Railways to set up three more factories: again Bihar gets two

The New Indian Express, July 25, 2008

TIRUCHY: Three new railway factories would be established in the current year, said Raj Kamal Rao, Member Mechanical, Railway Board, here on Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists after flagging off locos and passenger cars for Tanzanian Railway Ltd at Ponmalai workshop, Rao said that in the last four years, the Indian Railways had seen an unprecedented growth both in freight and passenger traffic - 60 million tonnes of freight and 12 per cent growth in passenger traffic.

Taking pride in the Ponmalai unit as one of the most efficient workshops in India, Rao said 8000 wagons were manufactured every year which had at present increased to 15,000. “In the current year it was proposed to manufacture 20,000 wagons among which 800 would be built at Ponmalai and this would be increased upto 1000”, he said.

Stating that three new factories would be established - one in Rae Bareli for coaches, another at Chabra in Bihar for diesel locomotives and the third at Madhapura in Bihar for electric locomotives.

Chief Mechanical Engineer V Carmalius, DRM S Subramanian, Chief Workshop Manager S Rangarajan and others were present.

NOTE: Bihar gets more than 3 railway factories and Orissa gets none during this Government