A thread for news and discussion on Railway R&D, equipment manufacturing industry in India.

Indian wagon builder enters European market (http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/10/indian-wagon-builder-enters-european-market.html)

FRANCE: Indian rolling stock and earth moving equipment manufacturer Titagarh Wagons Ltd has made its first overseas acquisition, purchasing the assets of French rolling stock supplier IGF Industries-Arbel Fauvet Rail which went into receivership in February last year.

TWL said AFR has the capacity to produce up to 5 000 wagons a year at its site in Douai, northern France, and possesses strong research & development competencies.

TWL established a wholly-owned French subsidiary for the deal, spending €1·9m to acquire the assets and providing €13m in working capital. Former head of SNCF's ERMEWA wagon leasing business Pascal Varin has been appointed Chief Executive of AFR and taken a 10% shareholding.

God save the French Railways.

Interesting development for this relatively young Wagon factory.

Coluld this mean new French technology percolating into the creating fabulous International standards of wagons and coaches in India?

They could build world class rakes with a high quality finish at close to ICF prices in India...participate in the export markets first to gain credibility and visibility...and then the Indian markets too after the publicity forces IR to look at these higher quality and slightly pricier options...

God save the French Railways.

LOL

God save the Indian Railways more like with all the accidents that happen and the tragic accident recently in Eastern India.

Would be good if Indian Railways had more interaction and joint ventures with French, German , British, US etc manufacturers to modernise the rakes, coaches & locomotives.

If only more money & effort was invested in safety! that would

Dankuni rail factory on right track
Jayanta Gupta | TNN


Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee’s dream project of a locomotive component factory at Dankuni — some 20 km from Singur — is expected to start operations by August 2011. On Monday, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) awarded the contract for construction of the factory to Simplex Infrastructures Ltd. Construction is expected to start in the next couple of days.
“The factory will manufacture components for diesel locomotives built at Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi. The project was sanctioned in 2009-10. It was proposed to transfer the work to us on February 12, 2010. It was finally transferred to us on April 19. The total project cost is Rs 84.21 crore. The factory will be completed by August 2011,” said a senior RVNL official.
The total area of the factory will be 1,180 m x 100 m. Officials say the entire process — from conducting soil investigation to the finalizing of tender — was completed in a record three months.
“We received 10 quotations in all. The rates were highly competitive. We adopted the ‘two packet’ system that is extremely transparent. In the first packet, tenderers submitted technical and other details while in the second, they put in their financial bids. Only after shortlisting agencies, which are technically capable of handling the project, did we go into the financial details. Our way of working is much more business-like than public sector organizations and we will ensure that the project is completed on time in accordance with our specifications,” the official said.
In December 2009, Mamata had announced her plans for the industrial development of Dankuni. Apart from the diesel locomotive components manufacturing unit, another factory will be set up to supply spares to Chittaranjan Locomotive Works. If things go according to plan, the Dankuni factory will sub-assemble locomotives for DLW.
While announcing the projects, Mamata had said nearly 100,000 people would get direct or indirect jobs once the factories came up. She said a number of ancillary units would also come up around the main factory, providing jobs to locals. No land acquisition had to be done as the land belonged to the railways.
“While Rs 84.21 crore will be required for the factory, the total estimated cost of the project is Rs 261.99 crore. Constructing a factory is not everything. Other expenses are also involved to start operations. This factory will provide a major boost to industrialization in the state,” said a senior railway official.

Escorts eyes component supplies for Metro, Monorail (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/escorts-eyes-component-supplies-for-metro-monorail/102000/on)

Farm and construction equipment major Escorts today said it will widen its railway product offerings to tap the Metro and Monorail segment in India so that it can achieve its targeted turnover of $1 billion by 2012.

The company, which has three verticals -- farm mechanisation, engineering products and construction equipment -- has a plant at Rudrapur, in Uttarakhand, which produces railway equipment.

"At present, we are supplying different kinds of parts to the Indian Railways for passenger and freight. The next step for us is to participate in the Metro and Monorail projects in India," Escorts Joint Managing Director Nikhil Nanda told PTI.

The Faridabad-based company sees huge potential in the Metro projects being taken up in cities, including Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, and also the Monorail project in Mumbai.

Escorts has set a target of clocking a turnover of over $1 billion by fiscal 2012.

So far, in the first nine months of the ongoing 2009-10 fiscal (the company follows an October- September fiscal), the company has posted net sales of Rs 2,078 crore, up 33 per cent from the year-ago period.

In the 2008-09 fiscal, the company had registered net sales of Rs 2818.05 crore.

Asked if the company is on track to meet its 2012 turnover target, Nanda said: "We are well within the track."

On the possibility of exporting Metro and Monorail components, Nanda said: "Yes, we will explore opportunities."

The company has been a leading manufacturer of critical railway components for the last 40 years, producing parts like shock absorbers, couplers, brake systems and brake blocks. The products are exported to over 15 countries worldwide.

http://a.imageshack.us/img148/4038/74589611.png

TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/SAIL-to-develop-Kulti-wagon-unit-with-RITES/articleshow/6331647.cms)
NEW DELHI: State-run SAIL on Wednesday said it will enter into a pact next month with RITES, a subsidiary of Indian Railways, for jointly setting up a railway wagon making unit in Kulti, in West Bengal.

"We will sign the agreement next month for the joint-venture unit with RITES," SAIL Chairman CS Verma told reporters on the sidelines of a book launch function organised by the Dainik Bhaskar group.

Verma said the proposed JV unit will have an annual production capacity of 1,200 railway wagons.

The project is estimated to cost Rs 100-200 crore.

SAIL, which has an annual production capacity of about 14 million tonnes, will supply its specialised steel products to the proposed wagon-making unit, Verma added.

For the project, SAIL may give its surplus land in Kulti near Burnpur, West Bengal. The location of the plant could be near Chittaranjan Locomotive Works.

Earlier this month, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had said the tentative name of the factory would be Bengal Wagon Industry.

The present wagon demand in the country is around 25,000 and is expected to rise further, once the dedicated freight corridors start coming up.

ET (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/US-locomotive-major-EMD-to-set-up-RD-shop-at-Lucknow/articleshow/6324727.cms)
CHICAGO: US-based locomotive giant Electro Motive Diesel, currently collaborating with Indian Railways in manufacturing high horse power diesel locomotives, will soon make operational a full-fledged R&D office in India to support technology upgradation of locos.

"The EMD office will be inaugurated in Lucknow soon to support Indian Railway's technology upgradation in diesel locomotives," EMD president and CEO John Hamilton told.

EMD design locomotives are currently being manufactured at Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) at Varanasi.

"EMD and DLW have been actively working together to constantly upgrade and improve on the technology with the introduction of new and higher horse power diesel locomotives," Hamilton said.

EMD with an annual turnover of $ 1.8 billion is supplying diesel locos to over 75 countries.

He said "IR has decided to ramp up production at DLW to 200-250 4500 HP locomotives in a year".

EMD is the only company in the world specialising in diesel locomotives over a period of 87 years. It is the second largest manufacturer of diesel locomotive.

"Regular training is being provided at Varanasi, Hubli and other railway sheds by EMD personnel from USA and Canada. Additionally, IR officials are taken to tour plants at LaGrange in US and London, Ontario in Canada for training and familiarisation with EMD locomotives," he said when asked about providing training facility to the Indian Railways.

EMD has enhanced its service support network in India to support Indian Railways locomotive maintenance facilities by placing service support personnel at five locations including Siliguri, Ahmedabad, Hubli and Delhi to support the growing fleet at multiple locations across India.

"EMD will continue to strengthen maintenance support infrastructure in India," he said.

Asked whether Indian industry has gained because of technology transfer on high power locos, he said: "Indian industry has learnt and absorbed new technologies and processes".

"There are about 6,000 individual parts in a locomotive which really can be built in India due to the indigenisation of parts and components."

Currently up to 20 per cent drafting and engineering work and up to 60 per cent of the information technology services, provided by EMD's strategic information solutions is being performed by Indian companies with resources both in India and USA.

Udit Prasanna Mukherji | TNN


Kolkata: All roads lead to Kanchrapara. Global biggies in railway transportation are making a beeline for the proposed hitech coach facility to be built about 50km from Kolkata.
This town in North 24-Parganas could well mark the beginning of Bengal’s industrial resurgence and fill the vacuum left behind by the Nano’s exit. Top companies like Siemens of Germany, Bombardier of Canada, Alstom of France, Stadler of Switzerland, Hitachi and Kawasaki of Japan, Korea’s Rotem Hyundai, ABB of Sweden and Spain’s Caf have filed requests for qualification (RFQ) for the Kanchrapara project. All of them have a turnover of at least $10 billion ( 50,000 crore). Siemens alone has a global turnover of close to $300 billion ( 15 lakh crore).
A top railway official associated with the project told TOI: “You name it and we have got their application. We had never imagined such a response. It’s just great. There is hardly any company left in railway transportation that has not applied for the project.” It’s learnt that the Kolkata-based Titagarh Wagons Ltd (TWL) of J P Chowdhary, and Texmaco of the KK Birla Group have also filed RFQs in consortium with global partners.
TWL has tied up with Stadler and ABB, while Texmaco has formed a consortium with Kawasaki. TOI was the first to report that Bombardier was keen to participate in the Kanchrapara project. The Berlin-based global major provides coaches for trains like Regina in Sweden, Electrostar in UK, Talent 2 in Germany and Spacium in France.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/TOIKM/2010/08/27/1/Img/Pc0012000.jpg

500 coaches a year by wagon JV
Kolkata: Bombardier, which is in the fray for the Kanchrapara coach facility, builds coaches for the Delhi Metro at its first facility in India in Gujarat’s Vadodara.
The RFQ published by the railways says the ministry will form a joint venture for setting up a ‘state-of-the-art EMU, mainline electrical multiple unit (MEMU) and metro coaches unit’ on 150 acres land in Kanchrapara. MEMU is used for inter-city trains.
“The partner will have 74% stake and the railways 26%,” a railways official said. The JV company will provide the railways 500 coaches a year (EMU, MEMU and Metro taken together). According to railways officials, this will be the first unit in the eastern region to manufacture MEMU and metro coaches. “Metro projects are in the pipeline in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata (East-West Metro).”

ET (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/Railways-shortlists-8-bidders-for-Kanchrapara-coach-factory/articleshow/6448714.cms)
Railways shortlists 8 bidders for Kanchrapara coach factory

KOLKATA: The Railways has decided to invite financial bids for the proposed Rs 500-crore coach factory in Kanchrapara by November. Eight global majors, including two in consortium with Indian partners, have been shortlisted by the railways for setting up the factory.

“We will invite financial bids from the shortlisted bidders in November,” a railway official said.

The eight shortlisted bidders include leading global players in rail transportation like Bombardier Transportation India, Alstom India, Siemens of Germany and Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) of Spain and Hyundai-Rotem, which is part of Korea’s Hyundai group. Hyundai Rotem has worked in the Delhi Metro.

CAF has been part of top international projects like Heathrow Express and the Hong Kong’s Airport Express. The other bidders include Stadler Rail of Switzerland with Titagarh Wagons, Jindal Rail India with Hitachi and Kawasaki Heavy Industries with Texmaco. The project is close to railway minister Mamata Banejee’s heart.

The project will come up as part of a JV, in which the Railways will hold 26% equity. The majority 74% will be held by the potential JV partner. The Railways had announced plans to manufacture some 500 EMU/MEMU coaches in the factory.

Established in 1863, the Kanchrapara workshop was set up by the then Assam Bengal Railway. It is one of the oldest such facilities in existence under the Indian Railways and had served the defence department in aircraft maintenance and in production of armoured cars and grenade shells during the Second World War.

My question is, what kind of coached these companies are going to make?

What is this all about? Donot we already have coach factories in India? Like Kapurthala, they make coached for Indian railways.

My question is, what kind of coached these companies are going to make?

The answer is there in the article:


The Railways had announced plans to manufacture some 500 EMU/MEMU coaches in the factory.

When is the horrific Ubiquitous Indian Coach getting replaced? Even the Chinese have better coaches than 90% of the monstrosities Indian Railways Run.
It doesn't matter if one or two new lines are added every month. The QUALITY of travel is imperative -
and traveling in Indian Railway Coaches is no better than the travel coaches in many Sub Saharan Countries (this is a fact).
Unless the Railways gets some competition (like Private Railways), it will never get out of its slumber ,
and the average indian will suffer these cast iron/steel coffins of railway coaches for eternity.


Compare :

Indian Coaches
http://www.wikiwak.com/image/Narmada%20at%20Indore%20BG.jpg
http://sudharsannarayanan.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/chaiwallah-on-train.jpg
http://sudharsannarayanan.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/indian_sleeper_coach.jpg

Chinese Coaches
http://www.csrgc.com.cn/ens/uploadfiles/xwzx/20090204100250578.jpg
http://cnreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/chinese-train-sleepers.jpg
http://images.travelpod.com/users/byrnedm/meandering2005.1139916420.01_11th.jpg
http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/node_10/node_37/node_82/img/2008/08/01/121755800745906_2.jpg

^^ eh why u have to compare india with china :bash:
watch out after 10-15 yrs

Aren't the pics above of those awful looking interiors & exteriors of Indian Railway coaches 3rd class?

If you sat in First Class your experience would be better?

Yeah comparing Chinese & Indian trains is futile but we all make comparisons. I fail to see why IR cannot modernise as the people of India deserve better.

^^ eh why u have to compare india with china :bash:
watch out after 10-15 yrs

What will happen in 10-15 years? Will the Chinese start using Indian style coaches? ;)

Aren't the pics above of those awful looking interiors & exteriors of Indian Railway coaches 3rd class?

If you sat in First Class your experience would be better?

Yeah comparing Chinese & Indian trains is futile but we all make comparisons. I fail to see why IR cannot modernise as the people of India deserve better.

Heh, wouldn't surprise me if they were both 3rd class.

What will happen in 10-15 years? Will the Chinese start using Indian style coaches? ;)


in 10-15 yrs we can see some change in IR IMO but your comment about chinese start using was :nuts:

^^ eh why u have to compare india with china :bash:
watch out after 10-15 yrs

I compare vecause I care!!!
India only seems to do things when the "China Factor" creeps in. The CWG are in so much vogue because we know if we screw it up - the world will never let us forget - how china pulled of Olympics so seamlessly and how we mucked it up.

All of India's growth creeps in only when the China comparison creeps in. If this is what competition does to get India to pull up its act - then HELL yea I will compare.

And to answer your question, the way our Railways work - in 10-15 years, China will STILL be 10-15 years ahead of us!!!!:bash:
Remember - it took 40 years for the Railways to introduce any changes after first Rajdhani was introduced. That just SCARES me. Period.

in 10-15 yrs we can see some change in IR IMO but your comment about chinese start using was :nuts:

Well that line was a joke but the point of it was that IR is not going to change in 10-15 years and it would take the Chinese to move backwards for India to "catchup" with them. It will continue in the same way it has been. Sad but true.

Well that line was a joke but the point of it was that IR is not going to change in 10-15 years and it would take the Chinese to move backwards for India to "catchup" with them. It will continue in the same way it has been. Sad but true.

i think 10-15 yrs a lot of time, the most important achievement in the next 10yrs will be the 100% electrification of IR(currently 50%) and modernisation of stations of major metropolitan+ the toilets :bash: see wiki it is written that IIT kanpur is working.. also the major reforms will be High Speed railway i am sure in 15 yrs we can get bullet trains from delhi-mumbai-chennai-kolkata-delhi on the line of golden quadrilateral but lets keep our fingers closed :cheers:

ET (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/Railways-in-talks-with-NPCIL-to-set-up-nuclear-power-plant/articleshow/6503476.cms)
Railways in talks with NPCIL to set up nuclear power plant
KOLKATA: The Indian Railways has approached Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) for setting up 1000 mw of captive nuclear capacity on its behalf.

The proposal put forward by the Indian Railways includes setting up two units of 500 mw on railway land. Power generated from the plants will be used by the Railways.

Confirming the development, department of atomic energy secretary Srikumar Banerjee said: “The proposal has recently come from the Railways to the nuclear power department. We are looking into it.”

Mr Banerjee, however, clarified that these two units will be over and above NPCIL’s current capacity addition programmes. “We will work out the modalities of these plant,” he added.

According to current estimates, two 500 mw nuclear power plants will cost around `10,000 crore for the plant and equipment. Sources said this venture with NPCIL could be in line with the one that has already been floated with NTPC.

The Indian Railways-NTPC joint venture Bhartiya Rail Bijlee Company will set up a captive power plant at Nabinagar in Aurangabad district of Bihar. The plant has a capacity of 1000 mw. The Indian Railways also plans to set up another power plant of 1320 mw capacity at Adra in Purulia district of West Bengal to avail traction supply at economical tariff.

Out of four units of 250 mw at Nabinagar Power Plant, the first unit is likely to be commissioned by March 2012 and balance three have been planned to be commissioned after every three months thereafter.

Mr Banerjee said the proposal from the Indian Railways has just reached the department of atomic energy. The department will discuss the modalities of setting up the power plant, including the shareholding pattern. It may be noted that the department does not allow any third party, that is other than NPCIL, to hold a majority stake in nuclear power plants. Hence, the Indian Railways will hold a minority stake, at most 49%, if it goes for the JV.

NPCIL, which would be the executing agency, is likely to use indigenous high-pressure water technology reactor, that is considered cost-effective. “Our 500-700 mw nuclear power plants are more cost-effective than imported technology,” Mr Banerjee said.

i think 10-15 yrs a lot of time, the most important achievement in the next 10yrs will be the 100% electrification of IR(currently 50%) and modernisation of stations of major metropolitan+ the toilets :bash: see wiki it is written that IIT kanpur is working.. also the major reforms will be High Speed railway i am sure in 15 yrs we can get bullet trains from delhi-mumbai-chennai-kolkata-delhi on the line of golden quadrilateral but lets keep our fingers closed :cheers:

It's interesting reading through this thread - my grandfather worked for Indian Railways back in the 50s and 60s and was chief signal engineer before the family moved to England. It's great to see there is so much passion for the railways in India..

KEC buys jay Railways to set foot in Railway-related sector

A group company of RPG group, KEC International Ltd (KEC) on Tuesday announced that it has taken over Jay Railway Signaling Private Limited.

With this, KEC has tried to strengthen its position in the Railways-related businesses as Jay is into the business of providing Railways Signaling Automation Systems & Technology services.

KEC is apt for this kind of work since it has a strong EPC base and it is one of the most important one to be built in railway infrastructure. KEC has already been involved with Indian Railways for setting up a railway track of 5,000 km.

With this acquisition, KEC will be having a whole array of services under its name which deal with Railway Infrastructure segment.

As per the information given by the company, the deal is going to cost it 13.96 crore rupees. Jay has assets worth 6.99 crore rupees under its name.

Said Ramesh Chandak, Managing Director & CEO, KEC International Ltd, that the acquisition is very strategic in nature and after this the company will be one of the biggest in this field. This is by no means a small achievement. http://www.topnews.in/kec-buys-jay-railways-set-foot-railwayrelated-sector-2274580

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/TOIKM/2011/01/03/5/Img/Ad0050612.png

ET (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/Railways-in-talks-with-NPCIL-to-set-up-nuclear-power-plant/articleshow/6503476.cms)
Railways in talks with NPCIL to set up nuclear power plant


OMG! 19th century technology meets 21st century technology! :hammer:

^^ well said:banana:

When is the horrific Ubiquitous Indian Coach getting replaced? Even the Chinese have better coaches than 90% of the monstrosities Indian Railways Run.
It doesn't matter if one or two new lines are added every month. The QUALITY of travel is imperative -
and traveling in Indian Railway Coaches is no better than the travel coaches in many Sub Saharan Countries (this is a fact).
Unless the Railways gets some competition (like Private Railways), it will never get out of its slumber ,
and the average indian will suffer these cast iron/steel coffins of railway coaches for eternity.


Compare :


Oh thats not a good way, dear........

COMPARE::

Chinese railways-
http://gallery.me.com/wangchun/100046/20071025170029/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/wangchun/100046/20071025170104/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/wangchun/100046/20071025170422/web.jpg

http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/79479169.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF8789215AB089EE596C65886894D9C9EC5C15CDD100D6F888B252D75846D59F6A75EF85

http://en.epochtimes.com/news_images/2008-2-7-onetrain79501975-copy.jpg

And Now........

INDIAN RAILWAYS

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2011/01/02&PageLabel=15&EntityId=Pc01509&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T

CC jayasankar madhavdas

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6659/2jayasankarmadhavdas.jpg
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6951/3jayasankarmadhavdas.jpg
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3984/1jayasankarmadhavdas.jpg
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2011/01/02&PageLabel=15&EntityId=Pc01509&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T

watch some videos here-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGwtCpzWBgs

http://img1.photographersdirect.com/img/17149/wm/pd2414869.jpg

and many more here- http://www.theluxurytrains.com/

Dude.... where on earth did you dig up those pictures?

Here's a CNN report on high-speed trains in China.

lXbR_Ybwwvk

When were those green Chinese coaches built? Problem is that IR coaches look like that fresh out of the factory.

China doesnt only have HSR.
It has normal trains as well

why you guys comparing china to india they have the best infrastructure by far for any developing countries, and they are far far ahead of us when it comes to railway industry and even the US

Source (http://www.sify.com/finance/railways-sign-deal-for-axle-unit-in-bengal-news-default-lbkvkiahjfi.html)
Railways sign deal for axle unit in Bengal

New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS) The railway ministry and state-owned Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) Monday signed an agreement for setting up a new rail axle manufacturing factory at New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal.

'The new axle manufacturing plant will be set up on railway land to be leased to the RINL for 30 years,' the ministry said in a statement.


The central government-owned RINL shall invest 100 percent equity for the project, while the ministry will provide assured purchases of 20,000 axles per annum.


The agreement comes in pursuance of the announcement made by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Railway Budget for 2010-11. It is expected to start production within two years

The issue with IR is its management.

Some of those Chinese trains eps. the High Speed Trains are better than anything here in the UK.

Source (http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/05/stories/2011020560791100.htm)

Railways announces project near Nandigram

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: Railways Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced the setting up of a wagon component factory near Nandigram in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district, nearly four years after the project for a chemical hub was called off by the State government after a movement led by her turned violent.

Stating that she wants to give back to the places where she has led “agitations for a just cause,” Ms. Banerjee pointed out that she had done the same in Singur where yet another movement spearheaded by her party had resulted in Tata Motors withdrawing its Nano project in October 2008.

“In Singur, I have launched the Kisan Vision project (a perishable cargo centre of the Railways) which will be completed by March,” she said, while laying the foundation stones for a diesel multiple unit (DMU) factory at Haldia, the wagon component factory at Jellingham near Nandigram as well as the Haldia Dock II at Shalukkhalli (via remote). The factory near Nandigram will be a joint venture of the Railways, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and Burn Standard.

“We are setting up factories across the State without having to kill people, rape women or acquire land forcibly. The Railways has been setting up these projects on its own land,” Ms. Banerjee said in an apparent indictment of the State government which, she alleges, has been guilty of acquiring land forcibly.

“I have said we are not anti-industry, but against forcible land acquisition…We had not claimed 600 acres [out of the total acquired for the Nano project at Singur] but only 400 acres [alleged by her to have been acquired forcibly]. We had no objections to the setting up of industry on the 600 acres. If you [the State government] cannot set up a factory it is your failure,” she said.

“How much land is required for a car factory? We have 42.5 acres here on which the DMU factory will be set up. The painting of the coaches will be done in Kharagpur. What is the harm in it?” Ms. Banerjee asked. Accusing the Communist Party of India (Marxist) of “doing dirty politics” she said that when it comes to development “they are not able it do it to themselves and if anyone else wants to work it is said ‘nothing will happen' out of anger and jealousy.” As for the Railways, “we will fulfil 99 per cent if not 100 per cent of our Budget commitments.”

Haldia all set to get coach factory

TIMES NEWS NETWORK (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Haldia-all-set-to-get-coach-factory-/articleshow/7393745.cms)


Kolkata: Howrah’s loss will be East Midnapore’s gain. Railways minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to shift the proposed DEMU coach manufacturing unit planned for Howrah’s Sankrail to Haldia. She will lay the foundation stone for this factory in Haldia on February 5, the minister announced during a programme at Metiabruz on Sunday.
“The land at Sankrail was acquired for a railway project when Madhavrao Scindia was the railways minister. Ever since I took over in 2009, the CPM made a hue and cry on why this land had not been utilized as yet. Finally, I decided to set up a factory there. The moment I made that announcement, the CPM sent some people to start an agitation at Sankrail. We shall not use force to start work. We will shift the factory to Haldia. If the people of Sankrail relent, another unit will be set up there,” Mamata said.
The Trinamool Congress chief seems to be growing in confidence every day. A day after she tried to woo voters in north Bengal, Mamata promised several projects to the people of Metiabruz and Garden Reach.
“The people of Metiabruz have been asking for a flyover and a hospital for quite some time now. It is the responsibility of the state government to build these. The railways would have helped had the state come forward with the projects. Instead of doing so, the state is creating impediments. First they promised to hand over the tram tracks between Joka and Behala to us for construction of the Joka-BBD Metro. Now, they have gone back on their word. Don’t worry. As soon as this government moves out, we will build a hospital and flyover at Metiabruz,” she said.
During the day, Mamata laid the foundation stone for extension of the Circular Railway network to Santoshpur (Akra) via Metiabruz and Garden Reach. There are two unused lines at Remount Road and Garden Reach that Eastern Railway engineers will use for extending the Circular Railway.
“In Garden Reach, we will require some land to erect pillars for the viaduct. People should allow us to do so as this new stretch will ease traffic congestion. People would not need as much time as they do today to commute to work. These are things that lead to development,” she said.
The five new stations along the route will be Metiabruz, Garden Reach, Santoshpur (New), Remount Road and Kachchi Sadak. While the station at Garden Reach would be named after Wajed Ali Shah, the one at Remount Road would be called Rani Rashmoni. The estimated cost for this extension will be 268.52 crore.
“All of these are sanctioned projects. We have several plans for these areas. We would not like Metiabruz to be remembered as a place where a certain riot took place. We would want such places to be known for the contribution they make towards development of the country. We are part of UPA-II and will do our best for development of Bengal and other states. I have another project in mind for Majerhat. I will announce that as soon as I get clearance from the port. Wait for another two to three years and you will witness the change,” she said.

Source (http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4880151)
Nagpur to manufacture Railways'' green toilets

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) Railways is finalising a proposal to manufacture new design eco-friendly toilets in Nagpur in a step towards its commitment for cleaner environment and to prevent damage to rail tracks.
"Efforts are on for installation of green toilets in trains and field trials are on for the purpose. These newly designed eco-friendly lavatories are likely to be manufactured in Nagpur," a senior Railway Ministry official said.
The proposal for manufacturing green toilets in Nagpur is likely to find a mention in the Rail Budget on February 25.
Railways is carrying out field trials for various types of green toilets, including controlled discharge toilet system, zero discharge toilet system and bio-toilet based on bio-digester technology, in about 90 passenger trains.
"Trials for bio-toilets based on bio-degradable technology are being carried out in Bundelkhand Express between Gwalior and Varanasi...These bio-toilets are in use in Siachen," he said.
The Railways had signed a MoU with DRDO for development for bio-toilets for rail coaches.
Rail tracks get corroded because of the discharge from toilets and the new design green toilets would prevent the damage to the tracks, the official said.
The feasibility trial for the zero-discharge toilet developed by RDSO and IIT where the solid waste is separated and the treated liquid is recycled for flushing is complete, he said.
The Railways is also considering to introduce vacuum retention toilet, like the one in aircraft, in all Shatabdi trains and preparations are afoot to go for global tendering for manufacturing of vacuum retention toilets, the official said.
However, the official said, "Rail users involvement and support is critical for the success of new system as objects like bottles, napkins, poly bags, gutka pouches and cigarettes would choke the new design bio-toilets." PTI ARU

Source (http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article1137196.ece)
Mamata lays foundation stone of signalling component unit

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today laid the foundation stone of Rail Electronics Signalling component unit here and also flagged off the New CoochBehar-Malda Town DEMU train.

Ms. Banerjee said a sum of Rs 127 crore has been earmarked for the Rail Electronics Signalling component unit which would be set up here.

She said the New CoochBehar-Malda Town DEMU train would be of immense help to the people of CoochBehar, Jalpaiguri and Malda districts.

The railway minister said as per the demand of the people of CoochBehar district, the Guwahati-New Delhi Garib Rath would have a halt at New CoochBehar station.

She also said that work on the New Maynaguri-Jogbani railway line would be completed soon.

Union Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy was also present on the occasion.

After the function here, Ms. Banerjee left for Siliguri and Jalpaiguri where she would flag off three long distance mail/ express trains New Jalpaiguri-Amritsar weekly express, New Jalpaiguri-Chennai central weekly express and New Jalpaiguri-Darbhanga weekly express.

She would dedicate upgradation of wagon maintenance and stabling facility at New Jalpaguri.

SIFY (http://www.sify.com/finance/texmaco-rail-expects-regulator-nod-for-listing-soon-news-corporate+results-lcjpBPedaec.html)
Texmaco Rail expects regulator nod for listing soon

Texmaco Rail & Engineering, formed after demerger of Texmaco Ltd, expects to get regulator approval to list on the stock exchanges soon, a senior official said on Wednesday, sending the firm's shares soaring.

"An application is pending with SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) and we expect the approval to come any day now as it has been with SEBI for quite some time," A.K. Vijay, chief financial officer, Texmaco told Reuters.

"Given a chance, we would list it today".

Texmaco shares dramatically rebounded from being almost 9 percent down to be up 8 percent after his comments.

After market hours on Tuesday, Texmaco had reported an 83 percent plunge in Oct-Dec net profit to 39.25 million rupees on lower sales.

Vijay attributed the decline in net profit to demerger as "the turnover and profitability are divided into two companies."

Texmaco had spun off its heavy engineering and steel foundry divisions into Texmaco Rail and Engineering. Texmaco now manages real estate, infrastructure and hydro-electric power generation projects.

The demerger was to unlock the shareholder value in the company's real estate business, which is now "well on the horizon," Texmaco said in a statement.

Texmaco has submitted a proposal to develop mill land in the capital to the Delhi government and the proposal is expected to be cleared soon, it said.

The firm is expected to continue to get robust orders for wagons from the Indian Railway but orders from the private sector would remain sluggish, two analysts said.

Texmaco Rail in December had signed a joint venture with Australia's UGL to set up a railway equipment facility in Kolkata.

The Indian Railway has an outlay of about $9 billion to boost rail infrastructure in Asia's third largest economy.

The rail budget for 2011/12 is scheduled to be presented in parliament later this month.

At 12:27 p.m., Texmaco shares were up 5.54 percent at 40 rupees in a choppy Mumbai market.

ET (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/railways-to-set-up-16-rail-neer-water-bottling-plants/articleshow/7514589.cms)
Railways to set up 16 Rail Neer water bottling plants

NEW DELHI: In a move which could see a drop in prices of packaged 'Rail Neer' drinking water bottles, served in trains, Railways have firmed up plans to set up 16 new bottling plants across the country under PPP mode.

"While there was proposal for setting up of six bottling plants in the Railway Budget, it was revised and scaled up to 16 new plants," said an IRCTC official, the organisation which is handling the Rail Neer plants.

At present, Rail Neer bottles, priced at Rs 12 each, are served only on-board trains.

"The number of plants would make the packaged water bottle more economical. Today we transport the cartons over 400 kms away leaving little scope to cut price," he said.

The process of setting up the first one at Allahabad under public-private partnership mode has already been finalised, he said.

At present, IRCTC operates two plants -- one in Nangloi (Delhi) and the other one in Danapur in Bihar -- catering to the requirement for the entire country.

The official said trial run for the third plant at Chennai will start in February. It will have double the production capacity of the existing two plants, rolling out 15,000 cartons per day.

Towards the end of this year, the fourth plant at Mumbai with a capacity to produce 25 cartons per day, would also start operations, the official said.

Each carton has 12 bottles. The official said 16 new plants would also help Railways to launch the Rail Neer bottles in markets.

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/PUBLICATIONS/HT/HM/2011/02/20/Article//003/20_02_2011_003_008.jpg

IBN (http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/railways-plan-to-set-up-rail-industrial-park/584341.html)

Railways plan to set up Rail Industrial Park

PTI | 12:02 PM,Feb 20,2011
New Delhi, Feb 20 (PTI) In a first-of-its-kind project, the Railways will soon set up their own industrial park to manufacture various components for rail operation. "Ancillary units will be set up at the Rail Industrial Park which would cater to the needs of Railways," sources in Railway Ministry said, adding, the proposal is likely to be announced in the Rail Budget 2011-12. Besides, proposals for setting up a green toilet manufacturing unit at Nagpur and expansion of Diesel Loco Works at Varanasi are also likely to find mention in the Rail Budget on February 25. Railways are carrying out field trials for various types of green toilets, including controlled discharge toilet system, zero discharge toilet system and bio-toilet based on bio-digester technology, in about 90 passenger trains. "The green toilet in trains, an environment-friendly step, is a priority for Railways as the organisation is committed to providing cleaner environment," a senior official involved with the green toilet project said. Facing financial crunch due to various reasons including the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, hike in diesel price and shortfall in freight loadings, Railways will tread cautiously this time. Besides the Park, a diesel locomotive shed in Mariani in Assam may also be proposed in the Rail Budget. "The loco shed is being strategically planned keeping the increased rail movement in the North East in mind," the sources said. Facing complaints about the quality of linen provided in trains, Railways are expected to propose mechanised laundries on "build, operate, own and transfer" mode at every zone. The Budget may also have a proposal for provision of 'Jan Ahaar' outlets at every station to provide good quality food at reasonable rates to passengers

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/PUBLICATIONS/HT/HM/2011/02/20/Article//003/20_02_2011_003_008.jpg

why can't IR concentrate more on their main line of business and make improvements instead of straying into areas like bottling etc ...

every time a city/state govt submits a plan for civil structures such as flyovers/ROBs/RUBs, they take years to approve plans - even worse - they insist that a third party like an IIT Engg Dept approve such plans - showing the level of their incompetence - then they want to stray into areas like bottling ...

what a shame! for an industry which has over a century of track record and the nation's largest net assets in real estate with the largest # of staff on rolls :ohno:

Source (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/power/railways-ntpc-adra-jv-caught-in-mamata-nitish-tussle/articleshow/7552591.cms)
Railways-NTPC Adra JV caught in Mamata-Nitish tussle

KOLKATA: A proposed joint venture between the Indian Railways and NTPC Ltd for setting up a 1,320 mw thermal power plant in West Bengal has been caught in a tussle between the railway ministry and Bihar government over issues relating to a similar joint venture.

The power plant, proposed to be set up at Adra in Purulia district of West Bengal, has been made a part of Bhartiya Rail Bijlee Co Ltd, a 26:74 joint venture between the railways and NTPC.

This venture was floated to set up a 1,000 MW thermal power plant at Nabinagar in Bihar, where the Bhartiya Rail Bijlee Co is headquartered.

The Adra project was earlier proposed to be an independent thermal power station with a similar holding pattern.

"There has been no development on the Adra project after the memorandum of understanding was signed between NTPC and the railways ministry some six months back," an NTPC official told ET. "The railway ministry and the Nitish government have locked horns over the location of the headquarters of Bhartiya Rail Bijlee Company and the name of the company."

"The railway ministry wants the headquarters of the company shifted to West Bengal and its name replaced with a Bengali-sounding name. But the Bihar government is not too keen on the proposal. It wants the company's name as well as it head office to remain the same as they are now," the official said.

SOURCE (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/thakurli-power-plant-revival-rlys-dumps-mmrda/757462/0)
Thakurli power plant revival: Rlys dumps MMRDA

The railway administration has decided against a partnership with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for the revival of the Thakurli power plant. Railway officials said they have decided not to tie up with any state government agency, a decision that would be a setback for the MMRDA, which was looking at a partnership to revive the now-defunct plant as an additional source of electricity for upcoming infrastructure projects such as the Metro rail and the monorail systems.

Senior officials from Central Railway said the Railway Board is yet to inform them regarding any possible tie-ups with other government agencies. However, collaborating with the state government has been ruled out. “We have an in-house experience of setting up a power plant and have successfully done so at three places. As of now, we plan to set up a power plant there on our own,” said CR’s chief spokesperson Vidyadhar Malegaonkar.The railways already has three power plants.

MMRDA officials claim to have first approached the CR for jointly reviving the Thakurli plant (see box). The CR, however, showed little interest in the proposal as the land was initially earmarked for setting up infrastructure facilities for the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

Maharashtra, which has a large power deficit that increases every year, is expected to face an even more acute pressure on infrastructure as more electricity will be required for mega transportation projects.

MMRDA officials said the agency should have its own power plant. In the 2009-10 budget, it even allocated Rs. 10 crore for jointly setting up a gas-based plant with Cidco, which is also coming up with a power plant in Navi Mumbai. The excess power was to be transferred to the state grid.

The decision to revive the 80-year old defunct power station in Thakurli in Thane district came after Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced it in her railway budget for 2011-12.

After feeling the pinch of buying electricity from different sources, the railways decided to revive the plant. It is to be noted that the CR requires 300 MW a day with an annual expenditure of over Rs. 600 crore on electricity bills, while the WR (suburban) requires 200 MW every day.

The railways then asked the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to do a feasibility study that suggested that a gas-based project was more feasible, considering the growth of population around Thakurli and the requirement of coal and subsequent pollution.

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5027312

Bidding documents for railways'' PPP projects modified

New Delhi, Mar 13 (PTI) Aiming at reviving the big-ticket PPP projects in Marhora and Madhepura, the Railways has reworked the bidding documents to make them more equitable and viable for business.
The Railways has fixed the date of opening of the price bidding on May 10 for Marhora diesel locomotive plant and May 11 for Madhepura electric locomotive plant in Bihar.
The price variation clause for supplies of locomotives on yearly basis and transfer of technology clause for maintenance are being re-worked in the bidding documents, a senior Railway Ministry official said.
The price variation clause describes the price from year to year for a long-term contract incorporating indices such as labour cost, inflation, materials cost for which official indices are published by RBI.
This clause was earlier loaded in favour of intending bidders which will now being made more equitable and designed to be fair to both sides, the official said.
The transfer of technology clause is to cover the maintenance and knowhow of locos. "So that even after the contract with the concessionaire is over, railways can maintain these locos on its own," the official said, adding "Out of the four maintenance sheds proposed in each plant, railways may decide to keep one for itself for learning maintenance process."
The multi-crore locomotive projects were put on hold temporarily due to these factors.
"Railways have now decided to fast track these projects under these suitably modified conditions based on the advice of two committees of senior railway officials," the official said. The committees were constituted in January to break the stalemate.
However, before the opening of price bidding, Railways will seek the approval of the empowered committee for carrying out necessary changes in the bidding documents.
Rs 1,500 crore Madhepura plant and Rs 2,000 crore Marhora plant are considered to be big-ticket projects for railways which are expected to produce about 180 locomotives a year.
The contract will be operative for 10 years for manufacturing and 15 years for maintenance.
While four American and European companies are being shortlisted for Madhepura electrical locomotive plant, two American companies are shortlisted for Marhora diesel locomotive plant.
There will be pre-bid conferences with shortlisted bidders before May.
The attempt of the Railways is to make the terms and conditions of Madhepura and Marhora projects similar as per the instruction of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee who wanted the projects to be aligned on identical lines.

Source (http://www.livemint.com/2011/03/21134849/Japan-quake-to-delay-Titagarh.html)
Japan quake to delay Titagarh steel bridge JV

Mumbai: Indian wagonmaker Titagarh Wagons Ltd’s plans to set up a joint venture with a Japanese firm will take longer than expected due to the massive earthquake that rocked Japan earlier this month, a senior official said.

Titagarh has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s Kawada Industries Inc to manufacture steel bridges in India. The two firms plan to make two-lane modular bridges with steel composite decking, according to Titagarh Wagons’ website.

“The JV would be subject to a preliminary study getting completed. That is underway. And now with the current situation in Japan things will be deferred to an extent as they will have a lot of rebuilding work in Japan,” Titagarh Wagons’ Vice Chairman Umesh Chowdhary told Reuters on Monday.

He did not give a timeline for the venture to become operational.

“The joint venture agreement has not yet been signed. It will take a little time”.

To take advantage of India’s increasing demand for metro coaches, Titagarh has teamed up with another Japanese metro coach maker to bid for such orders.

“We are in a consortium with a Japan firm and we will bid for tenders as and when they come up,” Chowdhary said. He declined to name the Japanese firm.

Indian Railways has earmarked an investment of $12.68 billion in 2011-12 for modernise its creaky infrastructure and expand capacity. It has proposed to set up two wagon units with private partners.

The Railways has estimated the total public-private partnership investment in India at Rs1,526 crore in 2011-12.

Titagarh, which gets the bulk of its revenues from the Indian Railways, expects a tender for 18,000 wagons to be published within the next one or two months, he said.

The firm has a capacity to make about 5,000 wagons annually. Its unit Cimmco is expected to make another 2,000 wagons in 2011-12.

Orders from the private sector have not yet seen an uptick he said.

“Private sector demand has not yet picked up but railway demand looks healthy,” he said.

Titagarh’s JV with US-based FreightCar America to make aluminium rail cars — lighter wagons with more pay load — for the local market is yet to start operations due to limited enthusiasm from the Railways, he said.

“The designing has been done, but the issue is that this was a new concept and until the concept picks up, it does not make sense to go into manufacturing.”

Kolkata-based Titagarh, which had acquired the assets of France’s IGF Industries- Arbel Fauvet Rail last July, is open to more such overseas acquisitions, but no deal has been finalised yet, he said.

At 1:16 p.m., Titagarh Wagons shares were down 1.12% at Rs308.85 in a choppy Mumbai market

American Railcar gets $10M deal to build railcars in India


American Railcar Industries Inc. said it landed a $9.6 million contract from Indian Railways Research Designs and Standards Organization to design and develop railcars for service in India.

Under this agreement, American Railcar (Nasdaq: ARII) will work with Indian Railways to assess the operating conditions for freight railcar traffic, design four new railcar types for heavier axle loads and build six railcar prototypes in the United States.

American Railcar, which is led by President and CEO James Cowan, will receive payment based upon the completion of certain design, manufacturing and development activities. American Railcar said it expects the contract to extend over several years with almost half of the steps being completed within the first couple years.

American Railcar owns half of the joint venture, Amtek Railcar Industries Private Ltd. The joint venture's railcar manufacturing plant near Chandigarh, India, is currently underway.

American Railcar lost $5.3 million in the first quarter, compared with a loss of $7 million a year earlier. The St. Charles-based railcar maker reported revenue of $84.8 million for the quarter ended March 31, up 62 percent from $52.3 million, thanks to an increase in railcar shipments.

Carl Icahn is the majority owner of American Railcar through Icahn Enterprises.

Read more: American Railcar gets $10M deal to build railcars in India | St. Louis Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2011/05/06/american-railcar-gets-10m-contract.html

Hi,

Sorry for a non-project related comment. I was looking for an answer to this question below, which might be helpful in one of the projects that I am doing.

What do Indian Railways do in the event of a line obstruction on opposite track. In particular, I mean what is the protocol/procedure or how do drivers warn the Signallers other staff in order to block trains on the opposite lines. Consider a scenario where a train has derailed and is blocking a section on the opposite line. How can the trains in the opposite direction be stopped or warned?

Thanks

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/growth-on-the-fast-track/809977/0#
Growth on the fast track

With no less than 54 projects in hand,totaling an investment of over R29,057 crore, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian Railways, has plenty on its plate to keep it busy for the next one decade or so.

These projects involve 2,689 km of track doubling, 263 km of gauge conversion, 798 km of new lines, 1,654 km of electrification and 66 km of metro projects, the last being mostly in Kolkata, which the former railway minister Mamata Banerjee, now as chief minister of West Bengal, would very much like to see fast-tracked.

The promptness with which RVNL had taken up some of her pet projects like the locomotive components factory at Dankuni, the diesel multiple unit manufacturing facility at Sankrail (now being built at Haldia — both with a potential for creating jobs) and extension of the Kolkata Metro network have apparently helped to boost Banerjee’s credibility as an achiever, perhaps even helping her at the hustings a few months ago.

Born out of the necessity to speed up a large number of urgently needed additions to railway infrastructure, RVNL came into being in January 2003 under the Company’s Act, 1956. A special purpose vehicle (SPV), it is a fully owned subsidiary of the railway ministry and follows the provisions of the Railways Act, 1989, and became fully operational from March 2005 on appointment of the board of directors.

Its original mandate to strengthen four mega bridges along the Golden Quadrilateral — on the Ganga, (Munger), Brahmaputra (Bogibeel), Kosi and Nirmali — provide port connectivity and raise resources from the market has undergone some changes.

RVNL is now actively pursuing various models such as SPVs and the build operate and transfer model, apart from seeking Asian Development Bank funding to finance the projects instead of depending solely on market borrowings, which can sometimes prove to be prohibitively expensive.

In a major departure from the normal mode of funding of projects by the railways, it has been singularly successful in adopting the public-private partnership route and in maintaining a debt-equity ratio of just 2.3:1. With only 13% as equity, it has garnered on an average 18% contribution by the stakeholders and the rest as debt from the market. In the process it had to relearn the finer points of preparing a detailed project report and bankability reports, ensure financial closure, resource mobilisation and execute projects on a fast-track basis.

Among some of the innovative inputs have been construction of a 87 m long subway under 12 rail tracks by adopting the box pushing technology in Chennai, developing 45 m long pre-stressed concrete girders fit to carry 30-tonne axle loads, and setting up of 60 cu m/hr capacity computer-controlled automatic batching plants.

Despite the plethora of projects, it has managed to keep a lean organisation with just under 270 employees located, —besides the four metros, at some of the major cities like Secunderabad, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Raipur, Jaipur, Pune, Hubli and Bilaspur. Starting with just R357 crore in 2003-04, it has logged up an impressive cumulative expenditure of R9,322 crores in 2010-11, completing no less than 23 projects including two major bridges, a 3-km second one on the Mahanadi and a 4.6-km bridge on the Vallarpadam-Idapally stretch along with railway electrification.

It has also managed to convert the 215-km Phulera-Rewari and 80-km Phulera-Ajmer sections from metre gauge to broad gauge, while at the same time adding a double line, providing vital direct link for freight from the north to ports in Gujarat and beyond, eliminating the circuitous route via Jaipur and cutting down on transit time.

By end of last year it had recorded an impressive tally of 1,590 km of gauge conversion, 662 km of doubling, 194 km of new lines and 1,335 km of track connected with railway electrification.

Lending a major helping hand to export drive, it is providing rail connectivity to five projects, starting with the 301-km Kutch-Gandhidham railway line. The Kutch Railway Company Ltd, an SPV created for this purpose, has already paid a dividend of R3 crore for 2008-09 and R10 crore for 2009-10.

Considerable progress has also been made by two more SPVs — Bharuch-Dahej Railway Company Ltd for gauge conversion of the 62-km Bharuch-Samni-Dahej line and Krishnapatnam Railway Company Ltd for a 122-km new line from Krishnapatnam to Obulavarapille. Unfortunately, land acquisition woes of Orissa have hit the 82-km new line from Hardaspur to Paradip port though some head way has been made for the 99-km alignment from Angul to Sukinda.

Perhaps the most important factor of RVNL’s entering into a large number of projects has been its success in attracting some of India’s big-time construction companies. The list reads like a who’s who of the infrastructure world, including the likes of Larsen & Toubro, Tata Projects, Simplex, IVRCL, Nagarjuna Construction, BBJ, Gammon, Afcons, ECIL, MCML Private Ltd, DS Construction, etc.

It has also led to higher transparency in the tender processing, better quality, higher reliability in project implementation and most importantly, absence of any local or extraneous constraints associated with small-ticket projects.

With the Prime Minister himself now being in overall charge of the railway portfolio and his emphasis on three key areas, namely, strengthening the Golden Quadrilateral, and strategic link to the Kashmir valley and the northeast, RVNL would perhaps sooner than later have to enter the northeast region too, where a plethora of new challenges await it.

The PM himself is handling the Rail Portfolio?

Then hopefully we should see better management as well as financially.

Etihad Rail awards contract for railway sleepers


2 July 2011

Etihad Rail – the master developer and operator of the UAE’s national railway network – announced today a contract award to PCM Strescon Overseas Ventures Limited (PCM Strescon) for the provision of railway sleepers.

The Indian-based company will be responsible for the design and manufacturing of railway sleepers as well as the production of the sleeper manufacturing facility for Phase One of the railway network - the 266km route linking Shah, Habshan and Ruwais in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region. The award of this contract marks a major milestone for Etihad Rail and comes ahead of the laying of the first tracks for the 1,200km network in Q4 of 2012.

PCM Strescon is a leading manufacturer of pre-stressed concrete sleepers and the company has already set up two factories in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the world’s highest production capacities, and have supplied more than 2.6 million sleepers to the North South Railway Project of Saudi Arabian Railways (SAR), in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For the Etihad Rail network, PCM Strescon will oversee and manage the design, manufacturing, maintenance and storage of the railway sleepers that will support the network’s tracks that will carry the trains transporting granulated sulphur (in partnership with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) for export at the port of Ruwais.

Commenting on the award, Etihad Rail CEO Richard Bowker, said, “We are delighted to announce that Etihad Rail will be working with PCM Strescon, a leader in the industry. This award clearly highlights that we are moving full speed ahead with the railway network – one that will transform the transport sector in the UAE. We look forward to announcing news of further important contract developments over the coming months.”

Etihad Rail’s Dh40 billion railway project is forecast - over the next two decades - to grow to transport up to 50 million tonnes of freight and 16 million passengers per annum, connecting population centres and opening up channels for trade. When complete, the UAE-wide network will change the way people and goods move across the Emirates, by providing a modern, safe, efficient, and environmentally sustainable method of transport, and will form a vital part of the GCC Railway Network.


http://www.khaleejtimes.com/biz/inside.asp?xfile=/data/business/2011/July/business_July26.xml&section=business

Contact Address

INDIA ::
PCM STRESCON OVERSEAS VENTURE LIMITED
PCM Tower, Sevoke Road, Siliguri,
734001, West Bengal, India.
Tel: +91 353 2777028/029/040
Fax: +91 353 2540734
E-mail: infopcmstrescon.com

http://www.pcmgroup.co.in/index.html

http://www.pcmstrescon.com/index.html



Nice to learn that Indian rail companies are being market leader and getting good orders from international market. :cheers::cheers:

TELEGRAPH (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110711/jsp/business/story_14223501.jsp)

Concor selloff faces hurdle


New Delhi, July 10: The divestment department’s bid to include Container Corporation of India (Concor) in the stake sale list is likely to meet with stiff resistance from the Indian Railways.

Sources said the railway ministry was not in favour of diluting its stake in Concor as the firm had enough funds and could perform better with public-private partnerships.

Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in her capacity as the railway minister had opposed stake sale in rail companies.

She has indicated that the ministry will continue to be headed by a Trinamul Congress member with a cabinet rank, and it is unlikely that the new minister will go for a change in the divestment policy.

Concor managing director Anil K. Gupta said the selloff issue was being looked into by the railway ministry, and a decision was expected soon.

The government is considering paring its stake in the PSU to 58 per cent from 63 per cent, which can fetch Rs 700 crore based on current market prices.

Sources said any dilution of stake in firms under the railway ministry could ring alarm bells in Bengal and could be politically exploited by the Left, who were opposed to divestments in state-owned firms.

The company had a net profit of Rs 830 crore in 2010-11 against Rs 786 crore in the previous fiscal. The firm had posted a net profit of Rs 819 crore in 2008-09.

Analysts said the logistic firm’s profit had been stagnant in the past few years and its revenues had been hit by increasing competition from road transporters and private operators.

As part of the new growth strategy, Concor is looking at opportunities in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and has entered into a strategic partnership agreement to develop rail infrastructure for container cargo with Krishnapatnam Port Company Limited.

ET (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/railways/railways-to-sign-mou-with-sail-for-kanchrapara-coach-unit-soon/articleshow/10718430.cms)

Railways to sign MOU with SAIL for Kanchrapara coach unit soon

KOLKATA: The railways will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with the Steel Authority of India for setting up a modern coach-making unit at Kancharapara in West Bengal's North 24-Parganas district, Railway Board member (mechanical) Sanjiv Handa said today.

''The draft MOU is ready. There has been convergence (of views). We expect the MOU to be signed soon,'' Handa told newsmen here.

Earlier, Handa was present at an internal review meeting of the railways chaired by Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi. Railway Board chairman Vinay Mittal, the general managers of the Eastern, South Eastern and Metro Railway and city Mayor Sovan Chatterjee were also present at the meeting.

Observing that 1,000 km of railway line were to be laid every year as per the 'Vision 2020' of former railway minister Mamata Banerjee, Trivedi said, ''For this, we need coaches and wagons. These must not only be modern, but must also be number one in safety standards.''

According railway sources, the much needed Metro Railway coaches, along with Electro-Mechanical Units (EMU) and Modified EMU (MEMU) coaches will be manufactured at the proposed manufacturing units.

In September last year, SAIL had signed an agreement with RITES for jointly setting up a railway wagon-making unit in Kulti in Burdwan district at a cost of Rs 200 crore.