New Delhi, Dec 6 (IANS): Six international companies in joint venture with leading Indian firms have participated in pre-qualification bid process for system works (electrical and signal and telecommunication works) of Bhaupur-Khurja segment of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor project (343 km) of the railways, an official statement said here Friday.

The joint venture firms which qualified are INABENSA-ANSALDO-EME-BCEPL, KEC-ELECNOR-KYOSAN, Siemens Consortium and Alstom Consortium.

The World Bank has agreed in-principle to part-finance the Eastern Corridor project from Mughalsarai to Ludhiana, which has been divided into three phases.

The total in-principle loan commitment is $2.725 billion, out of which the loan for the first phase to the tune of $975 million was sanctioned in May 2011 and the loan agreement was signed in October 2011. The loan for the second phase is expected to be of the order of $1,100 million.

DFCCIL, a special purpose vehicle is engaged in planning, construction, operation and maintenance of the dedicated freight corridors and in the first phase, the two corridors -- Eastern Corridor from Ludhiana to Dankuni (1,839 km) and the Western Corridor from Dadri to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) (1,499 km) -- are being constructed.

The entire Western Corridor is being funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), while the Eastern Corridor from Mughalsarai to Ludhiana is being funded by the World Bank.