Park on the East West Corridor and the other at Gyaspur on the North-South Corridor is being built.