Mumbai, July 15 (IANS) Two consortiums, Reliance Infrastructure Ltd-Hitachi and Larsen & Toubro-Scoomi (Malaysia) are left in the race for the Rs.14.4 billion ($340 million) first phase of the proposed monorail project for Mumbai, according to an official. D. Kawathkar, joint project director of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), said Tuesday evening that the technical bids by the two consortiums had been submitted.

After a week, these will be evaluated along with the financial bids and then the contract would be awarded, Kawathkar said. The government undertaking, RITES, will be involved in evaluating both technical and financial bids.

A third bidder, Bombardier of Canada, withdrew from the race, he added. The process started with seven consortiums, but later came down to three after the opening of the pre-qualification bids.

Construction work is likely to start after monsoon and the first phase is expected to be completed within 30 months.

The monorail will run between Jacob Circle-Wadala-Chembur suburbs in the first phase, encompassing 18 stations over 20 km, from south Mumbai to eastern Mumbai.

The monorail will have four coaches, each with a capacity of 175 passengers. During peak hours, it will carry between 10,000-15,000 commuters per hour in both directions, Kawathkar explained.

The monorail, running on a single track, is a high-speed, high-capacity transport system, capable of notching a maximum speed of 80 km per hour. The project envisages construction of an eight-hectare car depot at Wadala.