The move towards South Africa is part of the Railways’ plans to get ambitious with its exports
The Indian Railways is making plans to sell rail wheels to South Africa, a developed economy with a well-equipped railway system. Indian Railways is among the bigger suppliers of equipment including locomotives and coaches to smaller nations in Africa, such as Benin, Angola, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Senegal.
The move towards South Africa is part of the Railways’ plans to get ambitious with its exports. In reply to a query from DNA, OP Agrawal, General Manager, Rail Wheel Factory, Bengaluru, confirmed: “In the past, the RWF has exported cast wheels a number of times to a number of countries. As of now, we are exploring new markets abroad. South Africa is one such market,” Agrawal replied.
The exports of RWF, and several other production units of the Indian Railways, are managed by the Expotech division of the Railways’ consultancy firm RITES. RITES currently liaisons with about 55 countries in the world to sell products made by the Indian Railways. Puneet Kumar, executive director, Expotech, RITES said that the preliminary plan is being worked out.
As reported by DNA in its July 11 edition, all production units have got orders to build capacity and capability to ensure that they can market at least 10 per cent of their products to firms or countries outside the ambit of the Indian Railways.
The ministry has also asked its units to procure certifications like the Brussels-based International Rail Industry Standard so that markets like Europe and North America can be explored.
Currently one of the biggest export orders is the construction of 120 LHB coaches for Bangladesh Railways. “It is a step in the right direction because the Indian Railways once was known for its cheap but effective technology,” said a senior railway official.
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