December 02, 2008

BEML to supply SS EMU coaches for Mumbai and Kolkata

It is reported that Bharat Earth Movers Limited, which has supplied coaches to the Delhi Metro will now manufacture stainless steel electric multiple unit coaches for local trains of Mumbai and Kolkata.

As per report, BEML is designing these coaches with a stainless steel body which would cost around INR 8.6 million a piece. These coaches would be supplied in phases and stainless steel coaches would slowly replace the existing ones in these cities.

The report cites some BEML officials as saying that "It is for the government to decide which of the two cities is going to be the first to get steel coach trains. As of February 2007, we have orders from the Railway Board for 300 coaches worth INR 102 crore to be completed in the current and the coming financial years. We also have letter of intent for supply of 875 coaches in the fiscal 2008 and 2009 for which prices are yet to be fixed."

BEML has supplied the first batch of 188 modern stainless steel metro coaches to Delhi so far. Besides, it is executing an order of 36 air conditioned EMUs worth INR 26 crore and for 40 metro coaches for DMRC to be completed by end of June 2007.

Demand for metro coaches is expected to increase in the immediate future to cater to the upcoming Metro projects in cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kochi. The company is already expanding its infrastructure to increase production from the existing 150 metro coaches per annum. A new Metro Fabrication Hanger has been planned at the company's Bangalore unit for manufacturing Metro Cars for DMRC.