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Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML), the maker of metro and rail coaches, is optimistic of being able to indigenise production of coaches for the much talked about Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project at a later stage.
According to D. K. Hota, Chairman and Managing Director of BEML, the company has entered into a tie-up with the Japanese company Hitachi. While the focus will initially be on assembly of parts of the coaches for the bullet train project, it will look at local production at a later stage.
“Whatever I understand, a total of 240 coaches would be inducted by 2023 (for the project). Some of these would be assembled here (in India). Initially, I believe it is better to absorb the technology. Some particular indigenisation will happen and that has not been decided,” Hota told newspersons on the sidelines of the Rail Connect East 2018 conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry here on Friday.
The bullet train project, which was launched last year, is expected to cover the distance of over 500 km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in less than three hours, from the present seven hours. Japan has extended a soft loan for the project.
BHEL has also tied up with a Japanese company - Kawasaki - for the project, he said. However, the finer details as to who will produce what and how much are yet to be worked out. According to Hota, the government is extremely serious (on the high-speed train project) and a lot of ground work has happened.
“Whatever part (of the project) comes out for bidding, we would bid and try to get an order,” he said and added, “We have to be in sync with the government plans... we have the capacity to absorb the technology.” BEML, Hota said, also aspires to become a turnkey player in metro rail projects.
The public sector entity, which forayed into manufacture and supply of metro cars in 2002 as a rolling stock player, has so far supplied close to 1,300 metro cars to the metro rail corporations of Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Jaipur. “It is our aspiration (to become a turnkey player) and also something that our customers want,” he said.
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