Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL), one of India’s leading steel manufacturers, said it will set up a plant to manufacture rails for metro & high speed rail projects with an investment of Rs 200 crores.
The plant is capable of producing 30,000 MT of rails per month and has been set up in technical tie-up with a German compnay M/S SMS MEER and the first of its kind in India, the company added.
The facility also propels JSPL into the club of 7 global steel majors who have the capability to manufacture head hardened rails in the world, added the company.
Head Hardening technology involves a special heat treatment process which requires very precise temperature control to achieve nearly 50% higher hardness as compared to a normal rail, the company said.
Naveen Jindal, Chairman of JSPL said, “In line with the Government’s thrust on ‘Make in India’, JSPL has successfully completed trials of Head Hardened Rails and is all set for commercial production. JSPL being the only producer of Head Hardened Rails in the country, is poised to play an important role in the growth of India’s rail infrastructure.”
Ravi Uppal, MD & Group CEO of JSPL said – “The government’s renewed impetus on railway infrastructure development and the proposed introduction of high speed and bullet trains necessitates the establishment of domestic facility to fulfill the need of Indian Railways. We envisage our indigenously produced rail product line which includes India’s longest rails and head hardened rails, to be the preferred choice for the upcoming metro and high speed rail corridors in India”.
The Ministry of Railways has a stated budget of Rs. 8.6 lakh crore over the next 5 years for modernization of Indian Railways.
The government’s target of laying 7 kms of new Rail Tracks everyday (2800 kms during this fiscal) and envisaged target of up to 19 Kms per day in 2018-19, is encouraging and offers tremendous opportunity for the indigenous industry. Based on the current demand projections, India has a requirement of over 1 Million (10 lakh) Tonnes of Head Hardened Rails over the next 5 years, added the company.