Ministry of Railways signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) here today
for procurement of long rails. The agreement was signed in the
presence of Railway Minister Shri Nitish Kumar and Steel Minister
Shri Braj Kishore Tripathi. The signatories to the agreement included
Shri Achal Khare, Executive Director, Track(Procurement) of Ministry
of Railways and Shri A.K.Singh, Director (Commercial) of SAIL.
Under this agreement, Indian Railways will purchase long rails
of 65 to 78 Metre from SAIL’s Bhilai Steel Plant. At present rails
produced by SAIL for Indian Railway is in the length of 13 to
26 M long. The new rails to be manufactured will be further welded
by the Bhilai Plant itself so as to make 240 to 260 metre long
rail panels. The expected cost of the project which will be commissioned
by this year end is approximately Rs. 320 crores. Railways annual
requirement of long rails is close to three lakh MT.
Speaking on the occasion, the Railway Minister
Shri Nitish Kumar said that Indian Railways have embarked on policy
of modernization in all its activites and procurement of high
quality long rails is a step in this direction. Shri Kumar pointed
out that long rails would ensure higher safety of tracks due to
less welded joints. He said that the expansion projects of railway
network under National Rail Vikas Yojana would be undertaken using
most modern state-of-the-art technology. In his remarks, the Steel
Minister Shri B.K. Tripathi said that SAIL was fully committed
and geared up to meet the railway’s entire requirement of quality
rails.
Use of long rails will drastically reduce the
Flash Butt Welds and increase reliability and safety of the system.
Railways will be making all efforts for regular and uninterrupted
transportation of these new long rail panels to the site of work
using special rail carrying rakes.
SAIL is the only rail producer in the country.
The quality of rails manufactured by SAIL is of high international
standard. The railway has also made a commitment in today’s MoU
to source its total requirement of long rails/rail panels from
SAIL as well as rails in other lengths like 13- and 26- meter.
SAIL’s inhouse consultant, Centre for Engineering
& Technology (CET) has provided the consultancy for the long
rail project. Corus Consulting Ltd of the UK, the leading consultant
for rails in the world, have been appointed as technology consultants.
The Chairman, Railway Board Shri I.I.M.S
Rana; Secretary, Department of Steel, Mr. J.S. Gill; Chairman,
SAIL, V.S. Jain; Managing Director, Bhillai Steel Plant, Shri
B.K. Singh, other members of Railway Board & senior officials
from Ministry of Steel and SAIL were among those present on the
occasion.
