Nagpur: With China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) showing no interest in setting up a Metro coach manufacturing plant near the city,
MahaMetro has decided to assemble them in Butibori extension. The plant will be ready in an year. It plans to expand it to a full scale manufacturing unit if it gets orders from other Metros in the country. CRRC will, however, supply the first 69 coaches to Nagpur Metro.
A source in MahaMetro said that both standard gauge and broad gauge coaches would be assembled at the Butibori plant. “We will make broad gauge coaches for Metro trains to Ramtek, Wardha, Bhandara and Katol, and standard gauge coaches for Pune Metro. We will also bid to supply coaches to other Metros across the country,” he added.
MahaMetro has sought 100 acre land from the state government, and the initial investment will be Rs350 crore. The plant is expected to provide employment to around 300 people in the beginning. It will have the capacity to assemble 100 coaches a year.
“We have saved around Rs200 crore from our rolling stock purchase. The central government will contribute to the project, and we will also seek a strategic partner like Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Alstom etc. The state government will also be urged to invest in the project. We will assemble the coaches under both Make in India and Make in Maharashtra schemes,” said the source.
According to him, MahaMetro will also set up a coach maintenance facility at the plant. “Currently, there are 2,500 coaches running in various Metros of the country. They will require maintenance from time to time,” he said.
Commenting on CRRC, the official said that the company purchases most parts from other companies. “It only manufactures the shell and then assembles the coaches,” he said.
Elaborating on the plant, he said, “There will be three sections, one assembling, another testing, and one for maintenance. The 100 acre land is sufficient for setting up a full scale manufacturing unit. Alstom makes coaches in less than this near Chennai.”
The proposal will be put up before MahaMetro board at its meeting on June 6 in Delhi. The board will decide whether to form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) or a subsidiary of MahaMetro will manage manufacturing. “Whatever the model, we will supervise the plant. We will engage a company to do the actual work,” said the official.
The official was confident of getting orders for manufacturing coaches. “Currently there are Metros in 13 cities of India and the number will go up to 50 in the coming years,” he said.
CRRC had signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government in October 2016, to set up a coach manufacturing plant in Mihan. The central government sent several reminders to the company regarding the MoU, but did not get any response. Finally, both central and state government reached a conclusion that China was not interested in the project.
CRRC was to invest Rs1,500 crore in the unit and generate employment opportunities for 5,000 people. MahaMetro is confident of matching these figures some years down the line.