IT’S OUR VERY OWN LOCAL TRAIN

IT’S OUR VERY OWN LOCAL TRAIN
Indigenous Metro Cars Roll Out To Much Acclaim | BEML Supplying To DMRC, BMRC | 8-10% Cost Reduction Compared To Import
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: “I am eagerly waiting to receive the keys of the Bangalore Metro cars. By next year-end, the train will start operating between Byappanahalli and MG Road,’’ a visibly excited chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said soon after he alighted from the standard gauge Metro coach designed for Delhi Metro by BEML on Friday.
The CM was accompanied by Bangalore North MP P C Mohan, ministers of state for defence and railways M M Pallam Raju and K H Muniyappa respectively, and DMRC managing director E Sreedharan as he travelled in the coach within the BEML complex.
Handing over the first set of four indigenous rail coaches to Sreedharan, Yeddyurappa said the government has given tax exemptions to BEML which is manufacturing rolling stock for BMRC and DMRC. He also promised incentives in the future.
Muniyappa symbolically handed over the nation’s first aluminium wagon of 80-tonne capacity to Nalco CMD C R Pradhan.
BEML has been an integral part of the Metro rail project by manufacturing rolling stock for DMRC and also for Bangalore Metro. Sreedharan said when Metro rail was conceived, no one thought the coaches could be rolled out from this factory. The cost reduction is 8-10% for indigenous product when compared with imports.
BEML chairman and managing director VRS Natarajan requested permanent exemption of VAT and customs from state and central governments for Metro project as the PSU is bound to get major orders.
R&D CENTRE
Union minister of state for defence Pallam Raju announced that a national research & development centre of excellence for Metro and high-speed rail will be set up in BEML. Over the next two years, the centre, on 10 acres at a cost of Rs 125 crore, will conceive, design and develop prototype parts and trains and absorb technology. It’ll also take orders from other countries.
METRO AND BEML
Nearly 220 broad gauge coaches for DMRC Phase I are ready. DMRC could order 8 coaches to enable switching over from four-course to six-course trains.
“Metro coaches are very expensive and we have to plan certain designs to reduce the cost. BEML chief Natarajan is working on cost-effective designs,” Sreedharan pointed out. DMRC is ordering 60 more coaches (in addition to 196 already ordered) of standard gauge for the Delhi-Faridabad line at Rs 500 crore. Broad gauge and standard gauge lines cannot be intertwined and people will have to change trains. All new lines in future will have standard gauge coaches.
METRO STATUS Currently, Metro projects worth Rs 80,000 crore being implemented in seven cities In the next 8 to 10 years, investment of Rs 2 lakh crore would go into Metro
Cochin project awaiting Centre’s nod; Kerala government has cleared it. The project has been handed over on turnkey basis to DMRC
Metro projects in Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Pune, Kanpur and Indore are in the pipeline
STANDARD GAUGE CAR BEML enters global Metro club
Coach indigenously designed and an attempt to develop affordable cars at lower cost Train has 4-car formation consisting of two driving trailer cars and two motor cars
Total passenger carrying capacity of 1,312 Cars designed and manufactured to meet global standards with regard to passenger comfort and safety; corrosion resistant and aesthetic exterior stainless steel body; fire resistant ALUMINIUM WAGON Prototype aluminium wagon manufactured jointly with Nalco
Underframe is of steel and body is of aluminium extrusions Carrying capacity is 58.9 metric tonnes
Provided with pneumatically operated bottom discharge door mechanism for easy unloading of material