With eye on polls, NDA to speed up West Bengal coach plant

NEW DELHI: With an eye on upcoming West Bengal elections, the NDA government has decided to speed up the project for setting up a rail coach factory at Kanchrapara in the state.

Railways, after awarding contracts to Alstom and GE for setting up electric and diesel locomotive factories in Bihar, has moved forward on RCF in Bengal which requires an investment of Rs 860 crore. "The bids for setting up RCF will open in January," said an official.

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The factory, which will operate as a joint venture, will manufacture electric multiple units (EMUs) and mainline electric multiple units (MEMUs). Railways has promised to buy 5,000 coaches in 10 years. The transporter has invited bids from companies for setting up the much-delayed project to select a joint venture partner through an open competitive bidding. The factory will manufacture and supply 500 EMUs and MEMUs every year over a 10-year period.

The proposal for the Kanchrapara RCF was announced by then rail minister Mamata Banerjee in her budget for 2009-10, but failed to take off after she broke with Congress. The new rail dispensation has moved forward on the project to push investment in railways through its 'Make in India' initiative.

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu had listed the project in his budget speech, as one of the key projects identified for domestic or foreign direct investment in the railways.