RITES bags US $ 59 million order for rail coaches, materials

Chennai, Oct 7: The Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) has bagged export orders worth more than 59 million US Dollars for supplying rail coaches and other related materials to various countries.

Mr R K Rao Member (Mechanial) Railway Board told newsmen after flagging off a batch of 22 coaches to 'M/s CPM Railways' in Angola, Africa from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) here today that the Board would ensure that many of these orders would be given to ICF.

He said RITES was holding discussions with countries like Sri Lanka and Sudan for supplying rail coaches. RITES has also finalised a deal for supply ofrail coaches to Maldives, Myanmar and Senegal. The production for this order would commence shortly, he added.

He said the establishment of another rail coach factory at Rae Bareili in Uttar Pradesh was not yet finalised. Efforts would be made to establish the new unit in the next five years, he added.

He said it was also proposed to manufacture 100 world class railway coaches on par with international standards.

General Manager of ICF Mr Raja Goundan said ICF which started by assembling third class passenger coach shells was now manufacturing more than 230 varieties of railway passenger coaches.

He said ICF specialised in design, development and commissioning of Self- Propelled Coaches like Electric Multiple Units, Diesel Electric Multiple Units and luxury tourist coaches like Palace on Wheels and Deccan Odyssey. ICF has so for manufactured 37,000 coaches, he added.

Mr Goundan also pointed out that the installed capacity of ICF is 1000 coaches per year. ICF has produced 1175 coaches last year, the highest ever by it during a production year. Now, ICF was planning to produce 1500 coaches by modernising its production capabilities. He said on the export front, ICF has so far exported 73.55 crore railway passenger coaches and spares to 12 Afro-Asian Countries.

He said the order by CFM Railways, Angola includes supply of 56 coaches of ten varieties at a total cost of INR 55.59 crore. The product mix includes 22 Second Class Day Coaches, nine First Class Chair Cars, six First Class Coaches,two Restaurant Cars, two Second Class Luggage-cum-Brake Vans, four Driving Power Cars, eight Trailer Cars for Diesel Electric Multiple Units and one Driving Power Car for for Diesel Electric Multiple Units, one Supervisor-cum-Tool Van and one Tool Van for Accident Relief Train, he added.

He said for the first time ICF would be exporting coaches to Angola and Diesel Electric Multiple Unit coaches.

He said the ICF was also working on five more new projects, including production of Diesel Electrical multiple units for Jammu and Kashmir, and manufacture of world class coaches.

He said the Union railway ministry has sanctioned Rs 300 crore for ICF for improving infrastructure and modernisation.

UNI