The Railways’ Rs.2,500-crore train set project under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ programme has seen interest from global firms such as Alstom, Hitachi, Toshiba, Bombardier, Siemens, CSR Qingdao and CSR Zhuzhou.
The State-run transporter had floated a global tender for procurement, manufacturing and maintenance of 15 electric multiple unit (EMU) train sets or 315 rail cars last month.
The move is aimed at improving the speed of Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains by running train sets, which can clock the speed of 160 kmph.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had announced the plan in the Railway Budget for 2015-16.
“Twenty-three companies from various parts of the globe, including some Indian companies, participated in the conference. The project has generated tremendous response among various stakeholders and the participation of a large number of global players is expected in the bidding process,” a senior railway official said.
The major Indian firms which have shown interest include the public sector firms Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. and the private-sector Titagarh Wagons Ltd.
The global firms include Hyundai Rotem, Transmashholding, Moscow, and Spain’s Talgo.
Under the tender conditions, the successful bidder will have to import two train sets, while the rest will have to be manufactured in India.
The Railways has said that the manufacturer will take up maintenance for up to seven years and train its staff for maintenance.
The lifespan of each train set will be 35 years.
