SAIL eyeing rail track laying and coach making biz

KOLKATA: The country's largest state-owned steel company, SAIL, is foraying into passenger railway coach manufacturing and is looking at the possibility of entering railway track laying.

"We have a number of proposals lying before the Railway Board. We want to expand the scope of relationship beyond manufacturing EMU and DMU coaches," SAIL chairman C S Verma said here today after meeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to update her on investment plans in the state.

"The chief minister has extended her cooperation for the projects we have undertaken in the state," he said.

Though Verma did not say anything about expediting SAIL's proposals with the Railway Board, it is believed that he sought Banerjee's help in clearing the projects pending with the board.

Railway portfolio is with Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. SAIL is executing a wagon factory project at Kulti in the state, at a cost of Rs 200 crore, jointly with the Railways and the construction work is expected to commence soon.

Earlier, Verma said he was looking at the possibility of entering railway track laying and renewal.

SAIL was also understood to have held talks with a few leading European rail technology companies to take its plans forward.