SAIL to produce specialised rails for Indian Railways

Offering a plethora of products for most infrastructure development projects, the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) is India’s largest manufacturer of steel. It was established in 1954 and is a public sector undertaking with a turnover of nearly INR 50 crore (approx. 8 million USD). The fully integrated iron and steel manufacturer’s production was up by 3% in July this year. This Maharatna is India’s second largest maker of iron ore. Bhilai, Salem, Rourkela, Durgapur, Bokaro, and Burnpur house SAIL’s primary integrated steel plants. It has special steel set ups in Bhadravati and Kanpur as well and a ferro-alloy plant in Chandrapur.

Indian Railways and SAIL have a relationship that goes back many years. However SAIL shipped out its first consignment of 'thick web asymmetric rails' from its Bhilai Steel Plant on July 13. These switch rails or point blades help trains move over to another track and will go a long way in helping the Indian Railways cope with the high speeds and increased axle loads. Until now, these switch point rails were being imported since very few local steel manufacturers produce them on a commercial scale. R. K. Sinha, the General Manager of Rail & Structural Mill at the Bhilai Steel Plant said, "We have developed the capability to supply the entire requirement of Indian Railways for such kind of rails."

India is likely to require 10,000 tonnes of these rails. The end-forging plant will be set up at a cost of around INR 45.54 crore (approx. 7.5 million USD). The Railway Design & Standards Organisation has specific standards for production of the switch rails, and it costs about INR 1-1.5 lakh (approx. 1,650 – 2,470 USD) per tonne. With domestic production now established, the average price estimates are expected to come down by 20-30%. The consignment was sent to West Bengal’s (Talmuk) Rail Vikas Nigam Limited. SAIL now provides 130 and 260m long rails to Indian Railways. Currently the Bhilai Steel Plants supplies single piece rail that is 65m long which is then welded to make long rails. But for safety and cost effectiveness, the plant has decided to make rails that are longer with fewer joints. "The new universal rail mill will produce world's longest single piece rail of 135 meter as rolled length and 130 meters finished length. The mill will also be world's largest in terms of its rated capacity of 1.2 million tonne per annum,” a spokesperson for the Bhilai Steel Plant was quoted as saying to the Business Standard.

SAIL is India’s now produces high quality rail track as well as wagons and other parts such as wheels, tracks and axles. SAIL wants to establish an independent passenger coach making plant with an investment of INR 1,000 crore (approx. 164 million USD). The Kulti wagon plant in West Bengal is expected to produce 1,500 coaches by the end of next year. "We are in talks with the Railways for passenger coaches. We have different locations in mind but are yet to finalise. The detailed project report is getting readied," SAIL Chairman C. S. Verma told the Press Trust of India.